What Worked 2023 - Village of PolyParadise

PolyParadise - 2023 - What Worked

Tuesday January 23, 2024

Each year this is my space as Benevolent Dictator to reflect on the year that was in Black Rock City ala The Village of PolyParadise. To take a look at what we did right and what we did wrong; how the changes we instituted from the previous year worked out and what we might do to improve in 2024. This was the 25th year of PolyParadise; There is no doubt that it gets better & better each year.

You all should be very proud of the Community you created & nurtured all Year/Week long. I thank you all for being part of the 25th ANNIVERSARY of the Village of PolyParadise.

There were two (2) Burning Man's - Before Friday/Saturday's RAIN & The Aftermath of the inclement weather.

I offer my own observations and as always welcome Comments, Praises, Bitches & Roses for areas of your concern as campers that I have not addressed. Please post to our Facebook Page - generate some chatter; let's get PSYCHED!!! 214 Days!!!

****PolyParadise****

The total population of the PolyParadise On-Playa was 260 Campers. We thank the Twisted Swan & The Temple of Bacchus for being part of our Village; adding in their 60 Campers we had a total of 320 Campers within the Village - WOW!!!!!

We had 140 veteran campers return and 120 new campers and of that number 72 were Burning Man VIRGINS. I thank all of the returning campers for making PolyParadise your Playa home, I so depend on each & everyone of you in making our camp an amazing loving space. Thank you to the 76 International campers from (Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden).

We did end 2023 with a positive balance of $60.

I hope that all of our Virgin campers have seen what Community really means, and I hope that you will all camp with us again and that everyone had an amazing time as a Village of PolyParadise Resident.

This was the second year that Placement put us in contact with our neighbor camps a few weeks prior to BRC landfall. We were given our approximate neighbors; I was very disappointed that the email I sent out was only replied back by one camp and that camp had an address of 9:00 which meant that they would not be a direct neighbor. I was primarily interested in being able to share the dimensions of the Service roads on each side of our camp space. With that poor response from the given neighbors; Trevor & I made contact with them On-Playa to negotiate shared Service Roads; some were amenable and some were not. It is always the hope they will share some of the allocated space of the Service road; the road is happening - they benefit either way.

Due to RAIN On-Playa pre-event; we were delayed in entering BRC until Wednesday late afternoon - we did not get started mapping out the space until Thursday morning.

Our 2023 Playa dimensions was 350'x440'. The Twisted Swan & Temple of Bacchus were included within that allocated space; they were given a 80'x175' space with road frontage. Our space took shape from Day One (Thursday Pre-Event) with Pin Flags being placed to create three (3) distinct RV Service Roads (On on each end and between PolyParadise & The Twisted Swan), from there within PolyParadise we did the best we could to create vertical rows of vehicles between Encantando - Frogbat. This allowed us to create walkways thru camp that should have made getting from the ends of the camp to the Community Space easier. The Community Space, Serving Area & Kitchen was an INCREDIBLE space in both day light and at night.

PolyParadise continues to be a ‘Camp Drama Free Zone’, I mean everyone seems to get along, no assaults, no fisticuffs between campers. No one acted like a 3-year old. So Thanks to all of YOU!!!

****Playa Location****

Each year BRC Placement continues to create unique neighborhoods with all placed Theme Camps & Villages. In 2023 we were mapped @ 8:15 Encantando - Frogbat with the Twisted Swan & Temple of Bacchus as part of that allocated space. We were mid-block between 8:00 & 8:30. We again located the the Human Carcass Wash on the F-Street - we were able to create the a Bike parking area next to the Human Carcass Wash to keep the bikes out of the road.

We had awesome foot traffic in our Community Space and incredible attendance at all of our camp events. The Twisted Swan & Temple of Bacchus had awesome attendance @ their events - The BAR was well attended every night.

The Playa Map was altered in 2022 with the Double-Block (440' Deep) all the way from 10:00 to 2:00; that meant that the F-Street goes all the way around and did not stop where in previous years those limited double-blocks got in the way. It was nice to return to our 8:15 location.

For 2024 we will be asking for the same placement area & dimensions; but there are no guarantees - we get placed and given our Camp Dimensions and that is that; it is Burning Man we adapt.

What were your impressions of 8:15 - Encantando - Frogbat?

****Volunteeratoldism™****

The grand idea of Volunteeratoldism aka moving the major camp duties (Kitchen Management, LNT, Garbage, Ice) from having leads in charge to a distributed model of randomly assigned jobs to all campers worked AMAZING! With our large camp population each camper only needed to be assigned (1) Job during the week. There were (6) campers assigned to each job/task/shift.

In my observations; there were no camper complaints or no job/task that were not performed or completed. We did not have a formal check-in for each job/task/shift so I cannot guarantee that all campers assigned to any specific job during the week actually showed up; but all jobs were completed and from my end nothing fell thru the cracks.

The entire idea of Volunteeratoldism was created after BRC 2022 in which all previous PolyParadise Leads had either stepped away from Burning Man and or their role as a lead; the daily tasks/jobs still needed to be done. Instead of recruiting new leads and continuing with the same model, it appeared to me that the best way forward was to move to a distributed model in which each camper would have a vested interest in the success of said community creates pride & satisfaction.

Due to the perceived success of this model of distributed camp duties in which each camper is randomly assigned (1) job/task/shift for the entire week will be the way forward.

I am very interested to how you all saw the success or failure of the Volunteeratoldism - how you saw the jobs required - the Instructions provided.

****Kitchen & Stuff****

In 2023 The Village of PolyParadise continued with the Community Kitchen related ‘Requirement’ upon registration; to be part of the daily cooking/feeding ritual - make one meal for 25 people and be able to enjoy a smorgasbord of food the rest of the week. The Community Kitchen was an awesome success!

The kitchen & serving areas encompassed a full 60'x40' – the layout was awesome for ingress & egress of the kitchen area. We were able to create a larger ingress area into the serving line and a center table with condiments that allowed for a better flow of people and plates in/out of the kitchen area. We had a total of (8) 3-Burner Cast Iron stoves. The kitchen arrangement continues to work well with the front two corner areas that housed the shelving with the snacks, pots & pans and Coffee Station.

The move of the BBQ Grill & Flattop out of the garbage area and kitchen sink grey water area to the back of the kitchen in a separate space worked well. This area will need to be tweaked some; we do need a specific egress area out of the back of the kitchen. If there is an emergency within the kitchen area the only way out of the kitchen cannot be 60' feet out the front of the kitchen - we need a Back Door of some type.

