SOAK Day 4

Dear Liza,

Saturday is a big day at SOAK, the day of the Major Structure burn. I have showed you this structure, that thing that looks like a wooden light house. There are stairs inside, and I actually went up!

The views were wide and high, but the gusting winds encouraged me to head on down.

By the evening, I had figured out that a million pictures weren’t going to capture my experience of SOAK, and I took fewer and fewer. But that evening, with everyone in costume and sitting in The High Meadow waiting for the Burn, I asked Jasper, Kestrel, and their Troupe to sit for a portrait.

Some pictures are worth posing for!

The Burn was delayed several times, as the wind kept gusting, creating a danger of the fire spreading. Firefighters soaked the ground between the structure and the fire line, and people were stationed on the hill to look for sparks.

I was waved down to a seat in the front by a ranger named Leeway, who (like lots of other folks here) is a friend of Katie’s. The fire dancers came out and put on a thrilling, if slightly scary, show.

And then, at 11:28 p.m., the thermite was set off and the Burn began.

You could tell which job people had by which way they were looking. The firefighters never took their eyes off the tower, to make sure the fire didn’t get loose into the area. The Rangers never took their eyes off the crowd, to make sure no one acted in ways that were unsafe around fire.

The tower burned for about a half hour, letting the chilly crowd get warm. We were all warming ourselves in the same fire, becoming, in a way, members of the same tribe.

This felt like all of the Principles coming into play at the same time.

*Radical Self-Reliance, because everything had been brought up by the burners.

*Gifting and Communal Effort from the folks who built and monitored the fire for the rest of us.

*Immediacy, in our total absorption in the moments of the Burn.

*Decommodification, because it was offered to all of us for free. Also, no one was advertising anything with it.

*Consent, because there were those who chose not to be at the Burn, and everyone was free to experience it at their own comfort level.

*Radical Inclusion and Participation, because there was plenty of room for the almost 3,000 people to see. Also, all of our presence made up the experience.

*Radical Self-Expression, in the creation and then destruction of one’s creation.

*Civic Responsibility, in the action as of fire fighters, Rangers, and the whole crowd, keeping everyone safe. Also, the correct local fire permits and such were given, so the Burn is also good citizens to the “outside”.

I will tell you about the last Principle tomorrow, as we move toward out last day at SOAK 2024.

Love,

Grandma Judy

SOAK Day 3

Dear Liza,

Friday morning at SOAK 2024 dawned warmer and I went for a walkabout with some of my campmates at Limbo Lounge. Following the Principle of Consent, I won’t include their photos here because I forgot to ask permission.

As I walked around, I was surprised by how few cameras I saw. With all this incredible eye candy about, why was no one taking pictures?

I asked a lady who was setting up her camp about this. She explained The Principle of Immediacy, of being in the moment. When you are chatting or cooking or enjoying, putting a camera between you and your subject can spoil that special moment. This made sense to me, and I stopped taking so many pictures, just enough to help my slippery memory be able to relive these days and the magic of stretching out in a sunny hammock.

On one of my walkabouts, I met a fellow named CJ. He asked me if I was sleeping well in all this lovely mountain air, and I confessed that I hadn’t been able to get warm enough to sleep very comfortably. He smiled, walked to his tent, and came back with a fluffy leopard print onesie, like giant baby pajamas with a hood. He put it into my hands.

“How can I thank you?” I smiled, overwhelmed at this gift. “You just did,” he said. “I brought it to give it away, and now it’s yours.” The Principle of Gifting had come home to roost. Part of the charm of this place is intentionally bringing or making things to give away. Not to sell or trade, but simply to gift for the joy of giving.


I regret, just a little, that I didn’t take CJ’s picture. But it would have gotten in the way.

Embracing my new pajamas as well as a new understanding, I walked back to camp and made a few circuits of neighborhood, handing out the four dozen chocolate chip cookies I had made, to bring, to give away.

Katie, Douglas, and I walked out to the Gate with Kestrel for her Gayte shift (everyone has a job to contribute to the festival, according to the Principle of Civic Responsibility).

After some confusion, we had snacks with some lovely people at camp Misbehavin’ and headed back to our camp. We met a dear friend of Katie’s, who knows Kestrel is a textile artist and had brought a new weaving craft to teach her. The two of them hunkered down and had a craft festival of their own, right there by the Cosmic Messenger’s feet.

We got back to camp worn out and happy, and I spent quite a long time just laying in my borrowed tent, listening to the sounds of the camp and appreciating where I was.

Later that evening, Kestrel and I got to make the long walk around the camp in our fancy jellyfish hats! The dark, and the uneven ground, made walking a challenge. But so much fun! Folks would holler “I love your hat!” from their camp chairs, and we even ran into a swarm of about 20 others people in umbrella -type jellyfish costumes, and danced along with them for a while.

