BM2K7 Playa ROM Playa Prologue First Day A Busy Day The Man Burns Early Rebuilding the Man A Very Full Night and Day Kidsville Happenings The Man Burns The Temple of Forgivenesss Burns Return to the Default World Decompression
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Burning Man 2007: The Man Burns
1 September 2007
Everyone asleep, I swing by Ranger HQ to get a fresh radio battery and sign in for my shift. It's a beautiful warm evening, and I'm very excited to be out and about. The big green laser is blazing, the crowds are milling, and the music is reat.
One of the first places I swing by is an old standby: Thunderdome. Preparations for a duel is going on.
Thunderdome rules always crack me up. I really ought to print this and hang it on my office cubicle. Somehow appropriate...
The Temple of Forgiveness is such an awe-inspiring sight, especially at night. As in previous years, there's a muted hush about the place, as people write down thoughts, pleas, and statements deigned for the cleansing flames at weeks' end.
I head back for another look at the new Man, now guarded by another group of Rangers. The bright construction lights give the place an unearthly glow, eerie, too bright, official.
Super Dave, DPW, site coordinator extraordinaire. eating one of Spoons' creations. Thanks for absolutely everything, Dave. You kept us up and running when it got exhausting. You're right, it's the little things that count.
Ranger Magiver, rangering the Center Camp Café. All safe and caffienated?
We so appreciate the Center Camp Café staff; thanks! (This is my evening run for one of the law enforcement groups with which I work. They were shy.) It's always the same; black, no sugar, no cream. Grrrrrr. My stomach can't handle that, even once!
It's 06:23, dawn is upon us. The dancing revives; only a few hours of sleep are really necessary, right? It's still pretty chilly outside, but warm gusts of sun-heated air puff by every few moments.
It's still early morning, but the sun is hot in the sky, sharp shadows are thrown, and the crowds begin anew at the Temple of Forgiveness.
Time to go home; shift's over. As I wonder into Kidsville I'm greeted by one of our wee citizens. It's unbelievably hard for me to believe that only a few years ago Lila was as small as the tricycle rider!
Our neighbor of many years poses in her goin'-out duds for that evening. I think she and her husband had a separate costume per night, if not more!
Part of being a parent is gracefully bending to your kids' quirks and interests. Isaac is really into the burn barrel, and has show he's as responsible as an 8.5-y-o can be: how can I not indulge his wish to eat dinner at the burn barrel?
It turned out even better than I expected: Isaac watched out for all the younger kids, gently keeping them safe near the hot metal and flames within. I'm very proud.
Looks like a guy relaxing on his couch, TV dinner in hand, watching something interesting :-)
It seems that no matter how early I start preparing for the evening, darkness falls too quickly. I'm always rooting around with my headlamp shining, trying to get everything ready for our excursion. While I've got the bikes and trailers propped up on our shade structure, looking for glow sticks, this two-person perambulatory art car walks on by. Awesome.
Finally we're ready to leave Kidsville and explore the nighttime playa! We've got extra supplies 'cause we don't want anything to mar our trip to see the Man getting burned.
Unlike some years, where I was in the inner circle, these years I'm outside looking in with my family. Both perspectives have their points. Here's fireworks over the Man, as he begins to burn just a bit.
The Man burns! After the initial cheering and hooting of "save the Man" a hush descends upon the crowd, and the loud crackles and pops of burning wood are music to our ears. Another year, another burn, another moment of community.
By now it's really late, and Lila is falling asleep. Back to Kidsville, all to bed, and Papa heads over to Ranger HQ for a fresh battery and another shift. I stop by the Center Camp Café for a hot cocoa.
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