Hannah Watson's really into crows.

In June 2000, surrounded by family, her mother passed away. Hannah tells us that right outside, just after her mom died, "the crows cawed, hollered at one another, spoke assuredly..." then "cawed in unison and flew off..."

Since that day, she's been a student of crow lore and considers them to be her spirit animal. She reminds us that "In Native American tales, the crow is a very magical, mysterious animal that carries spirits," and "congregates around death."

While she's found tent camping to be just fine while kicking it at Burning Man, this year she had a vision -- an art instillation of her own that would "not only be beautiful but provide (her) with comfort and a home while out the desert."

So Hannah found an old Oregon transit bus for sale on craigslist and, since last April, has spent every weekend, along with a Mr. Evans, getting the vintage bus ready to fly to Burning Man. From 1961 to around 2005 (Hannah's not entirely sure), the old girl had been a transit bus for the City of Oregon that could easily handle 30-40 people at a time. Five months later, after endless trips to Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and fabric stores, everything had been customized and the Crimson Crow came to be.

Last Saturday, Hannah invited guests for a bit of a shindig -- drinks and red-themed foods (red vines, red velvet cupcakes, etc) after hours at diPietro Todd Salon on Fillmore -- as the bus, The Crimson Crow, was being shown to a handful of guests at a time. Another chance to see the bus will be at Burning Man, where Hannah will take her personalized creation next week.

Pics of the interior, the engine, the marquee/altar space, and more follow the jump

With a 100 gallon tank that gets about 10 miles to the gallon, according to Mr. Evans, it seems it will take a lot of energy for the old girl to get there.

On the marquee: an altar space bathed in red light pays homage to not only Hannah's mother, but Ganesha, Lady Tara, lady in prayer, Buddha, the black rose and a fertility goddess, and her favorite numbers, 11 and, 33.

A black chandelier illuminates in red......

About the interior, Hannah says, "I have gold leafed the arch of the ceiling to reflect the light just so in an amber glow....curtains and hall drapes create a depth and intensity to enclose and comfort..."