Friday, September 12, 2014

Top 8 Playa Moments of 2014

I'm throwing in another facet of succestication: perpetual experiences of awesome. 

In regards to self-improvement, I strongly believe that new experiences are the key to an open mind and a continuous yearning to go above and beyond what is known. An inspiring setting -- such as an open art gallery in the middle of the desert -- can certainly help.

On that note, here are my top moments at Burning Man 2014:


2) Finding the Burning Man Ultra Marathon. I went to bed early our first night on playa and set my alarm for 6AM in hopes of catching at the last half of the Burning Man Ultra Marathon. Since I had no idea what the course would be, I laced up my running shoes and headed out into deep playa and looked for fast moving dots of humans in the distance. As I approached the trash fence,  I found a very loud bus with a swarm of people dancing around it. It was Robot Heart, an elusive set my friend had been describing the night before, and right beyond it were RUNNERS. I made a mad dash to catch up and met a few characters along the way (including one guy running completely naked, bare feet and all!). 

3) Spending White Out Wednesday in my wedding dress.  Aside from feeling absolutely beautiful in the airy white fabric, this dress seemed to hold some sort of enchantment. It was so much fun to dance in, too!

Not pictured: Burning Man

4) Being inside Embrace. This was one of my favorite art pieces -- a wooden sculpture that you could climb inside, passing large mechanical hearts up into the head of each figure. You could look out the eyes for a lovely view of the desert.



5)  Seeing Saturday morning's sunrise. After Embrace burned on Friday morning, Justin and I had an amazing adventure out in deep playa that involved hours of observation of the blinky horizon dotted by ship masts, alien forms, and giant dragons.  We settled into our own coziness for what seemed like hours -- still in deep, deep playa -- and watched a neon red sun emerge. It was the most beautiful sunrise I ever witnessed.


6) Hanging out with the Neunzig family at Fire House. There's no better way to pass the heat of the day than hanging out with two generations of Neunzigs!

Try to spot Tim in this picture...

7) Not losing my fanny pack. After an 8+ hour adventure, I realized I was missing a critical component of my wardrobe: the fanny pack that contained both Justin's and my I.D.s. After wracking my brain for a good hour, I realized where I left it -- "some big playground-like structure along Esplanade".  Given that Esplanade is a mile long frontage of camps, I was very happy to find that my sense of direction was still in tact. Fanny pack found; identities saved.

8) The Temple burn. The Temple is an ornate structure located across from the man where people leave written memories or thoughts for loved ones who have passed. Some leave behind representations of what they want to remove from from their lives. When the Temple burned, everyone sat or stood silently out of respect. Its large dome fell with a graceful twist, and all the emotional heaviness it held became ashes, ultimately turned to dust. Needless to say, it was very cathartic.



I didn't take any pictures at the event, so if you need more visuals, check out this gallery (including the last photo -- the Shrine of the Crossroads -- an Austin-based project).



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