Burning Man 5

Jenna finished playing her last song as I sat under her pink inflatable shade structure.I said thank you for the music and she hugged me.I wrote down my email address for her and then I was off into the 9:00 plaza.

The sun was still high in the sky as I road to the Esplanade.I looked down the 9:00 plaza and the road that went directly to the Man at the center of Black Rock city.I realized that despite all I had done so far at the festival, I hadn't ridden past the Man yet.I was going to remedy that immediately.

I biked past more happy costumed cyclists and desert pedestrians, with the gigantic wooden Man sculpture steadily getting larger in front of me.I dropped my bike and looked up when I finally got close.My neck bent all the way back and still couldn't see the top.

Inside of the structure was really interesting.It was separated into two main pieces.There was the outside rim that looked almost like a fortress.Inside that, there was a platform in the center, on which the man stood.The top to me looked like it was about 100ft in the air.The whole thing was pieced together with 2x4s cut to various lengths.None of the structure was flush.The pieces of wood shot off each other at weird angles.Each part of it looked unique and different from every other part.Despite the strange angles, it still looked incredibly sturdy.

I stood there in amazement at the sculpture as a whole.Then, I focused my vision and started noticing it in detail.Many of the 2x4s were covered in writing.I took a closer look at one of the pillars.Many of them were just signatures, but some looked like stories.Many were about people's pain.I walked around and read several of them.

As I strolled, I couldn't help but visualize the structures eventual fate.I pictured it engulfed in flames.How can someone burn his or her art like this I wondered?I can barely even give away things I create never mind destroy them.When I put blood sweat and tears into something I get really get attached to it.I imagine it took thousands of man hours and probably months to build this.I had thought about this before when I first learned of the festival but it never really hit me like it did standing before this gigantic combustible wooden statue.Is it about letting go?Maybe it is just a symbol or reminder of life's impermanence? What do I have to let go of, I thought as I read the stories on the wooden structure.

Questions filled my head as I rode off into another white out dust storm. With one hand on the handlebars, I slid on my bandana and goggles to protect me from the violent gusts.

I got off the 9:00 road and found the playa to be much harder to ride on now.The desert sand was now loose (probably from the increase in traffic) and filled with huge divots.Several of which hurled me off my bike.

I did a bit of exploring of the other art pieces, but eventually found my way to the Fishbug.The fuel depot looked deserted of familiar faces.It looked like there was no crew on site at the moment.There were a few bikes near the front legs but I didn't recognize them.As I got closer I began smelling the aroma of marijuana.I poked my head into the stomach of the bug and saw two red-eyed stoners taking bong hits as they swung in our hammocks.The whole inside of the Fishbug was filled with smoke.I thought I was back in college for a second.If they were anywhere but next to the highly flammable walls of the Fishbug, I would have turned a blind eye (or possibly participated). But they weren't so I had to say something.

"Hey, I'm sorry but you guys are going to have to stop smoking in here." I demanded."Oh, sorry." Stoner 1 said, sounding a little embarrassed."Is this your art piece?" he asked."I hesitated for a second and then said, "Yea, I'm part of the crew.""Oh, man, we love this thing." He said it sounding like Keanu Reeves from Bill and Ted's excellent adventure.They probably liked it because they can hide in it and smoke weed, I thought to myself. "What is it?" Stoner 2 asked me. " Is it some sort of elephant fish thing? Its creepy looking.""Hey, would you put out the (still smoking) bong first and then I will tell you about it." I asked again.

The hippies finally put the bong and bag of weed away safely in their backpack.

"Yea, so this is not an elephant.It's actually a Fishbug." I explained.I gave them a brief description of the piece, where it was made, who the artists were, and what the working parts did when it was turned on. They both sat there wide/red eyed in amazement interrupting me every so often with words like sweet dude and cool bro.

"Sorry to smoke in your bug dude, we were just trying to get away from the dust for a bit.""No, that's cool." I responded."These walls are just really flammable." I explained."Yea sorry." He repeated."Hey, we are just about to take off.Can we give you a gift for making cool art?" Stoner 1 asked."Umm, yea sure." I said with a slight hesitation.Stoner 1 reached into his backpack and grabbed a little plastic baggie. (But this one was not filled with drugs)He opened it and grabbed a small wire that had been twisted into a weird shape.The whole bag was full of them."So, I built this." He said."Umm, ok." I said not sure what exactly I was looking at.He put his lighter up next to the wire at about eye level and sparked the flicker.He then put the wire into the flame and it jumped into a miniature version of the shape of the man sculpture I was just at. Its arm stuck up in the air and two legs shot down below them. A quarter of the way up was a small round head."Wow!"I said impressed."Yea, then you can unbend it and do it as many times as you want." He explained.I took it and tried it for myself.I sparked the flame and it jumped into shape."How did you make this?" I asked."Well, you take some wire and bend it into the shape you want.Then you dip it in this liquid metal memory alloy.Let it cool and there you go." He explained as if it were common knowledge."That is amazing." I said again."Well, have a good one. Nice art bro!" Stoner 1 said as they both rode off into the dust storm.Turns out the stoners were engineers too, I thought to myself.

