stephanie + brandon: alluring alcatraz

Saturday, April 2, 2011

alluring alcatraz

It was such an awesome experience to see Alcatraz in person! I am SO glad that we were able to go, although the weather was very foggy and dreary, it actually kind of made the experience that more interesting. We opted for the night tour because it got such great reviews and had more touring options! It was the best tour and I have to say I think it was probably the most packed tour package.
We only had a park tour guide from the boat up to the door of the main prison. The rest of the tour was narrated by audio sets, they even had voices of some of the prisoners that were there!! The dreary weather made you feel like you were taken back to when the prison was actually in operation, it was kind of awe-inspiring actually!! Below are our inmate tour narrators and what they were in for: (clockwise from top left) Leon "Whitey" Thompson ~ Weapons, John Banner ~ Bank Robbery, James Quillen ~ Kidnapping, Darwin Coon ~ Bank Robbery.

The picture on the left is the normal vent hole in a inmates room. The picture on the right is the vent hole, after one of the inmates in the famous escape, dug out around it to make it bigger so he could fit through. If memory serves me correct I believe he used the end of a spoon!! You can see, also in the picture on the right, the board in the left corner that he used to cover the hole when the guards would walk the hallways...

"The Hole" better known as Isolation/D Block
was quite interesting. They are similar to the normal cells but just a bed, toilet, and sink. There are no shelves on the wall or a writing shelf. In front of the row of cells is a gap, big enough for you to walk in and turn around, then there is like a very thick concrete wall further out from the cell with a door that closes and makes it completely dark in the cell!! Of course I was walking in to take a look around!! :) Brandon decided he would just stand out in the room and take pictures. ;)

This picture gives you an idea of what the prison halls look like. I, myself, have never been in a prison besides this one, so it was really neat to be on the outside looking in!! :)

The Gun Gallery! This gallery is level with the second floor cells but only accessible by ladder. Below (and please excuse my cameras ability to take a good picture, the white dots) you will see that it spans the width of the room!! That's A LOT of guns!! :) There was an escape attempt where several prisoners were able to pry into the gun gallery and take guards hostage (one killed) to get their keys but when they got to the door leading outside...they didn't have the right keys...Failed!!

This is the hallway between cell rows B and C where the men (of which none were ever found) who dug holes out in their cells went to. Once in this hallway they climbed up and out of the prison (in a shorter story).

Our boat that took us from San Fran to the island!!

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100 Things I Want To Do Before I'm 100

1.) Give birth. (I could just say I want to be a mother, but I wanted to make it clear that I actually want to experience giving birth...oh, and I want to do this 2 times!)
2.) Teach someone how to knit.
3.) Teach someone about the gospel.
4.) Publish something.
5.) Learn how to play a classical song on the piano.
6.) Wear a fancy dress to a fancy play. The dress should probably be black...and sparkly!
7.) Help design and build my own home.
8.) Go to another country.
9.) Get my masters degree.
10.) Get my PhD.
11.) Have a huge party to celebrate my 75th wedding anniversary with my husband.
12.) Go on another cruise. A Norwegian cruise, preferably.
13.) Be on T.V. (Even if I'm just in the background waving!)
14.) Shake the President's hand.
15.) Ride a camel!! This idea just came to me, but it automatically became a must.)
16.) Paint a picture.
17.) Win an award or contest.
18.) Learn to sew something wearable.
19.) Visit cemeteries of my ancestors.
20.) Get a cute golden retriever puppy!
21.) Have flat abs...not like a 6 pack or anything...but something bikini-worthy! ha ha :)
22.) Hear my first child say "Mama" for the first time.
23.) Have nice furniture. I know this may sound superficial, but I just really want it!
24.) Have a library.
25.) Meet a celebrity.
26.) Get a picture of me, my husband, and all our kids in front of our own fireplace.
27.) Give a speech somewhere important.
28.) Go on a church mission trip.
29.) Pay for a random stranger's groceries or meal at a restaurant.
30.) Own more than 25 pairs of shoes.
31.) Eat dinner at the Space Needle.
32.) See the leaning tower of pisa.
33.) Spend a week in Paris!
34.) Own a dyson vacuum.
35.) Teach kindergarten.
36.) Swim with dolphins.
37.) Go to Disney World.
38.) Go to Sea World.
39.) Be on The Price is Right!
40.) Go on field trips with my kids.
41.) Own a sports car.
42.) Ride in a Nascar car.
43.) Witness a miracle.
44.) Sleep in my own hammock.
45.) Eat a fresh pineapple.
46.) Go snowboarding.
47.) Go snow skiing.
48.) Go rock climbing.
49.) Win a game of Monopoly.
50.) Bench press more than 20 pounds.
51.) Scrapbook.
52.) Grow a vegetable garden.
53.) Catch a butterfly...then set it free.
54.) Ride a roller coaster...a non-scary one preferably.
55.) Take a yoga class.
56.) Read the Bible in its entirety.
57.) Teach my cat to fetch.
58.) Live at the beach.
59.) Own a "beach house".
60.) See all my children get married.
61.) Be a grandmother.
62.) Be a great-grandmother.
63.) Live in a state where it snows.
64.) See my family genuinely happy.
65.) Stand under a natural waterfall.
66.) Have long hair again.
67.) Be an "expert" scrabble player.
68.) Learn how to bait my own hook.
69.) Have a bunch of cash and throw it up in the air. :)
70.) Kiss Brandon under the Eiffel Tower.
71.) Go to every state in the United States.
72.) Eat Italian food in Italy.
73.) Smash an old car with a big huge metal machine.
74.) Go to Bethlehem.
75.) Win a prize at the fair.
76.) Never get a speeding ticket.
77.) Go to Israel.
78.) Keep friendships with my close friends thoughout my entire lifetime.
79.) Make a difference.
80. Play the violin.
81.) Support Brandon in his goals and ambitions.
82.) Stay healthy and fit.
83.) Have more than 2 cats at one time.
84. ) Get a dozen pink roses.
85.) Be able to fit in my wedding dress after I've had all my children.
86.) Ride a tractor.
87.) Have a son and a daughter.
88.) Do fun activities with my children.
89.) Visit the San Diego zoo.
90.) Build a snowman and it last more than a day.
91.) Have straight, white teeth.
92.) Write a children's book.
93.) Design children's clothes.
94.) Build my dream kitchen.
95.) Cook fabulous meals in that dream kitchen!
96.) Have a retirement plan.
97.) Have a wrap-around porch around my very own built home.
98.) For my children to never have to worry.
99.) Contribute to world peace.
100.) Live to be a happy, active 100-year-old woman!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

alluring alcatraz

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