My Grandpa~

My Grandpa is very ill and will not be with us much longer~

*My Grandpa passed away soon after I posted this.*

I never lived near my Mom's parents...they lived in California and I was an Air Force kid living all over the place.  

I did not grow up spending lots of time with my Grandpa Stewart...but that does not mean I don't have wonderful memories of my Grandpa...he is a man I love~

I thought it appropriate to share one of my most favorite experiences with my Grandpa.

Steve and I with my Grandpa Stewart, our honeymoon, Alcatraz Island~

Steve and I got married in 1998 and chose to honeymoon in California.  We spent a few days enjoying the wonderful city of San Francisco before enjoying some more days in Yosemite.  

One of those fabulous days in San Fran was spent going to Alcatraz Island...with my Grandpa and my aunts Amy and Julia and cousins Stewart and Jenna.  When you go to Alcatraz with my Grandpa, you get the Royal Treatment...a very personal tour with your own park ranger and you get to do things the average visitor doesn't get to do.

You see, my Grandpa lived on Alcatraz Island when he was a kid.  

My Great Grandfather was a prison guard on The Rock and his family lived there with him...along with lots of other "guard families".  The families lived in an apartment building there on the island and the kids took a ferry back to the mainland every day to go to school...catching the ferry was pretty important...it's not like missing the bus :)

Alcatraz Island and ferry boat~

When we went to Alcatraz, we were escorted around the island by a park ranger...I enjoy learning from rangers, but seriously, I think this guy learned more from my Grandpa :)
 

Telling us a story about life on The Rock~

Alcatraz is fascinating and even the "regular" tour is super interesting...the prison, learning about some of the infamous prisoners, the still unsolved prison escape...but my favorite place to visit is the apartment where my Grandpa lived.  

The apartment building is in a sad state of decay and is not open to regular visitors.  But, oh boy, it is fascinating!  It's like experiencing a piece of history frozen in time...still filled with old stoves and claw foot bathtubs, peeling paint and antique architecture.  My Grandpa led us to the apartment he used to live in and proceeded to explain where things used to be and who lived nearby.  My Grandpa is a great storyteller...it's super fun to watch and hear him tell the stories about his time on Alcatraz.
 

The storyteller~

Antique wardrobe still in the apartment and a super cool fireplace, my cousin Stewart and Aunt Amy too~

Old bathroom in my Grandpa's old apartment~

Old stove...tried to imagine my Great Grandma cooking on it~

I heard stories about him catching the ferry, experiencing lock down in his home during a prison break, and a sad story about his friend's dad (also a guard) who was killed during a prison break.  And with a twinkle in his eye, he also told us about his first kiss...sitting under this window in the stairwell of his apartment building with a pretty girl :)

First kiss window~

It was a wonderful day...spent with wonderful family.  A day I am especially thankful for as I wait for news of my Grandpa...his time with us is short, but his life is long and fascinating.  I love you, Grandpa~

Rach