Burning Man is most of the things I try hardest to avoid. Crowds, traffic jams and overflowing Porta Potties. The still image below just begins to capture the size of the event. This video comes closer.
Mr. Wolf has attended Burning Man in the past and he attended this year’s event: “We got out Sunday afternoon, so glad we’re not in that traffic hell!” Fortunately he was driving/living in the EarthRoamer XV-LT.
Category Archives: Art/Style/Culture
My kind of art
The phrase “I May Not Know Art, But I Know What I Like” is usually attributed to Orson Welles. And I really like the piece (sculpture?) below. It sits in the entrance the salon where I get my hair cut and was created by the husband of the owner. I’m trying to set up an interview and hoping he has more like this.
Pile of rocks
The cone-like dome of the cairn came out pretty much as I had envisioned. I collected as many round-ish rocks as I could find and stacked them as I would cannonballs (not something I’m ever likely to do). Started with a ring (see image below) and worked my way up. This little project took about a month but the heat spell halted work for much of that time.
1968 Dodge 200
Friend Paul’s latest pickup project. 1968 Dodge 200. That, friends and neighbors, is what a pickup bed is supposed to look like. Pretty sure my Jeep would ride comfortably.
And that grill. Minimalism before there was such a thing.
Looks like a previous owner added the SEAT-RT-LEFT under the speedometer. Will have to ask Paul. And this baby has not one, not two, but three fuel tanks. One behind the seat and one on each side of the bed behind a tiny vault door.
Just to the left of the seat is a handy lever for switching from one fuel tank to another. Long way between gas stations out West.
Cairns
Updates to this project will be added to the bottom of this post.
The hiking trail is finished (whatever that means). Still lots of dead limbs to chip up but the trail is as complete as I’m inclined to make it. But what to do with all those rocks?
“A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, they were raised as markers, as memorials and as burial monuments (some of which contained chambers). In the modern era, cairns are often raised as landmarks, especially to mark the summits of mountains. Cairns are also used as trail markers. They vary in size from small stone markers to entire artificial hills, and in complexity from loose conical rock piles to elaborate megalithic structures. Cairns may be painted or otherwise decorated, whether for increased visibility or for religious reasons.” (Wikipedia)
The Wikipedia article will tell you everything you might want to know about cairns but it piqued my curiosity so I’m reading a tiny book titled
I chose a small natural clearing for my first effort. I immediately figured out the larger circle below would require way too many stones. The small circle is about six feet in diameter. The next photo down provides a better view. Continue reading
Hiking Trail Update
I think I might be on the last couple of legs of the trail. In the image below you can see where I moved the BFR and the arrow points to where the trail will connect with the first leg that I did so very long ago. This work might be done in the next couple of weeks, depending on the heat factor.
I’ve been thinking about about what comes next, after the trail is finished. Probably some clean-up. The trail forms a big loop with several switch-backs. Within this loop is a lot of dead cedar limbs that I can adios. As well as several rock shelfs that will look better cleaned up. And I might add a little color and whimsy in a few places.
Pickup truck?
What makes a pickup truck… a pickup truck. What is its essence, if you will? A bed for “picking up” stuff? The Oxford Dictionary definition is: “a small truck with an enclosed cab and open back.” So, yeah, this is a pickup truck. But will it ever haul a load of cow manure or gravel or a greasy engine block? Will the owner ever climb into its luxurious cab in sweaty, dirty work clothes? Maybe.
But it just doesn’t say “pickup truck” to me. This is for towing and expensive Airstream travel trailer. I’m not a farmer or rancher or anyone that needs a pickup truck. So I have no standing for this kind of snobbery. But a truck like the one above can cost $68,000 dollars. And it seems to be more about a comfortable ride for the driver (and passengers) than getting work done. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as Jerry Seinfeld would say.
From my friend (and car aficionado) Phil: “nearly certain that’s a 2024 GMC 3500 Denali Ultimate. If so, $101-105,000 (with massaging seats!) if it’s just a regular Denali, it’s still a $95K+ truck… $68K might get you a used 2020, but not one of those.”
Another friend reports: “2015 GMC diesel/Denali still books at 50K!”
MAGA Dress Code
“An untucked, oversize t-shirt in red, white and blue, a fanny pack, billowing cargo shorts, tube socks, a ball cap and at least one ace bandage. It’s a look that says comfort, gun ownership and I-whine-about-the economy-while-driving-a-brand-new-truck.”
— Paul Rudnick
Dictator chic
Laura Clawson explains why Trump’s indictment bathroom photo says so much about him:
“…and a cheap-looking shower curtain on a tension rod, which appears to be hiding more stacks of boxes. That’s the shower curtain and tension rod you get when you’ve moved into a new rental apartment and, realizing there’s no shower curtain, run to Target so you can wash off the sweat and dust of having unloaded your own UHaul.”