A Romantic Picnic in the Wilderness

My husband and I originally met in a creative writing class at college. I was fresh out of high school and he was four years older than me. For our first Valentine's Day together, Richard took me on an adventure to a remote and spectacular place - a waterfall that he had found while rock climbing along a riparian stream in the upper Sonoran desert. It wasn't easy to get to, requiring him to top-rope me up some granite boulders, so it was like our own secluded hideaway. The fairytale setting consisted of a slender 30 ft. waterfall cascading into a crystal clear pool with a tall sycamore tree and a few wildflowers growing beside it, in a sheltered niche between two cliffs.

I wore a green bandana so that I could give my colors to my knight in shining armor, while he surprised his lady with a picnic basket containing a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, and a book of poems. Poetry lovers will recognize this quatrain from "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" translated by English Romantic poet Edward Fitzgerald:

A book of verses underneath the bough,
A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou
Beside me singing in the wilderness--
Oh, wilderness were paradise enough!

Over the course of a lengthy courtship, Rich and I continued to go on our annual Valentine's Day waterfall trip. Once we got married and started having children it wasn't always possible, although we try to do something similar every year to keep up the tradition - even if it's simply a nature walk and picnic with the kids.

Our waterfall isn't the same anymore - the old tree fell down, the area is frequented by too many people, and graffiti can be seen on the lower rock walls. Rich and I have changed, too, since nowadays our favorite book of verses is The King James Bible and we strictly abstain from alcoholic beverages. However, 25 years later, we still have fond memories of our romantic picnic in the wilderness!

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This article was first published on www.cindyrushton.com, 2/12/2005,
under ideas for "Romancing your Sweetie" on Valentine's Day.

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