We had plenty of snacks for everyone, and all seemed satisfied with the selections available. We did not come back home with very much - the purchase on Burning Man shopping day of types of snacks are at the mercy of what is available on that day @ Costco or what can be found via the amazing Amazon.

Thanks to everyone that took the time & effort to create some awesome meals all week long. There were so many great courses served each day. With so many international campers we are delighted to have such an out of country meal experience; thanks for sharing your unique cuisine with us. Thanks to everyone who assisted with Trash Can Pizza!!! Thanks to Debbie for taking on the entire Trash Can Pizza creation process and bringing all of the things to create said pizzas and wrangling others to assist in the Pizza creation process. Special callout to Trevor for being the CZAR de CHARCOL.

Dishwashing and keeping the Pots/Pans washed and available for the next person continues to improve year to year as we as a community become better dish/pot washers and more aware that if we want clean pots & pans that the only way that is accomplished is by each of us doing some dishes during the week. We do need to purchase a few more Metal Racks for dish drying specifically so we are not using limited space on available tables.

The three standup kitchen sinks were raised up from their standard height by being placed on top of milk crates worked well so that no one had to bend over to wash dishes. The new sink gray water containment system with the sump pumps worked well and having sheets of plywood underneath did great to not have any service of said system to have to step in Wet Playa. The pumps worked well; but do need some chicken wire wrapped around the bottom so that Grey Chunks do not go into the impeller and stop the pump from working. .

I realize that using the paper plates and plastic silverware creates additional trash, using personal tableware for camps mush smaller than ours is possible. For a 300+ person Village I am convinced that using disposable tableware is a better option; having to clean all that silverware for each meal. The cycle of continual washing your own dishes and silverware for each meal requires water – then disposal of additional waste water. We will continue to use paper plates and plastic silverware in 2024.

Having the Menu, Volunteer List & instructions for each of the Volunteeratoldism jobs responsibilities printed on a large poster size board displayed in the Kitchen was awesome, letting everyone know what was going to be cooked at each meal and who volunteered for what events.

Thanks so much to all those that were assigned to Garbage Detail within the Volunteeratoldism model for effectively managing the Trash area and to everyone that assisted in bagging, tagging & tapping up trash. More importantly, thanks to all of you for taking some trash home. We generate this trash as a camp; we need to deal with its removal from the Playa as a Community. Because of your efforts and commitment and Love of Community Trash.

We have on avg transported ~10 bags of trash off the Playa in past years; this year we had way more trash to transport off-playa due damaged/waterlogged stuff due to the rain/mud. We did have 10 buckets of general slop, generator oil, left over food stuff slop, the remnants of many a thing on the Playa.

All things Kitchen were running smoothly until of course Friday's Wind/Rain; that obviously changed everything. The wind ripped off the tarp at the back of the kitchen; we moved all the tables up one shade structure and made the kitchen useable, well functional during the daylight.

Due to the rain we immediately shutoff the power; which meant NO Power, which meant NO Lights. The critical issue was that all of the power cords or connectors were now laying in and or submerged in water. In retrospect we could have cleaned/dried/re-wired some of our cords to provide power aka LIGHT to the kitchen and or Community Space. As well in retrospect we could have caused a fire, electrocution or damage to the Battery Brick, Yellow Spider Boxes and or Rental Generators. Major inclement weather was never on my radar from a Power standpoint and how difficult it would be to navigate and or use the kitchen @ night without Power.

****Food/Health Permit****

In 2023 we were required to apply for and adhere to the standards of a Nevada State Health Department Food Permit. This was the 8th year of this mandate for camps with a population over 125 serving community meals. The cost of the Food Permit was $50.

With our Official Food Permit prominently displayed within the kitchen; we were VERY SUPRISED to get a visit on Sunday afternoon from the Nevada State Health Department to see that we were complying with the stated rules, which included: Food Handler Gloves, Hand Washing Station (Hand Soap, Towels, Continual Flow Water) Bleach cleaning supplies, clearly visible menu, separate food preparation/serving areas, food thermometers, and clearly marked Community/Personal Coolers.

In previous years our visit from the Nevada State Health Department was some time on Tuesday during the week; with the surprise visit on Sunday afternoon we were caught very off-guard and not really ready for said inspection. The kitchen was not fully functional; we did not have the Hand Washing Stations up & functional; we did not have the sinks setup with Wash, Rinse, Sanitize stations; we did not have the Bleach Spray bottles set out and ready for use.

Due to these inefficiencies in the Permit Standards the Health Dept. stated we would be unable to use the kitchen until they returned for re-inspection. It was my immediate understanding that they would return later that day and the only meal that we would not be able to serve would have been Sunday Lunch. We worked to get the Hand washing Stations, Sink & bleach spray bottles in place; we found out thru the grapevine that if the Health Dept. did not return by 5:00p it would be a next day visit; thus we opened the kitchen for Sunday Dinner.

When the Health Dept. returned for their re-inspection we had functional Hand Washing stations, functional sinks; though they did determine that the bleach spray bottle mix ratio (Water to Bleach) was to high and required that they be formulated.

We always need to strive to have those preparing meals to wear the Food Handler Gloves: Food needs to be served to guests as opposed to guests severing themselves. With the prominent display of signage within the kitchen we were able to satisfy the inspectors and received a PASSING GRADE! Our hats OFF to all!!!

In the future the Kitchen will need to be fully functional by Sunday Noon before a meal will be served; with the Hand Washing Stations and sink as well as bleach spray bottles are ready.

Our callout about Personal Coolers and the NEED to come to the Playa with ICE was met with great success - Thanks to you all for heeding that call out.

Here is the text from the Survival Guide 2023:

When you pack for your trip to BRC - your cooler should be ICED – When you are at the last stop on Rt. 80 (From the West (Sparks) – From the East (Fernley) before making the turn on HYW 447 heading towards Gerlach – YOUR COOLER SHOULD BE ICED!! When you arrive @ Burning Man your cooler should have ICE maybe somewhat melted but it should HAVE ICE!!

