Our 9th day on Playa was fairly uneventful as we had to stick around Guardian headquarters and provide support to several of the training sessions. We also held our first official camp dinner and annual camp meeting, in which Lashes set out the rules, thanked our set-up team, and answered questions.
Whiteout our window
We’ve experienced whiteout conditions every day we’ve been here this year. It’s never been so horrible that we couldn’t go out on Playa (as long as we wore appropriate protective gear), but it has been a constant part of life. Yesterday, as our youngest son Eric and his wife Natalie were approaching the entrance, the gate was shut down because of blowing dust. What might have been a brief wait turned into several hours of frustration; but, that’s become part of the Burning Man experience ever since the population was increased to 70,000. The good news is that more people were given WAPs (Work Access Passes) this year, thus lessening the crowds coming in on opening day and beyond. WAPs used to be known as Early Arrival Passes, but Burning Man wanted people to understand that if they came early, they came to work.
The weather this morning is magnificent. The air feels clean, the temperature is mild, and the breeze is light. Now if I could only find my Tu-Tu. I need it because today is Tu-Tu Tuesday.
Campers put together Guardian swag
This morning our camp crew was converted into an assembly line putting together the package of Guardian material given to each person who completes the training. The kit includes this year’s bandana, a bracelet with a tiny bell attached, and a laminate that identifies them as Guardians. Stringing the bell onto each bracelet drives me crazy in part because my eyes aren’t so great anymore but also because I’m a klutz. I complete one for other people’s 5 or 6.
These two happy unicorns will be wed Thursday at dawn
We hope to spend lots of time on the Playa today and, as a result, to have more to report and more pictures to post by tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, we’re now in serious prep for the Thursday morning nuptials for our son and daughter-in-law-to-be. We’ll be walking out to the Temple near dawn in the White Procession, an informal and mostly disorganized procession from various points in the city. The wedding is scheduled for dawn (6:22 a.m.), after which we’ll return to camp for a reception featuring waffles, mimosas, and the ever-present bacon.
See you tomorrow.