A Tree for Ellen
Donation protected
Dear friends,
Our darling Ellen was happy in so many places, with so many people; but she was never more happy, ever, than when she was out in nature - and the trail wound ahead of her, ready to take her to new places. It revived her; it fulfilled her soul and her heart and her spirit, as she would hike ahead of me, taking me over the next mountain, always towards new horizons.
That is why our beloved Ellen is going to become – as per her last request – a tree. We will be using her cremains to grow a sapling and plant it in a suitable place in nature. And she will grow into something both new, but also essentially the same: a benign and beautiful organism. A thing of decent intent and harmony and strength. Contributing to the energy of this planet. And, on future days, other strong and gorgeous women will hike past her, on their own trail, getting the same pleasure from nature that our Ellen did.
We are asking for contributions towards the costs of this goal. It’s not that easy a thing to plan, and we have few concrete details yet including the cost or location. Why is this? Well, for one, Ellen never liked controlled gardens. She preferred the delicate chaos of wilderness - so we are consulting with a series of botanists and park officials to see if we can avoid selecting a ‘managed’ site but, rather, put her back into the wilderness that so fueled her. There are a number of potential sites for the planting, but all of them have protocols and permissions to be negotiated/granted. We may need to find fallback positions.
So, Ellen’s planting is a “work in progress” (as she herself used to say as a consummate producer). But, our darling Ellen will take root somewhere, this year, and stretch up towards the sun, like we all try to do. So many people who love Ellen have indicated that they think that this is a positive and resonant idea, so we ask for your contributions. Any surplus will be used for future maintenance/contributions to the host site.
The planting itself – unlike Ellen’s public and collective memorial on February 25th 2018 – will be a small family affair, but we will be documenting the process, and all friends and family will be given specific details about her final resting place. The intention is that anyone who loves and knows her can visit Ellen and still enjoy her beauty.
With much love,
Simon & Blake
Our darling Ellen was happy in so many places, with so many people; but she was never more happy, ever, than when she was out in nature - and the trail wound ahead of her, ready to take her to new places. It revived her; it fulfilled her soul and her heart and her spirit, as she would hike ahead of me, taking me over the next mountain, always towards new horizons.
That is why our beloved Ellen is going to become – as per her last request – a tree. We will be using her cremains to grow a sapling and plant it in a suitable place in nature. And she will grow into something both new, but also essentially the same: a benign and beautiful organism. A thing of decent intent and harmony and strength. Contributing to the energy of this planet. And, on future days, other strong and gorgeous women will hike past her, on their own trail, getting the same pleasure from nature that our Ellen did.
We are asking for contributions towards the costs of this goal. It’s not that easy a thing to plan, and we have few concrete details yet including the cost or location. Why is this? Well, for one, Ellen never liked controlled gardens. She preferred the delicate chaos of wilderness - so we are consulting with a series of botanists and park officials to see if we can avoid selecting a ‘managed’ site but, rather, put her back into the wilderness that so fueled her. There are a number of potential sites for the planting, but all of them have protocols and permissions to be negotiated/granted. We may need to find fallback positions.
So, Ellen’s planting is a “work in progress” (as she herself used to say as a consummate producer). But, our darling Ellen will take root somewhere, this year, and stretch up towards the sun, like we all try to do. So many people who love Ellen have indicated that they think that this is a positive and resonant idea, so we ask for your contributions. Any surplus will be used for future maintenance/contributions to the host site.
The planting itself – unlike Ellen’s public and collective memorial on February 25th 2018 – will be a small family affair, but we will be documenting the process, and all friends and family will be given specific details about her final resting place. The intention is that anyone who loves and knows her can visit Ellen and still enjoy her beauty.
With much love,
Simon & Blake
Organizer and beneficiary
Michael Masterson
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
Simon Herbert
Beneficiary