FLOWER SHOP CHRONICLES - JUNE 2022
FLOWER SHOP CHRONICLES
Memorial at Aquatic Park
"The Rainbow" is Back!
E-Gift Certificates
"Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves."
—Rabindranath Tagore
Epic Memorial at Aquatic Park
Elizabth Glass was the consummate volunteer who had all the answers She was also the rare athlete who did three sports--swimming, rowing and handball. Chris Bruno was a gregarious swimmer and prolific writer who used to corral swimmers into his vintage ambulance and deliver them to Crissy Field. From there they would swim to Aquatic Park. Wayne Black was a handball player and constant fixture at the club, willing to pitch in for any thankless job that needed to be done.
I am the current rowing commissioner and resident florist at the Greatest Club on Earth, The South End Rowing Club. We are a family. And when somebody dies, it hits us hard. We inevitably hold a memorial resembling a huge party with plenty of loud story-telling, toasts to the deceased, an elaborate slideshow presentation and generous pours of Jameson. We row to Alcatraz to scatter ashes and rose petals as grieving family members aboard a chartered boat look on. Or tuck carnations between our goggle straps and swim caps and swim without wetsuits to bouys or other markers in the bay that hold sentimental value. Grieving family members are often bewildered but not particularly surprised the spectacle. To be a Southender is to be a special kind of crazy that sometimes spans generations.
We are a large club with about 1800 members and during the pandemic we lost 33 due to various causes. We grieved together a lot over social media and at off-site mini-memorials -- bearing in mind the various safety protocols in place at the time. When we reentered the club we could feel the void of our lost pod-mates, handball partners and rowing buddies. That locker room neighbor we were so used to bumping into was no longer there. The volunteer we had counted on so much to clean up in the cook shack was gone. The board member with the unmistakeable cackle could no longer be heard.
We couldn't celebrate our lost members properly for nearly two years. Even when the club reopened we remained cautious about letting un-vaccinated members and guests in as coronavirus variants emerged. That is until a couple months ago when beloved South End member and former boat house captain, Cy Lo, sensed the void we all shared and came up with a plan to memorialize our members with a vision of grandeur that made perfect sense to the rest of us: by holding a row-swim-run triathlon and hand ball tournament followed by an outdoor lunch. Family members would be invited. And so would our neighbors, the Dolphin Club and the Wahine Outrigger Canoe Club. We would celebrate 54 lost members in total.
On Saturday, June 11th about 250 people turned out to row, swim, run, play handball and celebrate those who lived their lives to the fullest at Aquatic Park. The skies were sunny, the air was a perfect 76 degrees. The swimmers agreed the water felt "balmy" at 56 degrees. To organizer, Cy Lo, the event "and especially the flowers" exceeded all expectations. "It wouldn't have happened without everyone pitching in," he said. That's how things are done at the South End.
To this florist, rower and swimmer it will be a day I cherish forever. As I sat in the coxwain seat of the barge during the oars up "Viking salute", I could hear faint singing from the shore and feel my heart begin to heal.
SERC member Cathy Bump had a big idea. She wanted to decorate the Thayer bouy affectionately know as the "Oprah buoy" in honor of swimmer Trudy Molina. The bouy got its nick-name from the time Oprah Winfrey gave an interview while standing on the South End dock. Trudy used to kiss the bouy as did Lisa Amarao, another South Ender who passed recently. Photos by South End photographers.
A dozen volunteers like Hilary Walters (pictured) showed up the evening before the service to help with flowers. In addition to decorating the "Oprah bouy", we made flower crowns and leis and festooned the boats. ( x's and o's to Sian Llewellyn)
"Fast Eddie" Peinado helped to oversee the placement of Trudy Molina's "swim bonnet" on the "Oprah bouy".
The South End and Hurley barges were festooned with wreaths and garland.
Family members were given a leis to toss in honor of their loved ones.
San Francisco Fire Department Station 35 showed up and showered us with an incredible fire boat water display.
South End swimmer, rower, former Boat House Captain, and part-time cowboy came up with the vision and hatched a plan. "It wouldn't have happened without everyone pitching in," he said.
Boaters gathered at Coughlan Beach near the Wave Organ. It was a windless and sunny 76 degree day.
Boat House Captain Dennis Puglisi (seen here in flower crown) puts a lot of love and hard work into maintaining our fleet. He rowed in the Hurley.
Cathy Bump (left) was very happy wth how the bouy turned out. It even smelled good!
Back by Popular Demand!
"The Rainbow"
Back by popular demand! Color runs riot in this limited edition floral arrangement. June is PRIDE month and we need flowers in every color of the rainbow to properly celebrate our LGBTQIA community and allies. This selection is perfect for that special drag queen, fag hag, bear, butch or unicorn in your life.
E-gift certificates available online
E-gift certificates make it easy to give the gift of flowers without actually giving flowers.You can order them off our website to be used anytime for anything on our website. Couples even list Bell and Trunk e-gift certificates on their wedding registries.
"Flowers. Silence. Departure."
- John Dolan
Flower Subscriptions--Perfect for every season
The gift that keeps on giving and is perfect for any occasion is the popular Bell and Trunk flower subscription. Choose a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly subscription for pick-up or delivery and you all enjoy watching the seasons change through the assortment of fresh flowers we hand select and design just for you!
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