Beautiful Decay. It's what we found on Alcatraz. I was surprised by the extent of the non-prisoner presence all over the island. It seemed like a little town. Families lived there together. There were apartment buildings and homes. There was a social hall, two bowling allies, gardens. I wondered how imprisoned the families felt on the island? San Francisco is a short distance away - by ferry. Still, it seemed a curious existence to me. What was left of the buildings was just a whisper of the original structures. Now they served up education and fed curious eyes like ours and have become nesting areas for many, many birds.
"Alcatraz" means pelican or strange bird. Seagulls were the birds we saw the most of. And heard. They were vocal. The wind was the only thing more relentless than the squawking of the gulls. The history of this island goes back much further than the beginning of the infamous prison we all know. In 1863 confederate soldiers were imprisoned on the island, confederates!
 |
| The cells are five foot by nine foot. |
After we toured Alcatraz we hopped over to a yacht club and walked to the end of the jetty there, where there is a
wave organ which is an installation of a very beautiful wave-activated sound sculpture. This was potentially cooler than the prison for the boys.
 |
| The boys listening to the organ. Look in the distance, that's Alcatraz. |
 |
| Chris spent was the most patient with the organ and spent time really listening. |
No comments:
Post a Comment