Crude Awakening... the final Act

The nine story oil derrick was supposed to burn Friday night, but due to high winds, it was postponed until Saturday night, after the Man burned. We all raced out to the giant derrick to await what we were told was going to be a display of the largest flame thrower ever invented. The ignition of this flame thrower unleashed yet another mushroom cloud on us... this one even bigger and more percussive then the one at the Man! One of the more awe inspiring moments of my life so far, touching me on many different levels. The mushroom cloud went off, and the flame thrower shot up a 1,000 foot wall of flame straight up the middle of the oil derrick, and continued to burn for about 5 minutes. It took the tower about 15 minutes to finally fall... leaving only the statues, now praying to a charred pile of dust....

Lighting up the night...

The Man burns!

After the pretty fireworks show, the Man was set ablaze in a giant mushroom cloud... turns out it was the year of mushroom clouds as high art...

Grandparents visit Oregon family in late Summer.

The new Man...

...under construction. The diamond shaped object is his head, and you are looking down the inside of his chest.

A real junk show...

Corner jazz-man

Life-sized kaleidoscope...

A beautiful piece of art, and good fun too!

Big green Playa thing

The Psycho Patrol

Never fear...

Around the Green Pavillion...

Surrounding the large Green Pavillion that was underneath the Man was a large grove of art "trees"... The trees remained all week, though the top of the Pavillion was eerily empty from Tuesday night through Friday evening, as The Man was prematurely burned late Tuesday night in an act of arson that left people in a state of shock, and minus one, very badly burned idol. The original Man (or what was left of him) was taken down from atop the Pavillion, and a new Man built in his place, which was re-erected and lit by Friday night. Just in time to be burned to the ground Saturday night!!

Giant Domes...

... these particular geodesic domes are home to popular all night dance parties.

Temple of Self-Expression

This temple was also at Horning's Hideout for the String Cheese Incident festival last month.

Art cars...

Artists also worship oil.

Tea Kettle Tree House

Out in the middle of the playa, close to our camp, was this large, two-storey tree house made out of metal. The whole structure was sort of a giant pressure cooker. When it was running, the steam would continually build and release pressure, with the steam leaking out of certain pipes causing a whistling sound, like a giant tea kettle. This whistling sound was very loud, and could be heard from quite a distance, sounding similar to a steam train.

Wheelin' out of camp...

Going for a ride to see what we could see...

The Temple of Forgiveness

... only hours before it was burned to the ground, people were still filling the temple with all things, emotional and physical, they wanted to be burned away with the flames...

Out-running the dust storm...

Making new friends on the playa.

Photos from the garden. August 2007

We have watched this family of deer for the past two years. The little one in the blackberries is the newest generation! They are in the front field, NOT in the garden. So far, these deer are respecting are garden fence. My eggplants are my prize veggies this year! As big as footballs and up to 15 on one plant alone! I have spent a lot of time and care on my veggie garden this year, and I have only just begun to reap the fruits of my labor!!

Photos fram Alans trip to New Zealand

Human Family

I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
~ Maya Angelou

Tashilunpo hike...view from the saddle

...looking back down toward the Tibetan quarter of Shigatse, where we began our hike.

Tashilunpo hike...prayer flags and rock altars in the saddle

Tashilunpo hike...following the prayer flags, up the backside of the main peak

Tashilunpo hike.in the saddle

Tashilunpo hike..hiking up to the peak

After climbing the intital ridge line and crossing a wide sadlle, this is the backside of the peak that lies directly over Tashilunpo Monastery. Climbing up this hill was not as easy as it looks... it was very loose rock, criss-crossed with sheep trails which may work great for agile little sheep, but aren't the easiest for gangly humans. The last bit to the top was a literal scramble... but the view on the other side, AND what awaited us at the top was so phenomenal!!

Tashilunpo hike..cuddled up in the prayer flag shelter

We weren't the only people who ever had THIS idea! The thick layers of flags provided the only shade for at least an hour in any direction. The soft, padding provided by the bottom layers of flags was a bonus! We could not resist taking a nice, long rest here...

Tashilunpo hike..Tashilunpo itself, through the prayer flags...

Tashilunpo hike..prayer flag web