It is true. Cole & Meg are engaged. We spent the afternoon and on into the late dusk traipsing around the vast acreage that is Cole's family's property. I love the land because the animals it keeps are not your ordinary fare. There are a number of exotic creatures to be discovered, and discover we did. I will note that the most interesting find for me, was in fact Cole and Meg themselves. We spent quite some time together and the things I found to be true of this couple made me very happy indeed.

You see, I am around people in love all the time. Over time one becomes aware of both the subtle and overt nuances of each pairing. Some couples, for instance, are exhaustive in their outward affection for one another. Others are spontaneously passionate, while others still seem repeatedly surprised and delighted at the love towards them from their partner. Cole and Meg are different. They are different from so many engaged couples I meet and yet something about their relationship seemed so familiar I felt I could almost hold it and call it my own. Even from the first time I met Meg, her calm nature made me curious and I sensed a "knowing" that radiated from her being. As I worked on their images and considered all of these things, the familiarity suddenly stepped right in front of me.

Their love for one another is, before anything else I could identify, deep and trusting. This relationship is not new, as these two have been together since they were young. Meg and Cole have walked through seasons of life together that few couples ever experience. The quality of knowing that exists between them expresses itself not in grand gestures or excessive conversation. Rather, there is a quiet certainty between them that each has found the one their heart loves. The deep satisfaction of finding what one has searched and waited for is familiar to me and seeing it between Cole and Meg makes my heart sing. Like the ripples in the water that are consistent, honest, and utterly refreshing so are the interactions between Cole and Meg. What great things will come from this love are ever unfolding, and I can say that I am delighted to have the honor of being with these two come their wedding day next spring.

The Oryx heard was on the move upon our arrival.

BOOM. Zebra SMOOCH.

Meg is gor-ge-ous.

The beauty and mystery of this wood helped me to understand Wendell Berry's contentment in spending so many hours of his life in just such a timbered choir.

Cole and Meg, I am so very happy for you two - congratulations!