I lay back in the hammock under the Fishbug and played with the wire I just got.That was a cool gift I thought. After trying it 5 or 6 times, I put it away and kicked up my feet.I rested my head against the hammock fabric and shut my eyes.This was as good a place as any to take a nap I figured.

I woke up a little later and saw the sun at about 4 fingers above the horizon outside the Fishbug.My stomach was making weird noises again.

I biked back through the playa and up 5:00.I took a left at C Street and headed for my tent.I figured I would just pop open a can of beans.Maybe a slice of bread to go with it I thought… Well, it didn't sound appealing then either.

Juno was outside fixing some salad as I approached my site."Hey, do you want a salad?" She asked as I rode up."Well, I don't' really want to eat your food." I answered, completely lying."No, don't be silly." she said waving me over."We have tons!"She looked at me with a warm smile and my heart skipped a beat."Ok then, I'll eat some salad." I said, trying to hide the loud noises emanating from my intestines. I quickly grabbed a dusty plate from my tent and poured some water on it to get it clean.I shook it out to dry it and headed for camp Spontaneous Salad for dinner.

I filled my plate with bright green lettuce first.Then I put a layer of tomatoes, onions, croutons, and Italian dressing on top.Each bite came down with a crunch. We sat around and ate crunching away together under the setting sun.That might be the best salad I have had since I was a kid." I said."See, I lived with my grandparents growing up.My grandfather had a huge garden in the backyard, where we got most of our produce.I never really appreciated just how good I was eating till I stopped living with them.""This is all organic too." Juno said."We stopped at a farmers market on the way from Ojai." "Tastes great." I said as I shoveled more lettuce into my face."We have more than enough.Don't feel bashful or shy.Come over for dinner whenever you want." Juno said. "Thanks so much." I said as I walked to my tent still chomping lettuce and cherry tomatoes from my plate.

An hour or two later, the night sky became fully dark.The moon glowed bright yellow as stars flickered overhead.I threw on a heavy pullover to compensate for the cool breezy desert air.

I made my way to the Fishbug for my first fire safety shift a Burning Man (I guess it was also my first fire safety shift of any kind, anywhere).I rode down 5:00 and saw the esplanade lit up like a circus.Bright lights burned all the way up the street and circled around to other area of the festival.People covered from head to toe in glow sticks paraded in their best attempts at costume design.

I saw Fishbug from afar off the 3:00 plaza.The spine's flame effects were already burning.The projector system (thanks to Poe and Don's last minute trouble shooting) was up and running too.I could also make out someone in the distance, with high boots and tall pink bunny ears by the front leg, manually operating the flame effects.A large crowd of people had already formed around the Fishbug as it glowed in the darkness.

I dropped my bike when I got close and quickly lugged a C02 and water fire extinguisher to my post in front of the bug.Then I grabbed a cooler filled with wet towels by the tool shed and set it by the left leg.I armed myself with one and was now ready for fire safety duty.

Poe, and I created a perimeter that circled a safe distance around the tusks.People stood on the edge and stared in awe at the Fishbug.A line formed behind the right leg where the pink bunny stood moments before. (I learned it was actually Jess)

One by one people pressed the flame effect buttons and startled those of the crowd not paying attention with a gigantic fireballs.Thanks to the amazing fire safety experts on duty that night, no one was startled to find they had actually caught on fire.I will say that Michelle did wet towel smack about 3 people.To her defense, one was trying to light a cigarette on the left tusk and the other two were both on drugs and wearing possibly the most combustible fur costumes I had ever seen. That is a bad combination for a lot of reasons.

Hours passed by as more and more people showed up.Pedestrians gathered from every direction with wide-eyed expressions.Random art cars driving past were forced to stop by this spectacle they were witnessing.There must have been hundreds who saw the bug that night.Everyone loved it.

I walked over to Rebecca who was standing by the fuel depot as the crowd thinned in the late hours of the morning."Congratulations." I said."This is amazing. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of all this.""Thank you." Rebecca replied."And congrats to you too."

Not much was said between us, but I saw a look of satisfaction on her face I had not seen in the short time I had known her.Rebecca came up with this idea about 10 years ago and she was finally seeing it come to fruition.I couldn't help but think of all the really talented people that had put months of time and hard (unpaid) work into this project.They did it not only for the love of art and metal work, but also for the love of their friends.It was a proud moment for all of us that night.

"Man, I am one lucky b******." I thought to myself as I made my way back through the sea of ridiculous.