On boxing day we headed down to the Albany bulb. We love it here. It is a former landfill that was used to dump construction waste from building the freeway. Thus, despite its prime location on the waterfront, with spectacular views of San Francisco and Marin, it was pretty much neglected. After it stopped being used as a dump in the late eighties, it was covered with dirt, things started to grow on it, and, today, huge slabs of concrete and twisted rebar intermingle with the grasses, trees and dirt. It's like a fantastic display of mother nature reclaiming what's hers or perhaps it's telling us the persistence of industrial waste. Either way, there is something endlessly fascinating about the place.
But, what's even cooler is the way artists, tinkerers and other creative types have taken it as a constantly evolving canvass. There are huge sculptures made from found objects, natural and otherwise, eclectic mobiles hanging from the trees, painted rocks and mosaics. Every time we go, it's slightly different because the wind and water transform or erase what the artists create and in this too, this place is a living example of human/nature interactions.
This time, we saw a giant woman with her arms outstretched, a teeter-totter made from drift wood on concrete that the girls played on with some other kids who were there. Eliza climbed a tree with multicolored branches draped with shiny objects. The heart castle we'd played at last time had collapsed in parts and made for a cavernous ruins instead. In addition to all of the human-made wonders, we walked along the slippery rocks as the tide rolled in, had a sword fight with pampas grass, and all the while took in the world-class view and delicious ocean breeze.
Eliza getting prepared.
