So a dissident
set the Burning Man ablaze several days before the official Sept. 3 date. All of which reminds me of my very tenuous connections with the big annual Black Rock, Nevada, event. First was my buddy, the aged-in-grade Bad Boy, who yearned to visit the festival and finally made it, only to be completely shunned by the counter-culture folk. He forgot that, as a loner with his Jeep-kinda vehicle, cropped hairdo & clean-shaven look plus gear stashed in ammo cases, he came on as a stereotypical narc. Lesson learned and his 2nd visit went well.
Then last month, during the Memphis niece's visit, we got an invitation, third-hand, for a party celebrating something called Amphibia.
Turned out that this was, in part, a celebration for the completion of a
pavilion, Amphibia, produced by the local/Arizona delegation to Burning Man, 40-50 strong. Plus a fund-raiser. Model above and on Tshirt below.
A goodly supply of amphibia were present on hangings at the outdoor affair. Above, salamanders; frogs below.
Niece and her dotter do the salsa amongst the amphibia. After all, this was a party, as the salsa contest below suggests. The food was plenty and tasty.
Decor for the party also included the Temple of Virtual Wisdom and, of course, an Art Car, made by
Cosmic Steel.
The hostess of the evening, sculptor Juanita Hull-Carlson, holds up a second T, this one with a green pledge of allegiance to the earth. She has recently completed a children's book, Amphibia, and talked of plans to create a travelling educational caravan of the same name.
Just one more facet of the Prescott experience. For more about Burning Man, go
here.
So a dissident set the Burning Man ablaze several days before the official Sept. 3 date. All of which reminds me of my very tenuous connections with the big annual Black Rock, Nevada, event. First was my buddy, the aged-in-grade Bad Boy, who yearned to visit the festival and finally made it, only to be completely shunned by the counter-culture folk. He forgot that, as a loner with his Jeep-kinda vehicle, cropped hairdo & clean-shaven look plus gear stashed in ammo cases, he came on as a stereotypical narc. Lesson learned and his 2nd visit went well.
Then last month, during the Memphis niece's visit, we got an invitation, third-hand, for a party celebrating something called Amphibia.
Turned out that this was, in part, a celebration for the completion of a pavilion, Amphibia, produced by the local/Arizona delegation to Burning Man, 40-50 strong. Plus a fund-raiser. Model above and on Tshirt below.
A goodly supply of amphibia were present on hangings at the outdoor affair. Above, salamanders; frogs below.
Niece and her dotter do the salsa amongst the amphibia. After all, this was a party, as the salsa contest below suggests. The food was plenty and tasty.
Decor for the party also included the Temple of Virtual Wisdom and, of course, an Art Car, made by Cosmic Steel.
The hostess of the evening, sculptor Juanita Hull-Carlson, holds up a second T, this one with a green pledge of allegiance to the earth. She has recently completed a children's book, Amphibia, and talked of plans to create a travelling educational caravan of the same name.
Just one more facet of the Prescott experience. For more about Burning Man, go here.
Burning Man...who knew.. Looks like a great party!
ReplyDeleteOh, it was, Brain!
ReplyDeleteIn a festival famous for its lack of rules, how can anybody get mad at a guy for expressing himself by setting a fire that they themselves were going to set a few days later? How ironic is it that somebody is charged with arson at a gathering of people who come to see ... a fire? And a suicide is nothing if not the ultimate form of self-expression.
ReplyDeleteI covered BM in 2001 and I have a warm place in my heart for the event, but I'll be interested to see how the anything-goes Burners spin this one.
Ron Franscell
Under The News
Oh, the irony of it all! Welcome, Ron, and come again.
ReplyDeleteCool postage, Gran, and the amphibians.
ReplyDeleteFar out.
It's been so hot in Georgia our burning man melted.
John :)
Welcom, John. We alternate between a very hot high elevation sun and coolth beneath summer rain clouds, tho I'm sure our summer sun would melt any Burning Man, if he were to poke his nose into our little town.
ReplyDeleteWow, Burning Man really means.. Burning Man!
ReplyDeleteMari-Nanci
SnS -- Yes, indeed! I begin to get the impression that BMan is a much bigger deal in the western states than in the East, BTW...
ReplyDeleteI saw a sign on the road from Clarkdale to Jerome today that said the roadside was being cleaned by Psychedelic Mariachi. Sounds like someone meant for the Burning Man fest.
ReplyDeleteIt sure does, Cat A. Just on a hunch, I tried The Google & found this picture of the sign and also discovered that way back, Rolling Stone tried to pin that label on Carlos Santana.
ReplyDeleteNeat post. Enjoyed your photos, Ron's review, and link to Jerome.
ReplyDeleteSteve
Hey -- always good to hear from you, Steve.
ReplyDeleteHey, Ron -- I just read your report on BMan & recommend that everyone who visits here does the same.
ReplyDeleteMy arty hippy niece (well, one of them...) has done that burning man fest a couple of times, she had some funny tales to tell. Then I once caught a good film of it on TV with a soundtrack of Holst's Planets, which went really well!
ReplyDeleteLucy -- the festival has been around for over 10 years now & a lot of the original folk are getting long in the tooth. I wonder if there's a younger generation moving in -- or are they moving on?
ReplyDelete