Friday December 28, 2018

It is hard to believe another year in BRC has come & gone...PolyParadise 2018 was absolutely incredible and our best collective effort yet at creating this amazing On-Playa home we call The Village of PolyParadise, As we venture to the Playa each year there are always challenges and together we find a way to make things right, together we build an amazing space within the gates of BRC, a place to really call home in the desert.

Each year as Benevolent Dictator, I learn more and more about why I love all things Burning Man, why I love all things Village of PolyParadise.

Of course there is an amazing personal journey for me, but it is the journey I watch in others, their self-discovery, their triumphs as well as low points, watching people grow and blossom.

This section of the Year in Review; The Wrap-up is my way of thanking all of the amazing people that assist us in creating PolyParadise, not only On-Playa but all year-round here in Phoenix. 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 2018...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 and is in no particular order. EACH ONE OF YOU HAD A PART AND A HAND IN MAKING US THE SUCCESS WE WERE!!

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 (UncleBob, Rich, Poje, Big Phreeky, Alien, Sarge, Kilted James, The Doctor, Cobalt, Armella, Paul, Corvus, Sandman, Cactus Man, Raymond, Atira, Cobalt, Rich, Knotch, Shadow, Fancy Nancy, Neefer, JimyMac, Dr. Dirt, Daniel, Tequila Mike, Tony, Sunshine, Rich, Diane, Dance Boy, Laura, Cole, Chaz, Dr. Liz) Back in the day circa 2006 it was only WildChild & I that represented Arizona in PolyParadise. It is amazing to have had 37 AZBurners in our camp this year. You are all ACES in my book!!! Thank you all so very much!!!

Thanks to the Truck Packing & Unpacking Crew: (Neefer, UncleBob, Rich, Fancy Nancy, JimyMac, Dr. Dirt, Stephanie, Daniel, Cactus Man, Alien, Sarge, Kilted James, The Doctor, Corvus, Sandman, Cuny, Sarah, TattleTale, Dr. Liz, Peter, Gretchen, Adam, Whiteout, Dance Boy, Laura, Cole, Trevor, Chaz Stephanie). It is so much fun to share the excitement of PolyParadise hitting the road with all of you!!! YEAH!!! You guys are GREAT!

We again stayed until Tuesday morning; this allowed for a more cohesive teardown & truck packing and my sanity. We had a great time with the folks that stayed and many thanks to everyone that did the last of the MOOP WALK. throughout our camp space.

Thanks to Armella, Kilted Freedom & Uncle Bob for being the designated drivers of the RV as WildChild & I drove the U-Haul.

Thanks to Candi Carrell who could not be at Truck UNPACKING but was gracious enough to have 10 PIZZAS delivered at the very moment we were closing the Garage Door - Thank you so much!!!!

MAJOR KUDOS to Trevor for assisting with Truck Packing as we broke down camp. YOU are a ROCK STARS!!!

Thank you to the 36 International campers from (Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland).

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 week leading up to Labor Day 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...

Special callout to Haji for purchasing and setting up all the International Flags along the entrance way - these flags represented all of the countries our international campers hailed from.

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 were deeply missed & loved in this group.

The first Thank You has always been reserved for my Life Partner, Wife, Friend & companion, WildChild!!! She continues to be an awesome inspiration for all things Burning Man, stands by me in my ever increasing need to volunteer…Thank you my love!!!

Special thanks to UncleBob, Daniel & Adam for coming over Monday morning to assist with packing the 14 coolers and getting them on the truck - I cannot thank you enough for taking time out of work day to come by and help me; cause a one-person job that is not.

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 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. I cannot 'Require' you 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.

MANY, MANY thanks go to the most amazing takedown crew we have ever had. There were so many people that stayed and assisted with the huge job of getting things in some order before it heads to the truck. THANK YOU ALL!!! Both WildChild & I appreciate your efforts.

Our Playa Events - Poly High Tea - Human Carcass Wash - Mind Melt - Poly Friendly Social Mixer, Burning On Your Mind: An Open Mic About Burning Man, Hugging Meditation, Yoga Postures for 2, Mindful Hugging, Best sex living with STD's, SWOP (Sex Worker Outreach Program) Unite!, Slinky Manipulation 101: The World's Newest Flow Art, Pasties Making Workshop, Himalayan Singing Bowls and of course 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.

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 Carcass Wash...Many thanks go to Touch AND EVERY CAMPER that assisted each day heading up the Human Carcass Wash. A HUGE THANKS to everyone else who helped with Setup & Cleanup and to those that ran the event each day.

