A day of bridges

On Wednesday we departed the Blount dock in Warren well in advance of the publicized sailing time of 2:00PM.  All the passengers were aboard and enjoying a first meal and the tide was going out.  If the captain had waited until 2:00, we would have likely ended up enjoying dinner in Warren.

Last night the tables were turned; our departure from Newport was delayed by an hour and a half.  Given the unsettled weather the captain advised us to take advantage of the motion sickness remedies being offered and explained that we would not leave Newport until 9:30.  We were going to be in the Atlantic Ocean for about 90 minutes as we left the mouth of Narragansett Bay and made the turn west to enter the protection of the Long Island Sound.  His hope was that everyone would be in their cabins and ready for bed before the "rockin' n' rollin'" began.  Oh, what a ride.  And, then what a marvelous sleep as we sailed through the night.

We awoke, not surprisingly, to dense fog.  As we approached the East River after breakfast, the fog experience was made more intense by the regular sounding of our fog horn and several of the crew at the bow on both levels straining for sight of channel markers and other boats and obstructions.  The moment the Throgg's Neck Bridge miraged into view was ... well, beyond description.  (See my photographic effort for this date at my Flickr page.)

From there we sailed the East River to the southern tip of Manhattan and paused for a leisurely time bobbing about at the feet of Miss Liberty.  As we admired her and relished the moment, some thoughtful soul on the crew played Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" over the PA.  Then, we made our way into the Hudson (not actually a river until beyond Albany, as it's tidal for 150 miles inland, making it an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean that far).

In total, we sailed under 14 bridges today (and, from Miss Liberty I could see the Varazanno-Narrows in the distance through the mist).  Need I say I photographed every one?  Probably not.  I shall refrain from "sharing" either images or bridge names in the proper order.  But, my parting shot is below -- looking back through the sea smoke at the fading George Washington Bridge from some distance up the Hudson.  Sigh ...

  

On the waterfront in Savannah

So far both evenings in Savannah we have made our way to River Street. 

Sunday afternoon it was teeming with tourists, a pleasant sort of aimless throng.  It felt magic to me, the sounds and scents different from what I'm used to in my everyday life.  Cobblestones under foot, the tall balconied buildings rising up from the narrow street, street cars, sidewalk artists and musicians, couples with strollers and older couples holding hands (that included the two of us).  The river was almost as busy as the street, with pleasure boats vying for space along with huge container ships and colorful tugs. 

Having missed lunch, we had an early dinner at the Olympia Cafe, a Greek restaurant which reminded me of the now gone Elite Cafe in Columbia I used to frequent in a former life.  We shared an entree -- sauted grouper with lamb gravy, lemon roasted new potatoes and rice with onions and green peas.  Luscious.  And, the light in the restaurant ... sweet, almost holy.  I felt obligated to make a few photographs.  Our waiter wanted to straighten the chairs!

Last night didn't include a meal as we'd had a big lunch.  (Plus, the hospitality room stocked by the spouses of the rifle team has some really good stuff!)  We left the hotel for the waterfront simply to sit by the river, to watch evening creep up, to see the lights come on across the bridge.  We were thoroughly entertained. 

In one particularly dear scene a little child, a toddler, spotted a young man walking his dog.  The young man noticed the child's interest and stopped to speak.  A quick consultation with the parents resulted in the child being invited to "take" the leash and help walk the dog.  Over the moon, I think would be a fair description of the child's response.  Giving the leash back took a bit of negiotiation!

Here are a few shots of a container ship, the Dubai Express, we watched make its way toward the terminal.

















And, finally, THE bridge.  Driving over it takes such concentration.  One wants to look at the bridge, not the traffic on the bridge.  Yikes.  Imagine my disappointment that the bridge's construction did not allow for pedestrian access. 

The Talmage Memorial Bridge, a cable-stayed span, was completed in November of 1990. 
This shot was taken at dusk after the Dubia Express had passed through.
Our hotel is located very near the left tower. 



There are two sets of cables on each tower.  When viewed from a better angle than in the photograph above, the cables appear to be four sails.  I have yet to locate that "better angle" for a photograph of the entire bridge.  Safety is a real issue (more from traffic than from Savannah's residents, by the way).  The shot to the right was taken from the parking lot as we arrived back at the hotel for the night.