Folks:

George Hill -- He has been the most supportive and interested in my project during the development of the Cauldron, and spent countless hours discussing designs and making suggestions and helping me build -- often to the cost of his own time on projects.  I have the deepest gratitude for his help.  Without him, I would never have gotten this together.

Scott Bartlett -- my new sweety.  We met when he joined our town and as soon as he learned of my project, jumped right in to help! He organized power for Tic Toc Town, and for my project, making sure I had electricity for the fuel pump. At Burning Man, he spent a lot of time helping me set up, taking pictures, and helping me run it at night. I couldn't possibly repay him for all the support he's given me and continues to give me. And he has his own cool project he's working on too!! :) [And I might be able to combine it with mine too!]
Now, he is my "manager" of sorts, and safety consultant. His help is invaluable, and he also tends to help beyond the call of duty, even at the cost of his own projects.

Dave Cherry -- my roommate.  Also has been very helpful and will literally stop what he's doing to step outside and help me carry heavy stuff or spot me when I'm burning something. Dave is a gem of a guy.

Loren Carpenter -- Also helped me think through a lot of my designs.  He would also stop what he was doing if I dropped by and let me talk on and on about my plans.  He also went with me to AAA to get the bowl, and took some pictures for me.  His experience in pyrotechnics has been invaluable.

Bill Carson -- He's been very enthusiastic about this project!  He played in it for hours, with his hands, with spoons, and in general really experimenting with it and playing with it -- he really has a wonderful spirit about him!  He's also the one who got me water and picked up the fuel in Reno -- something I am deeply greatful for!
When I was burned out at Burning Man 1999, I said to Bill, "you know, if the firefall doesn't get set up this year, it's okay..." But he just put his arm around me and said, "oh!! The firefall will get done!" And that turned me around. I realized just how very close I actually was, and pulled myself together and keep working on it. If he had not said that, I might not have gotten done...

Burning Man -- This is the whole reason I'm doing these crazy projects!  I have never before been so inspired to do art, and to find my limits than when I returned from Burning Man 1998!  I am deeply thankful for all the work they do!

Dan Lyke, and Todd Gemmel -- Dan and Todd kept coming by the camp and spurring me to get finished. They were an immense help and inspiration!

Purple Hampton -- Purple was there for me at a similar crucial junction like Bill. It was wednesday night before the truck came, and I had finally lost it. I paniced. Purple calmed me down, and kept saying: "focus on getting *supplies*, not work. Get the things you'll need and just take them out there and finish it out there." He was right, and got me back on track when I needed it most.

John Wilson -- He works over at The Cell in SF.  He helped me get the left-over piping off -- did pretty much all the work himself -- and spent a lot of time discussing my plans and giving me a lot of great leads and ideas!

Stephanie Andrews, Scott Bartlett, Dan Lyke, Todd Gemmel, Greg Solberg, Loren and Rachel Carpenter, Ron Klatchko, Paul Rother, Bill Smith, Daniel Delany -- All of these folks have taken lovely pictures for me of my firefall!  Look for their artwork on this site!

The Abstrakt Zone and The Crucible -- Vordo's six-weekly parties was the first place I brought the Ceramic Thing.  I spent the whole night explaining it to people, and it was that night I even saw someone point me out to another person like I was famous or something! :)  "She's the one who made the firefall!" he was whispering. :)
The Crucible is an amazing art space in Berkeley, and they invited me to bring my artwork to a show they put on called the Fire Arts Festival.  Again, I spent the entire evening answering questions and talking with folks about it!  And later, the SF Chronicle used a picture of my Firefall as a representative photo for the show -- on the cover of the Arts section!  Wow!  The Crucible made me famous!  I hope to volunteer there and also take classes.

A warm thanx to William Pietri, who passed me a "contribution" at the Shakelton's Feast: ShipYard fundraiser. It was a night I really needed the cash to put on the show, and out of the blue, he gave me enough money to pay for all the fuel that night! To say I was touched would be an understatement. :) I was totally blown away by his spontaneous generosity.

And, of course, my Mom, Janet Pettit -- My mom has always supported me and my crazy ideas ever since I was little.  Even so, I was surprized at how enthusiastic she was on the phone when I finished the Ceramic Thing!  She was brimming over with her own ideas and ways to make firefalls!  She has some neat ideas -- and maybe I'll build one for her!
 

Water Components in San Rafael -- I stopped in on a whim and they were quick to stop what they were doing and help me research pumps.  Though I eventually didn't buy a pump there, they also helped me locate a bowl for the bottom of the Big One.  They have been amazingly helpful!  Iain in particular told me of a customer who made a coy pond and was adding a fire element to it -- that he didn't want any part of!  I sure wish I could find this guy and talk to him!

Alita Pumps -- though I didn't buy a pump from them, they were very helpful and researched a bunch of pumps for me.  I wish I could have used them because I really appreciated their help!

Jim B. Leach -- A nice company in South Carolina.  They have very good prices on pumps, fittings and other stuff like generators.  They shipped very quickly, answered all my questions and were in general pleasent to deal with -- and with a lovely Southern accent!  It made me homesick! :)

Penninsula Oil -- Quick to help, they even delivered a barrel of naptha to my door at no charge!  They didn't pester me with a lot of questions [but maybe that's not a good trait in a flammable liquid company. :) ]

Napa Valley Petrolium -- At first they were a bit patronizing [maybe that's a good thing, as I said above :) ], but later they got me the contact in Sparks, NV so I didn't have to carry three barrels of Naptha over Donner Pass and over the state line.  I really appreciate it.

Barry Hinkley Petrolium -- These were the folks in Sparks, NV.  When they heard I needed an empty 55 gallon barrel, they gave me one with the fuel shipment!  If you have any good Burning Man pictures, they would like some!

Acme Fire Extinguishers -- I noticed their name on some donated fire extinguishers at The Crucible.  They loned me three fire extinguishers for Burning Man at the cost of refilling them!