MAJOR KUDOS to Rich & Crew for upgrading the Shower Base to accommodate a 10' structure on top of the shower base to allow for a better system of using the shower bags.

MAJOR MAJOR KUDOS & THANKS TO 2Crispy, Plan B & Crew for the AMAZING ROBOT BAR. What an awesome place to hang out right outside the community space and fill up your cup with the days drink concoction! Thanks to all of you for seeing the value of community!! The incredible setup you had with the musical way to create drinks - CLASSIC!!! Look forward to seeing what you come up with for next year!!

Special callout to Haji - It was so awesome to have you back in camp this year - I appreciated your New York style of leadership in all aspects of running a 300-person village as well as your dedication to making sure there was coffee each morning for the masses.

Thanks to Uncle Bob & Armella for taking the time to arrive early On-Playa with WildChild & I and get the Pin Flags set for the three RV Service roads on Day 1.

Thanks to Brotherluv for bringing the Clown Art Car and providing rides across the Playa and as well for your few nights doing the Mind-Melt event.

Thanks to Rich for taking on the several projects I asked of you, and many that I did not even have to say. There were several other things during the week that you both just went over and above the call of service, you did so because you saw it needed to be done and for that I am forever in your gratitude.

Thanks to Rich & crew that assisted with the Shower Base 3.0. Major kudos for another year goes to Twist for the shower base & frame that we have been using since 2008. The new coat of Epoxy Paint we installed the previous year continued to work great. Major thanks to Rich, Cactusman and crew for tackling ripping out the original floor mounts for the poles and installing new 1" footpads. These larger footpads allowed us to raise the height of the enclosure to 10'. Major Kudos to Cactusman for coming up with an ingenious pulley system to be able to raise & lower the shower bags. It worked GREAT!!!

MAJOR Thanks to all our BRC Rangers in our camp - we appreciate your service to the Playa Citizens!!!!

Thanks to Guami & Kilted Freedom for all things Twisted Swan & Temple of Bacchus - what an awesome thing to have a BAR as part of our camp space.

Thanks to Stephanie & crew for putting out an amazing Monday night Dinner spread for those that stayed Monday night.

Special thanks to Craig, Donna & Mark for assisting in all things running the camp all week - You three were Go TO folks when I needed something done.

Thanks to Gypsy for taking over running the Mind Melt during the week.

Thanks to anyone & everyone that provided and or used the Massage Tables.

Special Thanks to Trevor; it was so great to have you back in camp!! I depend on you for a lot on site and you are always there with a smile and of course your community HEART!

Thanks to all campers that brought clothes and accessories for the clothing exchange - what an awesome space to find new digs to wear and look amazing!!!

The most SPECIAL of SPECIAL THANKS is reserved for my Partner & Wife WildChild!!Your love of everything Burning Man, Community, Hard Work, artistic talent and love of people is inspiring. Never let that light dim.

Burning Man is a year-round event at our house; we take the contents of our garage out to the desert and create together an amazing, loving space on the hallowed ground of the Black Rock Desert. Thank you ALL for assisting me in creating PolyParadise.

Thanks to all those that provided meals for the Early Arrival Crew Meal Plan. It was awesome to have food available to us after a hard days work ERECTING PolyParadise.

Thanks & KUDOS to Knotch, Shadow & Laura for all things Kitchen. You guys ROCKED!!! I am so glad that you have enthusiasm to take on the Kitchen BIATCH duties again in 2019! The Community Kitchen was an awesome success! Thanks so much to all of their helpers that maintained the kitchen all week long.

Thanks to the Boyz from Illionoiz with the help of Honest John & Mistress Barney the most AMAZING & INCREDIBLE Community meal ala Chicago Style!!!

Major KUDOS to Sara Vaughn for taking on a huge cooking responsibility. Every time I said I could use the Salmon or Tri-Tip or BACON cooked you were right there and did it with a smile. I also appreciate that you made sure that WildChild & I got some of the first batch off the grill - Its good to be the king!

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.

MAJOR KUDOS to Mistress Barney - I saw you everyday in the kitchen doing dishes - doing what needed to be done in the kitchen to make it presentable for the next meal - Your Community Salutes YOU!!!

Thanks to Knotch, Shadow & Laura for making sure we had 3 NEW Foot Pump/Hand Washing Stations - they are awesome!! Your Community Thanks YOU!!

Thanks to everyone that assisted with FRIED FOOD - amazing late night treats.

