Joanne Winer
QUARTZSITE TIMES
April 12th, 2006
One of the areas in Celia’s Rainbow Gardens that has become very popular to visitors is the area that was adopted by the Quartzsite Veterans Association several years ago.
The Veteran Association wanted to plant trees and put in benches and landscaping to honor some of their members. They chose a large piece of the gardens on the upper level, where we had placed the sundial that we had donated by a craftsman from Arcosanti.
In the years since they have started working on this area, it has grown to include many trees and benches, and even a miniature replica of an army barracks.
Many work sessions were held to get the water lines added and trees and cacti planted.
Members spent time raking the trails and adding their own personal touch to the memorials that were added along the way.
Even though the Veterans Association has recently disbanded due to low membership, several of the original members are still planning to keep up the work they started in this area of the Gardens.
This past weekend, Elmer and Margaret London, their daughter Carolyn Guthrie and her partner Gene Jones spent all Saturday morning hauling gravel and raking it into place around the sun dial and sign at the entrance to the Veterans trail.
Elmer built the little replica of the army post in his own area at the back of the trail where the family has created a beautiful planted bed in memory of his brother and Carolyn’s late husband.
The Veterans Association has been a vital part of the Gardens for many years, and we are sad that they have not been able to get enough members to keep going.
But, even though they have disbanded, they still plan on working in their area to keep it looking as wonderful as they have been doing for the past several years.
We would like to thank them all for their contributions and especially Elmer, Margaret, Carolyn and Gene for still working hard to make this a special place to remember their comrades.