Perimeter Fires

Joel Taylor, Aggie Class of '98, is a motivated Aggie and father to a Bonfire Redpot. Our conversation - the first at an actual Perimeter Fire - outlasted the camera, so part two is audio only. We talk about being a father, continuous improvement, and the marvels of Bonfire's construction.

A trio of concerns and two home runs. Doing the right thing the right way can be hard. But always rewarding.

Joel Taylor is Aggie Class of '98. A leader on the Quad and motivated Bonfire participant in his time as a student, he is also now father to a Senior Redpot for Bonfire '24. In a wide-ranging two-part conversation that outlasted the video camera, we reflect on what it means to be an Aggie, what makes a leader, what it takes to build Bonfire, and what it gives in return.

This Monday Moti comes on a Tuesday. Because I was fishing with my brother and my son on Monday. A conversation about tides and witness to greatness reminded me of another talk about different tides, that weren't really tides at all.

There's a lot of words you may hear at Bonfire. But there's one word you learn not to use.

Embracing the challenge, inserting yourself in the outcome, Bullpen Bombers, and scouting reports. As the opposing catcher said "this is the hardest place in America to play baseball... it's also our favorite place to play baseball."

Before we dive into the numerous other motivations of this time of year, a conversation with a new leader in Bonfire this weekend stirred up wise words from Teddy Lowe.

From my workshop, late into a cold night, reflecting on weather and the rightness of being wrong. (It's colder in Michigan. I get it.) Monday Moti is back from the postseason break.

When the company you've earned makes you better.

A year (or a few) of discomfort. Or a lifetime of regret. Your call.

A short moti at the very end of a long day

Sage Sale '18 was an Aggie Bonfire Greenpot. Her conduct and performance were motivators to all. Her leadership was transformative. At the time of this recording, she was a Naval Aviator, just transitioning to a new and exciting role in oceanography in the US Navy.

Stories become myths, that may become legends. Like... did you hear the one about the guy who missed the birth of his child to make a Stack Shift? (Spoiler alert: That never happened.)

Nathaniel Hall was a fish for Bonfire '04, the second Bonfire Stack off campus. His motivation and personal leadership was legendary. He would go on to be a Brown Pot. Today he builds nuclear reactor cores. He's never stopped motivating and leading. (Expect bonuses. This is half of a long and ranging conversation.)

Moments of misery are breadcrumbs home to long-ago memories of greatest pride.

Col. Mike Flatten (Ret.) '92 was a Redpot for Aggie Bonfire '91. He would go on to serve in the United States Air Force as a Combat Controller (USAF special operations/“Special Warfare”). Today, he is a recently-retired, proud family man. We touch on leadership, choosing the hard paths, brotherhood, and more. We do not talk about bananas.

Two separate and wildly different conversations on Wednesday, and another unexpected one Sunday, produced some profound overlap.

At the center of every Bonfire Stack since the first off campus in 2003 are the "Windle Sticks" or "the Windles", tying into Centerpole and securing the architecture. They are named for Levi Garrett Windle. Levi was one of the first group of leaders of Bonfire after '99 known as "Grey Pots", lines which would become Red Pots in 2006. He passed away in an accident...

How can your opponent - or circumstance - ever really "win" when they don't feel like they have, no matter what the scoreboard says? Be undefeatable.

River McTasney was a Brownpot for Aggie Bonfire '15, coming from a family tradition of building and leading Bonfire. Today, River is a self-made software guru and owner/inventor/innovator behind Smooth Ag Solutions ( https://www.smoothag.com/) , a breakthrough system in agriculture. Applying his background in the field and a few lessons from the Woods, River empowers today's ranchers to do...

Something happened to my buddy that never happened to him before. Lucky dog.

Andrew Pekowski '15 was a newly-minted Sr. Redpot standing guard detail alone on Christmas Eve at Stack '13. Burn had been postponed that year on account of rain. What he did that lonely night has become legendary, a moment of pride for Aggies everywhere. Their handling of the Spring-semester Burn to follow changed Bonfire forever.

Once again, Monday Moti comes from preparing for a line of questioning in the previous week. This time, I was answering the questions, not asking them.

Colonel (RET) Carlos Tamez '90 was an Aggie Bonfire Red Pot. He went on to 32 years of decorated service, much of that time as an Army Aviator, and MEDEVAC Aviator. Under his command, thousands of life-saving evacuations were successfully executed. He is well regarded among his peers and contemporaries for his approach to leadership and service.

In preparing to and having a Perimeter Fires conversation with Nathaniel Hall, I realized that I had been looking a little bit the wrong way at a motivating moment we had together 20 years ago.