My brother John devised a plan to go rock climbing with Olivia while I enjoy a little plein air painting down in the creek. Little did Olivia know, I was there to paint their engagement! I painted the surrounding scenes while they climbed, patiently waiting for when they would come down for a swim. My job was to pretend that I was "in the zone" and therefore unable to pause my painting. John led her into the watering hole where they swam and eventually got out on the other side. When John knelt, I quickly got to work brushing in their tiny features into the 11" x 14" canvas. It was a special moment to be the only one to witness this promise of union, and to capture it in a painting. When we returned, I made a few more touches to the painting, but mostly left it as it was, preferring to keep what was painted in that very precious moment.