Thirty-four years ago today, Valentine’s Day, 1982, Merri Rudd and I shared our first kiss. It was the morning after the first Valentine’s Day Pajama Party at Preston Road.
Happy Anniversary, Darling! xox, mjh
“I’ll be your man.
I’ll understand.
Do my best
to take good care of you.
You’ll be my queen.
I’ll be your king.
And I’ll be your lover, too.”
— Van the Man Morrison
See also http://www.edgewiseblog.com/mjh/the-atheists-pulpit/30-years-ago/.
Friday night, Halloween weekend, 1981, Robert Coontz brought someone new home for dinner (probably spaghetti). I stood in the living room to meet her and she walked around the far side of the coffee table, nose in the air. She wasn’t avoiding me (she said), just sniffing her surroundings, having been a dog in a former life. That was my introduction to Merri Rudd, my belovéd-to-be.
[photo: mjh & MR in Landmark Shopping Center photo machine, Alexandria, VA, January 1984.]
Twenty-four years ago today, Merri Rudd and I wed in our backyard. We’re more than halfway to 47 years of marriage. These are scans of the photos — yup, we’re older than digital photography — most of which were taken by Steve O’Neill (thanks, Droogie). See the wedding album.
Every year, six of us rent a van and drive to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, south of Socorro, New Mexico. We usually make this trip closer to Christmas, but this year it was a sunny, warm day in February. We stopped at Bernardo State Wildlife Area, a beautiful area closer to Albuquerque. Birding is our official mission, but camaraderie and good food matter more. We picked up the world’s best fudge in San Antonio, shared a gourmet potluck lunch at the last remaining picnic table, and had green chile cheeseburgers for dinner at the Buckhorn after sunset, including a chat with Bobby Olguin, proprietor. We were back a little more than 12 hours after we started. Here are some pictures. (See all 47.)
The group: mjh, Kathleen, Melissa, Lew, Merri, and Dave, our ornithologist.
Sandhill cranes are usually more abundant than on this trip.
This was quite a gaggle.
Sunset is always worth waiting for.
My hobby is ‘bagging’ wildernesses, that is, having photos taken of me with wilderness signs. A few are self-portraits, like the one above. Most have been taken by my spirit guide, Merri Rudd. We’ve visited all of the wildernesses in New Mexico, and more than a few in the Four Corners and along the Rockies. I’ve finally gathered some of the photos that identify those wildernesses. More to come, I hope.
The Wilderness of My Soul is a post from Ah, Wilderness! . Let me know what you think. peace, mjh
After posting our wedding day photos, I scoured the archives for photos from other anniversaries, but came up with only a few of us. Some years, my birthday over-shadowed our anniversary (particularly 47 and 50). Other years, there were trips to Florida, Tennessee, or camping.
Below: from our 17th anniversary, as you can see Merri is indicating, from a NM camping trip.
Below: from our 19th & 23rd anniversaries with the Greenbergs.
Below: from our 20th anniversary trip to Taos, NM
