Sunday, August 12, 2007

Update on Mike's Deluxe Shade Structure and Playa Tips From a Princess


It's like riding a bike
Originally uploaded by marytsao.
Countdown to Burning Man: 15 Days

Mike has put together our cruisers and hooked up the bike trailer for the kids to his. He's also hard at work planning his fabulous shade structure, which actually is going to be extraordinarily fabulous as his design and plan for it are growing daily. The structure will be 9 ft. X 18 ft. and will be anchored by heavy wire and rebar. We're using camo netting for the roof because the holes do better in the wind. The floor will be a large tarp and we'll have assorted chairs, tables, small rugs, and pillows for comfort. The whole structure will be strung with blue and white lights powered off our solar panel. One side of the structure will convert to a movie screen for nighttime viewing of child-friendly flicks. And today I found out that Mike is having a banner made for the shade structure that reads "The Tsaobugs." One less craft project on my list! Mike likes to wait until the last minute (some people consider two weeks until Burning Man to be the last minute), but once he gets started on a project there's no stopping him.

And for those of us who care deeply about things like soft skin and fashion, Princess gives us her Playa Tips For Girls (and boys) and tells us how to pamper ourselves for and on the Playa from our tresses to our toes. Lots of great tips including this one about shoes:

Shoes. A serious business indeed. Deeply personal. You and you alone should make footwear choices for yourself. But here are some qualifications: 1)You should have at least one pair of shoes you can walk endlessly in. Even if they're less than fabulous. You will walk miles and miles. 2) If you are, say, going to walk around naked, or wearing almost nothing, you should have shoes the color of your skin or the playa to wear. Or black boots with 4 inch heels. 3) Sneakers go with slips.

But you know, if you want to run around naked wearing orange converse and black ankle socks, that's really ok too. You can do whatever you want. That's the whole point.


Excellent advice. Thank you, Princess!