PolyParadise Year Wrap-up - 2006

Tuesday October 3, 2006

This is the 5th year I have been honored to serve as Camp Daddy of PolyParadise.  Over the years I have used this space...Year in Wrap-up to thank individuals and groups of people for their amazing contributions in creating, maintaining and helping organize PolyParadise.  That is because year after year more and more people step up and find within themselves something they never knew they had, or never knew they could share with others.  Here-in are my THANK YOU's for Burning Man 2006...This list in not an all-inclusive list and if I left someone or something out it is not because I was unaware of your contribution it is just a minor oversight.  EACH ONE OF YOU HAD A PART AND A HAND IN MAKING US THE SUCCESS WE WERE!!

As you know PolyParadise is just not one week in the desert.  For WildChild and myself it is a year-round process of cleaning, organizing, buying and preparing for that one-week on the Playa, that place we know as Black Rock City. 

A VERY SPECIAL thanks goes out to Cactusman!!!!  He came by to help us several times throughout the year when we cleaned carpets, organized the kitchen gear, sew the curtain for the Community space and most importantly came by and helped me load the Truck the day before we left for the Playa.  I cannot begin to thank you enough Cactusman!!! You have earned my respect and admiration and both WildChild & I are proud to have you as part of our family here in Phoenix.

Speaking of Arizona...I am so very happy that we had 6 other AZBurners camping with us.  Thanks go out to PainterDave, Chris & Marla, Sarah & Mike and Cactusman for making PolyParadise your Playa home.  I hope to see all of you at AZBurner events throughout the year.  I also hope that you will again choose to camp with us if the Playa '07 is on your radar.

PolyParadise continues to attract large numbers of people who identify as Poly or are Poly-Friendly.  Our International reach continued to thrive as we had folks from Canada, New Zealand, Sweden & Finland. Thank you all for choosing to camp in PolyParadise.

Please also peruse the 2006 Financial Statement and the What went Write & What went Wrong sections of this Post-Playa Wrap-up.  As always your Comments, Bitches & Roses are welcome...

Thank U's go to everyone within PolyParadise, San Diego, Orange County, Las Vegas and my special family AZBurners for helping me pull off the surprise Handfasting with WildChild.  Thank you all for making it a very special day!!  Special thanks to Ranger Beauty for performing such a wonderful ceremony!!

Many, Many thanks go to StrokeGreg, HypnoBurn, Stagger, Trouble and others for heading up the Human Carcass Wash, for recruiting folks each day to help man & run the event, setup & cleanup. StrokeGreg, I estimate that 200 people per day enjoyed the event.. HATS OFF to everyone else who helped with Setup & Cleanup and to those that ran the event each day.

Thanks to everyone who lead a Poly High Tea, sharing your thoughts and experiences with the group is a very special gift!  Thank YOU!  We had standing room only during the discussions.  There was at least 40 people in the discussion each day...My Hats off to all of you...

More thanks than I could express goes to Tailfeather!!! For stepping up and running with the Grey Water issue.  It is a tireless job, one of those Dirty Jobs on the Playa.  You were always there with an encouraging word, a helping hand and a smile.  I was sad that you had to spend a few days off-playa, but I was sure glad to see you when you came back.  Please peruse the Water Reclamation Year Review submitted by Tailfeather.  HATS OFF TO TAILFEATHER!!!... Thanks as well to everyone who helped throughout the week hauling water from the kitchen to the Evapotron.  Your efforts were did not go unnoticed.

Thanks to WildChild for her artists talents in creating the PolyParadise signs. I see them start as pieces of Plywood and you transform them into beautiful works of Art. Cannot wait to see what you come up with for next year!!

A special thanks to all the Playa Virgins that decided to make PolyParadise their First Home on the Playa.  I hope your experience was awesome and that Burning Man, The Playa, BRC and the rest of us instilled in you a LOVE for the last week of August and that your excitement will have you camping again with us next year.  Each of you gave & gave & gave of your time & effort and we all Thank You...

