through the lookingglass

Yesterday I was on the campus of California State University Channel Islands (in nearby Camarillo). The university occupies the grounds of a former state mental hospital and the buildings are morphing as funds permit.

I came upon this clandestine scene, visible only through a decorative stucco block wall -- a seemingly endless hallway, graced with fanciful murals, welcoming arches, beckoning one to a safe but mystical adventure. The photo above seems to render the tableau as witnessed by the eye itself.


When I was practicing law in Camarillo, I would sometimes receive phone calls from patients at the mental hospital -- sad conversations, to be sure, where I could listen, but not offer any solutions. I like now knowing that perhaps this little scene may have brought some a respite from their plight