December Workday wrap-up

Not just leaves, but also branches and twigs have been falling in the Panhandle this month, and so we began yesterday's workday raking and filling dozens of wheelbarrows full in the garden around the playground. The small plants were glad to be uncovered.  

A bigger project also awaited the sixth grade class from the Day School and other volunteers: moving the soil from a long-neglected pile that had been left unused on the paved area east of the playground.

The soil had become heavy and compacted over time, so it took extra work to shovel and wheelbarrow over to some nearby trees.

We spread the soil around the grove of elms and pittosporums near Oak/west of Masonic Ave.

We took our break by the massive eucalyptus that stands nearby.

Emmett and his dad investigated a drain that we had uncovered. It's full of silt, so will take some further maintenance and further before it can do its job. Maybe when it works again it'll reduce the boggy conditions at the northeast end of the pavement.

Charlie and his crew were on hand and helped us finish the job.

Some volunteers asked me, "what is this space?" The simple answer is that it's a very useful paved space: birthday parties, Tai Chi groups, and bicycle ballet rehearsal all make frequent use of it. Historically, it's a reminder of the roadway that used to wind down the center of the park. Here's the area between Ashbury and Masonic in a 1938 aerial photo (and visit the image at the David Rumsey Map Collection to zoom in and see the surrounding area).