As a Village of 300 persons we are required to have a Health Permit by the Nevada Health Dept. The Health Dept will visit our camp and make sure that we are adhering to all prescribed food preparation – serving – cleanup requirements. WE DID GREAT WITH THE PREPARATION – SERVING – CLEANUP aspects of the inspection in part to the efforts of our BUT WHERE WE STILL HAVE ISSUES IS WITH PERSONAL COOLERS THAT WERE PLACED IN THE KITCHEN THAT HAD NO ICE. The Health Dept will inspect all coolers and make sure that the contents of said cooler are at proper temperature. Obviously, coolers that have NO ICE or LIMITED ICE cannot possibly be at proper temperature. The contents of any cooler not cooled to proper temperature were DISCARDED!

WE HIGHLY ENCOURAGE – NO WE REQUIRE that you ICE DOWN YOUR COOLERS as you start your trip to the Playa and KEEP ICE LEVEL IN COOLERS AS REQUIRED during your trip.

This will ensure that when you cook your meal that NO ONE EATING YOUR FOOD WILL GET SICK! We will also be more proactive and do an ICE RUN on Sunday (Day 1) that any camper can use to make sure that when you arrive On-Playa that your cooler can be RE-ICED and your food can be kept to temperature and KEPT SAFE FOR EATING!!

ULTIMATELY KEEPING YOUR COOLER ICED – YOUR FOOD SAFE ON THE WAY TO BRC IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

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For those that choose to be Nude (Male & Female) - Your Bottom MUST BE COVERED while cooking or when in the food serving line.

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****Community Meals****

In 2023 PolyParadise had a Community related ‘Requirement’ upon registration, cooking & sharing a meal for 25. The meals and the variety of all things cooked were amazing!!!!

Special callout to Debbie for an amazing 2nd year of creating/managing Trash Can Pizza experience as well to everyone that assisted in the creation of said Trash Can Pizza. With Fridays Rain Trash Can Turkey was not possible; I know you all were as disappointed as I was that a Friday Night Thanksgiving Meal @ Burning Man did not happen. Sunday night (1) of the Turkeys was cooked on the Flattop, Stuffing, Gravy were prepared - Thanks to all that took on that task. Special callout to Trevor for again being the CZAR de CHARCOL!

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the planning, cooking, serving & cleanup of each and every meal. For when we share a meal and break bread together we grow from just being friends to being FAMILY!

Over the years campers have mentioned to me that they arrived for a meal and there was not enough food for them or that they saw some campers going back for seconds and when they had not gotten any food. I understand your complaints - meal times are set at two hour intervals 8:00a-10:00a 12:00p-2:00p 6:00p-8:00p - Policing who gets in line and how many times is not where we are headed.

Instead of raising the minimum amount that each person cooks from 25 to 35 portions; which could potentially create waste and leftovers that we cannot store, and would put an additional financial burden on all campers as the meals are in addition to the camp fees.

The implemented solution for 2023 was to make sure that all campers knew that there was plenty of additional food within the kitchen pantry (Tuna - Pasta - Beans - Macaroni & Cheese) of course that would need to be prepared in order to feed those that are still in line. I hope that that this in-part assisted with the issue on any one particular day/meal that the total amount of food created may be less than the total # of campers attempting to fill a plate.

Another issue aka a Clarification - For groups of one/two/three campers we require a meal to be cooked for 25 people. To be fair and to make sure that all meals are covered and have an adequate number of meals being cooked; If you are a group of three or more I will require at least two meals for 25. What I do not really want is for your group to all cook the same meal for 50 or 75; yes the food will be eaten but the real issue is making sure that each meal is covered and that all meals have an adequate amount of food available.

****Community Space****

The Community Space was an amazing space for campers to hang out - eat - converse and otherwise stay out of the Day Star influence. Due to allocation of frontage space to The Twisted Swan/Bacchus, the integration of the RV Service Lanes and the placement of the Gray Water Tanks/Shower we ended out with a smaller space between the Events space structure and the long-arm of the Community space; aka a narrower area for the Walkway - Village of PolyParadise UV-Light sign - Camp Signs - Bike Racks.

The space really kicked ass at night. The move a few years ago to using all Rope Light to light the Kitchen and Community space was amazing!! It gave off the just enough ambient light. There were a few stands of Rope Light that will need to be replaced.

With the rain I do not think there was anyway we could have avoided the standing water and the SLIP & SLIDE the entire Community Space & Kitchen became as the water mixed with the thinnest of sheen of Playa MUD; though as indicated above we could have re-wired power cords and been able to provide limited power so that navigation would have been easier. As I was very skittish about again allowing flowing electrons; I think purchasing some battery powered flood lights and having them available just in case this type of weather event happens again.

****Infrastructure Items That Need to be Replaced or are just DEAD****

The Rain/Mud of Burning Man 2023 reeked havoc on several of our key infrastructure items.

The 20'x20' Canvas Tarps we use for flooring obviously not only were watered logged; but also embedded into the Playa after we all walked over them wet. During teardown we determined that the only way we could get them 'Folded' and into the truck was to cut them; even cut and with half-dried embedded Playa they were incredibly heavy to transport. Even if we did not need to cut them - because they were wet there would be no way they could be fully dried out and kept mold free; thus on returning home to Phoenix all canvas tarps were put out to trash. Thirty (30) canvas tarps @ ~$200 each will need to be replaced.

All of the 20'x40' silver tarps (Shade Structure Roofs) need to be accessed for grommet failure and replacement. I know that several of them need to be replaced @ ~$300 each.

The carpet runner for our entryway was trashed after the rain and will need to be replaced.

The 6' BBQ we purchased in 2015 met its demise; the rain of 2023 was the final downfall but 8 years of transport to & from BRC as well as use during off-playa over those 8 years aided in the last time it could be used to cook on. This replacement will cost ~$700.

As of this writing it is unknown if the (2) Laptops & (2) Stereos will still be in working order or will need to be replaced after getting waterlogged.

Several of the coolers we have been using over the years need to be replaced due to broken handles/lids - the other issue with the coolers is that we pack them full of Dry Ice/Ice here in Phoenix as we prepare to leave for BRC; the volume expansion from the Dry Ice has rendered several of them Trash and will need to be replaced.

Coffee Makers - (1) of them stopped working after the base was submerged in water from the rain - it is unknown if the other coffee maker works properly or will both need to be replaced.

The Cotton Candy machine not only got waterlogged but also suffered structural damage in transport from the Playa - even though this was a nice treat to have in the Community Space; it was rarely used and will not be replaced. The Popcorn machine although an incredible luxury to have On-Playa is not used enough to justify keeping it; single serve Jiffy pop will suffice for this corn treat.

