This weekend Michael and I went on a date (our wonderful friend Andrea watched the kidlets, and survived it too!) While we debated going to a movie, we ended up doing just what we did last date, geocaching. We only managed to get to two caches, mostly because the second was down a road closed for repair, so we hiked in. As the cache was along the Spokane River and in a state park, I have no grounds to complain at all, it was a beautiful walk. We also found a really awesome travel bug in that cache (in the photo.) Someone obviously put some time into putting the little Magellan together, I hope he gets far! He wouldn’t be getting out again till our next date so we are going to pass him off to my brother-in-law this weekend before he goes home (110 miles south of Spokane!)

I admit though, as much as I love geocaching, I have motives beyond the hobby for doing it. It is an opportunity to photograph wildflowers. Too early for wildflowers you say? Certainly not! I found buttercups:

And Draba verna (also called Shadflower or Whitlow Grass.) Just millimeters high, it is quite possibly the smallest wildflower I’ve ever seen. I thought the moss was flowering at first.

Most of all though, I love geocaching because Michael and I can spend uninterrupted time together, and that is not only rare and special, but necessary for maintaining our relationship.

Do you have a hobby that you share with you significant other? Do you geocache?