the people how did crude awakenings were across the street from me. i feed them and gave them tea and hot chocolate. we hung out a lot and i got to hear a lot of inside info because of it. i was with them when they caught the guy who burned the man. we heard it on the radio, you could hear how happy the rangers were. they said that they had to keep him under heavy guard because there was lots of death threats on his life. he may have had one of those what were you thinking moments, but now he faces federal charges. we didn't get too many pictures of the first man on top of the of his tent or the second one either. they were both up so little time that we didn't get out there in time to take pictures. the burn was seemed anti climatic to me. i guess because it so small and the we had to leave it to see the oil derrick burn. we usually would have stayed and dance around the man for the rest of the night after the burn, but i really a need to see the derrick burn.
our regionals burn was bigger then the man burn this year, the oil derrick over shadowed the burn, it mad me kind of sad. i loved the oil derrick burn but i think it was because i spent so much time with the people who built it. i heard all their stories of worries, woe, and wonder. i think i felt more connected to it then the man after seeing all the stress and work of the builders. they worked really hard all day to get it ready for friday's burn only to have to take it all apart because of the white outs. only to spend all day the next day getting it ready to burn and decided that it would be safer to go smaller because of the winds being too strong. they work in white outs all day on saturday too. i rode out and got pictures of them in one from beginning to end. since we left the man burn to get a great spot in front of the derrick and help keep the perimeter i got some really cool pictures. i have one of the derrick in a mushroom cloud of fire!! it is sooo cool. i can't believe i got the picture!
i spent most of the burn just trying to get around. two weeks before the burn i was rear ended, hard enough to bend my frame on my suv, and hurt my back. the art cart i made didn't make it to the playa till monday night. when we tried to use it it had two flat tires that we had to use fix a flat on. then when we tried to ride out to the trash fence for the eclipse it's speed controller burnt out. i dragged that thing from way past the derrick all the way to just behind the temple.(all 75lbs of it) then when i saw the man start to burn i dropped it and ran to the man. by the end of the night my back ached so bad i just gave up and went back to camp to find someone to give me a ride to pick it up. the next night some big 6'5" guy climbed the dj booth at the opulent temple, jump off and landed on my foot. it was swollen for the rest of the burn. so i spent most of my time staying at camp making friends with anyone who walked by. i cooked for everyone, served tea and coffee to anyone who wanted it. i made a lot of great friends, and they all want to camp with us next year. ;)
we went to the temple burn for the first time. it was a very beautiful burn, i love the pictures from it. i don't think we will be staying for the temple burn again. i did like the way it felt, it felt like crashing some you don't knows funeral. i understand everyone loves it, but i find it hard to be around all the sadness. i don't even go to the temple after the first night. it was very moving, but i found myself thinking we should hurry and get out before the traffic after the temple burn. i couldn't sit still!! i had the urge to run back to camp and leave so we would have to wait for five hours in traffic. i guess i would be more comfortable staying for the temple burn if we were to be staying till Tuesday.
