Huzzah for a Marvelous Day!

I'm ever so pleased to report that the Handcar Regatta was a roaring success. Over 3,000 people in attendance, many in splendid costumes, and everyone thrilled to pieces that we could put on an event of this magnitude and magic in our sleepy little suburban hamlet.

You can watch the video or read the articles in our local rags, or see tons of pictures on Flickr, but it's hard to capture the bliss of the day.

Despite the heat, everyone in attendance seemed to be bewildered and elated to find a beautiful spectacle like this unfold around them.

Many of the race entrants were breathtaking feats of engineering and beauty, especially the magnificent Lumbering Contraption by the Steampunk Treehouse Crew.

The Hennepin Crawler was brilliant when it raced, and though it didn't win for speed, the boys earned a special prize for elegance and beauty.


All of the music was amazing. Baby Seal Club made an appearance on the Sideshow Stage, and we got a small crowd Otter Dancing. My beloved band-mates looked absolutely stunning in their finery, in my humble opinion.

In the craft show area, I had the pleasure of sharing a space with the charming and lovely Indy of Industrial Fairytale, and I was so pleased that the Adornments for Tarts booth looked luscious.

And I had the pleasure of hanging out with the fantastic crew of the Neverwas Haul, who have been heroes of mine since the first time I saw their majestic traveling house at Burning Man.

All in all, a spectacular time was had by all, and I think the event is sure to become an annual celebration.

Hearty congratulations to all my many loved ones on the organizing team!

The Regatta is Coming!!

I am once again hard at work in the Finery Sweatshop ~ making adornments as fast as I can for the looming Handcar Regatta. If you're anywhere within a 100-mile radius, this event is NOT to be missed.

Everyone has been eating, sleeping, and breathing Regatta excitement these days. Last weekend there was a photo shoot on the tracks that produced this astonishingly adorable picture from Spring, the event Queen Bee organizer... it's the Railway Children.


And shortly after, the Crawler had its first run on the tracks. Which I missed since I was hunched over the sewing machine. But the boys claim it was glorious.

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. The music, art and entertainment should be lively, the costumes splendid, and the company fabulous, as always.

I must be off, but I encourage all of you Bay Area and North Bay lovelies to come out on Sunday September 28th!

Unpaid Bills & TuTus

The aftermath of Burning Man is always challenging. How does one reconcile oneself to the capitalist treadmill, the numbness, the schedule-shuffling of the Default World after a week of hedonism and emotional joy-riding in the desert with like-minded souls?

Blissful with Lord Hopton and Cosmo, my first year at the Burn. I went through a pretty serious depression after my return that first time - sitting at a desk and staring at a computer felt like torture. I couldn't settle for the rat race after the easy-wide-open-heartedness and absolute freedom of the Playa, as evidenced by this 2006 blog entry from the archives of Cliffypop.

And here I am again, staring at the dusty piles of things yet to be cleaned and put back into place after the chaos of the Playa, the unpaid bills and tutus covering every available surface in my studio. It's amazing to see how easily the artifacts of whimsy mesh back in with the detritus of the daily grind.

But this year I think I've succeeded in escaping the doldrums of re-entry. I'm fortunate enough to live in a community surrounded by friends where I can have that kind of openness and unadulterated joy and creativity year-round, so for that I'm grateful.

We went to a party over the weekend that served as a brilliant reminder of just how much of that magic is all around me. We were thrilled to meet four of the members of Fou Fou Ha, one of my favorite performance troupes. Needless to say, we all ended up with clown make-up smudged all over us by the end of the evening. We were also treated to the most stunning hammered copper Jules-Vern hot-rod fire-antennae art car snail I've ever seen.

The snail was called the Golden Mean, and it was built by a lovely couple from Oakland, also responsible for the fabulous Boiler Bar, which I had the pleasure of seeing at the Maker Faire. All of which added up to a very happy Choklit. A little fire art, a few saucy clowns, some tequila served from a bar with a tesla coil in it, and I'm back in my happy place. Sigh.

Whiskey In The Dust

That about sums up my year at Burning Man. Lots of tiny magical moments, more whiskey than is reasonable for any lady of distinction to consume, and dust everywhere. Here are just a few of my favorite bits...

The glory that was the Hennepin Crawler. Much to our dismay we didn't make it to the Bomb Bay Tea Company even once... there's just far too much to do and see out on the Playa. But the Crawler crew received much love and adulation for their efforts.


Ecstatically dancing on the Center Camp couches to the brassy strains of March Fourth Marching Band, and later having the joy overload of hanging out with darling M4 stilter Sid Simpatico. Photo used with the kind permission of Deb.


Drifting in and out of sleep while watching the sun rise over the whimsical Basura Sagrada, from under a pile of faux fur shared with Fudo and Lord Wizzbang Hopton. Photo used with the kind permission of Erick.


Swinging in the stunning Altered State sculpture with Amber Lee. Photo used with the kind permission of M. Mendelson.


Helping Dan to navigate the mystery of a garter belt to hold up his stripey tights. Note the Aubergine Cuffs bravely making an appearance in the harsh desert climate!


Whiskey Root Beer Floats on Stache's birthday. Interpretive dance with Lord Hopton in the mysterious blue harp dome. Trying on bad Eighties prom dresses in a yurt with the lovely Sara B. Too many to count, or remember. But once again I got to learn my annual lesson in BEING IN THE MOMENT.

Deepest apologies for the long blog-silence, but sometimes life gets in the way. I'll be writing more soon.