Memories Listings

The Arboretum and Putah Creek has always been my escape strategy. As a photographer I find the ever-changing shades and seasons to be of endless inspiration. 

Practical joker friends of my father's put a sign up in the middle of what is now Lake Spafford on Picnic Day around 1968. Later Lake Spafford was officially named for my father back in 1991.

The Arboretum is a special place for my family. Though a Spafford does not live in Davis, the Arboretum is where we go to reflect on our past in Davis.

David Wilson, my American Studies professor and nature enthusiast, walked us through the Arboretum and told us all about the native plants. My aunt was a friend of Emil Mrak so I'd heard stories of the area. Flash forward to 2012 and my husband started a native garden at our school site and he planted bushes sixh as Red Bud that are at the Arboretum!! I remember it was a meditative and restful place.

I moved to the Capay Valley in 1989. I brought all my begonias from Santa Cruz. They immediately died and I realized that this climate was very different than Santa Cruz. I discovered the Arboretum and the Ruth Storer Garden and her hardy beautiful plants and thought this was the answer. These were drought tolerant plants especially selected for this hot dry summers and cold winters. I fell so in love with them that I started Cache Creek Nursery and sold plants at the Davis and Marin Farmers markets It was fun and helped support my husband and I for 27 years.

Brought my kids & husband to campus for the first time to experience Picnic Day.

When my first wife and I got married we decided to do it at the Arboretum. We met on campus, we dated and fell in love on campus, so it seemed logical that we should get married there. It was a wonderful event, we even had a large party of wedding crashers (ducks). In the end, things didn't work out, but after ten years, when we decided to move on, we went back to the Arboretum to have a private separation ceremony. We returned our rings to each other, thanked each other for the lives we shared, and gave each other "permission" to move on.

I came to Davis in 1973 with my mom to see if UCD was for me. Once we walked down to Putah Creek running through campus, I was sold. I came, graduated, worked at UCD, got married at Putah Creek Lodge. Later, we spent countless hours walking around the Arboretum while I was pregnant with my three kids, and later came to enjoy so much time when my kids were growing. Now, my kids and all my grandkids get together at the Arboretum whenever we can get together; such a great spot for families! I come back to Davis whenever I can to talk and walk around the Arboretum.

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!

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.

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.

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.