Prayerbook Cross

One of the few things I like about living in my current neighborhood, where I've been for three years now, is that I can walk about four blocks and enter Golden Gate Park, through the Rose Garden no less.

So continuing in my recently begun habit of going for walks in Golden Gate Park at least once a week, and more often if I can, this morning I took Eden for our 12th walk. Why I didn't start this weekly walk tradition sooner, I don't know. In any case, today I didn't take any photos of her cavorting on the lawns because I feel safe letting her off leash only on Saturdays when the main road is closed to traffic.

Instead we went somewhere new.

I've passed this sign several times and always wondered where it led. So we followed it up a small hill and arrived at the monument in the photo at the top of this post.

You can click on the photo to make it larger (don't know why only the first photo in each post can be enlarged, but maybe someday I'll find out...), but if you don't want to I'll tell you what the inscription says:

"Presented to Golden Gate Park at the opening of the Mid-Winter Fair January 1 AD 1894 as a memorial of the service held on the shore of Drakes Bay about Saint John Baptist's Day June 24 Anno Domini 1579 by Francis Fletcher - priest of the Church of England - Chaplain of Sir Francis Drake - Chronicler of the Servise. "

I'm not completely sure about the last four words because the stone is eroded where they are carved. In fact, the area seemed a bit neglected as well. When I read it I realized that if I had gone up there just two days ago I would have been there exactly on the 430th anniversary of the event it commemorates. It's such a strange feeling to think about walking where others who are long gone have walked, and that someday I too will be long gone.

Of course I also photographed plants, some whose name I know because they had a name tag, and most whose names I do not know. Maybe I'll enlist the help of Dave's Garden again.

'Honor' Rose

The folks at Dave's Garden did it again! The photos below are of

California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)