Upper Spanish Flats.

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Welcome to "the engines of my love," a regular review of why I love you, Martha Ellyn Sharp Nelson, and no other woman.

I love you because you were with me as I sat on the rocks way above our camp at Upper Spanish Flats and watched the activities of camp. It was the first time since Thursday there was any time for me. I couldn't stand to be around anyone, and so I climbed the mountain in back of camp and sat on a big rock. I just sat there and watched the three guides cooking dinner, setting up camp, helping others put up tents, etc. I just sat there and cried and felt sorry for myself. I just sat there and missed you. I just sat there grieved. Eventually Roice saw me watching everyone and he and Ben and Sarah made the climb. When they finally reached me, we noticed Rob was starting to look for everyone. We hid behind the rock and called his name. Finally we showed him where we were. Roice and Ben took off to challenge the mountain. they probably climbed another 750 feet while Sarah and I enjoyed the view and chit chatted. She is really a special young lady. I like her a lot. She reminds me of you. I like you a lot. Eventually Roice and Ben got tired of climbing, came back, and all three of them went back to camp. I sat there and contemplated my navel. I climbed down to camp a little while before dinner.

Crab dip and crackers for appetizers was quite different from the standard scout camps I am used to participating in. It was really good. There were some interesting discussions. At least I was interested, because two of the men on the trip kept asking me geology questions and I was able to give them `lectures' about the geologic processes that laid the exposed rocks. I almost felt like I was worthy to be alive. After a nice chicken and rice dinner (topped off with strawberry shortcake) I climbed back up the mountain and sat on a big rock and watched the stars come out. It is good to have time like this to realize our own insignificance, our position in the universe, and our potential to create our own universes. Roice set up his camera on my tripod to take a time-lapse picture of the stars. Ben and Sarah and Roice all fell asleep. Rob climbed up and talked to me, after we shined flashlights at each other. We talked for a few minutes, but he quickly got bored in the universe I was reveling in. He also went to sleep. Finally I climbed down off my rock and went to sleep.

I woke up about 6:30 the next morning (7:30 Houston time). Everyone else in camp was asleep. By the time I visited the `groover' some of the crew were up. I decided to go for a morning walk. They told me there was not time to climb to the top of the canyon and visit the Canyonlands Dollhouse. So I walked around Spanish Flats and down the river until I could see and photograph the first rapids. They were pretty awesome, even from the distance away I was. The hike was probably a couple of miles. As I walked back towards camp, I daydreamed of you coming back to our marriage. As I walked along in this stupor from reality, I would periodically be jolted back by a rabbit, a hawk, a raven, geology, and then three mule deer. They were busy eating and I was able to get two photographs. As I tried to position for the third photograph of one of the little prong-horned bucks he was just about to bolt when our lead guide Ian hollered out `Breakfast.' The river bend formed a natural amphitheater, and even though he was a half a mile away it sounded like he was next to us. The deer stopped, turned his head towards the sound, and I got the best of the three photographs of deer. I got back to camp just as everyone else finished going through the line for pancakes, fruit, juice, sausage patties, etc. Rob was a happy camper when they put whipped cream on his pancakes instead of up his nose, like the night before. After shaving in the river, packing, and getting my stuff together I climbed back on a big rock and dreamed of you. I day-dream of you because I love you.

I'm interested in sharing why I love you. I know how important the written word is to you, and if you ever feel neglected, ignored, or unloved, and would like an up-to-date bound copy of these lovelets or any subset of these lovelets for any purpose you might have come to mind, please tell me or e-mail your request to rnelson@walden3d.com with the request 'lovelet update.'

With all my love,
Roice

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Copyright © 1997 H. Roice Nelson, Jr.