Monday September 14, 2004

There are so many things to learn year-to-year from the Playa Personally as well as from a Theme Camp and or Village standpoint. Many things go right and some things go awfully wrong...You never know what 'The Playa' has in store....

Thought it would be good to have a discussion or at least for me to say what I thought went Right & what Did Not this year in PolyParadise and to think about what we gained and learned, this being the 2nd year we were part of Shangri-La Village and is that something we want to continue to be part of in '05.

Anything said here is NOT meant to accuse or berate anyone, it is just an open dialogue, an airing of issues so that we may move forward.

I offer my own observations and as always welcome Comments, Praises, Bitches & Roses....

Back in March we made the decision as a group to be part of the 2nd iteration of Shangri-La Village. There was ***VERY LITTLE*** participation in that discussion on this list, in fact the Final tally was 7-2 in favor of being part of the Village (2 of which were from my household). That is 5 other votes out of 175 people on the list at that time that received the pleas to participate in the discussion. This large decision for the group was made by a very small number of folks...It is my hope that throughout the coming year you all return to this forum and participate in any discussions that may be going on, check-in and see if anything is being discussed or just pop-in and say HI!!!

The number of PP Campers went from 38 in '03 to 50 in '04...12 people may not seem like a lot, though those 12 people added several new structures and more vehicles to the mix which made our space allocation quite tight. There is NO doubt that having a bit more room would have made it easier to navigate around camp and get to other parts of the Village and the Grey Water Project. Though I thought we did OK with the space we had and the space I was able to negotiate for with other Village Camps.

We had little if any Camp Drama...and for that I THANK YOU ALL!!!! We all looked out for each other, helped each other...In fact I would like to personally thank all the peeps who helped take care of Trouble when he fell ill, and all the folks who went by and visited him in the Med Tent, and all the folks that took care of him when he returned to camp. That is what Community is about, that is what I love!!!

I realize that I did NOT facilitate a Camp Meeting or Dialogue during our Community Dinner as we have done in the past and for that I apologize. A time to allow all newcomers to know the way of the Land in our Camp, a chance for us to talk amongst ourselves and hear some great Playa Art to visit or what have you. In the past these meetings or discussions have been a great way for us as a Camp to get to know each other...I will need to make this a priority for next year.

Speaking of...

There is NO doubt that we do great things with the HCW & PHT as Playa related events, though it does appear that we are lacking in 'Inter' camp activities and ways for us to be able to share and come together as a Camp of Poly folks. We lack activities that allow all of us to get to know each other and learn from each other's Poly experiences in a formal sort of way...What kind of scheduled events or activities can we come up with that would make us a more cohesive group, learn, grow and share with each other -

****Playa Location****

We certainly got more foot traffic to the HCW & PHT by being back in the 'middle' of BRC. I thought 6:30/Mercury (First Ring Road) was an amazing address to have...Being downtown did have some disadvantages, like having competing musical selections during PHT, making it a bit difficult for discussions. Regardless of where you get placed on the Playa, like last year @ 4:30, there will always be someone with a 5K Stereo system that must test the upper limits of their speakers in order to have a good time. Though if you have to be near a Camp with a LOUD stereo having it be Grateful Dead Camp was not a bad draw...Though I could have done without the Johnny Cash Live from Folsom that day...

What were your impressions on being 6:30/Mercury (First Ring Road) -

****Kitchen & Stuff****

As in the past the Kitchen was a massive success. We had some awesome Community Meals. Thank YOU ALL for sharing your Food Stuff with all of us, it was amazing to sample all the great Playa Dishes day-to-day and as always had enough to feed our Playa brethren. Keeping the Pots/Pans/Dishes washed as necessary is always an issue. We added another Dish Drying rack this year...Did you notice the rounded edges on that wood - Thank you Da Vinci!!! I thought with this additional space it was easier to Wash & Dry the large amounts of Pots & Dishes that can accumulate...

Having Electricity and a Microwave was an amazing addition to this years kitchen, one I hope you took advantage of...

We had plenty of snacks for everyone, and all seemed satisfied with the selections available. A reminder that there are always snacks in the Community Coolers...Chocolate, Deli Meats, String Cheese, Frozen Fruit...Always feel free to have seconds...

Having the standup garbage receptacles made a HUGE difference in our ability to maintain our trash. I appreciated everyone's willingness to take some Community Trash home with them. This small act is so very valuable as you may have seen there were in excess of 30+ bags of garbage plus all the white buckets....Having to haul it all out myself is just not preferable...again Thank YOU very much...

****HCW****

With each passing year the HCW continues to be one of the highlights on the Playa for MANY BRC Citizens. We attract more and more folks to the HCW each year...I estimate that 150+ people went through the HCW each day. With the addition of the 20'x20' Shade Structure we were able to contain the area of the HCW and keep the attendees out of the sun...Thanks to everyone else who helped with Setup & Cleanup and to those that ran the event each day.

Next year though we will request to NOT be near 'Body Painting Camp' which was located down the street. There were many Painted people who came to the HCW to wash off the paint not during HCW hours. Though we can aid in this by removing the HCW supplies from the shade structure after the event is over.

