Chloë and Rockwell’s paths first crossed in 2005 around a campfire at Camp Nor'Wester on Johns Island in Washington, when they were just 11 and 12. They quickly became friends, spending that summer falling deeply…into the friend zone. After camp, they kept in touch by exchanging letters from their respective sides of Mt. Hood, the volcano that separates their hometowns in Oregon.
The following summer, they reunited at camp, basking in their pre-teen admiration for one another. The San Juan Islands in late summer are truly enchanting, and that magic gave Rockwell the courage to ask Chloë to the all-camp square dance [pictured below]. When summer ended, they parted ways with the intention of staying connected. Unfortunately, life intervened, and aside from a few letters and emails exchanged here and there, they grew apart as they moved into young adulthood.
Several summers later, camp a distant memory of the past, Chloë and Rockwell serendipitously crossed paths in a crowd of people at the Oregon Country Fair. They spent the day catching up, dancing barefoot, and listening to music in another magical setting.
A few years of reconnection and courtship later, they started dating and pursued international university educations, traveling and living together in Canada, Argentina, Mexico, and Peru. They spent two summers at Camp Nor’Wester during college as counselors, rekindling their love in the place that connected them a decade before. Chloë worked in the craft shop as the pottery instructor and Rockwell was the naturalist and backpacking trip leader.
To celebrate their college graduations, they spent six months together living in Oaxaca, Mexico. In 2016, they moved to Portland to further develop their careers and spent their twenties dancing through the city of roses. Living with some of their closest friends, they spent 6 years bike riding, planting a flower and herb garden, and cooking many communal meals. Their home became a gathering place with a revolving door of visiting loved ones. In 2022, they packed their things and moved out of the city, seeking a change of scenery and a closer connection to nature.
Chloë and Rockwell now live in Port Orford on the Southern Oregon Coast, where they love discovering hidden mermaid swimming spots and collecting colorful agates along the beach. Their love for each other deepens and evolves with each new phase of life they embark on together.
Camp Nor'Wester Campers, August 2006
Camp Nor'Wester Staff, August 2014
Port Orford, Oregon, April 2024