****Camp Ice Runs****

HUGE Thanks & KUDOS to all that were part of the Volunteeratoldism Ice Runs each day. We also THANK AND ARE INCREDIBLY APPREHIATIVE of Max Flynn & Simon for bringing the Ice Taxi or there about vehicle to make a large Ice Purchase each day. I have yet to correspond with Max if the to know if the Ice Taxi will be returning to BRC in 2024; we have relied on Max and this transport vehicle for our daily ice run; if the vehicle does not return to BRC we will need to have an alternative way to transport 40-50 Bags of ice aka ~400-500lbs each day.

This year we also changed up how Ice was purchased & distributed to camp members. The first day of ice purchase the Camp fronted (Camp Fees) the total amount of purchased Ice + TIP; when the ice was dropped off within camp; it was placed in waiting Coolers. Campers needing Ice would take said ice from coolers and put the $$ for said ice into a slotted top bucket. This way each subsequent day we would have the same amount of $$ for the next day ice purchase.

This worked great and I appreciate the honesty of all campers that took Ice to pay for said Ice within the bucket. What I of course did not take into account was the daily tip we gave as that obviously was not in the bucket for the next day. I do think that Tipping is important to show the respect for all that work @ Artica and of course those donations go to Charity as do all the proceeds of all BRC Ice sales. That daily tip is ~$40-$50/day; in the future will need to make sure that there are specific camps funds available in CASH On-Playa to continue this donation to charity from PolyParadise to those in need (Gerlach/Nixon/Wadsworth Schools).

I am not sure in the future we can expect that the Ice Taxi will make BRC and or that it will continue to provide this service to PolyParadise. I do think we need to come up with a non-motorized transport system for ~40-50 bags of ice that can be easily maneuvered by that days Volunteeratoldism Ice team. My first thought is to purchase a few large tire heavy duty flat top wagons and bolt plywood to the top and have eye-bolts positioned to be able to use ratchet straps to secure the ice load to the plywood; maybe constructing two of them to be able to split the entire ~400-500lbs load across two of them. I am open to other ideas of some type of non-motorized ice transport system option.

****Camp/Public WiFi****

Thanks to Guami & The Twisted Swan for again providing a Camp WiFi that was password secured and available to all campers.

For the 2nd year a fellow camper provided an additional WiFi option that was public facing. Changes were made from the prior year as to how this WiFi option could be accessed. This year anyone that would need access to this WiFi option had to sign-up (FOR FREE) pre-playa to receive an access code; I do believe there was an 'option' to donate to the cause as providing this service comes with a cost. I do not believe that this camper is making any personal $$ in providing the service; I do believe that they are just looking to cover the costs. No access codes would be provided on-playa and the amount of time/device was also eliminated. Regardless of these changes; the whole Public available WiFi continued to be an issue; and when it gets escalated to me well that is never a good thing.

I have yet to have a conversation with the camper that provided the open WiFi; for 2024 I am going to insist if they would like to return to camp with us; LEAVE THE WiFi OPTION @ HOME. There are other camps or locations within BRC that those that need to connect to the default world can do just that.

****Playa Events****

This was an amazing year for PolyParadise Playa Events. We had lots of amazing events that drew large crowds each day.

Our Playa Events - Poly High Tea - Human Carcass Wash - Poly Friendly Social Mixer, 3D UV-Light Experience, Therapeutic Photo Session, Fire Flow Yoga and of course EVERY DAY & The Temple of Bacchus & EVERY NIGHT @ THE TWISTED SWAN!!!

Major Kudos to the organizers of all of our Playa Events. You all are aces in my book!!! Thanks to everyone who assisted in each and every event. The events are as much for us as a camp as well as sharing with the Playa Citizenry.

The Human Carcass Wash encompassed a full 60’x40’ structure. Long gone are the days from circa 2001 when the HCW was a 5'x7' piece of Astroturf. We also have a more defined area available for bikes to get them off the road - With this additional space the HCW now serves well over 300 participants daily!!! Freakin INCREDIBLE!!!

As a Village we submitted 20 events to be included in the printed WWWW. I did not check to see how many of these events made it into the printed WWWW. As the rain started Friday afternoon all scheduled events were cancelled.

****Poly Shower****

Major kudos for another year goes to Twist for the original shower base & frame that we have been using since 2008. Thanks & Kudos to Boy Scout & Trevor and others for creating a new frame that supported a new gear/pulley system for raising/lowering the shower bags. I personally did not use the shower so I cannot attest to its ease of use; though I was told it worked great; that is until I was informed that a camper using the shower appeared to have issue with it's use and took it apart. I appreciate Boy Scout resurrecting the system so it would still function for all those that would use the shower.

Having the entire shower structure and waiting area on top of the canvas tarps certainly made less MOOP and provided a non- playa mud area for those waiting to shower; well until Friday's rain when the shower was closed. Without power we have no way to get the waste water from said showers to the gray water containment; the shower and its drain are obviously not meant to wash off the amounts of playa we all had on ourselves especially if you took a header on the SLIP/SLIDE of the Playa surface or the community space/kitchen.

Trevor has voiced some concerns to the continued stability of the shower base itself; this will need to be accessed @ the Work-Party. There are several designs we discussed for a new shower. Using (2) of the 250G Plastic water containers with an aluminum grid around the outside; cutting out one side then placing them on top of each other; forging the (2) cutouts into a a closable door. This structure would need to be placed on a raiser so that there is height for the water to drain into the basin that is then pumped to the gray water tanks. If we need a new shower structure for 2024; I will most certainly need the assistance of our fellow Arizona campers to be available to make this happen over the summer. We will know more @ the Work-Party in April.

****Leave No Trace****

PolyParadise has always prided itself on its Cleanup & Recycle efforts. The 2023 MOOP MAP has been released. The hope would have been that we would have been ALL Green!! for our 350'x440' (3.53 acre) allocated space. Thanks to all that were part of the Volunteeratoldism job of LNT & to all that MOOPED all week and to anyone and everyone that stayed on into Tuesday afternoon and being the last off the Playa and for making sure that our LNT efforts would in fact be as GREEN as possible!!

