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