PhinneyWood reader Phil Fenner was strolling at Green Lake the other day when he came across a couple tending to the lovely little garden and seating area next to the crosswalk on Aurora Avenue.
He’d always wondered about the place, so he stopped to chat with them.
On the Greenlake path along the thin strip where Aurora comes right alongside the lake, you’ll find the “Crosswalk Rockery,” a volunteer-built and maintained memorial garden. A bench and landscaping are dedicated to Tom’s Grandma. 4 lilac trees were planted there for her 4 sisters. A cobblestone path was built by High school students, which curves around to “hug” everyone like Tom’s grandma loved the place and people of the neighborhood. A plaque in the pavement by the bench gives the specifics of the memorial – but unlike many others of these memorial benches, this one is surrounded by flowers and trees. At the moment, a row of daffodils lines the rim of the retaining wall.
Built 10 years ago and maintained by them ever since, Tom & Ruth & Larry moved to Northgate but they come back and spend a day a couple times a year fixing it up. Tom says if the “roar of Aurora” annoys you, “just think of it as a waterfall in the background! Or plug-in your earphones.”
