Love Letters to Parks
My love affair with parks…
Posted on 1/25/2010 at 7:19:02 PM
Dear San Francisco Parks,
My husband Joe and I are in love with you. Let me tell you why….
We both arrived in San Francisco 40 years ago and spent that time raising our respective families. Our families were linked by friendship through schools and neighborhoods. Joe’s family attended as many weeks as possible at Camp Mather, our City’s family park in the Sierras. Later along with his late wife Socorro, they became advocates for Camp Mather and regular volunteers. Joe now sits on the Board of Directors of Friends of Camp Mather, where he is helping with many tasks but among them a Memory Garden to commemorate loved ones at the camp.
My love affair with parks began in Golden Gate Park when my son was an infant and my home didn’t have a back yard. I discovered that I really had the biggest back yard of all, with the parks all around me in the Haight. In 1998 I moved to Crocker Amazon with my late husband Jack, where together with our dog, we discovered Crocker Amazon Playground and the unbelievably beautiful John McLaren Park. I helped start FACE – Friends and Advocates of Crocker Amazon and the Excelsior – a booster club whose mission is to promote the fun and beauty of our neighborhood resources; parks are at the top of that list.
So after being widowed for a number of years, Joe and I began our own love affair. When we started to plan our wedding, we thought parks had to be part of it. In November, we were married in beauty of 
Yosemite Valley with our children and grandchildren around us. But to celebrate our marriage with all our extended family and many friends, we wanted to do something special in San Francisco. So we will have our “reception” this coming June at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park. The theme will be a celebration of parks and advocacy. We will be inviting our fellow park volunteers, family and friends to experience the joy we have found in our City’s green spaces.
And if that was not enough, we recently moved into a house directly across the street from Balboa Park. We live and breathe parks and would not have it any other way.
Love,
Linda and Joe Litehiser
February 7th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Well done Linda and Joe.
Yours is a beautiful story concrening The Parks,
The *Community Playground* for all ages.
Where children play – Dogs run – Couples fall in love.
Families enjoy picnics and Senior Citizens enjoy strolling and relaxing in their Golden Years.
The Parks are an unclaimed treasure in any community.
Yet they are taken for granted, underestimated as the heart and soul of neighbourhood.
So lets make this year – The year of the Park.
Everybody take a little more time to visit and enjoy your local park, regardless of its location of size.
Acknowledge the people you meet there,smile and enjoy each moment in the fresh air, sunshine snow or rain. After all God has blessed your community with people like Linda and Joe who have worked hard behind the scenes to ensure you have a Park today.
Bright blesings Catherine
February 7th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
what a nice letter!! can’t wait for camp mather!! love you both
February 11th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Thanks Linda and Joe.
My first crush ever was at Camp Mather. 40 years later and that crush is on Mather. I saw my first Dead concert at GGP. I can still “smell” that era. It was an innocent and fun time with many fond memories. Our parks are our treasure and refuge, and hopefully they’ll be around to generate more special memories by the generations to follow.
Congratulations on your marriage. I’ll be there with the hubby to help you celebrate in June.