So the other day I got to go to Alcatraz Island. Bill and I went out there to talk with a National Park Service ranger about doing some nesting seabird monitoring there in the spring. I have never been much interested in Alcatraz. I think this is the case because people seem to get creepily over-enthused about the somewhat nasty and morbid nature of the prison. I think it's probably mostly overblown, anyway, and that nowadays the lore is far more exciting than the reality. Once I was there, though, I found it to be more interesting than I had expected. One thing I didn't know is that it's really not very big. I think it appears to be much bigger than it actually is. It's not a big island nor a big prison. Being that I was there for the sake of riveting science and not for riveting tourism, we did not visit the cellhouse where the prisoners lived and the tourists go, but we did get to visit other buildings and areas where the birds and scientists go and the tourists cannot, so that was cool. In my short visit I managed to pick up a couple of interesting historical bits about the prison. For instance, when the prison was in operation, the guards lived on the island with their families, kids included, who took a school boat over to the city for school each day. Also, the prisoners did a lot of gardening on the island. That all went away over time, but they are currently working to replant the garden plots in the way they had originally been done by the prisoners. The prison closed in 1963, and in 1969 a group of about 80 native american people moved in and lived there for two years.

I finally finished the monsters! They're very cute! Also done are a few baby things for Sabrina and Lucas' baby that I prepared for the baby shower. That hat is way cuter in person, I assure you.

And lastly, a funny photo of the dog.