Goodbye Cricket.

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Could I be any lamer?

On a whim, I googled myself. I knew my real names, married and maiden, wouldn't bring up much, there's more impressive Margarets out there than I. Ah, but maggiemayday and Anti M? Both are names of bands, those come up first. Anti M has all sorts of antibody links. As for the rest, well, it is a good thing I'm not job hunting. I'm blushing a bit over my fangirl tendencies. Just so ... geeky. At least I don't go to cons. But you know I would if Burning Man and Dragoncon weren't held on the same weekend. I'd love to see Deb and just unleash my inner fangirl with her as a guide. Geeez. Never going to happen, I may be geeky, but I drank the Kool-Aid in the desert, LOL.

As for the burner stuff, hell, not an eyeblink. I am proud to be a burner, I'm one hell of an outsider artist, and like all jaded old burners, a rockstar. All burners are rockstars. That's the beauty of a radically inclusive community, we all have something to contribute. I must say, I stand in awe of my burner friends, they really, really are rockstars. I mean, Apokiliptika, the Booby Bar, Zsu-Zsu, U-Me, Barbie death Camp, the mutant vehicles, the art installations? I can't begin to have that type of expertise and energy. Although I am pleased my modest Home for Wayward Art is a huge hit. That means expectations, and we all know how expectations work in the desert dust. They do not.

Busy summer. I've slacked off on the art, but I truly need to pick up the paintbrush. The trip to San Diego is bad timing, but we all agree the four of us need the break. The kids will be moving into a new house two days after we come back. Then there's Baby Burner Bootcamp to teach the newbies gently and hands on what the Ten Principles mean. Leave No Trace sounds easy until you're picking up feathers and sequins from the ground. In June we have the Utah burn, Element 11 (sodium, salt lake, get it?). Not only do I have the Home for wayward Art, I'm on fire safety as the fuel master with MyLarry, and I'll be one of the co-Artery coordinators. That volunteer position makes me nervous, I don't know exactly what the Utah artery will do, a work in progress. Then July will have Z coming in for a visit. August into September is Burning man, and of course that means art, art, art, prep prep prep. Feels good to have so much going on, but I am stressing just a hair. I shouldn't I have plenty of support. Hawaii in January is beginning to look really great to me!

Mayday, Mayday

Okay, this is before the weed mats and the white rocks got put down. I'll take more pictures after it stops raining. What is this? Seattle?

The compost beds and composter. The old Christmas tree was the neighbor's, we can burn it.

A month and I've not posted? Is it the Twitter? The Facebook? A little, but mostly just a hectic and crappy month.

The superhero fundraiser was alright. We personally raised very few funds for ourselves, in fact, I spent too much on paint. It was fun. Larry looked amazing in his batsuit, but I don't have a picture. Perhaps that's a Good Thing, he was Bat Girl in stilletto boots.

I came down with a terrible cold just a few days later. I was so sick I didn't get out of bed for three days except for needs (bathroom) and wants (liquids). I still have a lingering cough. his may be related to hay fever and asthma, but the overall effect is that I've been down for several weeks. Oh yes, and that Aunt Flo thing. You'd think I'd be done with all that.

Larry's been home a lot, some weeks he wasn't, like when I was ill. This week there was only one steel load. Sure, he had a day of training and a local or two, but that makes it hard to pay the bills with joy. He did do a lot in the garden for me. He worked over the compost beds, and raked and has been clearing the mess around the back fence. Put down weed mat and started containers, put up a fence to slow down the dogs, and I got my solar lights placed. The peas are already up and the lettuce is beginning to show. I could harvest rhubarb right now. And chives. The strawberries have buds!

The Happy Hippie Bus stalls out. Kinda.

The work on the bus stalled for a bit. First, I was doing all that stuff with the fast heart rate, the bad medicine, and the heart stress test. Distracting. Ranger Borderline usurped my workspace to paint her black cat lamp. We kept trying to yell at the cat on the table. One thing, then another. I've been doing mundane and boring bits; white trim for the roof, beginning the wheels, the door, layer after layer of bus yellow paint. Dull. The exterior murals will be far more entertaining.

