These guys came to Sullivan’s Island Sunday eager for a fun day on the beach and in the water.
But bringing a cooler of beer was not the brightest idea. Nor was openly drinking beer while in the ocean.
Not long after I took this photo, which I liked because of its composition with the Morris Island Lighthouse in the background, a patrolling Sullivan’s Island police officer stopped to talk to the men while they were still in the water and then wrote them up to the tune of a $260 fine.
I stopped my bike to look at the bird that just six feet away or so. It didn’t fly away, instead, it opened its wings slightly. This is a juvenile hawk so I thought it was just disoriented possibly. Or, more seriously, it was injured or sick.
During the spring and summer Sunday is not a day of rest for area shrimp professionals. We saw several shrimp trawlers last Sunday from our beach chairs on Sullivan’s Island. They were returning to their home docks from a hopefully fruitful day with their nets out in the ocean.
The shrimp boats' distinctive profile is visible from miles away. When they are close enough I try to read their names via my camera’s zoom lens. And it’s neat to see the trawlers in relation to people on the beach. It’s the combination of recreation and commerce that is the heart, soul and economy of seaside cities like Charleston.
Sunday, April 15 was a sunny day and a great one to make our first beach outing of 2021. A year ago we wouldn’t have been able to bring our chairs and towels to spend a few hours in the sand. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sullivan’s Island had a “keep moving” policy. If you came to the beach you couldn’t sit or lay out; you could walk it and, yes, keep moving.
So a year later with things getting closer back to normal, it was a pleasure to sit and stay for a while here at Sullivan’s. I may never again take for granted such a simple pleasure as a local beach outing.
Here are some favorites photos from this mid-April outing.
CHURCH HILL
The day after Easter I did some sightseeing here with Alesia and her brother Blake. It was a pretty spring day and we had all had free time with no one in a rush to be anywhere.
One stop with its great views of downtown is Church Hill where these photos were taken. This area is also known as the St. John's Church Historic District. Keep reading to find out why.
As addressed in my previous blog post (link here), part of the city’s rich history has been under fire and most long-standing Confederate monuments have come down (except at Hollywood Cemetery-keep reading)
Richmond’s marquee thoroughfare had a rough 2020. It was not the coronavirus pandemic that brought drastic changes to Monument Avenue. It was the aftermath of the police brutality death of George Floyd 1,200 miles away in Minneapolis, Minn. Coast-to-coast racial upheaval brought forth, among other things, the removal, sometimes violently, of statues perceived as symbols of White racism and supremacy by many Black Americans (and people of other races too).
I became interested in Gen. Puller after recently watching on TV the fine Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks- produced dramatic HBO miniseries “The Pacific.” Released in 2010, the 10 episodes document the bloody battles fought by the U.S. Marine Corps against the Japanese in World War II’s Pacific theater.
Then a lieutenant colonel, Puller (played by William Sadler) appears in some episodes as a rugged commander who his Marines seemed to really like and respect.
Easter time was our first getaway trip since a visit to Hilton Head last summer. It was nice to take in some different scenery (even Pedro at South of the Border!) and great to see family again. The Virginia side of the Chesapeake Bay, where my parents live, is a pretty, quiet place with opportunities to satisfy my inner birder.
At the folks’ house, I need to go no farther than their backyard to see this Osprey platform. It has been here for years and my father had a hand in getting it erected. During this visit, a family of Osprey was in residence. The parents were still working on the nest. A few times I saw one swoop down to a nearby yard to grab a branch or twig. Pinecones could also be seen on the structure, though as my father noted they wouldn’t be too comfortable as bedding for the big birds.
It is always challenging to shoot from a great distance and to get good shots of birds in flight. Here are my best images...
Ours have started to bloom in force over the past few days. And what a welcome sight they are! The glorious Azaleas are helping offset the awful dump of pollen and the accompanying pine tree pollen pods.
To follow are my photographs that show some of what can be seen at the precious preserve called the Bear Island Wildlife Management Area.
