Back from burning man now. It was kinda intense but kinda limbo too. I just tried to be caring and be mellow inside. I was among the sweetest nicest people. It was really quite wonderful.
Two people mentioned to me how burning man restores their faith in humanity. And I kinda agreed. Felt nice.
I gave a talk at singularity point about the ranch and my community visions for it. It went well.
And I met some people who might come down to visit and apply their special skills. I met some nice people and had some good chats, but much of my head was too elsewhere to engage fully.

I drove up to burning man; 2400 miles in three days. I was like a machine.
The drive back down was harsh. Coming down was much much harder. Got stuck tired and sweaty in the hot coastlands. Trying to sleep in the van which was a sauna. Has one odd run in with the police while trying to sleep in my van in a town known for narcotrafficing. They were nice enough and I paid my first bribe. It was cheap. I kinda of toyed with them for a while pretending not to understand what they wanted. They were kinda oddly shy. Funny. The other adventure in the same town involved a party I briefly went to, decided things were not right, left to the police arriving and then took backroads fast to get out of the area since I believe I may have been a target or something. It was all a bit odd and got my adrenaline going. Turn fast here. Shut of lights. Wait. Weeeeee!

My place feels like home now. I love it. What a dream to live in this park. Is this really my beautiful house?

The ranch is so peaceful. My housesitters did a great job and even worked to get rid of the bats. I was down to two or so when I got home. I saw a mad one last night and a burned copal and used some pepper spray (this time i used a glove) and then it was gone. I hope it stay gone. It was kind of cute and I feel bad, but I think it living elsewhere is easier than potty training it.
New birds are here now. Some interesting blue ones and one with white on its wings and red on its head.
The lobsters muchrooms are still coming up strong. So they have at least a 2-3 month growing season.

I am cleaning things up, removed the tarps protecting from bats, putting away burning man objects. I put up some tents and the dome for workers to rest or to live in while they build the cabanas.
The cabanas are making good progress and the boss lady is quite excited to make them cool. She had idea for some cool mixed stone wall types for one of the bathrooms and I am going to give her some designs to combine with hers for some carved wooden doors.
The terrace I am having built is quite huge. For some reason I didn’t really imagine its height when we went through the design. I a pleased though. The roof of the outdoor space will be around 20-25 feet tall I think. It will be a great space for dance parties.

There are a million small adventures. I chased some people on my land the other day. They were carrying things near the construction and they ran, so I chased. Almost lost them but found them hiding near the ravine. I introduced myself. They were nice. A mom and son crossing my land with bags of mushrooms which they assured me were not from my land. (ha!)
They were relieved that I was nice and I that there were not stealing stuff. (A few items have been stolen)
And the same day I heard chopping and went to find an old guy chopping wood. I introduced myself and we had a chat about that. He is a local politically active guy and invited me to visit their office. I cannot legally engage in politics here though. very illegal. He won’t be chopping wood on my land anymore perhaps. He is the second person I have found doing that.
Besa is happy though a bit lonely. One of my houseitters, a gringo, has a nice dog, so they play.

The trees and plants I put in are doing well except one.
I will have a wait until next spring at the start of the rainy season for the real big plantings. I should get a landscape architect down here too to help me think about biological design things.

I think I will name the road I had built: “Serpent”
It has a shape like that. I will slowly think about names for other places. This grove or glen. This trail. Naming things will be fun.

I have estimates on running power in. I will investigate some other options first. It is quite pricey.
And I don’t know that I need it. I guess I will with guests in they want to be anything other than very rustic.

Here now in the internet cafe swapping messages from an old laptop to a new. I hope to soon improve my online communication so I am compose email offline at home.
I do hope soon to get a hughes satilite dish for internet at home. It is a pricey solution but one I hope will work well.
I feel pretty out of contact and didn’t really get a chance to walk and talk at burning man with some of my favotite poeople there.

There are so many excellent people in my life. So many I miss. I would like to walk and talk with them. Soon I will have a wonderful spot to host them. And I guess abscence makes the mouth have new things to say!
There are some locals here too I will host a bit more. Good times ahead. The house is almost ready to start hosting people up for the weekend. I don’t know many down here yet who I think would like what I am creating, but I can start with a few folks.

