valencia, part 1. pre-burning.

this blog is not slow it's just lazy--it refuses, no matter how half-heartedly i try to cajole it, to keep up. so i've had a talk with it and it agrees to give it another go, beginning its tales with last march, with my trip to valencia to watch fires and explosions in an annual festival called "las fallas."

i decided to go at the last minute, buying my bus ticket the night before, and sleeping on the floor of a hotel room with my friends michael, murray, and mikayla. i'm not sure why they let me come, since my name does not start with 'm'.

after an afternoon of startling explosions every few seconds, our nerves were well-rattled and had to be dulled.

thus commenced the rooftop debaucheries. murray in front, mikayla on the right, and michael behind. you can see the knees of another friend steve.


murray soon settled into a state of deep relaxation.


and the jets flew above, people on the move as we watched the light fade.


mikayla was unimpressed by my creepy photographer antics.


and then the sun went down as the jets whirly-gigged away.

so we went to the streets, in look of fireworks and loud bangs.


its a festival that little kids seemed to have invented and the city of valencia has somehow allowed--fulfilling everybody's pyromaniac dreams.


welcome to the crystal castle, where characiture drawings and cotton candy abound.


street band.


street talk.


and somebody deep in their thoughts.


and a little boy entranced by the flames.

flames that you will have to see next time, because my blog has just sat on its hands and refuses to continue. give it some comments for encouragement and maybe it will perk up again soon.