[inside the Airstream, both 15 piece endcaps are up and riveted, now more than half the interior is walled]
Can I take a moment to tell you something? Robert is incredible. Not only is he an elite wild land firefighter (and very humble about that fact), but he can pretty much build anything, he’s great at the art of design and his craftsmanship is wonderful and detail oriented. He loves to garden and is generally very gifted at nurturing and raising animals and plants. He used to be a fish biologist and it was a pleasure to watch him raise and research the threatened and endangered fish he worked with and become an expert on the topic. Watching him run a backhoe is like going to the ballet — he performs the most delicate little scoops and pivots you’ve ever seen. He is skilled at the domestic arts and thinks nothing of whipping up a chocolate cake from scratch at 9PM on a Friday night. He’s a skilled and ethical sportsman. He makes careful, patient shots at big game and is always compassionate and quick to end the suffering of an animal — which takes courage. He is an incredible dog trainer. Farley hunts at a master hunter level, I know that Tater Tot will too. I fell in love with him (the first time) when I watched him fly fish in New Zealand shortly after we met — his back-cast never gets snaggled on trees or brush and his passion for trout is unparalleled and contagious. He can always start a fire when we need it most. I love the way his eyes squint when he looks over to the horizon. When he off-roads in our truck, he is sensible and doesn’t tend to cowboy around. He believes in taking care of things. Pears are his favorite fruit. He can burn through a pair of running shoes in two months and has been known to ruin a pair of double kneed Carhartts in just three short weeks. I like the way his hands look when we’re done bird hunting and he empties his shotgun chamber of shells. He is mostly patient and always kind. He has a faint, very faint sort of…lisp. He dances like a countrified version of Michael Jackson, you’d have to see it to believe it. Our friends always come to him for advice, he gives it thoughtfully and respectfully. He is a terrifying debate opponent and argues logically and intelligently. Children adore him. He is consistent in his beliefs and is respected for his faith. He is a best friend to all who meet him and know him. He does our taxes. He is honest. He likes Coors Light. Our friends say they wish he would run for president of the USA but I don’t ever want to be the First Lady. His smile is crooked and his eyelashes are like feathers. He likes big country, clear water, volcanic canyon lands and Idaho. The Northern Sierra Nevada of California raised him. He’s an all American boy. He cares for me. He’s the best man I have ever met. I just thought you should know.
Ummmmm Can we clone him??????
Pretty please!!!!
Stop making our men look bad RW!! 🙂
Exactly what I was going to say!
GUFFAW!!! I’ll get out my beakers and bunsen burners and get right on that. xx
The airstream looks fabulous!
And of course Rw is amazing. We all want his clones, brothers, peers…
I love a woman who unabashedly loves her man.
me too, me too
Oh, the exciting trails ahead! As my adventures stumble and stutter, plod and crawl–and during those rare magical moments, sprint and bolt!–across the page, I will look forward to hearing of your adventures, your magical moments.
I love how you love your man. When we marry the best man we know…it’s the best kind of gift, the kind that chokes you up in the most unexpected moments. Like when mine brings me the first and only ripe tomato of the season from his little plot of tendered soil. It’s all rather glorious, really.
Have a gorgeous weekend, Jillian.
xxx
OH! A ripe tomato….
Oh, oh…I have to tell you this Jillian. After making the above comment, I said to hubby yesterday how I love that he always brings me the first tomato of the season, after waiting so patiently and diligently for his little garden to grow. He just gave me a funny look and said, “Um, I told you that? Well, yeah, I bring you the only tomato that’s in the garden, but that’s AFTER I’ve eaten all the really good ones. Then I remember I should probably save one for you, too.”
HA! Now that, THAT is why I married this man. He keeps me so grounded.
(Usually head first.)
xxx
salt and pepa: “What a man, what a man, what a man what a mighty good man (mighty mighty good man)”
Haha! Perfect. (Now I’m going to be humming this all day.)
just perfect!
HA HA HA!!!