The MOOP Map and provided images from Playa Restoration of our efforts was disappointing but in the end not surprising. As you view the images provided and the entire BRC MOOP Map we were obviously not alone in the reported RED SPOTS as there are Lots & Lots of RED Spots across the entire Playa. One of the images had (3) found Aluminum Spikes - we used ~1,000 of them so we missed THREE in the mud I call that a WIN! So it is all a matter of perspective. One of the other images showed some 'Pink' colored Playa we missed; which is disappointing cause of course we; I mean TREVOR dug up several hundred lbs of colored or stained Playa that we transported back to Phoenix.

With all the MUD and all of the items that were embedded in said MUD; I am very happy with our LNT efforts

Even with the RED Spots and images provided by Resto we have received a letter of In Good Standing with Placement.

We WILL to strive for ALL GREEN in 2024!!!

We can ALWAYS be more MOOP vigilant; not just in our own camp space but Playa-Wide. Remember it is MOOP if it is not Playa -that is the definition of Leave No Trace. Overall we did an amazing job - thanks to all that assisted in Never Letting It Hit the Ground!!! Thank you to everybody that stayed for teardown and beyond...You guys ROCK for making those last sweeps through our space and making sure we would be MOOP FREE!

GLASS - Can't be avoided all together though we can try our best to limit the amount of glass we each bring to BRC and of course we can do better in attempting to coral that glass menace. Will be looking into other options as a container for all the glass in the garbage area to limit this issue as a MOOP issue going forward.

We did have several visits from the Earth Guardians & BLM concerning Fuel containment and the overall # of gallons of fuel within camp. In 2022 we purchased (4) 30G fuel containment containers. These worked great in dispensing fuel; but also made transport to BRC a much easier. Dispensing fuel to 5G containers as needed worked great. The 30G fuel containment units were placed inside large kiddy pools as well as fenced in with plastic orange fencing.

MAJOR KUDOS to Trevor & a special callout to Monica for creating an awesome work space between the two rental trucks as a work area and and organized space that housed the generators and community tool area.

We did purchase additional kiddy pools for RV Gas/ personal generator containment and distributed them to all RV's & campers with 5G gas containers.

This year we had several visits from the Earth Guardians/BLM concerning the total # of Gallons of fuel for the entire camp. There is a 'Rule' that the total # of Gallons of fuel cannot exceed 110G. The fuel brought to power the camp was just about 110G - what I did not know until they continued to harp on it is that 110G INCLUDES ALL FUEL; that includes the fuel brought for personal generators and or RV's. They also stated that fuel must be stored at least 10' away from any living space. The camps fuel depot was enclosed and separated from any tent or RV to comply with that 10' standard. Since we had 37 RV's with most of them bringing fuel; adhering to this 110G limit for a Village that is 350'x440' (3.53 acres) is just not possible. It is also not possible to have individual RV/generator fuel stored 10' away from said RV/camp space to comply with the BML/Earth Guardian standard.

On their visits they did give us kudos to our main fuel depot and its setup, signage and fenced in area; they suggested that due to our overall size to mitigate the issue of RV/Generator Gas containers needing to be 10' away from said RV or living space we could construct a second fuel containment area behind the dividing line between the Twisted Swan and the back half of PolyParadise aka between the two 8:30 side service lanes and with that would be 'In Compliance' to fuel rules & standards.

Going forward; if you bring 5G gas containers for your RV or personal generator; these gas containers will need to be Labeled with YOUR NAME & STORED within these two fuel containment areas. If you need to FILL your RV or personal generator you will need to go to the fuel containment area - transport that gas can to your RV/Generator & fill said engine and then RETURN the gas can back to the fuel containment area; even EMPTY gas cans must be returned to the fuel containment area. If a gas can is found left next to or near your RV or living space aka NOT RETURNED to the fuel containment area it will be confiscated and be used as camp gas for the camps generator consumption. I am DONE being hassled by Earth Guardians/BLM on their visits about random gas containers not being 10' away from an RV or living space; aka moving those containers away from said RV/Living spaces when they visit - having those campers move them back to where they were being housed and then having another visit from Earth Guardians/BLM and being re-hassled for the same issue.

This new rule will be added to our Survival Guide; messaged to all those specifically bringing RV's and part of the reply upon registration to camp with PolyParadise.



PolyParadise 2023 MOOP Map	PolyParadise 2023 - RED SPOTS


PolyParadise 2022 MOOP Map	PolyParadise 2022 MOOP - RED Spot


PolyParadise 2019 MOOP Map	PolyParadise 2018 MOOP Map


PolyParadise 2017 MOOP Map	PolyParadise 2016 MOOP Map


PolyParadise 2015 MOOP Map	PolyParadise 2014 MOOP Map


PolyParadise 2013 MOOP Map	PolyParadise 2012 MOOP Map


BRC DPW	Playa Restoration

****Gray Water Reclamation****

Our Gray Water disposal for the sink and the shower were provided by United Site Services. This system provides us as a camp a no-worry way to deal with the Gray Water issue.

We rented (4) 250G tanks (The largest USS rents) - three were for PolyParadise & one was for the Twisted Swan. So that is a 750G capacity to PolyParadise until our first contracted servicing of the tanks Wednesday-Friday-Sunday. Over course of the week I estimate we generated just about 1,500 Gallons of Gray Water; that is down ~750G from 2022. Now of course we had the shower closed from Friday afternoon thru the end of the event; so there is that. I am not questioning this as much as I want to know why so that we can repeat in future years.

When USS comes to service the tanks (whatever time that day they get there - cause it's Playa Time) - They will not empty the tank if we do not have the pre-paid vouchers available. We are of course at the mercy of United Site Services actually making a visit on the days we have purchased service for. We were scheduled for servicing on Friday; unfortunately they did not make it as it FREAKIN RAINED and traffic was halted. On Friday afternoon we had ~150G capacity left until all three tanks we full; we closed the shower and made the priority the sink gray water as we would still be cooking and need to clean said post/pans/utensils.

As part of our contract with USS we pre-pay for (30) RV Service Slots - These are pre-paid via RV campers for either Wednesday - Thursday - Friday. We distribute a placard per RV Service Day & the USS Voucher. Being Radically Self-Reliant as a RV Camper you will need to ensure that the Placard is visible and that the voucher is available when USS arrives (whatever time that day they get there - cause it's Playa Time). Let's take that a step further - If the Placard is visible and the Voucher is available - if you happen to not be there - ANY LOCKING MECHANISM to the Black Water tank must be UNLOCKED.

