PolyParadise Year Wrap-up - 2007
Wednesday October 17,
2007
What an amazing GIFT Burning Man is…a place & time to define
oneself, a place to learn from others, a place to grow. This gift is
not just one-week long, it is available 525,600 minutes per year.
You just have to be willing to see the signs & listen.
2007 marked the 6th year for me as Camp Daddy. I know no other way to do
Burning Man, to be on the Playa, to give from the heart, to have my
heart touched by so many others.
This wrap-up dialogue is my way to express from my
heart what an amazing community we build and to give thanks to those that helped
make it happen. Each year I am amazed and overwhelmed at the outpouring of
Love & Sweat by so many people within our camp. I am taken aback by those
that give even when they are not PolyParadise campers or give to the community
even if the Playa is not in their travel plans.
Here-in are my THANK YOU's for Burning Man 2007...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!!
The first thank you goes to my partner
WildChild. Her enthusiasm & Love of all things Burning Man &
PolyParadise makes the all-year-round effort that is our life so much more fun &
enjoyable. Without her, for me, this would all just be another camping
trip.
A VERY SPECIAL thanks goes out to
David!!!! We met David here
in Arizona at our Virgin Briefing several weeks before the Playa. We
became instant friends, with David coming by several nights a week soaking in
all things Burning Man, as our own house was transformed into Playa Prep. David
was always there when I needed an extra set of hands on a project , he was also
there on Truck Packing Day when your Humble Scotto was unable to load some large
carpet pieces by himself. Thank you David!!!
Speaking of Arizona...I am so very happy that we had
14 AZBurners
camping with us. Thanks go out to PainterDave, Chris & Marla, Sarah &
Mike, Cactusman, Bruce, David, Cassandra, Jayme & James 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 '08 is on your radar.
We continued our International camper flavor with folks from
Canada, New Zealand. Thank you all
for choosing to camp in PolyParadise.
Each year I am blessed with so many campers that just get it, that know a camp
of 94 people takes work to create and maintain On-Playa. As our camp
continues to grow & flourish with each passing year, so do our Playa Event
offerings. We have so many diversified events with so many talented people
leading & participating each & every day.
Thanks to PainterDave, Tailfeather, FoxyGoddess, Stagger, HypnoBurn,
Brotherluv, Sarah & Master Twist for being part of the Early Arrival Crew.
The completed camp you saw when you all arrived was up & ready for use because
of these awesome friends.
Thanks to Trouble, FoxyGoddess, Stagger, HypnoBurn, Keith, Lenel, Richard,
Jim & Maren, Scix 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.
The Carcass Wash...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.
A HUGE THANKS 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...
More thanks than I could express goes to Tailfeather!!! For stepping up
and running with the Grey Water & Shower. 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. Please
peruse the Water Reclamation Year Review
submitted by Tailfeather. HATS OFF
TO TAILFEATHER!!!
Thanks to WildChild and her daughter
Jessica for their artists talents in
creating the PolyParadise signs. Special thanks to
Sara & Master Twist for
purchasing the EL-Wire & making several treks throughout the summer up to
Phoenix to create an awesome addition to the PolyParadise Camp signs.
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 & Sarah for taking over as
Kitchen Gurus.
Thank you to all our PolyParadise Fire Spinners...Scott, Joshua, Troy,
Rebecca, Puzzle and others. You ALL ROCK!!!
PPaRRot, I was sad when the Playa was not going to be in your travel
plans. Your spirit & energy was missed BIGTIME! I so enjoy reading
your posts & thoughts throughout the year, please never stop sharing.
Thank you for the Camping Fee even though you were not physically On-Playa.
Love You my friend!
Brotherluv...Thank you for the awesome ' Rock Weather' Art piece.
It was an awesome addition to the front entrance walkway. I hope that it
made it thru Playa Time and that it can be brought out again next year...Cause
you always need to know how the rock is moving...Cause I need to know the
weather!!
Laura & Edwin...I knew from our Online exchanges that as
Playa Virgins you would find ways to contribute to the camp. No matter
what time of day, I always saw the both of you pitching in, doing dishes,
cleaning the kitchen area, picking up MOOP...I thank you so much for your
participation and your open hearts. I hope that if Burning Man is again in
your travel plans that you will be camping with us.
Puzzle...Thank you so much for creating the PolyParadise Events
Sign...I miscalculated the number of Poles needed and ended out running short,
so it did not get aloft like I had hoped. Know that your artistic efforts
we greatly appreciated.
WanderingAngel...Thank you so much for bringing the Massage
Table and for offering your talents to the community. I really enjoyed the
time I spend under the spell of your
Russell...Many THANKS!!! I am sorry that as the last Poly
Camper to leave our Playa coordinates that you had some garbage to deal with,
that of course was not my intention. I so appreciate you doing the right
thing in dealing with the community trash and making sure it got transported
Off--Playa. Your efforts allowed us to have a MOOP Map designation as
GREEN!!!!
Troy & Rebecca...Words cannot express how amazing it was to
have you both camp with us again and of course for bringing McKenna Sunshine
with you. I am so glad that all things worked out with her On-Playa, a
true Burner Baby!!! You both always have a smile, a spring in your
step...Troy, you are truly a master of many things...Not only a Jack of All
Trades but a great Mixed Drink Maker...Put a blender in front of this guy and
the whole camp gets wasted...
HypnoBurn & Toralf...There are always some projects that I
do not get to, there are some projects that I want to get to but never
do....This year it was the tent for WhiteOut. I had said many times in the
beginning of the week that I would get to it, recruit someone to assist me and
just get it done. Well that initial motivation just never materialized
into getting g the tent out of the bag. On Thursday night on the way back
to camp after picking up WhiteOut, we had decided that she could have the
mattress in the back of the truck & WildChild & I would sleep in the Community
space. When we returned to camp we were both BLOWN AWAY to see the
tent not only out of the bag but erect and ready to be used. I cannot
thank you both enough for doing that!!! Love you both!!!
The most SPECIAL THANKS is reserved for my Primary Poly Partner
&
Fiancé
WildChild!!! I hear from you that I have the biggest Heart of anyone
you have met, that may in-fact be true, but it is you that always points out the
best in people, showing myself & others what is really important - Family,
Community & Love!! We buried our weddings past at the Trash Fence and have
opened a new chapter in our lives. A TOAST! to a long happy life
together!! 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.
As always it is my honor to serve as Camp Daddy of PolyParadise, it is worth all
the headaches, all the hard work...It is worth all the effort when I see smiles
on the faces of all those that camp within our borders...Of course I do not mind
all the huggs & kisses either. 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!!!!
Only 317 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