A Bridge Not Too Far for Charlie Kirk

 

My previous post on Sept. 10 was about the great views from under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge that connects Charleston and Mount Pleasant. (By the way, this is my 450th post, dating back to 2010 when I launched this site). 

Sunday, Sept. 14 found us on the Ravenel Bridge for a somber yet uplifting event. 

This was a vigil for the late Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk who was killed by an assassin on Sept. 10 while hosting an outdoor forum at Utah Valley University. 

Kirk, 31, was an influential advocate for Christ, families and “old fashioned” American values. A gunman has been arrested and may eventually be executed for his crime in a state that has the death penalty. 

After a Sunday dinner at Cracker Barrel (happy that the controversial logo change didn’t happen!), we trekked up the bridge, joining hundreds of flag-bearing patriots. 

See my short video below...

The weather could not have been more accommodating. Not too hot, very pleasant conditions. 

Jesus joined us too in spirit and in this picture brought by, I think, a College of Charleston member of Turning Point USA, the organization Charlie Kirk founded when he was 18 years old. 

The gentleman on the left is Cameron Limes, a news reporter at WCIV Channel 4 TV. 

Happy Birthday Ravenel Bridge!

 

Our visit Sunday, June 22 to the Ravenel Bridge coincided (somewhat) with next month’s 20th anniversary of the 2.5 mile span’s opening. The $632 million structure, with its two distinctive Diamond-shaped towers, opened to car traffic on July 16, 2005. What an asset the bridge is in so many ways. It replaced two outdated spans and includes four lanes for cars plus lanes for walkers and bicyclists. 

Back in 2005 I covered a big event days before the new bridge opened to car traffic. For two days people could walk on the eight-lane span. I produced a multi- media report using still photographs, audio interviews, music and text. I was assisted with the project by my son Joseph and Kristen Van Dyke, who was a College of Charleston student of mine back then. Kristen went on to have a successful career as a meteorologist. She is currently a meteorologist in Salt Lake City with KSLTV. My son Joseph also has a successful career in software engineering and design. Click above to see the report we produced. 

The bridge is named for Arthur Ravenel, Jr. (1927-2023). He was an iconic, impactful and colorful Lowcountry political figure from a prominent French Huguenot family. He was instrumental in securing funding for the massive construction project.

This picture commemorating the Ravenel Bridge opening in 2005 has had a spot in one of our bathrooms for two decades. The Post and Courier newspaper gave it to subscribers. 

The expanded Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park, situated beneath the bridge, opened in recent weeks. I was curious to see it and on this warm early summer Sunday it was busy. 

Butterfly Migration

 

Just two days before Halloween and temperatures in the low 80s, the beach beckoned! And I’m glad we went to witness something I’ve not seen before. 

This beautiful butterfly, a Gulf Fritillary, was one of hundreds flying southbound along the beach tree line at Sullivan’s Island. 

This little lovely is also called Passion Butterfly. 

It was difficult to photograph the fluttering fritillaries. I did my best as they streamed by one, two, three, or more at a time. 

The Gulf Fritillary, it seems, cannot stand cold weather, so south they go. In the U.S. in the winter you may see them in the southern parts of Florida and Texas. Many trek to Central America and beyond. Amazing that such a small fragile critter can cover such distances. 

Views from the Ravenel Bridge- Spectacular!

 

A recent walk across the majestic Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge offered a bounty of beautiful photography opportunities for this shutterbug. 

Sunday, Oct. 1 was an ideal combination of nice weather, puffy cloud cover, busy boat and ship activity plus an expansive view of Charleston, its harbor and points beyond in Mt. pleasant and Sullivan’s Island. 

My Canon SX70 lens was drawn to pleasure boats and the long wakes they left speeding toward the bridge.

Charleston- the Holy City- glistened in the distance. 

My book, “Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston,” explores the old city’s rich, interesting and diverse history through the prism of its religious burial grounds. 

Check out this book (and my previous ones) at the link above or on my Amazon site. 

“Lifer” Bird Adds to Beach Visit Discoveries

 

We did not see what we went to try to see but this Sullivan’s Island visit turned out to be a day of surprises. 

I did not realize I had photographed a new bird for me, a “lifer” as birders call such an encounter. This beach bird is called the Forster’s Tern. I did not notice the forked tail until I loaded my pix to my iPad. 

Ravenel Bridge Walk A Christmas Gift Itself!

A Christmas afternoon walk on the Ravenel Bridge was a treat in many ways. The Holy Day was a great day to check out the Holy City and the Cooper River from this perspective. The weather was beautiful, a sunny day with temperatures in the low 60s. Many people had the same idea in mind but it was not too crowded along the bridge's walking lane.

We took our cameras and monopods, including Alesia’s new monopod that was wrapped under the tree for her.