The best option is for you as an RV Camper to be in camp the day your RV is to be serviced or until USS arrives so that there are no issues. The camp is not responsible if your RV misses servicing because you were not there - the voucher is not available or your RV Black Water Tank cover is locked. The (10) RV Servicing for Friday did not happen due to the rain and the halting of traffic - There was nothing that could be done no matter how overflowing your RV was or would be without the servicing.

For those RV Campers that do not have a pre-paid servicing slot - you can always flag down USS for RV-Servicing. It is my understanding that the Service Trucks that come for the Pre-Paid may not be available for those that do not have an already pre-paid RV Servicing Voucher. I believe these trucks are on specific routes for a specific number of pump outs.

For 2024 we will again pre-purchase (30) RV Pump out vouchers (10) on each of Wednesday-Thursday-Friday that will be available on a First-Come First-Serve basis cost will be $90 paid Pre-Playa. If you Pay for an RV Servicing and for whatever reason do not make it to BRC the Servicing Voucher will be used by another RV camper; no refund will be returned to the original purchaser.

In the end there is NO GUARENTEE that the Pump Out Truck will make it to us on the specific day your Voucher is for. Since there is NO WAY to know what time they might arrive we may need to wait until the following day to take the very long walk to the USS Headquarters @ 6:30 and oblivion to inquire as to why we did not receive service; and even with that there is NO GUARENTEE that they will service the RV's within PolyParadise regardless of any pre-paid voucher. If USS does not provide service on any specific day and there are unused vouchers we will see if there are any options for partial refunds; there are NO GUARENTEES.

****Water – Water - Water****

In the desert water is a commodity – as a camp; it is used to fill our water cooler | cook | clean posts/pans & dishes | coffee | starter water for the Human Carcass Wash. As a camp we require each vehicle in camp to donate 5 gallons of water to assist with our water supply as a camp. We obviously use a lot of water to do these tasks; even if we had 75 vehicles all bringing 5 Gallons of water that is only 375 gallons to add to the water that we bring in the U-Haul.

In 2023 we brought a total of 200G of water to be used exclusively for dishwashing; most of that amount was not used and needed to be sprayed onto the Playa. The donated water requirement /vehicle was used for drinking water filling the large water container | Coffee & Cooking.

The amount of total gray water generated as a camp was down almost 750G from previous years. Now of course that total amount was down due to the shower being closed as of Friday afternoon and the rain; the shower was closed because we did not have power to move the water from the collection container to the gray water tanks. Even with that we were surprised because we still did clean all of the Pots/Pans/Utensils and had water left over.

We will purchase a few hand pumps for the 55G water barrels we bring to make it easier to get water into the sinks for refill and not require electrons to power a pump and power cords near water. In the end I would take having more water than needed than being in a position of not having enough water; so we will continue to bring the (4) 55G of hose water to be used exclusively for dish washing.

Some campers have suggested that we get potable water delivered so that the amount of water is not an issue and do away with the requirement of the water donation and eliminate a lot of plastic waste. My opinion is that we need to remember that Burning Man is a desert camping trip and part of its ethos is we bring what we need to consume and take away what we use. Each camper manages their own water and as a Theme Camp we need to do the same.

I really do not want to have a water delivery and take us away from knowing we need to be self-sufficient - In that vein I highly encourage - if you have the means & space to bring additional water for camp use it would be appreciated.

****Garbage, Garbage, Garbage****

Many Many thanks to all of the Volunteeratoldism campers for managing all things Garbage responsibilities. We all very much appreciate your dedication to the ART OF GARBAGE and as well taking care of the distribution of Community Garbage to all camper vehicles for transport off-playa.

Since the Trash is generated by the community - our camp requirement is for each vehicle to take two bags of Trash Off-Playa. Major kudos to anyone and everyone that transported more than two bags, the hope is of course that you are all depositing this garbage in the proper receptacles off-playa.

Each year more and more campers are using the Burner Express Bus to enter Black Rock City. Express Bus participants are given a Clear Plastic MOOP BAG that you can bring back on your way out of BRC via said Burner Express Bus. We highly encourage all campers that use the Burner Express Bus Service to bring their MOOP BAG to the Garbage Czar so they can properly fill them for you to transport off-playa.

Due to the rain & mud we transported a very large amount of garbage back to Phoenix that I was able to get rid of in our alley trash and bulk trash pickup provided by the city of Phoenix.

****Survival Guide****

2023 marked 13 years of the PolyParadise Survival Guide. The survival guide was emailed to all campers upon registration and was available via the web site for review. I hope that each of you found the contents useful. If there are any suggestions of additional material that you feel would be helpful please let me know.

****2022 Art Project - Anniversary Year #24 ****

The Event space which is 40'x40' is bustling with activity from 11:00a-6:00p Monday-Saturday with our Playa-Events. The vision was to transform space into a place to be and hang-out in at night awashed in UV-Light. All of the poles and structure joints were wrapped with UV-Gaffers tape and protected with a shrink wrap sleeve and In conjunction with UV-reactive tapestries - the effect was INCREDIBLE!! Adding 3D-stereoscopic glasses - the visual effect was mind-blowing.

****2023 Art Project - Anniversary Year #25?****

The Art Project for our 25th Anniversary within BRC was AWESOME! A 4'x8' sheet of plywood with Large Numbers/Letters spelling out 25 Years 1999-2023 adorned with UV-paint. The effect was incredible on our walkway into the Community Space. This Art Piece can be reworked with a (6) replacing the (5) in 25 and a (4) replacing the (3) in 2023.

****2024 Art Project - Anniversary Year #26?****

Are there any ideas for a 2024 Art Project to celebrate our 26th Anniversary? I do not have any immediate inspirations; but am open to ideas.

****Early Arrival & Exodus****

Early Arrival - Many, Many thanks to all of our Early Arrival crew. Kudos go out to all of you for your tireless efforts to get the camp erected and all system connected. You guys ROCK!!!

The crew was awesome!!! We rocked the house and had the entire infrastructure up & functional by Sunday morning. I thank you all so much for doing what needed to be done, being out in the Sun & Dust; making PolyParadise happen On-Playa!!!

