Burning Man 2022

Time flies at Black Rock City, one week goes by in an instant.
Before you know it, it is Friday and you get that lingering sadness inside knowing that the end is near and you don't want it to be.
Then it is Saturday and you head out for the man burn like sometime after 8 30 pm. You watch the amazing fireworks and the man burn down with thousands of others. I do not need any fireworks in the real world because I have the fireworks I will ever need on the playa. This year there were many spectacular drone shows as well since the man came down with the help of drones last year at Renegade Burn.







Then Sunday arrives and after Sunday comes Monday which is Labor Day and the day Burning Man officially ends. People start packing up anytime between late Saturday and Sunday. Some stay on the playa until Tuesday. You touch that fine dust, feel the dusty ground underneath your feet and gaze out across the playa when the sun sets on that last day and think......I hope to be here again next year. Well at least I do. Even though the dust storms and the heat were extra challenging this year I still want more of Burning Man. It is my place. It is such a magical place. The amount of effort and pure love that goes into building a city on a vast dry lake bed and then tearing everything down and leaving no trace - it is truly impressive.
I miss falling asleep to the soothing sound of music somewhere out there, hearing voices of people walking or biking by the camper while I drift off to sleep......waking up to the bass coming from an art car driving by.
Until next time!



A link to a short Burning Man video. By Vincent Rommelaere.
https://vimeo.com/754906174

What I most regret, what irks me the most about this year's Burning Man is that I missed out on most of the art. The art theme this year was Waking Dreams. I just did not make it that far out to see it and yes there were some amazing pieces of art on the playa. I did not have the energy. It was hotter than usual, there were a couple of long complete white out dust storms (one lasted a full day until the evening) so I was stuck at camp during those. First I thought it was me, like am I getting too old and frail for Burning Man (yeah right!)? But I was not the only one that felt that they did not see and do as much this year compared to other years....it was a rough one.
I did not even find the Playa Barbie booth! That is kind of my mandatory yearly Burning Man picture.....I just could not find the Barbie booth. Sad, sigh......



I could not decide on what picture to pick so here are both.





I liked this piece (I do not know the artists name or what the art was called).



Christmas in the summer time? On the Playa of course!



Whomever decorated that mantel shelf really knows what's up.





I DJd twice at Planet Earth, out of three scheduled sets. Two of my sets were on Friday.
First 80s Pop and New Wave and then 90s rave. 90s rave! Yeay!
I finally got to play Prodigy No Good Start The Dance and some Robert Miles! Plus other songs I used to dance to back in the days.
My first rave was in.....1997, Narnia. Somewhere in the forest past Los Angeles, a whole new world opened up to me and I fell in love with the rave scene that first night.









Sunday evening I headed out to Planet Earth to DJ my third set and there was nothing there. Planet Earth was gone! I thought I was lost or confused at first.....but yes they were completely packed up and gone before the end of Burning Man.
I guess some people in that camp tested positive for COVID so they dismantled and left. OK?
I don't understand why a WHOLE camp decides to tear down because of some COVID but I am not them.
My outfit on Sunday.



I saw Paul Stamets and Tom Eckert (not pictured) speak at the Psychedelic Speaker Series - something I am very interested in.



A fun sign. You should print it out, laminate it and hang it where you work. I am planning on doing that.



Alllllll kinds of amazing stuff awaits out there......let's go!

A month ago, on August 29 a Monday I arrived at Black Rock City which was going to be my home for one week.
I think this was my most challenging Burning Man so far and after returning home and catching up on fellow Burner's experiences I found out that many felt the same way.
But it was Burning Man so amazing it was.....and I do have some pictures.
On the way in.....I started to feel the excitement build up inside. Welcome Home Black Rock City it says on the sign. I could feel it inside my whole being.



After arriving I started setting up camp and organizing stuff. I had the same travel trailer as last year (I went to Renegade Burn last year). I have large rugs to roll out, a canopy with tapestries that I tie to it, an outside table and chairs.....Then it is time to bike out to see the man and get a first look of the scenery.



The first art installation I stopped at was a beautiful memorial for a very loved dog named Charlie. It was quite moving, I spent a moment there and wrote some of my thoughts down in the book provided.



Charlie was loved. Every pet deserves a good loving home.



Night time by the man.







The next day I made sure to make it over to Rod's Road to see Sarah Jane make delicious drinks with her pussy powered blender. A great time and the drinks were cold and yummy (I had two).









In the evening I enjoyed some quiet time in a dry sauna built by a group of Norwegians. A few days later I did a Russian banya which was amazing. Included a light all over "beating" with oak leaf branches.



Morning coffee at Black Rock City is the best. No more Center Camp Café at Burning Man starting this year. We shall see if they decided to bring it back, Center Camp Café was missed by many but I suspect that they, (the BMORG) will stick with their decision to leave it in the past......so I did not do my barista volunteering this year. I volunteered as an ice slinger at Arctica (the ice place) instead and it was GREAT and a really good workout too.



A pretty painting that I saw at Center Camp.





One of my camp mates let me read a book about her life that she wrote.
Very interesting! I was so captivated by her story that I read it twice.



I made a necklace.



I picked copper out of three metals available and two charms, one for each side. There is an imprint in the copper as well but you can barely see it in the picture. A Burning Man related imprint.





Explored at night, this place was amazing. PlayAlchemist. The music they played there was.......WOW.





Check back for more of Burning Man Waking Dreams 2022 (soon)!

I got back from Burning Man last night. I left Black Rock City around 4 am Monday morning. Exodus itself took over six hours and I got back home at 11 pm.
Exodus is when you drive from your location where you camped on the Playa (Black Rock City) to a two lane highway called NV 34. After about ten miles or so I get on NV 447.
Depending on when you decide to leave Burning Man, Exodus can take many many hours and it can also be a simple drive straight out.
It was a slow bumpy ride out.....



I am still in a Burning Man frame of mind, kind of floating instead of walking, singing to myself, elevated mood due to a natural high and when I walked into Trader Joe's a few hours ago I saw this and my first though was, "oh an art car!"



I showered twice since arriving home, I was very dusty this year but the hair washing project will have to wait until tomorrow. I am way too tired to deal with that tonight. Super tangled and full of Playa dust. The hair I mean.



I am tired, need to sleep. I will work on some Burning Man 2022 entries soon.