Back From Euphoria 2012

I’ve returned from the camping, burning, swimming, smiling, sunny, muddy time that was Euphoria, one of Georgia’s two regional Burning Man events.

It was Dylan’s second Euphoria and his third burn, and he had the time of his life! There was a sandbox in the bottom of the effigy which he loved playing in, and there were lots of other kids to play with which really excited him. He got so much attention and really soaked it all up.

He turned one year old on Thursday, the first day of the event. The property has a little pond, and I took him swimming for the first time on his birthday. Swimming with him is something that’s really important to me. I love all forms of water, and my chosen last name, Waters, is Dylan’s middle name. On Friday during our third trip into the water, Dylan fell asleep to nap on me as we drifted on a float, which was my favorite moment of the whole weekend.

It’s impossible to describe burns very accurately to someone who hasn’t been. The best you can do is show the photos and list the components and hope that something shines through.

Of course, my camera mostly got photos of Dylan.

Other people found subjects more colorful, like this shot of my friend Karissa… but you can see Dylan toddling by in the background! (This and all the photos that follow come from here.)

Hanging out in the hot air balloon was a mesmerizing experience. Dylan was nowhere near a naptime, but he just laid back on me and zoned out, watching the colors float around us on the breeze.

Burning down the effigy is the climax of the event (or the kickoff to the climax, depending on your bedtime!) I don’t usually like photos of fire, but I really love photos of the effect of fire on a crowd.