On the plains of Runnymede
Jan Gunn and Dolph Rosekrans
In the year of 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta at Runnymede. Of course, that was in England. Today, we visited Runnymede in Woodside, on the Peninsula. There is no King John there;, the lord of the manor is Dolph Rosekrans, the grandson of Alma de Brettville Spreckels, one of the great grand dames of San Francisco society and a noted bridge player.
Mrs. Spreckles was a huge patron of the arts, and a driving force behind the Palace of the Legion of Honor. That tradition has been carried on at Runnymede, where Dolph’s brother John and his wife have adorned the 250 acres with a mind boggling array of sculpture.
We were there because we have the good fortune to be friends with Keith and Jan Gunn, and Keith is a long time tennis and bridge friend of Dolph. Life is who you know, don’t ever forget it. Jan brought a picnic lunch for us to share with Dolph, who gave us a tour of a couple of the buildings on site, then we set off to see the more than 160 works of art strewn about the premises.
Jan makes a good picnic
I recognized the names of a few of the artists, we even have some pieces by two of them, Gale Wagner and William Wareham. The rest of the art is way above my pay grade–I don’t have any commentary, just look at it and enjoy. You can click on any photo to see a larger version.
We consider ourselves inordinately lucky to have had the opportunity to visit this private art reserve. The family occasionally permits groups to visit, but they don’t get the kind of time and access we enjoyed. Life is good.
Totally Unauthorized 