Alcatraz

"Deliverance must be searched for, because each man makes his own prison” -Edwin Arnold

View from the Dock of THE ROCK

We took a ferry ride to the island...

The kids enjoyed looking over rails.  I told Hannah (the orange coat under David's armpit) to look for mermaids. 

Daddy and his girls.

I asked one of the many people watching us, to take our picture. I've learned that I might as well put them to use ;)    We had a friendly conversation afterwards where their (typical) questions were answered, as others waiting to unload listened on.  ("Are they all yours?  Are you having any more?  Are you mormon? And to me-  How old are you?")  Mostly though, people will smile and tell us we have a beautiful family.  That is nice to hear :),  even if I do question it's validity!

Hannah

I didn't get a lot of Prison shots inside.  We were all wearing these audio headsets to hear the tour.  And of course, in good-old-fashioned Rachel style, I'm trying to keep everyone in the same spot of the audio tour, making sure we all push play at the same time and pause at the same time, while dodging the crowds of people around us and keeping track of Hannah (Paul had Mary in the stroller).  By the end of the tour, Ann and Hannah took their headsets off and were wanting to run around and were hungry and tired... and well, you know the list!  David, Elijah, Paul and I were in totally different spots of the audio tour, which frustrated my plan of how this was gonna go, Paul wasn't moving fast enough, and in the very crowded, but silent prison (everyone was listening to their headphones) all you could really hear was me in my loud whisper yelling, trying to control the situation... 

so I just gave up,

and it felt so very good.

View of San Francisco from Alcatraz.

We did a lot of walking and the girls were getting tired.  So big brothers gave them piggy back rides. 

Afterwards we had (lunch at 2:30pm!) at Red Robins.

Ann with her satisfied Cheeseburger tummy.  Sitting with Daddy. 
We don't get very much of him lately :(

I, on the other hand, have Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum on my side of the booth.

Mary was giving out hugs from her high chair left and right.

Paul dropped me off at Walgreens on the way home so I could get Elijah a pencil box and David a pencil sharpener for school.  I greatly enjoyed my walk home- alone. 

Then when I got home I took Ann and Elijah to the post office, grocery store, and Blockbuster video where we rented Escape From Alcatraz.  We watched it, piled up on top of each other, with bowls of vanilla icecream smothered in hot fudge.  It's rated PG, but we had a few eye closing scenes and "don't ever repeat that word" scenes.    By the time the movie was over, we were all so sleepy.  Paul and I went around and tucked everyone in with snuggly blankets, hugs and kisses.  Paul finished up packing for a trip and I settled into bed with my Human Events newspaper, but didn't get very far before I slipped into dreamland. 

"One of the many lessons that one learns in prison is,

that things are what they are and will be what they will be.” -Oscar Wilde