Such a wonderful love letter to your beloved. xoxo
Dearest Plume,
You have caught yourself one might fine man. May we all be so lucky. (Though I do believe you have quite a bit to do with bringing out some of the magical-ness that is RW. It’s amazing what happens when we find the right and truest of Love.)
With love,
Cathy
well, that is the most beautiful valentine I have heard in a long time!….I mean, what more do we all want but to be seen and appreciated for our gifts right?….I am betting that you bring out the best in each other….xx
Now I am curious to see what he will write about you…
Thanks for sharing the love letter.
Huh! I don’t know what he would write about me! If I asked him, he wouldn’t say. He’d just look at me and smile and call me silly. So I’d probably never ask. 🙂
you’ve found a beautiful partnership.
A fitting and honorary tribute. In light of all the other goodness, I will forgive him the Coors Light. 😉 Happy Weekend, blondie.
i was just thinking the same thing (about the Coors Light). 🙂
I put in the blip about Coors just for you, CRM. I knew you would be dismayed!!! HA HA! 🙂
Ending the suffering of an animal may take courage, but you know what takes just as much? Writing about those you love most. And sharing it, nonetheless. I’ve tried it myself time and time again but it’s terribly hard to try and capture an essence that you know deeply and extensively; writing with distance seems a task less daunting. I was recently prompted to write a portrait piece and attempted to describe my father, my mother, my brother, and when I became frustrated with this I moved on to my best friends, but I was always stuck on these questions: Where to begin? How can this possible end? It was a terrible failure, although a learning experience, certainly. And it allows me to appreciate how beautiful this piece of yours is! You capture just the right details, and their physicality is powerful. It’s not long, and yet I can see and hear a person. Sorry to ramble, but I’m kind of amazed!
Gosh! Well, thank you! I try not to rave about Rob too often but this past week I found myself walking around corners and bumping smack dab into the beauty and strength of him and I thought I might explode if I didn’t publicly appreciate him here. It was a way to release myself from feeling overwhelmed by my love for him. 🙂 Thanks for being here. Keep on writing. It will come.
x
He’s quite a guy and I have the privilege of having some younger memories of him. The weekend he spent with us and never said a word. I was so worried. You are indeed blessed. Both of you.
Jo
you 2 are the dream team…
honestly.
And you love him. Obviously. How could you not? XO
and he has found a woman who obviously loves him dearly! a beautiful tribute.
You made me all weepy with the description of the depth of your love…
Thank you for renewing my hope that good, good men are out there.
They sure are!
Keep the faith!
love love love
beautiful ode to the one you love J
love and light
🙂
Ahh, love, made even better with such a fine example of a man.
a sweet reminder to always ALWAYS look for and count the best in a man.
i love that you so fiercely love him: i love that he so fiercely loves you.
xxxx
Look for and count the best in EVERYONE, recognize we’re all works in progress. 🙂
xxxxx
What lovliness you write, and how lovely your lives together are. Thank you for sharing… RW is badass.
wow – good for you but I gotta say – sometimes reading your blog makes me severely depressed….
Chin up, babe. Love you, always. xx
Robert is truly an amazing man, and I feel lucky to have him as a friend! But on that note, Jillian you are equally as amazing and I feel doubly lucky to have you as a friend and both of you as a beautiful couple to spend time with! xx
That was beautiful and inspiring. I think if we all sat down to write what we love about our loved ones, we would come to love even deeper. As you say, recognizing we are all works in progress, helps us to love others as we humbly hope someone will love us~ beautiful flaws and all!
love your love lady plume and i love glimpsing into your lives. you two melt my heart!! may everyone find love the way we have in our partners 🙂
Other men may be so fine, but few, I think, are so appreciated. And that says a lot about you both.
What a beautiful expression of love! I think it also says a lot about you, dear lady, that a man such as he chose you to be his wife. 🙂
yeah, he’s also crazy hot. Just sayin’.
GUFFAW!
This is true.
He’s a pretty man beast.