We appreciate all the neighbors who took the time to decorate their homes in honor of the season! 

Mystery at Ord/Corbett Park! 

A mysterious candlelit gathering took place at 6pm at Ord/Corbett Park on Saturday, December 20th and lasted until the wee hours of the morning. When approached, the group said that they were inducting people into the "Cult of the Infinite Circle" and began walking on the infinity symbol on the ground. 

Though the group was loathe to share more information, our CHN investigative team learned that the gathering was part of the "5th Annual Midwinter Magic" event with a distributed map showing the infinity symbol spanning from Juri Commons in the Mission to "Naga" the Golden Gate Park dragon. There were various activities along the way, including live music and food. The center of the infinity symbol was Ord/Corbett Park, and the dress code was all red or white.

This group was also responsible for the white marks seen on neighborhood sidewalks, which was their path around the city. 

For any tips on future neighborhood mysteries, please call the CHN hotline: 1-800-NOT-REAL

Annual January Survey

This year’s survey asks your opinion about our General Membership meetings. 

For almost twenty-five years, CHN has held quarterly General Membership meetings.  During Covid, our meetings were virtual.  Our speakers have included Rafael Mandelman, Terry Asten Bennett, representatives of San Francisco Planning and the Neighborhood Coalition, representatives of Stop Crime, candidate panels for public office positions, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriquez, Mike Ege, and many more.  These meetings are an opportunity to meet your neighbors, hear from speakers, and ask questions.  We would like to know how you regard these meetings. 

You can access the one-minute survey here. If you cannot access Google Forms, let us know by contacting us at [email protected], and we will send you the survey via email.  Thank you for responding.

Sweetgum Corner (17^th and Mars Street)

On April 7, 1922, improvements to the corner of Mars and 17^th Street were approved in accordance with the Street Improvement Ordinance of 1918. Some of the expense was to be the responsibility of the property owners, payable in ten installments. The area that was to be improved is described as:

The improvement of Mars street, between the southerly curb line of Seventeenth street and a line at right angles with the westerly line of Mars 

Street at a point 150.68 feet northerly from Corbett avenue, by grading to official line and grade, by the construction of two brick manhole covers with cast iron frames and galvanized wrought iron steps; by the construction of one brick catchbasin, with cast iron frame, grating and traps and 10-inch vitrified, salt-glazed, ironstone pipe culvert; by the construction of a reinforced concrete retaining wall, including stairway and railing appertaining thereto; by the construction of artificial stone sidewalks; by the construction of 14-foot central strip of vertical fiber brick pavement from a line at right angles to the easterly line at Mars street at a point 52.78 feet southerly from the second angle southerly from Seventeenth street to the existing pavement at the southerly termination of this improvement; by the reconstruction of basal block concrete pavement at the intersection of Seventeenth and Mars streets, and by the construction of an asphaltic concrete pavement on the remainder of the roadway thereof (San Francisco Chronicle, April 7, 1922, page 19). 

The contract for the work was awarded to Clarence B. Eaton on June 21, 1924.
 

Here are several photographs of Mars Street. The first shows Mars from Kite Hill, circa 1895.  There are no houses at Mars at 17^th. 

The next photo, circa 1921, shows an empty lot at the corner before any street improvements.  Number 4 Mars remains intact as built; 11 Mars has not yet moved to this location from Falcon Street (now the Slope);  33-37 is greatly altered; and 41-43 remains with some alteration. 

Another 1921 photograph taken from 17^th looking south on Mars. Houses 11 and 32 not present; 52 had yet to be greatly altered. 

The 1925 photograph below shows a house and half built structure at what most likely would be 2 Mars.  The Belle-V Apartments now at the site was built in 1961 by the same family (Ryan) that built the large apartment building at the southwest corner of Uranus and 17^th and who also owned the grocery store at 4499 17^th Street.

Another photograph after the street improvements, circa 1926. Note the garage structure at 2 (?) Mars or 4465 17^th. 

The Park Lane Tract map below shows the division of the lots in 1885. The 1905 Sanborn map shows 6 houses on the west side and 3 structures on the east side on 2 lots . (Note: the lot numbers on Mars have changed.) It appears that large triangular lot on the southeast at Corbett was subsequently subdivided (one lot to three). 

Why is it called Sweetgum Corner?  The botanical name of the trees planted there is Liquidambars styraciflua, native to the eastern United States from southwestern Connecticut to Florida. Five trees were planted by CHN in the early 2000s. Neighbors on Mars have long taken an interest and cared for the corner.  On December 7, 2025, a dozen neighbors and CHN Board Members met to discuss plans for upkeep and future plantings.  The top priority of the group was to trim the five Sweetgum trees and the Coast Live Oak. Updates to follow. 

Shiloh’s Way

At the other end of Mars, adjacent to 75 Mars, we have Shiloh’s Way. The owner of 75 Mars tells us about the stairway.   

In 2013, we purchased the long-neglected parcel at 75 Mars Street with the intention of creating not only a home, but a meaningful improvement to the fabric of our neighborhood. As part of the entitlement and design process for what is now our house, we recognized an opportunity to restore a long-imagined pedestrian connection between Corbett Avenue and Mars Street. What had once been an inaccessible, overgrown hillside could instead become a graceful public staircase—an everyday amenity that would knit together our hillside community and offer a safe, beautiful passageway for neighbors. That vision ultimately became Shiloh’s Way, named in honor of our beloved dog Shiloh.

Shiloh’s Way was designed with care and quickly became a favorite route for dog-walkers, parents, commuters, and anyone who appreciates a quiet, tree-lined shortcut. The staircase provides a continuous walking path that the neighborhood had long desired, transforming an unused slope into something shared, welcoming, and genuinely useful. Over time, it has even grown into a small local landmark; the path is now a popular spot on Google Maps, drawing people who enjoy its charm, plantings, and unexpected sense of discovery.