Thanks to everyone who provided & prepared food for Community Meals, Washing Dishes, all who helped out when it was needed, for taking garbage home with you, for knowing what building community & sharing community is all about.  A special thanks to HypnoBurn for taking over as Kitchen Guru.  You were the knower of all things kitchen...Your efforts allowed us to get away form camp everyday and spend some US time, we both appreciate that very much.

Thanks to Trouble, FoxyGoddess, Stagger, HypnoBurn, Scott, Tree, Parrot, StrokeGreg & Gaia for staying on Monday and helping with teardown.  It is a blitzkrieg of a day no matter what, but with your help we got it all packed away in record time.  THANK YOU ALL!!!  Both WildChild & I appreciate your efforts.

Thank you to all our PolyParadise Fire Spinners...Scott, Joshua, Troy, Rebecca and others.  I know I told you On-Playa that you all were the first to spin fire within our camp and for our camp.  It was a real treat...

 PPaRRot, thank you for all your help during the week and for erecting an awesome beacon for us to find our way home each night.  Your Stone Soup ROCKED!!!

Thanks to Dick & Pia for bringing in Fresh Salad supplies on Wednesday for the Pot Luck and of course for bringing the Fresh Red Roses for the HandFasting ceremony.  They were the final touch to an awesome day.  Dick you are one Dish Washing machine!!! You were always willing to do what was needed and even apologized that you could not do more...Thank YOU!!!

Mazi, Duke & Ra Ra...I thank you for taking the PolyParadise plunge and for bringing Ra Ra into our midst.  He was our first 'walking' child in camp and he was a blast to talk to and to hang out with.  I hope that you had an awesome Playa experience and I hope that you will join us again in '07.

 Brotherluv...It was so very awesome to have you camp with PolyParadise.  I know you had offers form other camps but you choose to be with us and that means a lot.  We have become fast friends over the years, I cannot thank you enough for all you did during the week.  Thank you too for spearheading the Mind Melt event.  I think it was a great success, and I hope that you will be around next year to run the event again.

 PainterDave...I am so glad that you choose to camp with us again this year...Thank you for all your Pre-Playa assistance with Grey Water in conversations with TailFeather.  Thank you too for sharing your cooking skills...The SOUP WHALED!!!!

 Ann & Peter....I was sad that you had to leave the Playa early...But your efforts while you were there were so appreciated.  You both were always there when I needed something done and always willing to lend an extra hand.  It was amazing to have you two & YonderMan & his family stay here with us in Phoenix before you departed back to New Zealand.  We are so blessed to have you all in our lives.

 Diana & Noel....It was so awesome to see you again Diana, and of course to see you so smitten with Noel.  We are all so very happy for the both of you.  It is obvious from the glow that you are both very much In Love!!! Best wishes for the both of you as you make a life-long commitment to each other and for each other!!!

Thanks to Joe, Scott and everyone else who helped each night create amazing Glow Stick Arch creations.

 The most SPECIAL THANKS is reserved for my Primary Poly Partner - WildChild!!!  You see the best in people and you see the best in ME and you do everything you can, everything you are to help others see what you see.  The road over the past year has been rough & smooth as we both moved away from previous lives/partners and became more & more comfortable with the one we now share.  YOU are VERY SPECIAL!!!  I am so very honored to be able to share a life with you.  Hang on though as this E-Ticket ride has just begun!!!..Love you so very much!!!

To those that camped elsewhere or who were unable to make BM this year, your spirit was always part of PolyParadise, and know that you are deeply missed & loved in this group.

It was my pleasure and privilege to be and to serve as Camp Daddy and would gladly do so again. Though in the end all of you served that role as well, looking out for each other being there for each other. A Scattering of applause to all of you as well.  I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!!

Please return to the list during the year, let this awesome feeling we all have in our hearts for BM, PolyParadise and each other stay as a beacon of a place we can share and be together again.

 Only 327 days until we Burn again. Each of those days will have thoughts of all you and how good I feel having each of you as my friends and part of my family.

Playa Love,
Scotto - Camp Daddy
Burning Man Lifer