Elliot's Naked Bicycle Service & Piano Bar - 2016

[GreyCoyote]

Safe travels, Elliot! Will see you in the dust tomorrow and we can introduce the lovely Ms. Millicent to Mr. Johnson (who is still mostly in his work clothes!)

[Captain Goddammit]

OH!! BABY BUSSIES SOON!!! CAN I HAVE ONE???

[GreyCoyote]

Capt: those are called "short busses", and you should be well-acquainted with them from your four years in the sixth grade. And no, you cant watch. Pervert. Lol.

Elliot: I picked-up 6 new-in-box 26 and 20 inch tubes for ya, as a gift/bribe to your camp. See ya on the playa soon.

[Elliot]

Burning Man 2016 was fabulous!

We repaired well over 600 bicycles. The Healing Arts department was also popular. More body painting next year, for sure!
The entire crew was amazing!
So onward to an ever better 2017!

That said…. In light of events that took place as I packed up and left BRC…. I am tempted to say something like…

Next year I will bring no loaner bicycles to BRC. And I will accept no bicycle as a gift or donation in BRC. I will leave BRC at the end of next year’s event carrying NO bicycles.

Because….

I am FUCKING FED UP WITH BEING ACCUSED OF STEALING BICYCLES!

Also, I will repair no fucking Yellow Bikes at my camp.

[FIGJAM]

Sounds like great ideas to me....................but I think you're just suffering from a temporary bought of sanity that you will get over in a couple of weeks!!!

[Captain Goddammit]

Wow, Elliot. That's a bunch of bullshit. You don't steal anything and everyone who knows anything knows that.
Stealing bikes... yeah right. You've already got more than you can carry.

[GreyCoyote]

Well... ELLIOT may not steal bikes, but one of his friendly workers sure did. (And then he kindly gave it back to me an hour later with a fresh chain, perfectly lubed, and properly adjusted seat and handlebars! Thank you, Camp Elliot!)

[danibel]

A loss for the community. So stupid to accuse you of stealing bikes. Unbelievable really.

So sorry you were subjected to such bullshit. Glad to hear the rest of the burn was enjoyable.

XO

[Skuzzy61]

Well, that is a bunch of crap! Just,..well,...just damn unbelievable.

Our loaners were great and Elliot (and camp mates) were just awesome! So glad to meet you Elliot and the rest of the camp. Your contribution to our enjoyment was without measure and no amount of thanks can covey our deepest appreciation for what you do and did for us.

[Elliot]

Note Leonardo daVinci -inspired flying wing, suspended from ceiling in main shop. It was built by Tony Ellis of Willits, California, and later ceremoniously burned in the Man Burn.

Photos by our own Edward A.

[Joeln]

Fuckin gorgeous camp Elliot - way to go!
And whoever believed for an instant that you were stealing bikes needs a campagnolo enema.

[Elliot]

All the credit for the camp belongs to my fabulous camp-mates. What I did was simply bring those folks together.
Just look at the trusses for the new 30-foot-wide main shop, where the Wing is hanging. That's a 30 by 38 feet clear span shade! First time camp member (but old friend) Tony O' invented and built those trusses.

[Elliot]

As for the errant accuser.... Obviously, I don't expect 70,000 people to know me personally. But I understand that the... fellow... benefited from a cleansing of his thinking organ by his supervisor, yes.
And with that, the matter is closed.

And planning for next year has begun! Woohoo!

[Sham]

Elliot, your camp rocked it big time this year. All I needed was a bit of air, but you were there for me. Also, you did me a HUGE favor which I will thank you for in a PM. Let yourself rest for a week or two, and things will seem so much brighter.

[Elliot]

Rest is for slackers.
Everything is bright now, and I have a better camp to organize for next year!

Even better: We have the fabulous crew to pull it off!

[Elliot]

Secret Playa Recovery Weapon:

"Loud sound art" antidote...

[Ratty]

Elliot, Your camp rocked this year. It was so beautiful and well thought out. I loved hanging out with Unjon for a bit while we watched the work on bikes. My campmate needed air but had those unusual valves on her bike. You saved her. Keep up the good work.

[Elliot]

Presta valves on inner-tubes are becoming more widespread. They require a different chuck on the pump (or a dual chuck), or an adapter. I try to have a good supply of those adapters on hand, as they are tiny and easily lost. Glad we were able to help!

