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Sunday, June 22nd - exactly 3:37pm - Lower Falls, Letchworth State Park.
I woke up early Sunday morning after a long night of non-stop rain, and did some hiking through the woods behind the campsite slightly after dawn and got some great shots of sun coming in through the trees.
After breakfast Erica and I went whitewater kayaking for about 4½ hours. The kayaking was such a nice time and we were lucky enough to have the river to ourselves for a large portion of the trip. Unfortunatly we were unable to get any photos from down on the river since we couldnt really bring any camera gear. Since the park is situated along the gorge and the camping site was about 15+ miles from the Falls/activities, I had suggested we hike the Lower Falls once we were done kayaking since we were already there. As we first got sight of the falls I asked Erica which of the three falls we had seen this weekend were her favorite. Luckily, since we were already there, her reply was the Lower Falls, but as you can see from the pictures you can't blame her. They were beautiful. The spray from the falls caught the sunlight, shimmered and gave the moment the most breathtaking aura.
We climbed down the embankment, past all the signs that said "Danger," or "Stay Out." This little area off the beaten path was very secluded and private. We took plenty of pictures of the two of us - I brought my tripod (since I knew what I was planning) and took advantage of the cameras timer. I took an exhausting number of photos trying to get everything perfect; so many that Erica started getting a little impatient. She was hungry, sunburned, and tired after our long day of kayaking and hiking. Finally after a few more shots, I convinced her to take one last one. I walked back to Erica and counted down the seconds before the shutter released. Silently trying to time it right, I dropped to one knee, whipped out the ring and slid the top of the box open and quickly (since the shutter was about to release) mumbled the words, "Will you marry me?"
If you take a close look at 'the' proposal shot, you'll see I had knelt down just in time (my body is a little motion blurred) and Erica's mouth is wide open!! She says I surprised her like she had never thought possible. With the roar of the falls over our shoulders, the shock coursing through her body, and the incomprehension of what I had just said, she was rendered speechless. Once she had emphatically said "Yes!!!," I jumped up and embraced her. Her knees went weak and as she likes to put it she had 'jelly legs.' She slid the ring on and it fit perfectly. She cried. We kissed. The hikers behind us whistled and cheered. It was an amazing moment.