Special callout to everyone that assisted in the creation of Trash Can Pizza on Tuesday, Of course to UncleBob for coming up with this crazy idea. Thanks to for everyone that assisted with Trash Can Turkey and a HUGE Thanks to Trevor & Crew for jumping right in and carving up all that turkeys (90lbs of BIRD) while an anxious crowd awaited food…Amazing!!

****Leave No Trace****

PolyParadise has always prided itself on its Cleanup & Recycle efforts. The 2018 MOOP Map shows we had a single YELLOW spot and two RED spots near the 8:00 RV Line for our 350'x440' (3.53acre) space was amazing!!! This year Playa Restoration gave a link to submit questions on Yellow/Red areas within a camp space - I submitted that request but as of this writing I have not hear back as to what that Yellow spot may indicate. Thanks to all that MOOPED all week and to everyone that stayed thru Wednesday and being the last off the Playa and for making sure that our LNT efforts would in fact be as GREEN as possible!!

We did have several visits from the Earth Guardians in which they schooled us in two areas. Proper placement of Gas Cans (Not on the Playa surface, as this was a major push from the BLM) and our Gray Water area. We did have an incident where the hose form the sink came out of the Gray Water Tank and spilled on the Playa. To better deal with this in 2019 we will need a cinder block to keep the hose inside the tank and the entire Gray Water, Shower area & the entire sink area will be placed on top of tarp and canvas flooring to better capture this dirty water if a spill were to occur.

We need to strive for ALL GREEN in 2019!!! 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 Playa Restoration For 2019 our MOOP MAP Footprint goal is ALL GREEN - we can ALWAYS be more MOOP vigilant. 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! 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 as MOOP FREE as possible.

We did receive several visits via LNT representatives, Rangers and Playa Restoration in order to deal with the spill @ the Gray Water Tank when the hose came out and sprayed the Playa with Dirty Water. I was impressed with their responsiveness to situations they were on the lookout for - MAJOR Kudos for their service to Black Rock City. As always we need to be as vigilant as we can to never need their intervention on our behalf.

Many Many thanks to STAGGER for again heading up all things Garbage Czar for stepping up and taking on the role of TRASH!

****20th Anniversary Art Project****

Thanks to Atira, Armella, Rich, Uncle Bob, Tattletale & ALL CAMPERS that assisted in creating, erecting our 20th Anniversary Man/Heart/Infinity Symbol Art Project - Special callout to Ian Liljeblad for allowing us to utilize his talents and Plasma Cutter to create the Art Piece. SPECIAL CALLOUT to Master Twist who came up with the ingenious idea to use magnets to be able to secure the LED Light Strips to the Metal Man.

Special thanks to the Burning Man Shopping Day Crew (Dr. Liz, Uncle Bob, Armella, Corvus, Kristi, Adam & Whiteout) Spending $2800 of your money then unpacking it all - Thanks so much!!!

Thanks to ALL CAMPERS that came by in March for the annual Work-Party.

We found out when we were on the way to the Playa that the BLM was requiring gasoline containment. MAJOR Kudos to Rich for picking up the kiddy pools. It is also a requirement that all RVS that bring gasoline for their generators MUST have the same gasoline containment. Regardless of the size requirement they take up they are a necessity - we will invest in a multitude of the smaller pools for RV Gas containment but I HIGHLY encourage all RV's to provide a kiddy pool or non-pours container for your gasoline (Wrapped in Tarps does NOT meet the requirement).

Many Many thanks & Kudos to Twist for his ingenuity several years ago in creating the pumps/basins for collecting the drain water from the sink & shower and sending it to the Gray Water Tank, you rock Twist!!! - TWIST also reworked the 2,500W Battery Backup system that made it way easier to transport and in & off the truck for transport - it worked amazing!!!! All Hail Master-Twist!!!!! Your Master Skills as a Rocket Scientist have no gone unnoticed.

MAJOR KUDOS to Rich - our electrical guru. You had me buy this - that and other connectors to create a flawless electrical system for the camp. This system in conjunction with the Honda EU 7000 we rented 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.

Thanks to Rich (Picking up Kiddle Pools for gas containment) TO Cactus Man (Picking up Coffee Makers), Thanks to Dr. Liz (Picking up Generator Oil) on the way to BRC as we realized we had forgotten, misplaced or needed extra supplies.

As each year passes; the journey of BRC & PolyParadise just gets better & better; this only happens because there is so much love and effort from all of you; a love of PolyParadise; a Love of Burning Man and of Community. There are so many people that give of themselves, give without thinking about how long it will take or how heavy something is, so many people that give of themselves!!

I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!!

Only 240 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
- Benevolent Dictator PolyParadise
- Burning Man Lifer/Geek/Zealot