20170722 - Birthday Burn - the actual burn - the full video (30min)
Channel: Claire Sawyer
Date: 2018-04-27

This effigy was awesome!!! The firework show was amazing! It was a little big, and there was some concern about it getting out of control, but it all worked out. 

They had invited some of the neighbors to come as well, but the neighbors got somewhat pissed when they saw the size of the fire. They were concerned about how dry the woods around the property were and thought embers might float away and start a fire. Everybody's a critic! It was fiiiine.


burning, cheering, talking. 
Birthday Cake effigy, bonfire, fireworks. 
people. 

Bracey, Virginia.

July 20, 2017. 



BACKSTORY: Achievement Unlocked: Attended virginal burn. Birthday Burn!!! -- The first (only?) year for this burn -- was intimate and awesome -- and we declare their effigy to be twice as good as any of the 2 Wickerman effigies we've seen burned. (3 Wickermans ago, we missed the burn due to alcohol.) // This was our 51st time camping. // On the flip side, it turns out packing 600 sq ft of tents and shade shelters, instruments, board games, croquet, bocce, cornhole, fireworks, 2 coolers, lights, clothes, kink toys, etc (all into a Prius) and driving 4.5 hrs to camp 3 days in 110 heat index while having a horrible illness and occasionally coughing up blood ...... is a way to learn your limits. // HARDEST CAMPING EVER. (Other than that time we tried to camp on Assateague Island during a tropical storm. Don't do that. You will end up having to leave. At least we did not have to leave.) // Clint was on the verge of heat stroke almost every day. We left a day early to not die. If not for the chill room with A/C, we probably would have had to leave before the burn. // Clint was also unable to do anything physical. We had to decamp over a 2 day period. It was just too fucking hot. If the AliExpress solar-powered fan hadn't arrived the day before, Clint'd have been even MORE fucked. // At Ramblewood for Fusion, the heat index was 95, but survivable. This 110 shit melts the eye makeup right off your fucking face. So we've learned our limit is about 95, nowadays. We will have to exercise caution, check forecasts, and possibly avoid early-bird tickets for anything in July. And also NOT bring the 30x10 shade shelter we bought, which is way more work than putting up three 10x10 pop-ups. However, it was inviting enough to get a bunch of people to visit our camp. But several parts of it broke upon first install. We filed a credit card dispute. The heat made us hardly do anything. We just talked and sat around. We didn't play any of the games we bought. We didn't launch our fireworks. We still had a great time. The effigy was amazing, the heat just sucked the most of any heat of any of the 51 camping trips we've ever been on.