Burning Man 2015 - 2

This year was the year of dusty, cold and windy at Burning Man. No rain though which is good because things quickly turn very muddy on the Playa. It wasn't awful weather the whole time, us Burners had sunshine and clear skies too but at night it was rather cold. A few nights were VERY cold, so I had to bundle up in layers when I was out and often walked or biked around with my face covered by a bandana and my head and hair covered with a bandana or a hood to get some protection from the dust and the cold. Nevertheless, it was GREAT.



My Playa bank robber look. At least my lashes didn't come off in the wind, I wondered if they would a few times.



I got lost trying to find Center Camp one afternoon because there was so much dust swirling around that you couldn't see anything, I finally made it there.....looking like this.



I don't like the sun scorching my face, so I cover up as much as possible.







At least inside Planet Earth you can shed the layers of clothing. Me and a new friend.....



These two girls were absolutely beautiful and flawless despite the dust. I don't know how they managed and I had to take a picture with them, they were that pretty.



I LOVE this pic of myself. A new fave. ❤ I was out dancing at White Ocean, having so much fun. Feeling alive .

There are many messages at Burning Man, some in the form of stickers and others written down by people. I like to take pictures of them to capture them forever. Sometimes I wonder about the person who wrote it down (many, many messages can be found in the Temple). Like, are they OK now? Sad? Happy? How is life going for them? It's very emotional, even sitting here writing about this over a week since Burning Man ended, looking at these pictures I feel very emotional. Here are some of the messages that I captured this year.....

The Playa is vast and without a bike you will be missing out on a lot, for example the amazing art scattered all across. This year there were 260 art installations on the Playa according to the Carnival Of Mirrors book.
Here are just a few that I took pictures of. One of my favorites was this breathing.....yes, she took breaths (!!!), lady called R-Evolution (third and last sculpture in a series of three in an art project called the Bliss Project). Oh.....she was breathtakingly gorgeous, she changed colors after dark. If you are curious you should read about the powerful story behind the Bliss Project. I loved the Truth Is Beauty statue in 2013 as well.





I loved Medusa. So amazing.



This boat all alone on the Playa was so pretty laying there by itself, like abandoned and lost.
It made me feel......sad somehow. Isn't it pretty?



Super cute robot by Center Camp (Becoming Human).



A beautiful tree.



A rotating heart enjoyed by many.



This one was called Love. Read up on it too if you have the time.....





This years Temple was called The Temple of Promise. I went in there one evening and walked through it before it burnt down on a Sunday night. I did not attend the burn of the Temple because I get too sad, didn't want to cry (more). So many emotions when the Temple burns, my own and collectively.







Imagine living in a boot house.

OMG, I miss Burning Man so much. I'm thinking back constantly and I'm looking forward to next year. At least there is a next year, I hope! Because you never know how life will turn out.
"Reality" is harsh. There is so much bad stuff going on and I am super sensitive and get sad and upset over everything. Close to tears all the time. So it's been a difficult transition for me. I MISS IT!

How was my Playa living this year? Compared to the other two years when I stayed in RV's it was much dustier and not as comfortable but I managed. After a few days I had a pretty good routine down with washing my face and body in two large bowls and brushing my teeth.
And I used a lot of baby wipes for everything. I "washed' my hair once, if you can call it that.
I dunked water into one of those green storage bins and attempted to wash my tangled tresses in that. My Playa hair was a mess, I could only get a comb through it a few inches away from my forehead until it said stop. Strangely enough people still complemented me on my ropey looking hair. I bought a twin size air mattress for $12 specifically for this adventure and amazingly enough it made it without popping. This year was very windy, strong gusts swept through the Playa and that means that everything gets covered in fine dust. It got pretty cold at night a few times. I was super cold two nights, I mean like FREEZING cold. So I doubled up on socks and slept in my hoodie.
I survived and got out of the Playa in perfect health, probably stronger than I was before. Didn't even catch a cold.







Here is our camp and my Playa home. My tent is the one to the right and my bike is the white one with the pink and white handlebar basket.



Besides a couple of pairs of flip flops I brought my pink fringe boots from last year and two pairs of other shoes. I wore flip flops during the day and stuck to my pink fringes at night.
I think I'm going to get a few more in different colors for next year (Mandy.....take notice!). Comfortable to dance in. Cute too I think. And I ran in to another person that had them too!

So it took some time getting to Burning Man. The line to get in was long and at standstill for hours. We made it in at some point in the morning on Monday August 31. I was sooooo tired since I had traveled from Kenai to Vegas starting late Saturday night and when I arrived in Vegas there was no time for any rest. I had to get supplies, food and a bike.
This year I was in a tent at Burning Man, the two previous years I was doing the RV thing, it's way more comfortable in an RV than a tent.....that I can assure you of. But having said that, I would do it again in a tent if I had to because being at Burning Man is worth any discomfort. So when we arrived we located our camp and set up our tents. I got to meet some new camp mates and old ones and we caught up for a while. Then I changed into something lighter and headed for Center Camp for a refreshing iced latte and to look through the event book.
This year the Burning Man theme was Carnival Of Mirrors.









I also picked up the BRC weekly and indulged in the latest. I love reading it.



Then I had to take a look at the man.......of course.



And in the evening I needed my dancing fix. I've said it before but I LOVE to dance. Dancing is my drug, my therapy, my release. It makes me extremely happy. I'm a danceaholic. I went to Planet Earth for some Depeche Mode and 80's New Wave. SO GREAT!





Then if I recall it right.....I checked on a place I love to dance at called White Ocean before I biked back to my Playa home and called it a night.