[Elliot]

Perhaps the coolest thing in our camp this year wasn't anything we did...
...but The Adventure of Leonardo's Flyer.

Tony Ellis, who was entirely unknown to me, built it some years ago as his interpretation of Leonardo daVinci's several flying machine designs.

Last year, it was headed to the dump for lack of storage space. With the daVinci’s Workshop theme having been recently announced, I drove to Willits and grabbed it with one day to spare. I had to cut it apart to transport it.

30-foot wingspan.

A few days before we left for BRC, Tony Ellis contacted me!

In camp, Tony came over from his camp and reassembled it. We displayed it in our main shop (photo above).

Recently, a camp-mate and good friend of Tony’s had passed away. His name was Titus. Tony brought Titus’ ashes to BRC, for inclusion in the Temple Burn.

The idea was to carry Titus to the Temple in the Flyer and place the Flyer in the Temple.
But the Flyer was too large.

Instead, Saturday morning, the Flyer was ceremoniously carried to The Man, where it did fit and was allowed. A portion of Titus’ ashes was left in the Flyer, which was burned with The Man that evening. The rest of the ashes were carried on to the Temple, for Sunday’s Temple Burn.






Tony quickly built a “Man” head for the Flyer, to carry Titus’ urn.




Flyer builder Tony Ellis (left), and our own Rick who took the project under his wing – pardon the pun.

What a fabulous set of coincidences!

"This one time at Burning Man...."
.

[Blueschaser]

And when my phone returns from its unanticipated California vacation/detour aboard Millicent, I'll post the pics from the Nawlins-style funeral procession for the D'avinci Wing. Truly a camp-unification end of the week moment. And also a Thank-You-Shout-out to The Skinny Kitty Teahouse for joining us with their art car!

JP

[Elliot]

Never mind. Looks like it is mailable, even with the Li-ion battery.
Going out today.

[skibear]

Many Thanks, Elliot
Your The Adventure of Leonardo's Flyer is the most awesome story ever !!

[Elliot]

Thanks. But I only jotted it down. Tony Ellis DID IT!

(Of course.... See slogan regarding "awesome" in my signature blurb. )

[Savannah]

In addition to the bikely pulchritude, Elliot got my my old ESD jeep started up this year when it refused to turn over on Temple Day.

THANK YOU, ELLIOT!!

[Elliot]

Yes, Savannah, we do awesome, and you are most welcome.
Bicycle, bamboo-and-string wing, Jeep.... I expect the 747 people will call soon.

And this year we added body painting. We figured we would paint some crude flowers on a few chests for Friday's ride.
Then this happened.



I love Black Rock City.
And all who sail in her.

[Elliot]

The MOOP Map is up.
Not that there was any doubt:

[Skuzzy61]

Congratulations Elliot!

[Savannah]

Love the pic of Millicent pulling away with her trailer on the emptying, lonely playa . . .

Congratulations on your green! (Of course).

[Elliot]

Thanks, but the honor belongs to 30 fantabulous camp mates who all Left No Trace!
All I had to do was rake out their footprints.

Except this one Close Call:


"Many hands make light work" -- is true enough. But one of those hands left this in the ground. It's a 14" 3/8 lag screw with three links of chain.
Next year... all the lags will have a big red cloth attached, or something. And I will have an exact count of them. No lag left behind!
.
.

[Elliot]

Aaaaannnnd…. Onward to 2017!

Humongous thanks to the terrific 2016 crew…

…in absolutely no particular order…

Tamara
Al
Doug
Kim
Aaron
Jill
J.P.
Marcia
Rick
Jim
Sarah
Sean
Sierra
Kelly
Ed
Unjon
Riki
Tom
Gary
Randy
Dawn
Robert V
JoAnn
Tony
Carolyn
Alice
Arne
Peter
Steve.

With honorary mention to…

…our fabulous neighbors Sunbeam and Grey Coyote,

…our wonderful friends Cricket and Pam of Buddha Camp,

…the amazing Tony Ellis, builder of Leonardo’s Wing,

…and… above all… you.


Now, if I do this computer link thing right…

…here is our 2017 thread:

viewtopic.php?f=507&t=79572