The weather has been odd, warm then snow, snow then warm. Argh. MyLarry tilled the garden last week and moved the wisteria vine. We hope it survives the transplant, but it could not stay where it was, against the back fence. The vines get wild in the summer, and the Evil Bitch who lives behind the vinyl privacy fence has her garden guys lean over into our yard and hack away. They don't trim, they slice deep into the woody heart of the wisteria. So one way or the other, the poor thing was being brutalized. Now there's a discrete and happy little dogwood shrub in the vacated hole. Shrubbery! I have a shrubbery!

Getting ready for the Element 11 fundraiser is keeping me busy too. I have a painting station for kids, although I wish I had a wider selection of things for them to paint. Plenty of boards, but also masks, canvas mats, birdhouses and some wooden heart shapes. Plus the Home for Wayward Art; I have plenty leftover art from last year. We shut down a day early because of all those intense dust storms. Not very good art, but wayward indeed.

The Super-Hero theme should be great fun, although as usual, MyLarry has a better costume than I do. He's just so tall and slim and has no shame or inhibitions. We found him the greatst pair of shiny over-the-knee stiletto boots on clearance at Hot Topic today. Nine freakin' bucks! Add the PVC hot pants, the mask and a silver cape? Super Larry! I need to make him a super shirt with an "L". Yes, yet another project to delay the bus.

Check your transfer, it may have expired.

The Happy Hippie Bus takes off

This is the project I've been working on all last week, in addition to starting some paintings. This bus is a Burner Bus, but I like to call it the Happy Hippie Bus. a very 60s~70s decor, with all the cliches I can think of. I started with the undercarriage and floor, added the stairs, the front panel, the rug, the back panel, then the steering wheel and dashboard, and the small stair wall. Next was the sides and the roof sections. What takes so long is waiting for the paint and glue to dry before moving on!

The rug was originally two orange washclothes I picked up after Halloween on clearance. The roof sections are lined with Japanese washi paper. The undercarriage is solid black. I will add in the doors (non-opening) and then paint murals on the sides and rear. Although I may put on the front and back bumpers first! I've already begun cabinets for the interior, and I have some furniture and "stuff". I need to make all the Burnery things, poi, hula hoops, stilts ... I even have a one inch scale ice chest!

The Bus will be joined by an Airstream-style trailer later.

Leaving Spain

I guess I should finish this trip, Hmmm?

We got up very early to depart; our flight was the first of the morning. Driving to the airport and dropping off the car was a breeze that early in the morning. I was touched by the janitors who were giving juice boxes to the few homeless guys camped in the lobby.

There was a large group of kids on a field trip waiting for our flight. Boys engaged in a candy fight, giggling girls. Unattended baggage "in line" for check in. There were several announcements made, and the women and her two teens sitting behind us studiously avoided hearing them. When it was time to check in, she and the kids rushed up, a man who'd been waiting had stepped up. She bitched at him and grabbed her bags, and shoved in front with her kids. But the flight attendants made everyone wait until they had every child and chaperone on board. She had the nerve to complain, and was told (in English) that the welfare of the children came first and she would simply have to wait. Whatta toolette.

Good thing I gave us plenty of time between flights. The international terminal is a hike and a half to Terminal One ... you have to get the boarding passes on one level, then go find security. Yikes, my feet hurt. We did buy wine, sanwiches and pastries for a quick bite. If you have Euros to spend, do not buy perfume or booze; buy chocolate at the duty free shop. You can take the chocolate through security.

The flight was unremarkable. Atlanta sucks. Immigration wasn't so bad, nor customs. They're very official. Mostly concerned about ham and sausages. Immigration would have been quicker if the tourists hadn't gotten into the citizen lines. We found our waiting area. My feet hurt. Larry fetched food. Then we had to go to another terminal; our flight changed gates. That involved taking the tram again. Our flight was delayed and delayed. It was very full, I was sitting back by the toilets on the aisle. Worst. Seat. Ever. One poor woman got sick, they had to close off the toilet, she'd made such a mess. Poor thing almost passed out in the back, they had her on the floor. They called for a doctor, there were several on board! We almost landed in Denver; but by the time a decision was made, Salt Lake was closer. Yay for us. Many people had already missed their connecting flight anyway. The poor woman was traveling with teenage boys, I felt really bad for the family. We all had to wait to deplane until the paramedics came and took the lady away. Poor thing.

