Today’s walk was a loop around the San Francisco Presidio site. My daughter and I went looking for the elusive Mountain Lake. After trekking around on the eucalyptus forested trails for 4.41 miles, we didn’t find the lake but instead viewed artist Andy Goldsworthy’s Spire installation and the San Francisco National Cemetery.
I had seen Goldsworthy’s Spire in the past but today’s version was different. Apparently there was a fire (of undetermined cause) that charred the impressive sculpture in 2020. The sculpture remains in tact but visibly different and is now fenced to keep visitors approximately ten feet away. In response to the fire, Goldsworthy stated, What I do know is that art doesn’t give up. It is resilient and fights back. It is part of our collective and personal hard-won immunity. This seems to me, a very relevant and hopeful statement, that we can apply to the pandemic that currently challenges us.
National Cemeteries are full of military history and are one of the places we honor our dead. These sites are also a peaceful place to walk. As we walked through the San Francisco site enjoying the sense of calm, my first inclination was to look for the oldest gravesite. Then it dawned on me, this is women’s history month. And there they were, the unsung wives of the deceased soldiers. Some of the women had their own headstones placed next to their husband’s. Others were like a footnote carved onto the backside of their husband’s headstone. Often these flip side notations just listing the first name, birthdate & death, and the words, “his wife.” Wow. This abbreviated foot notation of a woman’s life stopped me in my tracks.
I am very aware of the dangers of passing judgement on decisions made in the past. And I realize that my generation has different dynamics than the relationships before us. Or maybe that’s exactly the point…. With or without acknowledgement, women obviously play an important role in their families, communities and in the workplace which IS worthy of recognition. We all have mothers. Some of us also have sisters, wives, daughters, nieces, and/or granddaughters. All of us stand on the shoulders that came before us. In celebration of women and Women’s History Month, as they say, “here’s to the women!”
Enjoy my pics! #iluvtowalk #womenshistorymonth #women #history #sanfrancisco #presidio #sanfrancisconationalcemetary #art #andygoldsworthy
Goldsworthy’s Spire 
His wife 
Perspectives From My Trail 