My dearest cousin, who lived in Scotland, was a well known urban planner with a strong interest in gardening (Google: The Lost Garden, Roger Kelly). He encouraged me to read books about Patrick Geddes, Frederick Law Olmsted, and other visionary planners. I would tell him about the arboretum, my walks, and some of the events occurring there (just a few blocks from my house). During the pandemic, I began walking in the arboretum daily, usually in early evening, but occasionally in the mornings, too, taking lots of photos, which I would send to my cousin on What’s App with descriptions or a related anecdote. One morning, I posted a map of the arboretum shown at one of the information spots, along with some photos of the area by the two ponds; my cousin had always loved maps (he was responsible for the refurbishment of The Great Polish Map of Scotland), and we had a fun back-and-forth What’s App conversation about my exact location and what I could see/what he could visualize from looking at the map and my photos. Summer turned to Autumn; I documented the changing colors of the landscape and kept him up to date with the arboretum’s overall transformation. My return to the workplace meant that my walks became shorter in the evenings as the sun set earlier each night. Meanwhile, in Scotland, my cousin’s life was becoming more and more restricted; Covid rules there left him unable to venture beyond his house and garden (there is a wonderful photo of him in his greenhouse, reading an urban planning book I sent him), so he lived vicariously while I roamed at will over acres of carefully chosen and tended plant life. Sadly, he died the day after Thanksgiving after many years of living with kidney cancer, having never had the opportunity to visit the arboretum in person. When I walk there now, the beauty and peace of the arboretum are present as always, but the space holds memories of my beloved cousin as well—of the things he taught me about the historic figures who pioneered designs for community, the importance of dedicated public and green spaces and environmentally sound planning—most of all, the memory of daily shared joy in the loveliness of this spot, when I was unable to travel to Scotland and he was unable to venture beyond his garden gate. For that, I thank you.