This is the first year I've arrived for Sirius Rising. Far as I can tell, it's basically a mini-Starwood for people who liked Starwood before it became quite so popular and crowded (that includes me). Sirius Rising is scheduled for all week, and though I arrived on Thursday I could feel the existing energy.
Pagan Heights
The surprise treat this year was being invited to camp with Pagan Heights, a well established camp in the south backfield which I'd known for years (enjoyed their lobster dinner in 2002). When they found I didn't have a camp in the north field (where EDC folk used to congregate), they urged me to come camp with them, and I did -- and it was just about the best part of the whole event for me.
They made me feel very welcome, and sure appreciated some of the things I had to offer. I brought three washbasins (with soap, sponges, and bleach) and set up the Rainbow-style wash station, taught them all how to do it, and now they're teaching others! It worked great. Also I offered the Leonid Lights to decorate the camp, and they looked quietly enchanting.
They have an impressive amount of infrastructure. Friday, when I moved from north field to south backfield, J and R had their EZ-UP and two tents in a sort of patio, and a carport for the dining area. Saturday, L and A arrived with a huge amount of kitchen gear, including another carport-size screen house for the kitchen proper. Two full propane stoves (not counting my little rusty kit), full propane grille plus small propane grill, a propane oven (no lie!), battery powered pump for the drinking water jug, and a handful of coolers. Whew! It was a fine and luxurious kitchen setup, a delightful home base for ten days of festival.
Lots of good food to be had, of course! They made sumptuous meals for dinner, very yummy ... but with more sugars and carbs than I usually have. I contributed fresh broccoli and snow peas to different dinners, craving fresh vegetables ... they seemed well appreciated. Breakfast tended to be on my own, and my standard camp breakfast (instant oatmeal, egg, tea, and an orange) suited me fine.
Also I had an informal astronomy class one night when it was clear (and it was only really clear for that one night or so, mostly very cloudy week), and the green laser pointer is perfect for this. Later, these people kept on identifying planets and stars, glorying in knowledge ... what every teacher dreams of, I think. Also I demonstrated some drumming and didj for R. Several people saw me doing taiji in the mornings, and wanted a class ... I was willing, but it didn't end up happening.
Anyway, I felt both welcomed as a peer and respected for my uniqueness, which is a great feeling (could use some more of that!)
My classes
I gave three talks at Starwood this year (Music for Dummies, The Song of Creation, and Voice 101) and they were all received very well. The first two were inside the Lodge (the only indoor venue that Brushwood has) for the multimedia equipment, but I managed to teach Voice 101 in an open field, with only a one-page handout, and it went fine. I like doing these things, and I've already got plans for several more in my head. (Maybe should give more thought to promoting these, like Chet Raymo? Carl Sagan?)
Some pictures
Togged out for the Utilikilt Parade, which turned out to be a fun procession through the center of Brushwood, giving salutes either Regimental (front) or "Braveheart" (rear). (C'mon, do I have to draw you a picture here?)
Bonfire, in the process of being built by the Woodbusters Guild (in
the distinctive red suspenders). In recent years, they've focused on
this origami-style log construction, which is very beautiful.
Ivan's PVC domes
Ivan assembled these 1 and 2 frequency quasi-geodesic domes out of PVC tubing and surplus billboard plastic. Basically, he cuts out all the 5 sided pentagon vertices, and uses only one length for the sides (is this still an exact geodesic, or only an approximation? but it seems to work okay).
Details of Ivan's PVC junctions, which seem both effective and simple.
Ivan also built this video projection screen, using the same PVC dome constructions as before, but now holding up this huge hoop, which holds a white fabric for video projection.
A pyramid of Egyptian style and proportions. At night there were LED bars in the corners, lighting up the plastic sides. Very cool meditation space, but I never met any other people in it.
Also, doesn't look very secure against high winds.
Mini panorama of the "hacker's" site, Roundhouse, and bonfire field. I was standing talking with the "Hackers" of this camp.
At night they had two different movies playing, projected on fabric walls near the Roundhouse north side.
Notice the dodecahedron-on-a-stick that they're building. I didn't know what it was for when I took this picture. Turns out it was part of the Friday night pyro performance (some fireworks, some fire spinning, some video and music, Luke and Darth dueling with flaming swords, etc). They spun it around on an axis, with the dodecahedron head sweeping around all afire.
Various altars around the Roundhouse. They seem to spring up like mushrooms. The heart-with-curls on that first altar is the Brushwood logo.
Selected pictures from others
The Utilikilt Parade, stopped by the Starwood radio station. I'm on the end holding my spirit staff.
The Pagan Heights family, on the last day (after Bella and I were gone, so we're not in this portrait, aw!)
Picture galleries from other people
- Scott T. Morrison's Public Gallery -- I saw some of these things, like the Pharaoh on a Segway, and the pole dancers at Babylon (Celeste wearing the fox tail, and Snoo rather topheavy but still graceful).
Stuff I brought that was great to have
- Leonid Lights -- The Pagan Heights camp loved these! We made a sort of mandala in the center of our camp, a circle of Leonid Lights around the central Campfire In A Can, and several people borrowed lights to take into their tents or to light their camp areas -- which is just what I hoped would happen!
- Disco Herne -- I wore these EL wire antlers to the Friday night concert by Telesma and to Pyrosonic's Pyroglyphics show afterwards. They were a great hit, especially with the bunches of kids that run around at Starwood, who were coming up to me to ask how they work, wanting to touch the EL wire. Fun!
- My spirit staff, which I haven't used much lately. Meant to set it at my tent site, but never got around to digging a hole or socket for it, so it just leaned against my tent, a quiet but ongoing presence. Brought it with me for the Utilikilt Parade, which seemed appropriate.
- My high-power green laser pointer from Wicked Lasers. Not only the best tool for teaching a field astronomy class (by far!) but also a fun toy to shine through campfire smoke, ground fog, or whatever. Kids jump up to grab the beam, flash their hands through it, great fun.
- Mylar bubble-wrap insulation for my tent. This turned out to be one of the better camping investments I've made -- a layer between the fly and the tent deflects a lot of the sunlight and makes the tent less of an oven during daytime sunshine. Gave away a piece to Bella. Still working on exactly the best way to wrap it, to deflect the sunlight best.
Stuff I forgot to bring, but needed
- Rain poncho
- Sweater or jacket (the Mexican serape is not enough on cold nights)
- Cell phone charger (120VAC, or mini-USB for computer)
- Sunscreen (but you can usually borrow some)
Stuff I brought that I didn't use
- My Edmund Scientifics AstroScan telescope . Good thought, but the weather was rarely good for astronomy, and when it was, we didn't have time for more than naked-eye orientation and major landmarks.
Things to fix, repair, or replace
- Green laser switch is very flaky, clean or repair
- Camp stove and grill are trashed, replace
- Better speaker system for laptop presentations
This page maintained by
Wil Howitt
Last updated 4 August 2007
