Day 3..Construction Time Again (Episode IV of 6)
I wake up and immediately think..."man I should eat something fo' serious". I end up polishing the last of my Jumex off with Mic6helle who complains that they taste too foamy.
I had rambled on for most of the night about how I made a waterslide and I was going to keep working on it today. This convinces Earl, Gabe, and Mic6helle to come build on the damn thing if only to see it. Highlights of this day include our first over 100lb rock being prized from the earth. The discovery of another gigantic rock in our way (named Big Momma, though I think Mic6helle also called it Nemo). The first tube ride down the trail,and the sawing of the tree.
The guy who lived right beside the slide who had built the original walk across, decided we had to get rid of the dead tree hanging out over the slide. So he starts sawing away, then Gabe saws away..Its a pretty long process. Especially when said tree is at least 2' in diameter. Gabe and I end up sitting on the piece to be broken away while he saws waiting for the warning crack to come. It never does. Gabe and I are spilled backwards into the pool when the branch gives way with no time to waste. Remarkably, neither Gabe nor I are harmed in the process of a several hundred pound chunk of tree falling. We keep joking about hollowing the piece out and making a raft.
It pretty much becomes my task to plan out ideas for the slide with Earl. Earl is dead set on making this the most impressive slide ever. I can't say I dont like this idea too. It also becomes my fun task to dig out the gigantic rocks that are making bumps down the slide. I'm the excavation expert.
We all laugh about the horrors of hippie progress. How its bizarre how motivated we are, or scarier, how industrious. I'm amazed not once a hippie will tell us during this that maybe it was meant to not be changed.
It is also scary because of how many police we had seen at the bridge that day. There is also a black helicopter with a (not kidding) machine outside its door, circling overhead for most of the day. WE imagine they are trying to spy out the areas where naked people are to go and give them tickets.
We make it down to main circle for dinner. This is actually the second day we made it down to it, but I had forgotten that detail. Main circle is the biggest food circle held as dusk creeps up each day. I would imagine at least 1000 people are at main circle, as we fill up the whole of the main island (down stream from the main bridge). You sit in either the outer or the inner circle and you wait while people bring various types of food around. You SIT, dont stand...respectful families dont stand at the dinner table. Of the foods, I remember sauerkraut, beans, rice something, and of course; brewer's yeast. There is a guy who brings his yeast around in a can and sprinkles in on your food. He is very easy to pick out as his shirt has a giant yellow Y on it and he constantly shouts "YEeee East!". There are also people passing by with various hot sauces to sprinkle on your food. I was glad for the presence of Sri Racha, which I let the sauce person squirt in my mouth. MMMM. Not once during my time here would I eat anything that I wasn't glad to have in my mouth.
More people pass you by in the circle, like the magic hat people asking for donations to the kitchens. Woodstock, a hippie in tattered robes, large mushroom like hat, and a cane with bicycle horns on it (often waist down nude as well) who was present at Woodstock. Also the C.A.L.M (no idea on that acronym) people who were the medical assistance. They would warn you about how to deal with sunburn, watch ut for snakes...dont harm the snakes for god sake. Apparently, copperheads give off the scent of cucumber. Avoid cucumbers in the woods people. The guy telling me this is wearing royal purple iridescent robes and a top hat of the same material, to go along with his cane. He looks strikingly similar to Ron Jeremy, even in the color of his eyes. All of this plus, people dressed up like mimes going by ( I want that HAT!), dancing people, naked people, or just people looking for somewhere to sit in the circle. I see an obese girl with soaking wet leather clothes who is laughing all the time and has her face painted like the crow. It all adds up to an amazing circus of people.
After dinner is over there is the angel walk, which I do two evening in a row (day 2 and 3, remember I forgot to add main circle to the previous post). Angel Walk is where people line up in two parallel lines about an arms distance between and another line of people goes through the rows. While they are going through the rows, they have their eyes closed and have to rely on the people on both sides of them to guide them down the way. While they are being guided the people around touch, hug, and embrace them while whispering and laughing positive things about the person to remind them that they are loved and appreciated. One girl near me had me close to hysterics as she moaned and giggled while telling the people how much she loved them. I started out by doing the rows embracing the people the first night and then after contributing here for a while going through myself.
As you stand in the line waiting to go through the walk, you massage the person in front of you, shoulder and back. Mic6helle was in front of me and comment how as it went on my technique improved as the I was learning new tricks from the two guys behind me (one a professional). Kim was very popular in the line and apparently was good enough that people traded her whole bags of tobacco to give them a massage.
I get up to the front and a guy gives me hug. He then asks me if its ok if he shows me a better way to give a hug and shows me. It is true, I'm bad and awkward at hugs. I appreciated his effort. He then told me to close my eyes,inhale in, and release all my stress. Now my eyes are closed as he has me turn once around while he bathes me in incense to clean my spirit. I start walking down the path. People tell me how they love the color of my hair, how beautiful i am, how glad they are that i did this, thanking me for being part of their family, thanking me for being me. I can barely keep my eyes closed, I'm so excited the whole way and so happy. People hug me, I think I could identify Clay giving me a hug, I think Gabe refered back to my apocalypto joke (I'll explain in a minute). I get to the girl who is positively exuberant in her bubbling over enthusiasm. I just start laughing. I had a completely whole smile on my face for hours afterwards.
The second night I did it, I only shared in the compliments but didn't go through myself. The girl across from me was completely out of her mind and kept touching her toes while she waited for the next person to come. This resulted in her rubbing her face across their lower regions more than once. She was absolutely adorable in how out of it she was, I remember she had orange, yellow, and a little red yarn tied all through her dreadlocks.
The Apocalypto joke was I told Gabe "Hey if I just start running and you all chase me with torches we could totally play Apocalypto", this would be another of my odd recurring jokes throughout the trip. Gabe told me it made him seeing the movie now totally worth it so I could tell him this.
The grounds are now very packed with people partying everywhere, Clay tells me "other than tomorrow, today is the most important day". I just keep liking Clay more and more. I remember this little quirk line for later. Tomorrow will be the 4th of July, which is the main day of the gathering.
Off in the distance we can hear the Gong show going. Earl (and all) are amazed they seem to have really brought a gong down here into the woods. The paths actually improved a small bit today because of it being the first day without any rain. Think mud that is more slick and less soup.
Mic6helle, Earl, and I all turn in fairly early to play a game of spades. Mic6helle wanted to play Egyptian Rat Screw, I told her no fucking way, and warned Earl it was a great way to allow her to rip the skin off the backs of our hands. Besides, I have no reaction time what so ever. I end up winning the game. I am warned that tomorrow you are not allowed to speak until the prayer/meditation/ gigantic OM circle is over.
I fall asleep to drums, barely able to contain my excitement over the coming day.