This is the most amazing project I have ever worked on. It stretches me on so many levels. I am happy with the work I have done and feel the right amount of challenge to be in the zone with it. And I love love love the trees. The madrone and oak. So nice.

The thing I must do the most is paint. Need to get a bunch of canvases and paint solid busy for a few months. I have a huge backlogue of ideas in my mind. Then drive to mexico city with a van full of art. I need to start a solid fast career down here within the next year.

I have many things to get done.
I have some things to get done internally as well. Got to fix some of me. And I think the tranquil space with much work will be good for that.
Best of luck to us all. We will need it. How to be the most loving? How to be balanced some? How to care for both others and outselves? How to choose what parts of the universe to interact with and how?
It really feels strange to be so far away, living in the dark woods and out of communication. I will use it for good. I think it will make me into a different person. Maybe a better one.
Or maybe I will slowly… heh. we shall see.

The roof is almost done. We have hot water. Ready to start the garden.
I am having 5 cabanas built. Will take a few months for their completion.
I feel strong and confident.
Using GPS and guest to map land and site future buildings. He seems happy. Other folks working hard and having some fun. We have met some good and helpful people. The adventure deepens.

I setup and area to paint and look forward to painting again.

The place it so idyllic. I made a fire on a hill overlooking the lake before sunrise and then sat watching the sky wake up into all its colors. Alomst all the sunsets here are spectacular.

I took M to Janitzio today. Good touristy place for her to enjoy. I think she did.
Her mom is off studying spanish and meeting people.

I made agreements with a roofer and a plumber to fix things up at the house. I should have a working toilet by the end of the week. And a roof which keeps out rain and bats in 2 weeks. This little house roof is mostly fixed. I think a big rat lives there though. Will set traps tonight.
Turns out I need line of site to Ihuatzio for internet. In any case I will need to cut some trees down for that. I feel I have done a great job so far in creating infrastructure.
Some other problems. I am hoping those will be resolved soon.
I really want to get the peaceful wonderful place to paint going and the spaces for some visitors. I feel very alone or worse, but I am trying to have it be ok.

Tonight I continue the process…

Tonight a box of papers… I sort it.
I find resumes of people I hired and fired. My performance reviews.. old tax forms. Project plans. Many important plans which now matter not at all. Emails I wrote about intense many $____ projects I worked on. Then I thought of those people as forces,.. now I see them as people like me. Funny to wonder who I was in their eyes as we did things to make the things that made the teams that made the teams that made the money. And did we fulfil some people with out products? I hope so.

I miss some of these people I has intense work interactions with. I wonder if they have negative thought to me. I know some of them I built their careers.
I hired people I liked. They build their lives like I build mine. Some of them I still know.

One more night of my life is spent sorting these papers. I will [censored].
Soon I will have no boxes of old papers. Just fresh living.

The house will become bare. A skeleton. And then I will invite art buyers here to take my art.
My art, I don’t know. I am too shy to invite people over to buy it.
Some people want to. I guess I should. I made some prices. I have too much art now. I can’t deal with it. It has to go away from me.

I am young now sortof. I will paint for the next many decades. Maybe two or three. My lines are getting so much better and my colors too.

A little Brianstorming.
The naming of the place……..
The naming of things is very important………

I am not pleased with the name of the land I purchased.
Right now the land is named “Rancho _____”
I wish to rename it.
I could wait till later, but I want the name sooner. I need to be able to refer to the place. At least by the type name.

Should be able to say “The ____”

So to start with:
What is the type of the place?
I don’t like “rancho” Implies animals to me. I don’t want focus to be on animals.

“estate” possible… sounds a little gran though…

“Farm” is possible. I like “Farm”….. it implies creation and growth…. but growing of animals or plants…. Though that will be part of it, I am curious about the people and culture.
“Riverfarm”

“House” too small.

“Land” “Lands” Greenland is taken.

“Acres” As in “green acres” too measurement based.

