Pixie dust, Princess dust, Playa Magic Moon Dust Goodbyes

I do hope you can forgive me as I disapoof now for a much needed break. I'm signing out from the default world, leaving it behind to head off to dustier pastures. To a grand event of excess and unfounded experiences.

hillsidecottagechildcare.biz

To a world of pure imagination.

scottlondon.com

The time has come to give the old keyboard some rest from my furious writing, and take to the good old' fashioned pen and paper as it was before the advent of modern-day, cash draining, bizarre necessities. I'm off to fulfill my food writing assignment at the celebrated 

Burning Man Festival.

Heading off to a land where social media, cell phones, fax machines and retirement contributions are nonexistent. Instead, it's a land seething with magic, hope, adventure and pure love. 

djibnet.com

It is said that nothing returns from the playa unchanged. 

Not your bike

Not your mind

Not your soul

Nothing...

I find there is great truth in this for I know that playa dust is magical and fortified with wishes waiting to come true.

www.flickr.com

I'm much looking forward to kicking up some desert dust in my hair, and joining 60,000 of my closest friends for the powerfully transformative event.

I'm so very hungry for the dust, the fire, and the life experiences that await and allow us to continue as thriving humans.

I simply can't wait to tell you all about it.

builddirect.com

For my beautiful friends joining me, 

I'll see you in the dust.

For the rest of you fantastically amazing humans,

 I'll see you when I return, completely renewed, refreshed, relaxed, and with the reset button fully engaged and switched to on. 

artchipel.tumblr.com

I'll be a whole new Ringo, 

a far better Ringo. 

The best version of myself to date.

You won't even recognize me.

www.flickr.com

And now, I send my dusty hugs and bid you a fond farewell.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

See you on the other side

x

         

Cheese for Dinner

No food truck? No problem!

Members of Queso Diego, the San Diego Cheese Club, were warned to have a crispy morsel or two before our regularly scheduled monthly meeting, as we experienced an absence from our usual food truck presence, but we yummed all the way through it no less. After all, how often does one get to have copious amounts of cheese for dinner?

The August meeting of the organized curd nerds focused on Spice, Herb, Vegetable, and Fruit cheeses. Queso Diegans gathered at City Farmers Nursery to share their fine homemade cheeses.

Cheesemaking creativity was encouraged amongst the members, and we had our work cut out for us when the time came to revel in the fruits of our labor.

The vast selection included a smorgasboard of various cheeses including this here delectable chèvre dusted with herbs de provence.

a tiered cream cheese torte

a honey-vanilla fromage blanc provided members with some much needed melty goodness.

Cheeses turned into fig butter,

While others became the subject of a telling fruit compote cheese spread.

This lovely bloomy made a special guest appearance. The recipe for this here beauty was seized straight out of the very "craftsy" book of Mary Karlin, Artisan Cheesemaking. 

Our newest member Laura, brought this eyecandied delectable. An entirely gluten-free cheesecake, made from raw goat's cheese with a tasty, blanketed layer of macadamia nuts atop. We sure hope to see a whole lot more of her (and her cheeses!) in the months to come.

Commercial cheeses were on hand including a spiced Chipotle cheddar.

Virginia Masters, our Master cheesemaker, brought this insanely beautiful, mushroomed Camembert that was well deserving of its own photoshoot.

My own contribution was the goaty log drizzled with an herbed olive oil made from roasted garlic, rosemary, coriander, fennel and peppercorns.

We enjoyed much of the evening with homemade brews, wines, a delicious spiced mead, and excellent company for a delightfully, cheese-centric dinner perfectly suited for fromagophile consumption.

Spoiled, happyfaced, cheese-eating grins were abound for yet, another great meeting in the cheese books.

x

        

Time flies, does it not?

The bad news is time flies...

www.tumblr.com

annierosse.tumblr.com

sunshineaddict.tumblr.com

The good news is you're the pilot.

community.livejournal.com

Be the voice of your story.

Bon voyage

x
        

Operation Flying Monkey Bike

Flying monkey – artwork by Ken Keirns

I'm in a renegade playa mode. Plotting, planning, packing and pondering all that lies in the dusty week ahead. The beach cruiser is well underway in its transformation to becoming a flying monkey perfectly suited for Burning Man in the days to come.

Yes, it's a bellhop monkeybike of the Wizard of Oz kind. And it is by no stretch of the imagination a friendly bike. She's a beast of a pedal-driven recreational vehicle.

What began as this cutesy, little beach cruiser bike of mine, 

with just a slight bit of inspiration from this here monkey logo...

...and a cheap $2.99 monkey face mask, combined with mediocre sewing abilities,

has now evolved into a full-fledged Monkey Operation.

I would have loved to have made use of this here mask:

but seeing that its asking price is $110, I elected to go with the under three bucks option. Transforming my once darling, surfer girl bike, into this winged beast on wheels.

They landin' in yo dark woods, snatchin' yo pretties up, so you better hide yo girls, hide yo scarecrows, annn' hide yo tin men cuz they takin' err'body out, yeah.

I didn't mean for it to be a frightening bike, and yet it is. To be honest, I had quite forgotten how creepy those winged monkeycreatures are.

 

onlygoodmovies.com

Nevertheless, I am now set to proudly fulfill my obligations to write for, and deliver the Black Rock Beacon Newspaper about the dusty 89412 zipcode* from tent, to yurt dome, to RV, and all along the generally isolated stretch of the Nevada desert.

Quite likely with the following Miss Gulch and/or the Wicked Witch theme song in tow.

heebie-jeebies!

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!

But the reality is that I will be so happyfaced, I will most likely have this little ditty on my mind instead:

*anyone wishing to send a good old fashioned letter my way while I'm away at Burning Man, can do so by sending said letter (between now and around August 27th) to the following address:

RINGO FIREFLY
c/o BLACK ROCK BEACON
1:00 & INNER CIRCLE
BURNING MAN FESTIVAL,

BLACK ROCK CITY / GERLACH, NV
89412 U.S.A.

It would make me incredibly heartwarmy and smiley in the faceparts to open up and read your mail whilst drinking my morning coffee just outside my tent.

I do wholeheartedly promise to write you back with my dust monkey adventures.



Additionally, you shall have my eternal gratitude.

Now don't make me send out my flying monkey, for I am now the proud owner of one, and how many folks can claim the right to say so?

Fly now my pretties, FLY!!!!

 toplessrobot.com
  

And with an ominous "Oh-wee-oh, eoh um" fit for a Winkie Soldier Guard, it's off I go.

So much to do, so little time!

Ciao for niao

x