We got home and I was very, very glad. My feet hurt.

Wednesday: Malaga

(Apologies for the delay, I've not felt like writing)

Complete album at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007106&id=1192536713&l=570b0

We got up not so early on Wednesday, and gorged on a big breakfast trying to consume the groceries we'd purchased. As we drove to Malaga, Larry spotted the street fair. Wow! Even bigger on Wednesday! We bought a black bag, the twin to mine, for Larry. He really likes the way he can wear it across his chest. I saw tiles I liked, and again, did not buy one. Silly me! Five Euros isn't that much! I did get a coin hip scarf and wristlets; that vendor was not there on Saturday. we spent more time there than we'd planned, but I enjoyed it.

Parking in Malaga is not impossible, but finding the entrance to the underground lot was a hassle. We got turned around, came back through less savory parts of town; grumbled at each other, eventually finding the lot and a spot fairly easily once we were in. First stop, a potty in Macdonald's. Their coffee is strong and the desserts fantastic! Fortified, we headed over to the Tourist Info Pavilion. They circled the Picasso Museum for us on a map, as well as his home.

The weather was crisp and windy. We strolled past the vast Catherdral, undergoing renovations. I took a few pictures but we did not go in. I'm sure I would have liked it, but my feet were already bothering me. Too much walking on cobblestones the day before.

The Picasso Museum is sleek, in a renovated and updated old home. I had to check my camera. The works were interesting, a lot of early pieces and rarely seen paitnings, as well as pottery. Worth a visit if you're a fan, not so much if you're not a devotee of modern art. We skipped walking up to his childhood home.

The gal at the resort recommended a bodega near the museum as a great place to try tapas. El Pimpi's Bodega is accessed through a series of courtyards bedecked with tile artwork and potted plants hanging from the walls. You walk through a smoky bar, into a covered courtyard, back into a great room. There's yet another courtyard too if you want to graze outdoors. The walls are lined with oak barrels signed by celebrities and giant bullfight posters, very Art Nouveau. Simply dripping with atmosphere. We were deciphering the Spanish menu when the waiter brought us one in English. Gracias! The choices were many and varied, from the traditional meat platters to the crunchy little slips of bread topped with salt cod or chopped olives, cold veggie dip, endive with Roquefort and sticky raisins, olives in oil... and on and on. Delicious! We drank Manzanilla Sherry, sweet and wonderful. I thought I did not like sherry, but I guess I simply don't like cheap American sherry. Oh, cash only! The waiter gave me a postcard as a souvenir. Nice surprise, the prices were very affordable.

Next we walked up toward the Alcazaba ... yes, they have one in Malaga also. We passed the Roman Theater, which was fenced off. They're excavating it as it has been buried under modern buildings for decades. Or centuries. There is a multi-lingual display above the digs with pictures showing how tthe city sat on the ruins. The park leading into the theater was locked, a man was feeding fish heads and guts to the feral cats. The kitties had dry food and pans of fresh water, but he was feeding them anyway. Each cat would slip between the bars of the fence to get a piece of fish, the man would then gently lift them up and set them back in through the bars. Such care!

We bought tickets for the Cazaba, but not for the castle above. My feet were bothering me a great deal by now. The grounds were almost empty, we climbed on the walls for the view, yes, you're allowed to climb up! The Roman marble was fascinating, worked into the Moorish and Christian additions. The place has been heavily looted and vandalized over the centuries, but the city is doing a fine job of restoring much of the interior. There's gardens and fountains and a museum. I loved it! The back half was closed off, I was sad, I wanted to see the dungeons. This was a far more relaxed and personal visit than the Alhambra; very onteresting to see the similarities and the differences. Oh yes, more cobblestones.