On our second day in San Francisco we went to Alcatraz (my husband had this stop on his ‘want’ list and I balanced it with Hearst Castle on my ‘want’ list!) I pre-booked the first ferry out in the morning, partially as we were still on east coast time in our heads and I thought it would be the least crowed. The weather was brisk but clear – a nice day for an excursion to ‘the rock’!

I was prepared for some meandering, but I was not prepared for how gorgeous their plantings were. Apparently when the prison was in operation they had gardens and took care of the surrounding landscape, but even now there are succulents flourishing everywhere – even in the midst of buildings practically falling apart. Its incredibly beautiful and had me wishing for warm weather at home to get my hands in the dirt and be surrounded by lushness like this!

Photos taken at Alcatraz and to watercolor image done on an app.