I felt like we were really part of the festival, not just visitors. After midnight, we made our way back to the tents. I fell asleep, Kestrel took off to find her Troupe.

Love,

Grandma Judy

SOAK Day 2

Dear Liza,

My first morning at SOAK, I woke up at 5 a.m. The campground was still mostly empty and totally silent. I pulled on my shoes (I had slept in most of my clothes) and went out to see what I could see.

The Tyge Valley is nestled below these incredible basalt buttes, remnants of a volcanic past. The buttes above and the river below, with all the rocky cliffs in between, caught the early light in a magical way. I took deep breaths and let the beauty and peace fill me up.

Walking back toward camp, I got my first look at some of the art and humor of SOAK, and figured we were going to get along just fine. Some of the signs included topics I don’t want to include here, but be assured that the Principle of Radical Self-Expression was on full display.


Kestrel and I had both made jellyfish hats to wear as our contribution to the festival. Kestrel wore hers during the day, but mine was mostly for night wear.

One of the Ten Principles is Radical Inclusion and Participation. We are both allowed and expected to not just SEE the festival, but to BE the festival. Living by the same principle, Auntie Katie and Douglas wandered the grounds some time every day, serenading folks who could sing along with their ukuleles. It is fun to be in all the games.

During the day I walked around with Kestrel and met some jellyfish friends and enjoyed some fresh-made pasta. Only ice is for sale at SOAK, because of the machinery needed to maintain it. Everything else, food, clothes, trinkets, anything on offer, is freely given. This reflects the Principles of Decommodofication and Gifting.

We found some out-of this-world installations that mirrored the clouds.

The main structure, which will be burned Saturday night, was getting its finishing touches. Following the Principle of Communal Effort, it takes many skilled hands to create this wonderful thing. It will be sturdy enough to climb on once it’s done.

By sundown, I had walked miles and miles around the camp, talked to dozens of nice folks, and my eyes and heart were full. It was time to tuck in.

Love,

Grandma Judy

SOAK Day 1

Dear Liza,

I promised to tell you about my first SOAK adventure, so here goes. SOAK is the northwest event connected with Burning Man, and is operated by the same folks, following the same rules. I won’t go into the ‘rules’ right now, because they are easier to understand in practice, which is how I learned them.


But first, we had to pack up and get there. Kestrel, Douglas, Jasper, me and Katie all helped with the packing of the U-Haul. There was so much stuff! Each person needs two gallons of water per day, since there is no water at the camp ground. That means our little trailer carried fifty gallons, or 400 pounds, of water. One of the Principles is Radical Self- Reliance, which means being able to tend to your own needs.

We five packed into the car and headed off up the Columbia Gorge. The long sunny afternoon made for some lovely scenery, and we took pictures out the windows.

By the time we got to Tyge Valley, it was past sundown. Fortunately, SOAK folks must have planned for some work to be done in the dark, and installed this nifty lighted archway by the path that passed through our camp.

Auntie Katie was our tireless, fearless leader.

And before long, we had five tents up and the gear stowed, and with hugs and tired kisses, we all turned in.

Coming up, Thursday morning, 5 a.m.!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Of Course I Need a SOAK Journal!

Dear Liza,

I am getting so excited about my SOAK adventure! Camping out was one of the great joys of my childhood, but I haven’t done it for about 30 years. The list of what I need to take keeps getting longer… snack bars, bug spray, batteries for flashlights, and, as a big change from my other camping experiences, the all-important jellyfish hat.

And, since there will be no internet and only limited electricity, I will need a Journal to record everything so I can tell you about it when I get back.

I want the Journal to reflect the colors of the SOAK “Electric Ocean” theme poster, so I dug into my collage boxes and found some good candidates.

I always start off with more bits than I need, winnowing it down as I get fussier about what goes with what.

I like the bird head at the top, but is that chunk of gold too much? Is it too jumbled? Do I need a jellyfish?

It got better as I went, and when it was just right, I glued it down. I even found the jellyfish, right there in front of me!

I thought it needed some gold dots on the top, to tie in with the bottom, so I borrowed Auntie Bridgett’s gold Posca marker.

I also have some leftover colored papers to take along with me, to add into the Journal as I go along. I will ‘show’ you all about my SOAK experience when I come to visit!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Cat Rescue on Mt. Tabor

Dear Liza,

Last week at the Mt. Tabor Art Walk, we got to see a cat rescue. We were never quite sure if the cat actually needed rescuing, but it was impressive, anyway.

There was this fir tree, and this cat. A regular, small-ish, domestic cat with a collar on. The cat was on a limb of the tree, and seemed in mild confusion. Two young men seemed willing to step up to resolve the situation.

Several onlookers, including two little girls, a neighborhood cat, and a crow (who found the whole thing hilarious), gathered to watch as one of the fellows climbed the tree. Creaking branches did not dissuade him.

