Greetings from the road home!

There was still lots of clean up work to be done, especially since we hadn't made as much progress as we would have liked, due to the daily whiteouts which lasted from 11 am through nightfall for the last couple of days. Unfortunately, it was time for me to bug out, since I had to get the van back in a couple of days, I hadn't stepped foot off the playa for almost 4 weeks, and it is an absolute requirement for me to go spend a night camping at a hot springs on the way back to San Francisco and give myself and my braids a good long soak before returning to the so-called civilized world.

I am sort of bummed that I didn't get to capture the very beginning and ending of the on-playa Café story, but there is always next year!

Rumor had it that the weather cleared up the day after I left. We have no choice but to remove every last hint of our city, within a short timeframe after the event, so I know that the folks who carried on are our community heroes without a doubt.

Every year is the best ever at Burning Man, for many different reasons for many different people. This year was definitely special, with fabulous weather during the event, a widely interpreted and celebrated theme, and the largest population ever. These pictures and postcards have barely touched on the surface of totally transcendent experience. I urge you to visit the Burning Man website often for more information and inspiration. I urge you to come join us in the desert. Bring what you need to survive, an open mind, an open heart, and a respect for all that you see. Clean up after yourself, meet your neighbors, and actively engage in what life has to offer you for that one week and I guarantee that what you come away with will positively change your life forever.

The Café team will meet in a few weeks to debrief after the event. So many big plans and tiny details came together, and we did it all by trusting and respecting each other while having lots of fun. I think we have a great deal to be proud of this year. In a month or so we'll start brainstorming for next year. Our meetings are more like family reunions at this point, and we are dedicated to creating a worthy gathering space for our beautiful tribe.