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Mari's dad, Vic, was hospitalized in late May after a heart attack and complications from his diabetes. We found out while we were on Maui for Memorial Day Weekend. She went back for a month to assist her family and I went back for a week to help however I could (handyMAN stuff!).

We did take one day to do some tourist stuff - a visit to the Prison on Alcatraz Island and I was able to get some nice photos of the Golden Gate Bridge on the one day that the fog didn't engulf EVERYTHING!.

The good news is that Vic is going to make it and he's doing better everyday (Vic Agrees!)


A member of the Welcome to Marin Country Committee The view of San Francisco Bay from the Obninsky home in Tiburon, CA
Debbie and Baby Michael came up to San Rafael to visit Vic in the hospital I was surprised to see deer in a upper class neighborhood above the Town of Tiburon
A great view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the water front of Tiburon The Great Wall of Snack in Vic's ICU room
Sunset over Tiburon, CA The fog from San Francisco Bay crawls over the mountain in the evening
We drove by San Quintin Prison - "The Big House" - every day on the way to the hospital Coit Tower and the Transamerica Building as seen from Pier 39, San Francisco
A view of Alcatraz from Pier 39 One of the residents of Pier 39
Pier 39, San Francisco, CA Alcatraz Island
One of the Blue and Gold ferries returning from Alcatraz A bunch of the transients that call San Francisco Bay home
I thought the twins were cute! This must be the Big Kahuna! He had a raft of his own
Mari, the tour guide Ok, who's got their flipper in my ear?!?!
A small crowd admiring the seals near Pier 39 Another view of Alcatraz Island from the pier where we caught the ferry to the island
Another view of Alcatraz Island from the ferry before we left the dock A WW-II era submarine on display for tourists
Leaving the pier enroute Alcatraz A view of the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island as we left the pier
Me enjoying the clear day as we made our way out to Alcatraz The anxious crowd on the ferry to Alcatraz
The San Francisco skyline and North Beach area More of the San Francisco sky and shore lines
The approach to landing on Alcatraz Some of the ruins that once were the Fortress and Prison of Alcatraz
Got your pass? One of the displays as we climbed the hill to the prison from the boat landing
The ruins of the Officers Club on Alcatraz The remains of the storehouse on Alcatraz
One of the newest residents of Alcatraz The guard tower above the boat landing with the Bay Bridge in the background
More of the ruins on Alcatraz This way to start to audio tour (Highly Recommended!)
One of the first displays as we entered to cellhouse Some pretty harsh rules to abide by
The Alcatraz Guard display "A" Block
"B" and "C" block - Broadway The cells were dark and small
The prisoners were numbers; not people The guards of Alcatraz were the best of the best
Another dark and cramped cell Just a few of the celebrities that called Alcatraz home
One of the few places where there was a door with a view of the outside world "A" Block was the "low rent" neighborhood
More of "A" Block I could reach across the width of the cell easily!
I'm innocent - HONEST! Al Capone was one of the Big Fish in the Big House
"D" Block - The Isolation and Solitary Confinement cells When they needed correction, this is where they were sent
It's even darker inside - especially when the door is closed! Cell 42 - home of The Birdman of Alcatraz Richard Stroud
Sometimes, the guests were not so polite to their hosts The view of San Francisco from a VERY small portal in the wall of "D" block
The way down to the exercise yard The prisoners could see the Golden Gate Bridge from the top of the exercise steps
Looking back at the cellblack from the end of the exercise yard A shoreline of San Francisco as we left the exercise yard
Interestingly tropical looking flower near the west shore of the island The fog starting to crawl back into the bay through the Golden Gate Bridge
A look back up to the cell block from the west shore of the island Another view of San Francisco and the North Beach area
Look closely and you can see the youngster the older gull is nursing The lighthouse of Alcatraz
The entrance to the Adminstration Building - now a gift shop and the beginning of the tour Another view of the lighthouse
A view of San Francisco from the fantail of the ferry before we left the island One last look towards Alcatraz as we head back to San Francisco
Alcatraz Island - a lonely place The Transamerica Building viewed from Chinatown
It looks like the Transamerica Building reaches on into outer space! Artsy-Fartsy Transamerica
One last look up the side of the Transamerica Building The Transamerica Bulding again
Coit Tower and a statue of Christopher Columbus on Telegraph Hill Looking down Lombard Street
Looking back up Lombard Street Haight-Ashbury - still home to the hippies
Me posing (freezing) in front of The Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands There really is a shoreline down below the bluff
What good is a hiking trail if it's closed? (Bird Breeding Ground!) Boy, I'm glad we weren't downwind of the rookery!
Reminants of the Cold War are still part of Marin County These weren't exactly "smart bombs"
Part of Battery Alexander ruins A Nike Missile launch site
"Surfing" - Marin County California-style These surfers must be freezing and surf fanatics
A small crowd on the beach watching the surfers at sunset The fog engulfing the Golden Gate Bridge (from the Marin County side)
What a great place to be stationed for the Coast Guard! Coast Guard Station Fort Baker
Angel Island (north of Alcatraz) in San Francisco Bay Entrance to Sausalito and Tiburon Coves
More of Sausalito, CA Finally! The day before returning to Hawaii, the fog cleared!
A clear day across San Francisco Bay The Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands
WOW! What a bridge! My best Japanese pose!
The traffic across the bridge never seemed to stop The north tower of the bridge
Just in case you need someone to talk you OUT of jumping from the middle of the bridge Angel Island, Sausalito, and Tiburon from the middle of the bridge
The East Bay Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge across the bay
San Francisco from the middle of the bridge I only walked half-way across (I didn't bring a jacket and it was too chilly for me!)
A memorial to the sea services on the Marin County side of the bridge Good thing he has a peacoat on!
A lone sailor waiting for libery call in San Francisco Semper Fi
Haze Gray Underway!