Danny's Rock

A couple of Sundays ago I was able to point out a really wee bit of St. Bartholomew's history to the most recent member of our parish, following mention of it a few days earlier; that bit is known to us as "Danny's Rock." It refers to a real rock on the grounds, near the walkway, and if you look at this slightly enhanced photo you can see a part of it.

Not very exciting, is it?

Back when St. Bartholomew's was putting up the building, we had a shepherd-coyote mix (a very intelligent dog, by the way), a bit of a "rock-hound," named Danny. (How he came by his name is a story all by itself.) He loved to dig up and even chase after rocks, if we were foolish enough to throw them. Not good for his teeth.

But in the middle of one of the frames we were laying for the concrete walkway there was a rock which had to be dug out and removed. As soon as we started in on it, Danny was right there digging. He wouldn't be shooed away. Despite his "help," we finally got the rock up and out of the way, and left it alongside the walkway while he tried unsuccessfully to move it, barking noisily.

In the years following the rock became overgrown with planted groundcover (some native plant), a tree sprung up alongside it, it disappeared from view and Danny, grown old, passed on.

But for a (very) few of us Danny's Rock remains there still, a small reminder of the time when the church was built.