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| Prison with a view. |
With the weather in my favor, I took a walk out to the bay yesterday. The above shot doesn't show it, but much of the water was covered in sail boats.
It's still hard to imagine that from Alcatraz one had such lovely views of the bay, Marin and downtown San Francisco. I wonder if the prisoners felt sort of taunted by the fact that they were only about a mile out from town. Normal life was *just* beyond reach.
The bus ride home took me past the SF firefighter museum. Staffed somewhat sporadically by volunteers, the museum is often closed to the public. Fortunately, doors were open, so I hopped off the bus for a look-see. The massive cast iron bell above was fashioned in the late 1800s. It was used as a fire bell on Portsmouth Square (now a part of Chinatown & home to an underground car park). The bell was damaged in the 1906 earthquake. Its rim is slightly ragged with bits missing. The info. card affixed to the side of the bell reads that a fireman fought to keep it from being discarded. Good on him.
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| Doggie Heaven |
A wee (no pun intended) collection of older hydrants made for a colorful photo.
I used to have one of those old felt school banners that said Alcatraz. I wish I hadn't sold it.
ReplyDeleteAh, that would be cool to have!
DeleteTaunted or tempted? I believe that more than one prisoner made the risky/fatal decision to try and swim to land.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that the firebell wasn't discarded.
Totally tempted! There was a book and film, if I remember correctly, about one such jail-break. Didn't they swim to shore? Crazy.
DeleteFunny thing about the bell that I didn't capture was the 'typo'. 'Fire Departmet' is a little whoopsie.
How blue is your sky.
ReplyDeleteAll those old fire hydrants are wonderful to look at. A shame to let dogs pee on them.
It's pretty darn blue. Temps were around 70F. Hardly any wind.
DeleteThe hydrants are a treat to look at, to be sure.
Very nice, these colourful hydrants! These days many museums are staffed by volunteers only (and thus opened on very limited hours). Too bad there is no more money available for other staff, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteMust have been hard - though not always unjust I presume - for those prisoners, so close to the main land and yet so far away.
I remember the movie Escape from Alcatraz. Wasn't this the one when an inmate became friends with a little bird?
I think that film might have been The Birdman of Alcatraz with Burt Lancaster. I remember seeing it when I was little.
DeleteYes, it's too bad that so many museums are volunteer-run these days. -same with theater venues.
It's amazing how many boats there are out and about when the weather is good.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there were so many I thought that it might have been some sort of regatta.
DeleteDear Bea, my grandfather Ready was a fireman and died of smoke inhalation in a fire back in 1944. One of his sons, my uncle Merle, also was a fireman. So I hold firemen and their devotion to us and to their jobs in great esteem.
ReplyDeleteOn 9/11, I was watching the NBC news with Lester Holt and he said that many of the first responders on 9/11 were dying of cancer from asbestos and other toxins that were in the air and in the ash. Soon, Holt said, the number dead would surpass the number of those who died on 9/11 in the Twin Towers.
The first responders that day continued to inspire us all. Peace.
Jon Stewart has been working with various First Reponder orgs to ensure that these folk receive treatment for the illnesses contracted as a result of the toxic exposure. That these men and women were not automatically given gratis medical care as a result of their sacrifice is beyond me.
DeleteIt seems we have something in common! Both my paternal grandpa and uncle were SF firemen. My paternal great-grandma's brother was one here in town as well. I loved hearing all the old 'on the job' stories when I was young.
Dear Bea, unfortunately, my family seldom talked about the past and I was too self-centered or self-absorbed or something as a teenager to ask!!! Then I left Missouri and was gone for 50 years--everyone died and I came back as the oldest living Ready. So I've heard so few stories. Peace.
DeleteDee: I was fortunate to be able to access the SF city archives at our main branch library somewhat recently. It was there that I found out the more sort of complete story re: great-grand uncle Robert Ceiley. I had known the bare bits, but the archives really filled out the tale. Ceiley was awarded the Scannell medal of meritorious conduct for bravery. -so great to be able to access the original newspaper clippings.
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