Thoughts On the Ride Home

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Home-unpack-find film-return trailer-drop off film-check email, shut down computer-pack for California-pick up film-hit road soon!

OK, that was the plan, but add a trip to a Labor Day BBQ at Dave & Marcie's farm, a load of laundry and 2 one hour naps during laundry cycles, ice stop, gas and photo pick-up, I'll be back on the road. Sun just dropping behind the Front Range as I head back through Greeley, I-25, I-80 and on to California.

Quickly scanned through the BM photos I shot this year. Didn't take enough shots this year-never do. Lost one roll I think when I opened up the back of the camera when I thought the film was rewound but wasn't. Hope I can get some shots from Michael. Photos don't capture the story of BM. I brought a cheap video cam too, but never took it out of the box. BM is a tough event to capture or explain.

Weight was up a few pounds-maybe 8 or so. Tough to judge after 36 hours in a car and 3 passes at the BBQ. Probably rise a bit more in the next 24 hours of road-tripping.

After 220 miles of driving with a lead weight attached to the bumper locked at 55, it's tough to remember that I can legally drive 75 now. Gassed up and back on I-80, mu old friend. I've spent weeks of my life driving this road.

I'd pretty much given up hope of getting the body casting done when a long time friend hooked me up with John Hough from Loveland, CO. We set a date, the place was to be the carport of my house.

The carport was a natural pick considering I needed a big space that I wouldn't mind having splashed with plaster. By wrapping a tarp around the carport, I got the privacy I would need. Tossing the garden hose and sprinkler on the roof helped keep the space cool and I made the carport tight enough that I could open the front door to the house and use the swamp cooler to further cool it.

I considered shaving before the casting-I'd heard horror stories about hours spent pulling hairs out of plaster molds, but Jon thought that with enough vaseline, I'd be ok. I bought 6 big jars of the stuff.
Monday came, and I insisted on doing the casting standing up-I wanted gravity to pull my body as it was drawn in the original. Jon and his wife Terry arrived early and set out a dozen tubs and we filled them with water. 100 lb bags of plaster were unloaded along with the terry-cloth towels that would add support to the plaster.

The days at BM take on a rythym of their own. In the mornings, I worked. Sunday on my camp and in dropping off the struts and carpet for the Oasis. Monday I set up the oasis-singlehandedly-in about 6 hours. I also planted the view port for Wizzard da Vinci. Tuesday I placed the 2 body casts with Michael's help-he just sprang up out of the playa when I arrived on-site. Wednesday and thursday I completed and then repaired and serviced both sites-often taking a few folks along on a playa tour or rescuing the tired and dehydrated.

Preparations nearly done, I stripped and started the least fun part of this thing-covering my whole body with vaseline. I had left my hair fairly long for me these days because I wanted to simulate a bit of the height of the hair in the original pose, though the curly locks were out of the question. Probably half the vaseline I applied went into my hair. Here we go!

We started by splashing on a thin 'splash coat' of plaster on the area to be covered followed by a towel that had been submerged in and completely saturated by the plaster mix. One of the first towels that was added was the one I got to hold in my crotch so that Terry could finally look comfortably in my direction again. (The societal prohibition against nudity is a strong force.) Towels on the feet were followed by those on the calves. The towels were wrapped only halfway around me-front only-so that I'd be able to get out without sawing. At this point, the folly of the vertical approach began to become obvious. Holding the towels up against gravity was going to take a lot of hands. By this time, Lonnie had arrived and she helped hold the towels as we progressed too slowly up the legs.

BM afternoons often found me around camp working on removing the last of the plaster mold or setting up the bead shop. Some afternoons I'd tour the town by bike, watching it change by the hour. The Centre Camp chai-shop was one of my occasional stops. Many of the citizens hag out here or appear in the process of beginning or ending a nap. There is music, there is conversation, and there is the only exchange of money I see all week. Some find even this level of commerce abhorrent, but I like my chai and if a gift of a few slips of green paper brings it to me, I'll make the exchange.

