The shabby open space that makes up the remaining portion of the Balboa Reservoir was certainly one place where a person was unlikely to catch Covid this year. Plenty of people came to chill out, literally in the fog or figuratively in the solitude.
From February to June 2021, the reservoir land played its part in the recovery by serving as an overflow route for people in cars coming to the adjacent City College of San Francisco mass vaccination site. The goats were back for their annual munch in August. The big storm in October briefly left more standing water than this would-be reservoir ever held before. Construction on the planned housing project. for the site is due to begin in 2022. All photographs Amy O’Hair except where noted otherwise. Thanks to Susan Sutton and Joanna Pearlstein for their contributions.
A sunset at Balboa Reservoir in March 2021.This modest swing has seen a lot of both joy and contemplation over the years. Sept 2021.Masked teens, lounging on the berm. Mar 2021.
The big pine in the southwest corner of the Balboa Reservoir, which unlikely to survive the construction process. Jan 2021.In February, the Balboa Reservoir began to be used as place to route through cars on their way to appointments at the City College mass vaccination site. Feb 2021.In March, the cones got more prolific, in the overflow area for the City College mass vaccination site. Mar 2021.The Balboa Reservoir, intricately arranged with traffic cones to form a kind of maze, served as an overflow route for drivers headed for vaccine appointments at the City College mass vaccination site. Early April, 2021.Cars in the maze-like arrangement of traffic cones in the reservoir lot, being processed by workers, headed for vaccine appointments at the City College mass vaccination site. Late April, 2021.Graffito. Balboa Reservoir. Jan 2021.Goats keeping the weeds down. Photo courtesy Susan Sutton.Goats keeping the weeds down; Riordan’s new athletic field in background. Photo courtesy Susan Sutton.The naked ladies making their usual appearance on the western berm. Gardeners are advised to dig a few bulbs for planting your own garden before they are bulldozed away next year. Photo courtesy Susan Sutton.This was the first school year with a co-ed student body at Riordan High School. A casual after-school ball game on Balboa Reservoir. Sept 2021.Three Riordan students clowning on the berm. Sept 2021.A roller skater with a lot of room to maneuver. Balboa Reservoir, Oct 2021.The atmospheric river that drenched San Francisco in late October, 2021, left a lake at Balboa Reservoir, although it did not last even a day. Photo courtesy Joanna Pearlstein.The atmospheric river that drenched San Francisco in late October, 2021, left a lake at Balboa Reservoir, although it did not last even a day. Photo courtesy Joanna Pearlstein.The atmospheric river that drenched San Francisco in late October, 2021, left a lake at Balboa Reservoir, although it did not last even a day. Photo courtesy Joanna Pearlstein.
All photographs Amy O’Hair except where noted otherwise.