We were initially delayed in our entry into BRC due to Pre-Event Rain; we were not allowed On-Playa until Wednesday afternoon; where in previous years were were on-playa on Tuesday afternoon; so we were behind in all things a full day. Even with that delay we were able to get the camps infrastructure up and functional by Sunday noon. As noted due to the overall delay of playa arrival we were unable to get the Kitchen setup properly prior to the Nevada Health Department visit on Sunday afternoon. The Kitchen MUST be fully setup prior to our first communal meal witch is Sunday lunch; that includes Hand Washing stations, Sinks (Wash, Rinse Sanitize) and Bleach Spray Bottles for each table prep area.

We set the camp up over several days, but we take it down in just a few hours, it is a massive undertaking that requires lots & lots of hands. You cannot be 'Required' to stay and assist with breakdown, but know that each and every one of you that did help is so very much appreciated. This year’s crew was incredible. Thank you all so much for doing the dirty work and being there to pack away our community for another year.

The above paragraph is what I carry forward from year to year for Takedown; this year with the Rain/Mud event that occurred Friday & Saturday made teardown & exodus a very different experience. It was obvious to both Trevor & I that on Monday our normal teardown day that was just not going to happen as the Playa was still wet and the canvas tarp flooring would need to dry out; so at that point we were resigned to that we would most likely have to stay thru at least Wednesday or Thursday.

Many Many Many thanks to Trevor, Skippy, Charlie, Kickstand, Kim, Dr. Dirt, Mark, Alex for staying thru the end. The task before us was EMMENCE - we certainly all worked for lots of hours Tuesday & Wednesday loading the trucks, dealing with MUD MOOP, the canvas tarps, the carpet that were water and MUD encased. After the final MOOP Sweeps we left the Playa on Thursday 4p. Thanks to Trevor, Stephanie & Skippy for doing the driving to & from BRC back to Phoenix.

****Those Amazing AZBurners****

BIG BIG Kudos - To our fellow AZBurners who are always available to assist during the year; for Truck Loading & Unpacking; carrying, cleaning, sorting and building PolyParadise year-round here in Phoenix. Special Thanks to (Armella, Corvus, Sandman, Cactus Man, Neefer, JimyMac, Goddess Ivy, Zeus, Bob, Kim, Dr. Dirt, Daniel, Big Rig, Sunny, Canyon, Justin, Diane, Dance Boy, Laura, Craig, Donna, Ken, Becky, Luna Tickles, Cheyenne) Back in the day circa 2006 it was only WildChild & I that represented Arizona in PolyParadise. It is amazing to have had 36 AZBurners in our camp this year. Thank you all so very much!!!

****Annual Work-Party****

Another Playa year is upon us; The Village of PolyParadise will be celebrating 26 years within the gates of Black Rock City in 2024.

Running a large Theme Camp is a year-round process and requires participation by many people, especially at our annual Spring Work-Party. This is where we take the contents of our garage, all the PolyParadise Playa Gear, and clean, sort and other wise inventory what we have and what we need...making an assessment of what we have, what broke & what needs replacing.

PolyParadise will be having its annual Work Party (Clean Scotto & WildChild's Garage & thus the PolyParadise Playa Gear).

SAVE THE DATE...
THE 2024 POLYPARADISE WORK-PARTY IS SCHEDULED FOR:
WEDNESDAY 4/17- Tuesday 4/23
@ Casa De Scotto/WildChild in Phx. AZ
The Actual Work-Party part will be Saturday APRIL 20
(Garage Door Goes UP @ 10:00a)

You are welcome to come for the day or the weekend...We have enough room to accommodate a few overnighters and can set up tents in the backyard.

Once we have cleaned the PolyParadise Playa Gear and are sufficiently covered in Playa Dust, if it is warm enough, or anybody is adventurous enough, we now have a pool; we can PARTY!!!

WildChild & I would like to thank the PolyParadise Work-Party 2023 Crew:

Thanks as well to our dogs: Wesley & Sam for keeping us all entertained., we certainly hope we can entice all of you back again this year.

Of course you are all welcome to come to Phoenix and join us, just drop me a line.

We promise to take lots of pics to post to our FaceBook Group as we sort & clean the Playa Gear and get our garage in some semblance of Playa order.

****Generator Power****

When it comes to the camp’s Generation and use of highly charged electrons - Special THANKS!!! MASTER TWIST!!! The 2500W Battery Backup system continues to provide us a way to keep those electrons flowing now matter the status of the generator.

We rented (2) Honda EU 7000W generator used in conjunction with our 2500W Battery Backup system. This in conjunction with (2) Yellow Distribution box/cords/cables we were able to provide a way for us to have continual power to the Shower & Sink pumps and critical lights within the Kitchen & Community space when the Generator was off or had run out of gas.

With having (1) generator running 24/7 providing power to the camp and shared electrons to The Twisted Swan; and (1) generator running Dusk to Dawn to power all night lights worked great - well right up until we needed to CUT THE POWER on Friday afternoon when it starting RAINING!

Thanks so much to Trevor for taking on the electrical grid - You are a credit to your skills and am always in awe of your making sense of the spaghetti of cords.

We did have an issue with the total power draw from the Event Space and all of the UV-Lights thru lower rated power cords to the generator. To mitigate this issue in the future we will re-purpose the 2nd Yellow Distribution Box that was primarily used for the Popcorn & Cotton Candy machines as they had a larger power draws to the event space and from the distro box to the generator. We will need to purchase some additional higher rated cords to go from the distro box to the generator and for the electrons we provide to the Twisted Swan.

****Poly Wally - Village of PolyParadise Art Car****

I am sure by now you know that in 2022 our Art Car Polly Wally was DENIED a DMV license to enter BRC - The stated reason was that the vehicle looked to much like its original vehicle and was not mutated enough to be granted entry into BRC.

Whatever the vehicle might be able to be transformed into will require engineering assistance in Phoenix. The ability to know what kind of 'Cage' needs to be built; how that would attach to specific areas of the vehicles' limited metal undercarriage is beyond my fabrication abilities. Once the 'Cage' is constructed we would then make decisions as to what the 'Cover' would be to transform what looks like a worthy Mutated Vehicle for the purpose of receiving a DMV License.

If there are no polycampers or friends of such with these skills/tools and time within the Phoenix area or such willing to come to Phoenix for extended periods of time to make these modifications to the vehicle - we will be looking to dispense with the vehicle; maybe donating it to our local AZBurner Community to be housed and used for our Regional Event Saguaro Man.

