The Bud-man of Alcatraz

Here I am in my cell with my bedroll.

The island was named "La Isla de los Alcatraces" by the Spanish. It means "The Island of the Pelicans.” Over the years, the shortened Spanish version "Alcatraz" became popular and is now what everyone calls it. I think it sounds better than “Pelican,” don’t you?

The island was bought for $5,000 in the name of the US government and President Fillmore ordered that Alcatraz Island become a military reservation called Camp Alcatraz. It was the first garrison on the island in and had 200 soldiers and 11 cannons. It was supposed to protect San Francisco from people coming from the ocean. Then the Civil War started the island had 85 cannons.  Pretty soon there were 105 cannons. It was also the San Francisco Arsenal storing firearms and keeping them from Confederate guys.

Because of Alcatraz sits out in the cold, strong, mean currents of the ocean, Civil War prisoners were sent there. A brick jailhouse was built so the prisoners weren’t in basements anymore. That’s when they made it into a long-term military prison. Then the Fed’s took it over for a regular prison. And for 29 years it held some of really bad guys like: Al Capone, the Birdman of Alcatraz, Machine Gun Kelly, and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis (he spend the most time there as a prisoner).

No prisoner escaped from Alcatraz but 36 prisoners tried. 2 guys tried twice, 23 were caught, 6 were shot and killed, 2 drowned and 5 are listed as missing/most likely drowned. (Did you see the movie with Clint Eastwood?) There was one escape attempt that they call the Battle of Alcatraz. 5 were killed. 12 were injured, and 2 surviving convicts were executed. That was in 1946.

The prison closed in 1963 because it cost too much to run. Indians took over the island in 1969 and stayed there for 2 years!

They declared Alcatraz a National Historic Landmark in 1986. You can go visit it and but it costs money to ride the ferry over. That’s how I got there.

Visit Alcatraz and tell me if you think you could escape!

By WPPilot - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27725542

"Tank" you, Santa Claus

Too bad they don't put lights on the tanks at Christmas!

I like when they have Christmas parties at my Dad's work. While the other kids jump around in the bounce house, I always go check out the equipment. This time it was a tank ! The last time I inspected a tank was at Fort Lewis, WA, but this one was at much warmer California location.

The ground is pretty far down there!

Did you know that the first tanks were made int the mid-19th Century? They are really an old idea. If you want to know more about tanks, check out this Wikipedia Link.

I inspected it from top to bottom, but getting down was a bit of a problem. I tried to jump down, but it was so far up that I scrapped up my hands. Big mistake ! Good thing my Mommy was there to put on camouflage (I had to ask my Mom how to spell that) Band-Aid on the cuts. I won't lie, I cried a little bit. But  Daddy says that it's okay to cry sometimes, even soldiers cry. That sure made me feel a lot better.

Happy Holidays from me and “tank” you for reading my blog.

I asked Santa for Lego blocks to build my own tank. I hope I he brings them. If not, I'll figure out something. In any case, I hope you have a Merry Christmas (if you celebrate Christmas) or whatever holiday you celebrate.

May your 2016 be the best year ever. I hope you don't ever need to have a camouflage Band-Aid (even though they are really cool ! Cars Band-Aids are cool too.)

Safety First

It's important to note that on any adventure safety is a must. Whenever I travel, wether it be by car or airplane, it's important to fasten your seat belt and to keep it fastened for the duration of the ride or flight.
Here I'm sitting on my Dad's lap on my way to visit my friend Rocket, a Minuteman missile who stands guard at my favorite military installation.
Do you have a friend that you have to sit under a seat belt to go see?