Memories Project

I took a hidden path in the arboretum and it lead me up a hill and at the top were a group of young horses. I played guitar for them and they seemed to like it so I came back and played for them several more times. It was very peaceful to sit with them in a time when hanging out with other people was risky.

We have truly enjoyed being gardeners at the wonderful Arboretum since 2009. We've had excellent leaders (Ryan, Mary, Stacey) who have told us each time exactly what/where to do our gardening. And we've spent time in numerous areas of the Arboretum and beyond which has also been our pleasure. We also became volunteer stewards several years ago (in addition to our regular volunteer gardening duties); so when our team was not together, we could garden by ourselves. Again, it's been a true pleasure to serve as gardeners at the marvelous Arboretum!

In addition, many times we've also served as plant counters at the plant sales....again, we truly enjoy everything!

The Arboretum has been a constant for me throughout the different seasons and changes it goes through and was a sanctuary to me during the first year of the pandemic. I remember showing up to class without checking my email announcing class was optional due to concerns over COVID-19 and being confused at the primarily empty class during finals week. Since I was already on campus that day I went to the arboretum so I could simply sit, be still, as well as enjoy the lush greenness and ducks. Every time I visit I enjoy being at the arboretum as if it were my first time and it always feels so peaceful and serene. In the fall of 2021, I found a card with a handwritten encouraging message for anyone who found themselves sitting on that bench in the arboretum and it completely validated the warm aura I always receive from the arboretum and those who frequent it.

I bicycle/bus to work (on Campus) from Sacramento; I arrive at 6am, alongside The Arboretum. A tedious commute melts away as I catch glimpses of magic; shimmering leaves hang on delicate branches to frame forested paths guarded by massive pines poking up at the pre-dawn sky, and ducks. Gaps between the vertical trunks are scenes; trunks are the frames; a moving picture is created as I glide along, piquing my interest of what's Nature doing over there?

My now husband Doug had planned a picnic for us at the Arboretum, I had no idea what was about to happen! He picked out a cute little area for us to eat and while he was laying the blanket out he stayed down on one knee, reached in his pocket and brought out the ring! He was so nervous! We have always loved spending time there so it was the perfect place! We still like to go and enjoy the beauty of the area!

After being away from UCD for approximately one and a half years, it was great to return this past September. I live in Sacramento and drive to/from school several days a week. Since I park my car near the Robert Mondavi Institute, and my office is in Voorhies, I walk through and enjoy the Arboretum at least twice every time I'm on campus. This past quarter, even though I was very glad to be teaching in person, the busyness of commuting, grading students' papers, and holding office hours began to wear me out in November. And that's when the weather started to get cool, foggy, and gloomy. In mid-November, I was in need of an emotional pick-me-up. As I strolled through the Arboretum on the afternoon of the 16th, sunshine streamed through the clouds, the foliage on the trees around Lake Spafford glowed brilliantly, and the ducks frolicked happily. (I'm pretty sure they were frolicking. In any case, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.) It was wonderful. The Arboretum is absolutely my favorite place in Davis.

Three years after retiring, I finally signed up to be a UC Davis Arboretum volunteer.  On our first day of training in January this year, we introduced ourselves.  Every person shared stories of tender connection to the arboretum; riding bikes with their kids; walking with family and friends; discovering new plants for their own gardens.  I didn’t know these people. Yet, in the warmth welling in my stomach, I felt an immediate web of connection to them, wound with strands of love for our shared place.

For one of our training sessions we learned to prune woody plants. I was excited to learn this skill, as my fear of harming a plant makes me a timid pruner.  Stacey, our teacher, demonstrated on an overgrown flannel bush that our group would later prune together.  Her technical knowledge and practical experience were impressive.  But most striking was how Stacey seemed to connect to the plant’s spirit, past and future, as she explained where to make pruning cuts that would best support the plant...

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The first encounter with two of my laboratory friends in person was at the arboretum. After long months in the house, being in contact with only my housemates and with others by Zoom, the arboretum at that time was a place of a little freedom and hope. A place to breathe and enjoy the company and the trees at fall. At least give us a little sensation of normality.

Two weeks after graduation John and I were married in the gazebo with a bagpiper serenading us. Two children, many dogs, and twenty-six years later we’re still married. Perfect venue. I still cherish the memories and photos.

My most happy childhood memories of Davis include picnics and afternoons at the Arboretum. I remember running around as fast as I could, rolling down hills of grass, and feeding the ducks way too much old bread. It was pure bliss. This is a photo of me and my mom (Roberta (Kidd) Allen) in winter of 1971. My parents are both UCD alumni. I followed in the family tradition and completed undergrad and law school at UCD. Even at 52, I still get that warm and happy feeling each time I explore the Arboretum.

I began college in September 2011. I just moved from China to the United States. By the Spring Quarter of 2012, I was struggling with English really hard. I was homesick. I was depressed. My Chinese culture did not help at all. The Chinese culture always promotes the mentality that "study in every and one of your waking moment."

Luckily, around March 2012, my friend Joann invited me to hang out on a weekend. Before we went back to our dorms, Joann asked me if I would like to visit the Arboretum. I said: "Sure. Why not?" Then Joann took me to see the creek in the Arboretum. It was the very first time I realized that I was allowed to have some time to relax, even when I was struggling academically.

Nine years have passed, life has thrown down many more challenges to me after college. However, my memory of that relaxing afternoon at the arboretum has always been my safe space.

We were transplanted from Los Angeles in June of 1989. I was a newly single mom of three. We were settling in to a new life in the gem of the community at Solano Park that bordered the east end of the arboretum. My children were 5, 6 and 7 and thought our nightly walks after dinner in the arboretum were the most magical adventures. Especially after coming from the inner city of Los Angeles. Being able to ride bikes around the arboretum was especially thrilling. One evening a little too thrilling when my oldest decided that it was time to conquer riding down the steepest hill in the arboretum. The angle of incline proved too much ! for the foot brakes on his little bike and if it hadn't been for the profusive foliage of a well placed bush he would have added to aquatic life of Spafford Lake. It is a memory that has become a part of our cannon of cautionary tales we give to all the new generations of bike riders in our family. 

Photo by Brina Blum on Unsplash

Before we were married, my wife Janet, and I were among many who enjoyed the Arboretum and environment along the creek [Arboretum Waterway], including the woods on hot days. We met in a Russian class in Olson Hall, a short walk from the Arboretum. I have had the opportunity to enjoy its growth in the intervening years, having recently retired after 20 years as a graphic designer for UC Davis Extension (now Continuing and Professional Education).
 

I met my husband on the UC Davis campus while we were students and spent many hours enjoying the beauty of the arboretum. It was always a respite from daily life. When our children were born, the arboretum allowed us to go hiking and biking with them in a beautiful safe place. As they grew, they enjoyed the different areas of the arboretum with friends. Now they bring their children here. I feel so lucky to have been able to live in Davis all these years and so grateful to all those who have worked diligently to maintain and improve the Arboretum for all of us to enjoy. These are my grandsons loving the path through the redwoods.

I was the newly appointed garden writer for the Sacramento Bee. I'd had one class in botany at the University of Nevada, Reno, and was completely out of my element when I was assigned to cover the arboretum. Warren Roberts (who became a great friend and source of knowledge during my 30-year career) took me on a tour of the facility and my notes must have looked like those of a student in Latin 101. I hurried back to the office and plunged into the Sunset Western Garden Book and Taylor's encyclopedia to see if I could identify plants he described like they were old friends. AND submitted what I'd written to him in hopes of catching errors. There were a lot of them. But it instilled in me the value of the arboretum and its corps of dedicated volunteers.