He made is way up to cat level, and after much wrangling and reaching, caught hold of the cat. The cat was not happy with the grabbing, but gave in to the inevitable. The climbing fellow handed off the cat to his ground team, and all was well.

The fellow placed the cat on the ground, checked for damages, and gave him a pat. The rescued cat headed for a quiet corner while the heroes took their bows.

This is the sort of thing that happens all the time, magical moments of humanity out in the world. I love being able to get out there and see it!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Mt. Tabor Art Walk, 2024

Dear Liza,

This past Sunday Auntie Bridgett and I made a return visit to the Mt. Tabor Art walk. We drove rather than bussed this time, because there were other things to do later on.

First we visited Jo Brody, a jeweler, painter, multimedia artist and all around fun person. We looked at all her neat stuff and talked like old friends. She and Bridgett were having so much fun, comparing notes and geeking out at each other’s art!

Jo’s husband, Mark Brody, is one of my favorite artists on the tour. He makes bright, inventive mosaics that just inspire my brain! This new piece, that looks like a topographical map, is built on a piece of slate. Amazing.

This year he has shifted to these wonderful pieces with burnt wood that can be stained and sculpted. Such wonderful stuff!

We wandered down to Coquine and got some sustenance, then headed back up to David Ross’s house to enjoy his paintings of bunnies who play musical instruments and go out to celebrate. I didn’t take any pictures, but we bought some cards!

We also visited Dennis Anderson and his bright oil painted street scenes, and Jo Ellen Rademucher and her inspiring abstract expressionist paintings that were full of layers and speckles.

By this time, we were wearing out and wanted to head home. My brain was so full and happy!

Lovr,

Grandma Judy

Garden Journal Challenges

Dear Liza,

I like keeping garden journals. They let me keep track of what happens in the garden and when it happens, so I can learn from each year and get better year by year.

But I also like to make them creative, so I’ve used a different format every year. This year I am re-using a movie list book. It has nice roomy format which I really like.

However, re-using a book means I need to do something in each page to cover, obscure, or otherwise change the illustration that is there, unless I find a page with movies about plants.

This page came close. It was a watercolor from the movie “Amelie”, where the garden gnome goes on some adventures. I wanted to keep the gnome.

I cut some junkmail paper to cover the non-gnome parts, gave it a blurry garden-y paint job, and glued it down. The inside of a security envelope got some darker paint, and I had the basis for a decent page. I gave the gnome himself a little more yellow, since his blue didn’t go with my yellow-ish green.

I found a few nice greens in a handout from our Portland Art Museum, and cut leaves and stems. Not bad, but flat and boring. Auntie Bridgett brought some darker greens from her collage box. Better.

And finally, I cut flowers from some pink and blue paper from the same museum handout. Now the gnome looks right at home in his garden, and in my garden journal.

Creating and solving these artistic challenges everyday makes my brain so happy!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Garden Update, May 2024

Dear Liza,

It seems like this time, our warm weather is here to stay. Summer has begun, and I’m here for it!

I added twelve more lettuces to my plot, since we have already started harvesting leaves off the first ones I put in last month. My lettuce plot is near a big camellia bush and in shade until noon, so it is protected from too much sun as well as any heavy summer showers that come by.

Our dahlias, Laverne and Shirley, are growing strong and chubby.

I put the tomato cages around them because they grow REALLY tall and won’t be able to support themselves. Here is a picture from LAST September.

I have some extra space for flowers this year, since I’m growing fewer tomatoes. Black Eyed Susans are a favorite of local bees. I sprinkled some seeds in with the irises and lavender.

Once I was home and got the mud off my hands, I decorated some pages in this years’ garden journal. I will tell you about them when they are done.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Lots of Walks, Lots of Flowers

Dear Liza,

Portland late spring is FULL. Full of sunshine, full of flowers, full of long walks to enjoy both.

Last week, Cynthia and I took the bus to the river and walked along the West Bank. The Iris Garden even made the Marquam Bridge look pretty!

We walked clear to the Tilikum Bridge, then caught the B loop streetcar and then the number 15 back home. I was well and truly worn out. Lunch and a lay-down put me right.

Which is good, because Auntie Bridgett wanted some exercise! We walked through the Sunnyside neighborhood, enjoying the roses that are just popping out.


We got inspired to go visit the dead people at Lone Fir Cemetery. I felt sure I could find the grave of Eloisa McLoughlin Harvey, Dr. John McLoughlin’s (“The Father of Oregon”) daughter, having heard Tammy Williams describe where it was. Well, I didn’t find it. But the cemetery was gorgeous.

Later that evening, we walked out again for dinner at a local favorite, Bluto’s Greek food. Sidewalk tables made for good people and dog watching along with our delicious skewers and pickled veggies.

And, walking home, more roses!

Love,

Grandma Judy