“Tierra” Has possibilites. the area near Uruapan is called Tierra Caliente due to the weather.

“Forest” sounds nice and is appropriate. As in Sherwood Forest” The spanish equivalent of “Bosque” is also nice and is used in mexican culture. And it starts with a “B”

Homestead? Not bad. Sounds cozy.

Villa: too building focused. Same with cabanas, shack, lodge, manor, chalet, mansion, palace… though some of those do sound nice. Manor

No: Grange, feilds, meadow, orchard,
Hacienda? No. Makes me think of the social structure they had. Same as plantation.

Quinta – no.

Terra

Ooooh…… Sylvan is nice…….
Relating to or characteristic of woods or forest regions.
Located in or inhabiting a wood or forest.
Abounding in trees; wooded.

Part one of Brianstorm gives us:
-Terra or Tierra.
-Farm
-Sylvan
-Forest, Bosque

I will go ahead and think about this.

The trickier part of course will be the specific name which follows….
or combine these?

Bosque Sylvan.
Forest sylvan.

Hmmm….. kind of redundant…..
The foresty forest…..

“Farm” I rule out….. too farmy.

Sylvan I find no place for yet. Terra or Tierra I still like. very earthy.
Forest or Bosque maybe.

Garden…. sounds nice

New tact:
Observe names of cities.
“New ____” no.

Names of some communities…
http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/sustainable_communities.htm

What about a more abstract name….
no need for the descriptor or “type of place” part…

……………….
Cloud ____

one of my favorite monolithic domes is called “cloud hidden”

Tired….

been tired lately. Heart tired.

No definitive results from this Brian storming… except to find some possibles… and eliminate many….

Perhaps another word will come to pick the other word…
that is how things often go.

So these words will have to brew.

I feel happy. Nice peaceful evening here. thinking.
One nice thing about living there…

I expect my mind to quiet.
My mind is rarely quiet. It will be nice I hope.

The place is now.
Total number of signatures is over a hundred. Each page much be signed.

I moved my 8 1×1 meter paintings in progress there last night. Finished after midnight. The road is harsh. There was little moon. Very dark.
How strange to think I will be living there soon. It is so far out there. Like an island.
I can hardly belive that I have done this.

My body feels good but beat up. Muscles sore. feet callosed and thrashed.

I bought gifts for the people we have been closest too me. Very rare for me to buy gifts, but I found good ones for each of them. I am pleased.

I have some lonely times ahead. Dismantle Seattle life. Sell and give away almost all. There are a couple hundred people I want to meet with before I return to Mexico. Much work and focus needed.

Today I will move the last of my objects here to prep to return.
And might try to find contractor who can replace both houses roofs when I return. No to make some livable spaces for people to come. I wonder if they can really do the roofs in the rainy season?
Out of cash. So much outflow in deal and strange living that the ATM can´t keep up. Couldn´t pay the owner some money, but should be caught up today.

I am a little tired and cranky.
Spent yesterday in goverment offices. Got forms. Went to bank to pay the fee. Filled out forms. Apparently the legal description of the land is not right. Office was only open briefly, so that blew that day. I hired a cackling couple of fools to type up a new land decription. Took forever as they chatted. Went back to gov office today. Problems cause the land is in two parcels. Need to fill out two forms or make a description describing it as one. Got stuck cause the translator I hired brought him mother along for the day I hired him to help me. She needed to go to Costco. Government office closed now. So I will go in tommorrow for my third day after I create a new description of the property as one. This isn’t even the actual purchase… just the permit to be able to purchase a property here.

Arg! I guess this is part of the fun.
I thought this would be a one day trip, so I didn’t bring a change of clothes to the city, or anything esle to spend the night. I guess I will buy another shirt so I don’t smell like the kind of hippie they wouldn’t want in Mexico.
I found out later that one of the papers I signed was a promise not to have the US goverment soldiers help me protect that land…. law that some from some War of the Cakes or something with France where something happened to a french guys bakery in mexico and France and Mexico got into a short war over it. I promise not to have a cake factory or invite the us military to my land.

Arg!