California was first colonized by Spain in 1542 with the discovery of the San Diego Bay. The region remained mostly unexplored for more than 200 years. Spain was known for establishing pueblos, missions and Presidios as a way of colonization. The Presidios served as military outposts which would be able to provide support in case of invasion for the pueblos and missions. They also served as trading centers as they would receive the annual supply of goods from Mexico and were also responsible for the disbursement of such goods. The first Presidios were Monterey and San Diego being established in 1769. It was in 1776 that the Presidio of San Francisco was established. It wasn't until 1850 with the discovery of gold that President Fillmore by executive order had established a military outpost at the Presidio. This was after a brief control by Mexico. By this time the Presidio had been nearly abandoned by Spain in favor of other interests. The first burial was at what was called The Post Cemetery in 1854. It wasn't until 1884 that the war department designated 9 acres as the site for the San Francisco National Cemetery. Today the cemetery spans 28 acres and over 28000 burials. It is the only cemetery within the city limits of San Francisco because in 1912 city officials passed an ordinance evicting all other cemeteries from the city limits of San Francisco (see Colma). Burials are currently denied in this cemetery unless previously reserved or if for some reason a reservation is cancelled. From the top of the hill I could see sail boats in the distance and the Golden Gate bridge on the other side. As with all military cemeteries I have seen the stones here were pretty plain and uniform as I expected. There were a few scattered stones here and there that appeared different but I had a long day already when we went to see the King Tut artifacts at the museum earlier in the day. I would have pictures of that as well if they actually allowed photography inside...as always thanks for reading.

Deez inspired this post in his own way. At one point he did a "That Thing" Thursday about himself. Well, now I'll do one about me in a round about way.

I won't show you pictures of me, but I will tell you that my full name is Rebecca Kate. Doing my family tree I was told that I was named off of the person that raised my father and someone he loves very much.

I am named off of his grandmother and my great grandmother Katie E. Hoffman. She was born in 1893 and died in 1976. We even have the old rocking chair that she used to rock my dad in when he was little. I really don't know much about Mammy Kate (that's what my dad used to call her) or her husband Pappy Spence. I heard that Pappy Spence was a bit of a boozer in his day. You can see that from the pictures I have. The two of them seemed so happy to be alive.

Pappy Spence died of leukemia in 1965. I don't know what Mammy Kate died of. Mom told me that she fell and broke her hip. She wasn't the same after that. Another death certificate will be mailed to me in the next month or so!

Anyone remember the post about Katie and William Meitzler? When I look at Katie on the right of this picture, I think I look a lot like her. I'm heavy like her. I'm built like her. I see myself in Katie. I did find out a lot of stuff about her since I received a copy of her death certificate. She died of Chronic Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart. She had it for about 1 year. Her parents where Violetta Hilbert and Thomas Hark. For some reason I feel attached to her.

Ok, now for the real trivial stuff. I am a Certified Pharmacy Technician. I work for Newhard Pharmacy Long Term Care in Northampton, PA. I just turned 28 on November 10th. My favorite color is blue. I enjoy long walks in cemeteries and I really like piña coladas so if you are a single guy...sorry. Oh, I also play World of Warcraft. I have been playing it since December 29, 2005. So yes, I'm shelling out awful amounts of money to Blizzard Entertainment.

Anything else you want to know? Ask away! I'll probably answer it.

Ok, now I'm off to play World of Warcraft. I work tomorrow 1pm to 9pm so I can stay up really late. Woot!

This weeks thing happens to be an upside down crow. As I happened upon it at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery it appeared to be stuck on a branch struggling to free itself. Being in no mood to climb a tree I stood there and watched for a couple minutes as it tried to free itself. When it finally broke free it swooped right above my head as if to say "Hey jerk can't you put down the camera for a second and help me out?". I often see crows in cemeteries and a few times I've followed them as they randomly travel from grave to grave just to see if it brings me anywhere interesting. So far, unless I'm missing some sort of message from beyond my following them hasn't led me anywhere. I did do a little research today to see what the crow symbolizes. So I began looking into Bird Mythology and have uncovered several different beliefs.

A number of Native American Tribes believed that the crow was able to see past, present and future all at once with it's far seeing eye.

The Greeks believed that the crow was a sign of impending death and therefore saw it as unlucky. They were sacred to Athena but she still would not permit them to land on the roof of the Acropolis.

In China a 3 legged crow is said to live in the sun with his 3 legs representing morning, noon and night.

Medieval Christians believed that the crow was a sign of the devil due to it's scavenging as well as a symbol of fidelity because they thought that when the crow's partner died that it would never seek a new mate.

I could not find any information on what if anything an upside down crow symbolizes. I can tell you that if you encounter one that's high in a tree that you either attempt to help it by climbing the tree or it'll buzz by your head on it's way down. That's only if it can figure out how to free itself before you become bored watching it hang there...

Normally this post would be dedicated to Wordless Wednesday but in this case I'll make an exception. Linda over at Flipside has bestowed upon us the Kreativ Blogger Award. I would like to thank the authors contributing to Cemetery Explorers who helped make this possible. They are Becky R, Terri O'Connell and our newest contributor Jeane Trend-Hill. Thanks ladies for making this site better with your articles, insights and photography. Thanks to the readers for continuing to read and view these articles.

As a rule of receiving this award I'm required to list 7 things about myself and then pass it on to 7 other bloggers. So here goes...

1. I very much dislike Italian food although I am coming around to liking Pizza again.
2. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original) is my favorite movie of all time and I really don't like chocolate ( I know, I know)
3. I'm addicted to my laptop.
4. I'd addicted to Photoshop
5. I love a good beer
6. I think there are more women that visit cemeteries than men.
7. I like anything old. Books, pictures, buildings and of course Cemeteries

Now it's time to pass this on to 7 other bloggers...in no particular order

1. Dead Man Talking - Blogging a Dead Horse which is very well written
2. AQ - Aq the Professional - Only for those with a sick and twisted sense of humor (NSFW)
3. Cheryl - Heritage Happens - Very good researcher
4. Tina - Campo Santo Holy Ground - Showing me new places in California
5. Teri - Researching our Ancestors - Interesting insight
6. Becky - Kinnexions - I've been following her on her trip
7. Carol - Reflections from the Fence - Who would have thought being in an Rv would be so fun?

Also if my authors would like to contribute 7 things about themselves it would be cool to add to this. Also if you have any other blogs you'd like added let me know. These are just my personal choices and in no way reflect the views of the other authors...Thanks again...

Jeane Trend-Hill's 7 Things

1. I can fly a helicopter.
2. I love architecture especially Gothic, Victorian, Art Deco and Noveau.
3. I collect Victorian mourning jewellery, cards and funerary.
4. I have an irrational fear of spiders (even tiny ones.)
5. I have a menagerie of crazy animals and birds.
6. I have ten tattoos.
7. I really like cheese.

Terri O'Connell's 7 Things

So here are my 7 things:

1. I love tracing my family history.
2. I love to take pictures.
3. I love to explore the local cemeteries looking for the resting places of notable, historical people.
4. I am an animal lover, we have 3 cats and a dog.
5. I love a good road trip!
6. I am a Disney addict.
7. I have 3 kids ranging from 13 to 20!

For Tombstone Tuesday, I'll be focusing on George Levan, born October 16, 1791 and died August 18th, 1845. What got me is that he had a total of 17 children. What did he do all day? Don't answer that question. Being a woman, I thought "Wow. I wonder if he died happy."

He married Mary Levan in 1810 and they had 11 children. He got married a second time. He married Christianna and had 6 children.

Ouch. Of course, he didn't feel a thing.