The HCW is a mainstay of the Playa...Never let the HCW die. It is such an awesome event. The NO CAMERA ZONE signs seemed to work some, though it just goes to show that people DO NOT read or understand. Thanks to all for looking out for those that could not quite get it. We did VERY well on water this year...We left the Playa with eight 5-Gallon containers of water. We brought 160 Gallons of water and left with ~60 gallons.

****PHT****

Poly High Tea continues to attract 25-30 people each day for spirited discussions into Poly issues. I give multiple thanks to all who facilitated and attended Tea each day. Any and all people involved with this event should be very proud. It was awesome to see some new people taking the lead facilitator role.

Of course one of the issues we dealt with as a by-product of our location near the esplanade is trying to have PHT over the noise of a very loud sound system or a traveling band show on an art car.

I think next year I myself might like to take a facilitator role for a day with a twist. I was thinking of splitting the group that day into men & women and giving a Poly Guy - 201 course...Lessons from a Seasoned Veteran...Of course there would be a female facilitator as well with a Poly Women - 201 course as well...What do your think about that idea -

We had some comments from PHT participants to better define in the Who, What, Where, When (i.e....This info is created from what is submitted to the Playa Calendar for that event) what Poly High Tea is and what it is not. This is an easy fix for next year....

We have also had several inquiries this year and last for some kind of BRC Inclusive Poly Social Event...Maybe an event we would host -

****Polywomb****

Well of course Polywomb did NOT work this year or even get close to fully constructed. The main structure was up by Monday and secured down, though no one came to me and asked to help in finishing the structure or even to I dare say take it on themselves...I myself had not realized what a huge task this structure was and commend Darlene and all others who helped facilitate it being the sacred space it was of years past. Because this particular structure is so labor intensive to setup and takedown, in conference with Water Log, it will NOT be returning to the Playa.

So if PolyParadise is going to have a sexually permissive & pervasive space out of the wind, protected from the dust we will need to come up with some other ideas, structures or what have you to facilitate that end for '05.

****What lessons have we learned being part of Shangri-La Village****

For ME the biggest lesson learned from being part of SLV for a 2nd year is that the PEOPLE of the Great State of California ROCK!!!! I am so proud and honored to have the fortune to have two Burner Families, in Arizona & California!!!

What ever discussions ensue about PP Village inclusion, My vote is to continue to be part of these great folks, my friends, my Playa and Burner Brethren.

Being part of SLV allowed us to continue to share our Water Ecology.. A La...Steve 'Water Log' Iddings...and the Water Reclamation area. Having the definitive cutoff time for Gray Water being accepted worked to our advantage and disadvantage. With the cutoff time established at the Village Meeting on Thursday as 6pm on Sunday, Steve had a much better time of managing the last batches of processing. Though it was then up to each camp and camper within the Village to dispose of correctly any Gray Water generated until they left the Playa.

HATS OFF TO WATER LOG...What was the final number of Gallons processed - Steve your efforts to allow this water to be given to the Playa deserve much applause, look forward to seeing what you come up with for next year. Thanks as well to Steve for the awesome Adlib song about Water Ecology at the Village Meeting on Thursday..."Conservation, Preservation...Guard Mother Earth...The only way this will work is to spread the word"...A very catchy tune with an awesome message...Look forward to seeing the Video...

We still need to do better at educating ourselves and the masses about the best way to build a functional evap pond....Some suggestions are to use Pond Lining instead of the black plastic we have been using and have been encouraged to use my Earth Guardians...

General LNT efforts for PolyParadise and the Village as a whole were amazing. The only real issue we dealt with was one generator oil spill and patches of 'Whitened Playa', the residual from soaps/oils and toothpaste. We need to do better at encouraging everyone to be better planned for that last minute Gray Water and plan on taking it home with you, or scraping the top layer of Playa and taking that home in the same 5-Gallon bucket.

Water Log was the last citizen of SLV as we left @ 7p on Monday and as I was to understand was going to do exactly that, scrape up some Playa, before he left the following day. Steve...How much Playa did you end out taking home -

There was a Village Wrap-up meeting on Tuesday 9/14, when those meeting notes are available I will post them.

There is much enthusiasm for SLV to be a mainstay on the Playa with Fraggle & Carl heading up the Burb's area, which by the way next year will be called Shangri-Slums, and Greg a.k.a. Smokeblower to be a Village Mayor again.

****Scotto Speak****

Again it was my pleasure and honor to be your Camp Daddy. I had more fun at it this year than I did last, worked just as hard and took on some Village roles as well On-Playa. Even with all of that I took more time away from the Camp this year than I have in the past, cause I knew there were awesome folks back in camp taking care of what needed to be done with our Playa Events as well as taking care of each other.

I was very impressed as everyone that camped with us took an active role in the events and was very willing to take on tasks that I needed done. YOU ALL made the Camp run smoothly and for that you should give yourselves a scattering of applause...

Any other subjects or issues need to be discussed -

I hope through the next few months this this group will ride the wave of energy that has been given unto us from the Playa and be a bit more vocal and keep more in touch throughout the coming year...

348 days left till Burning Man!! - August 29 - September 5, 2005

I do not have my pics available yet, but I will post a URL when they are...

Anybody else have photos online they can share -

look forward to hearing from you...

FILL MY INBOX!!!...PLEASE...

Scotto Camp Daddy