The Heart of the Investigation
Distractions:
When I first sat down to do this assignment, I had to actually force myself not to launch the Internet or Picasa. It is so easy for me to start browsing the Internet and get enthralled in the many interesting websites about history - whether specific to Alameda or more general information about California. I love history! And I just love perusing websites about California’s history, watching documentaries about Californian history, or reading books about the subject. I can and have gotten lost for hours. I must admit that it was extremely difficult to control myself and stay focused on this and all past assignments in this course. Focusing take will power, something I do not have much of. Picasa is also very distracting to me because I have so many awesome photos of both primary and secondary sources that I obtained at the library. I have photos of some really old maps of Alameda and even photos of homes built on stilts over the water. I have spent so many hours reviewing those photos, and every time I find something new. I love it! But at this point in the course, it is essential that I get focused!
Will Power:
I had to dig deep into myself to muster up the will power to complete this assignment. I had to do everything in my power to keep focused. I knew it was time to begin to answer the question of where this journey is taking me. I knew I had to be as specific as possible – which was difficult! I knew this assignment was requiring me to give my readers the information needed to want to follow along on this journey with me. I knew I was challenged to give my readers some direction on where I’m going with this topic and give specifics about what my readers can expect in the remaining assignments. But it was difficult! I want to do it all. I don’t want to be specific. Waaaa, waaaa, waaa!
The Narrative:
At first I found it difficult to provide a strong narrative background; I found it difficult to determine the “one” idea about the story I want to tell. At the onset of the course, I began with the idea of telling the story of the history of Bay Farm Island – which is very general and vague. In my mind’s eye, I saw the story as one that would provide a brief history of the early days on the island when it was in habited by the farmers, the linkages to the “main island” of Alameda in regards to family, commerce, land development, etc. I then saw the story moving toward the housing developments on Bay Farm and identifying what was on the land in past that now provides homes for so many residents. I also was initially interested in the waterways on the island. I wanted to determine if the lagoon existed before the housing developments and if so where exactly it was because so many of the present day homes are built on or around a few lagoons here on Bay Farm Island – including my own home. Attempting to build the narrative and focus it down to “one” topic made me realize how much there is to explore and how much I am interested in all of it!
Historical Significance:
This assignment challenged me to explain why Bay Farm Island is historically significant and what was happening during I chose to explore. The assignment was challenging me to provide the bigger picture. The more I thought about the bigger picture, the more it made me realize how much there is to research and how much I am interested in all of it! The assignment also challenged me to determine what my local story about Bay Farm Island reveals about larger historical truths on the Island of Alameda and in California. Wow! At this point, this is where my focus began to change. When challenged with connecting the history of Bay Farm Island to the larger picture including the Island of Alameda and then connecting that history with the even larger picture including the State of California, I found what makes me tick.
A Decision Is Made:
Finally, I made a decision – I want to do it all and I’m not going to fight it. However, I’m going to be realistic about my journey. I have revised my plan. My new plan is to tackle this as the large, massive project that I want to complete. But I will tackle the project in phases. Phase I will be the work completed in this course, as it will lay the groundwork for the next phases. I envision Phase I to incorporate just what I’ve discovered so far by going to the archives and getting the background story on housing, immigration, railways, commerce, farming, etc. I envision Phase II to be completed at the completion of this course as it will build upon the groundwork laid by this course and explore the specifics of the housing developments on Bay Farm Island. Phase III will also be completed at the completion of this course as it will continue to build upon the ground work laid by this course, the work completed in Phase II outside of this course, and will explore the families that first purchased within the housing developments on Bay Farm Island. Phase IV will most likely be the final phase and will explore the current-day homeowners and business owners that now occupy the island.
By George, I think I’ve got it! Phase I – here we go.
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