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Home-unpack-find film-return trailer-drop off film-check email, shut down computer-pack for California-pick up film-hit road soon!
	OK, that was the plan, but add a trip to a Labor Day BBQ at Dave & Marcie's farm, a load of laundry and 2 one hour naps during laundry cycles, ice stop, gas and photo pick-up, I'll be back on the road. Sun just dropping behind the Front Range as I head back through Greeley, I-25, I-80 and on to California.
	Quickly scanned through the BM photos I shot this year. Didn't take enough shots this year-never do. Lost one roll I think when I opened up the back of the camera when I thought the film was rewound but wasn't. Hope I can get some shots from Michael.		Photos don't capture the story of BM. I brought a cheap video cam too, but never took it out of the box. BM is a tough event to capture or explain.
		Weight was up a few pounds-maybe 8 or so. Tough to judge after 36 hours in a car and 3 passes at the BBQ. Probably rise a bit more in the next 24 hours of road-tripping.
	After 220 miles of driving with a lead weight attached to the bumper locked at 55, it's tough to remember that I can legally drive 75 now. Gassed up and back on I-80, mu old friend. I've spent weeks of my life driving this road.
I'd pretty much given up hope of getting the body casting done when a long time friend hooked me up with John Hough from Loveland, CO. We set a date, the place was to be the carport of my house.
		The carport was a natural pick considering I needed a big space that I wouldn't mind having splashed with plaster. By wrapping a tarp around the carport, I got the privacy I would need. Tossing the garden hose and sprinkler on the roof helped keep the space cool and I made the carport tight enough that I could open the front door to the house and use the swamp cooler to further cool it.
I considered shaving before the casting-I'd heard horror stories about hours spent pulling hairs out of plaster molds, but Jon thought that with enough vaseline, I'd be ok. I bought 6 big jars of the stuff. Monday came, and I insisted on doing the casting standing up-I wanted gravity to pull my body as it was drawn in the original. Jon and his wife Terry arrived early and set out a dozen tubs and we filled them with water. 100 lb bags of plaster were unloaded along with the terry-cloth towels that would add support to the plaster.
	The days at BM take on a rythym of their own. In the mornings, I worked. Sunday on my camp and in dropping off the struts and carpet for the Oasis. Monday I set up the oasis-singlehandedly-in about 6 hours. I also planted the view port for Wizzard da Vinci. Tuesday I placed the 2 body casts with Michael's help-he just sprang up out of the playa when I arrived on-site. Wednesday and thursday I completed and then repaired and serviced both sites-often taking a few folks along on a playa tour or rescuing the tired and dehydrated.


	Preparations nearly done, I stripped and started the least fun part of this thing-covering my whole body with vaseline. I had left my hair fairly long for me these days because I wanted to simulate a bit of the height of the hair in the original pose, though the curly locks were out of the question. Probably half the vaseline I applied went into my hair. Here we go!
We started by splashing on a thin 'splash coat' of plaster on the area to be covered followed by a towel that had been submerged in and completely saturated by the plaster mix. One of the first towels that was added was the one I got to hold in my crotch so that Terry could finally look comfortably in my direction again. (The societal prohibition against nudity is a strong force.) Towels on the feet were followed by those on the calves. The towels were wrapped only halfway around me-front only-so that I'd be able to get out without sawing. At this point, the folly of the vertical approach began to become obvious. Holding the towels up against gravity was going to take a lot of hands. By this time, Lonnie had arrived and she helped hold the towels as we progressed too slowly up the legs.

	BM afternoons often found me around camp working on removing the last of the plaster mold or setting up the bead shop. Some afternoons I'd tour the town by bike, watching it change by the hour. The Centre Camp chai-shop was one of my occasional stops. Many of the citizens hag out here or appear in the process of beginning or ending a nap. There is music, there is conversation, and there is the only exchange of money I see all week. Some find even this level of commerce abhorrent, but I like my chai and if a gift of a few slips of green paper brings it to me, I'll make the exchange.