To ensure the staircase remains a pleasant and safe experience for everyone, we installed and continue to personally maintain the lighting, landscaping, and overall upkeep. The goal has always been to offer a small public good that enhances daily life for those who live here. Seeing so many neighbors embrace Shiloh’s Way over the years has been deeply rewarding, and we’re grateful that this simple project has contributed something lasting, beautiful, and beneficial to our community. 

Jonathan Deason, Esq. and David Michaels

Eagle Spotted on Corbett Avenue

CHN Financial Accounts

On December 17, 2025 CHN received 82.11% of our lost San Francisco Parks Alliance misappropriated funds.  We are most appreciative and many thanks to all who made this happen.  You may wonder why we continue to ask for donations and dues renewals. 

Our expenses are mainly for our gardener whom we pay $740 a month to maintain three of our largest parks.  That’s $8,890 a year.  Without your donations and dues, it is not sustainable.  As of this date, we have 93 paying dues members, down from 149 at our peak.  Many (25) of you received refunds that we were able to secure from SFPA, and many (30) have not reviewed memberships. Our mail list is over 300 and over 80% read the monthly newsletter.  If you are one of the 150+ who have never been a member, please consider joining. In February, the membership list will be updated to include only paid memberships. Please let us know if you wish to continue to receive the Neighborhood News.  We appreciate your consideration!

Richie’s Picks: DEAR ACORN (LOVE, OAK): LETTER POEMS TO FRIENDS by Joyce Sidman and Melissa Sweet, ill., HarperCollins/Clarion, September 2025, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-35-833476-7

“Happiness runs in a circular motion

Thought is like a little boat upon the sea

Everybody is a part of everything anyway

You can have everything if you let yourself be”

– Donovan, ‘Happiness Runs’ (1969)

“DEAR RIVER,

I’ve jittered and danced

in your silvery arms,

tumbled asleep

to your burbling song,

chattered and rolled as you scoured me smooth 

and dropped me to rest

in a small, still pool.

Now I gleam in the sand

like an awestruck eye,

watch the moon

grow 

round

in its river of sky.

Quietly yours,

Pebble”

“TO PEBBLE:

From 

high,

craggy 

places,

I pour

myself

down 

from hillside

to valley, through

forest and town.

I trickle, I gurgle, 

I gallop and gush.

I surge toward

the sea in an endless

rush. but tonight, as

the moon drops its

shimmering dew, all I want is

to curl in the shallows with you.

Marsh grass trailing. A night bird’s trill.

just for a moment, I want to be still.  

From River”

Beginning with a pair of letter poems exchanged between a mature oak, and an acorn that’s hanging high in its branches, DEAR ACORN (LOVE, OAK) features connected pairs of one relatively small and one relatively large thing. The pair of objects exchange letter poems with one another. These are poems that delight with their varying perspectives. There’s a coat and a button; a floating bubble (that a kid has blown) and the sky; baby sea turtles and the ocean; a schoolhouse and one of the bricks in its facade; and a child and their toes. 
 

Within this format, Joyce Sidman’s poetry coupled with Melissa Sweet’s immediately-recognizable palette and style (consisting of watercolor, collage, vintage papers, and mixed media). means that two of my generation’s much-heralded children’s book creators have gotten together and crafted a stellar collection of illustrated poetry that will put a grin on readers’ faces. Between its wonderfully illustrated and poetic qualities, DEAR ACORN (LOVE, OAK): LETTER POEMS TO FRIENDS is a must-have, and a title to watch when January’s awards time approaches.

It was particularly exciting to discover that the backmatter includes a page of instructions for readers to interact with the book by developing their own similar pair of letter poems. The process begins with choosing a subject, studying it closely, thinking why it’s important, and then drafting a pair of letter poems between your two chosen objects. We are instructed to,

“Start with a complement or two…; ask a question or two…; and end with a wish or two. Then write a reply.”

Having had so much fun consuming Joyce’s and Melissa’s letter poems, I had to give it a try. Here’s my first pair of letter poems:

Dear Red Grape,
 

Hanging with all your buddies in a bunch,

Like a flock of wrens in my tree,

You all fit in so well, together,

Close, smooth, and merry as can be.

How do you stay so sweet

Without an inch of room to spare?

Do you ever covet some alone time?

Or do you just not really care?

I hope you never abandon 

Your agreeable disposition

And end up a sourpuss

Like a lug in my position.

Hugs,

Red Grapefruit

Dear Red Grapefruit,

Try to be patient

My behemoth and sour friend!

Hang out in the sun some more, and–

I assure you–your bitterness will begin to end.

Don’t let your neighbors rub you the wrong way

Your thick skin can serve you well.

Believe me–avoiding songbirds, squirrels, and foxes, 

Without the cluster to protect me,

Would be a living hell.

Relief, when they choose a different bunch to munch,

Can be short-lived, and a chore.

For once they discover our neighbors’ sweetness,

they always come back for more.

You’re so majestic and yellow

Like a tiny world, apart.

Be patient and, I betcha, one day, 

You’ll ripen into a perfect sweet-tart.

Hugs backatcha,

Red Grape

Richie Partington, MLIS

Richie's Picks  http://richiespicks.pbworks.com

https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/    

[email protected]

Did You Pay Your Dues?  Here’s the link:  Donate

Thank you for your support!

You can contact us at:

[email protected]

Joey Accordino

Leslie Koelsch

CHN Newsletter Committee
January 1, 2026