****Burning Man Tickets 2024****

The distribution of tickets for Burning Man 2024 has been announced:
http://tickets.burningman.org/ for details.

Registration for tickets will be thru your Burner Profile:
https://profiles.burningman.com/wp-login.php

As a Theme Camp we do get to participate in the Stewards Group Sale - The available slots in this sale are reserved for our key crew as well as new additions each year within the total we are allotted. As of this writing I do not know the exact number of Stewards Sale tickets we will be allotted - If we receive the same number of ticket opportunities - a preliminary list so far would have ~ 20 slots going to new campers to that list. The Twisted Swan & Temple of Bacchus are allotted tickets from within the total number we are given as a Village.

I am currently making contact with campers that were on the 2023 Stewards sale and inquiring about their interest in 2024. There have been several folks that will not be returning - once I know how many slots might be available I will make some further inquiries via our FB group. These decisions are based on our receiving the same number of Stewards Sale tickets.

Of course there are only so many total tickets for sale total to Burning Man that are allocated within multiple sale opportunities. With current discussions being had by The Cultural Direction Setting Council it is unknown that as a Village if we will continue to receive the same number of allotted tickets in the Stewards sale from year to year. Even though I was personally part of the Cultural Council I do not have any influence on any ticketing issues or to make sure we continue to get the same number of Stewards opportunities. We are not informed of this number until mid-February; a few weeks before the Stewards sale which annually takes place the second week of March.

***Camping Fee - 2024****

Our only source of income to cover the costs of bringing PolyParadise to Black Rock City each year is thru the Camp Fee. In 2023 we established a camping fee of $250/person.

We did end 2023 with a positive balance of $60.

With all of the infrastructure items that need to be replaced due to the Rain/Mud - The camp fee for PolyParadise 2024 will be $325/camper. This increased camp fee of $75/camper will bring in ~$18,000 that will cover all of those costs.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BELIEVING IN COMMUNITY!!!

Registration for PolyParadise will begin on March 15, 2024.

Because of the income reporting issues concerning PayPal I am no longer be able to accept payment for camp fees via said PayPal. Camp Fees in 2024 must be paid via check or money order. Bottom line if your check BOUNCES please plan on camping elsewhere.

Attention International Campers - I know how difficult it can be to get a US Check - Upon registration I will let you know of an alternative option for camp fee payment.

*** PLEASE BE AWARE - Camp Fees are NON-REFUNDABLE ***

Know it is not that I am non-compassionate to the reason you are requesting a refund; I am making it clear Camp Fees are Non-Refundable. Once I receive your Camp Fee I am spending it; thus it is not available to return to you. What I also do not allow is a transfer of a Paid Camp Fee by one person to another - what this means if you pay your camp fee and find another person to take your slot that new camper will also need to pay a camp fee to the camp - You cannot benefit from the camp's No Refund Policy and every camper has paid a camp fee to the camp and not transferred between campers.

****Placement Changes coming in 2025****

We have been informed by Placement that in 2025 there will no longer be a designation as a Village but will be moving to the HUBS (Humans Uniting for Better Sustainability) HUBS is built to co-locate camps who have partnered to efficiently share resources such as water, power, tools, and transportation.

Back in the day....The designation of Village was a population issue; if your camp was over 150 campers you could be designated as a Village. Then the designation morphed to be camps that shared resources or events. In the Village model the allocation of Stewards Sale tickets goes thru the Village leader to the respective camps. In this new HUBS model the allocation of Stewards sale ticket will be directly to individual camp leaders and not thru the Village management; giving Placement a more on-on-one connection with each camp lead and to how many of the fixed number of tickets in the entire Stewards sale go to each camp. In this model there m ay be some camps that receive more ticket slots and I presume there will be some camps that might receive less ticket slots.

How does this HUBS model effect PolyParadise, The Twisted Swan & Temple of Bacchus? Our three camps share Power (flowing electrons), Gray Water and most importantly a Kitchen; so we are what is considered a HUBS. The main difference is that Guami (Lead of Twisted Swan & Temple of Bacchus) will be getting his allocated ticket slots for the Stewards Sale directly from Placement and not me as the Village lead. The HUBS designation will replace the Village designation on the Placement Registration and of course we will request in 2025 to be a HUBS and have the same layout; but showing the sharing of Power, Gray Water & Kitchen.

****Scotto Speak****

2023 was my 24th Burn and my 23rd serving as Camp Daddy, Benevolent Dictator of PolyParadise. We gather together from all corners of the globe to share, learn & grow - a passion & commitment to Community and lifelong friendships created on the hallowed grounds of BRC and within the borders of PolyParadise. I cannot imagine my life without Burning Man or PolyParadise. I thank you all for being part of it all with me.

The Burning Man/PolyParadise experience is different for each person. It is my hope that each of you felt you had a home & a family within the borders of PolyParadise and that each one of you had the MOST AWESOME TIME EVER!!! I hope that if you return to Burning Man again, you will camp with us and again help create the Community we love, PolyParadise in BRC!

My overall assessment of our camp is that after 25yrs we have this Playa thing down pretty good. Rinse - Repeat - Revise. We provide a great home within the Gates of BRC, a drama free space with an amazing Community Space/Kitchen, Events area, The HUMAN CARCASS WASH, Shower and of course the power of family & friends.

Thanks so much to Trevor for 3+ weeks of time together. You and I have been doing this thing side-by-side for several years. I very much enjoy our Bromance; we just work well together; you know what needs to be done and you are never afraid to get your hands dirty. I look forward to doing this all again in 2024.

There is an extra special Callout; reserved to my Life Partner, Wife, Friend & companion, WildChild. You teach me each day the value of a Big Heart and are constantly there all year long with a smile, encouragement and new ideas to make the Burning Man/PolyParadise experience better & better each year. You are there to meet each challenge, you are there for our campers and most importantly you are there for me, I am forever yours.

Again, it has been my pleasure and honor serve as your Camp Daddy (Benevolent Dictator). Each year brings a different set of challenges, a different set of lessons to be had & learned or stumbled upon; you just never know what the Playa will bring....

We will learn from our mistakes, we will again come alive with The Village of PolyParadise, Version 26, it will be better than ever!!!

August 24 - September 1 - 2025 - 214 Days left till Burning Man!

Scotto
- Camp Daddy
- Benevolent Dictator Village of PolyParadise
- Burning Man Lifer/Geek/Zealot