click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
Not many people know, but ten points and a gold star if you know there is a pet cemetery in the Presidio of San Francisco.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
And I know a few of you "locals" are scratching your heads -- wondering EXACTLY where this is, but first let me tell you that it's out of view but you've undoubtedly passed right by it hundreds of times as you made your way to and from the Golden Gate Bridge.
Painstaking efforts have been taken to protect the pet cemetery, but it sits smack dab in the middle of the massive one-billion dollar Doyle Drive reconstruction project (((okay, NOW you know))).
It's also a great place to take photos of the Doyle Drive project and I'll be showing you some soon (((I returned with some good ones, I think))).
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
The pet cemetery is actually part of the National Cemetery a quarter mile east.
These were the pets of military families stationed here in the Presidio as late as 1989, however I noticed several graves with dates later than 1989, like Sparky in the following photo.
Since military families move frequently I didn't realize that so many of them would have pets, but apparently they did, and their intense love for their pets is evident throughout the cemetery.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
Now, Sparky's master didn't make total sense with what he wrote here, but the text sort of gives the impression that Sparky was a nasty little ankle biter.
I think it reads:
"Sparky - 1999 -- 2004
Loved by fear
Feared by many
San Francisco
Your ankles
Arf."
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
O.k. now folks, brace yourselves because I have a whole slew of these pet cemetery photos which I'll be showing here over the next few days.
This will also allow me a few extra days to get a bit more caught up with projects and my shooting schedule. Thank you for your patience and I'd like to give each and every one of you a big hug for visiting AphotoAday.
CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo.
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.
Your comments are invited and welcome.
6 comments:
It is very moving to see it in person. Maybe because it looks so makeshift... I don't know but its hard not to feel anything when you look at all the little memorials people made.
Ah Ha...I was right. When I saw the banner pic. I thought it was the pet cemetery.
Its really gone into disrepair but fascinating all the same. Brings back lots of memories of the Presidio.
Thanks Don!
I'm new to your blog, neat stuff. The photos on your BIG site are beautiful
A pet cemetary...really??? Love the images...especially the 'banner one'!!!
If the cemetary is right smack dab in the middle of this reconstruction project, does this mean all of it is to be bulldozed under?
HI TOMATE FARCIE -- Yep, there is a strong ghostly presence there, yet at the same time very peaceful and pleasant. Like a happy ending...
AND PHOTOWANNABE SUE -- I would have guessed that you and your husband knew about it, having such a long connection with the Presidio... But your mention of it being in such disrepair made me think that it must have been completely in proper-order once upon a time... I've only seen it in recent years.
AND HI ELAINE -- Really appreciate you stopping by and your mention of my "big" site made my day. I try to upgrade the selection of photos on the "big" site on a fairly regular basis -- supposed to be my best stuff, but sometimes it's hard for me to chose what's best. I give it my best... Glad you like what you saw... My pleasure, 'fer sure...
And Yes MARCIE -- A pet cemetery! A couple years ago my buddy, Troy Holden, then known as "Plug1" turned me on to the place. Blew my mind when I first saw it. Still does. And brace yourself, I'm going to have a couple more days of the pet cemetery -- I got a lot of shots.
AND SINBAD ON THE LOOSE -- Yeah, I was concerned that they were just going to bulldoze over it, but they aren't. And they are having to take great pains to work around it, although they did cut down three or four large pine trees that formrly shaded the whole plot. In size I'd say it's about 200 feet on each side of a square. But it's a great place to go look at the construction cranes -- they're all right there right up against the cemetery fence. The area isn't far from the Presidio Stables, where the SFPD has it's horses.
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