A very special Earth Day - Hope Island

The other day was Earth Day. The first thing my husband and I ever bonded over was the Earth. 20 years ago we met shoveling cow manure at a dairy, and as we both worked side by side, scooping up steaming piles of you-know-what, we talked. And after we finished cleaning up after the cows, we kept talking. And talking.

One of the things I learned about him then was that he was equally as adventurous as I was, and also equally in love with Nature. That's when I fell in love with him a little bit, although I was engaged to someone else at the time.

Over the span of two months, we kept talking. He borrowed my motorcycle so I could drive his truck in the cold March weather instead of shivering on my bike. He took me rock climbing at Clayton Beach. We kept talking. Very soon, I broke off my engagement with the other guy, and the rest is history, as they say.

20 years later, our love for the Earth keeps our relationship alive, adventurous and flourishing. Earth Day we spent kayaking.

We paddled to Hope Island, my new favorite place on Earth, covered with a magical old growth forest, tons of flowers, and layers of memories of Native American people who have surely worshipped this place for eternity before White people stole the land from them.

Steve and I walked on the island asking the spirits for permission to enter, and they must have granted it. The whole day we spent there all by ourselves we both felt immensely grateful and reverent.

We also found a rare Calypso Orchid.  Steve named his habitat restoration business after the Calypso Orchid, because it only is found in pristine, undisturbed forests. He plants trees for a living to restore salmon spawning habitat, and his vision is to plant trees that will grow into mature forests where these flowers can thrive.

Here she is:

These pictures of our beautiful Earth don't really need my words, so I'm gonna shut up and let them speak for themselves.

 

How did you spend Earth Day?