With all of the grim divisions that have shown up in recent weeks leading up to Monday's rare transcontinental solar eclipse, it made perfect sense that the event's most visible geographic window started in coastal Oregon and ended in South Carolina — Mount Pleasant; just north of Charleston. Both locales scream chill-the-eff-out.
Aaaand that we did during the eclipse's duration. Safely, of course — unlike some people.
In and around Mount Pleasant, Eclipse Fever had captivated locals and visitors alike.
On Sunday afternoon, we happened upon Holy City Brewing in North Charleston. Not only did we run into people from the Tampa Bay area that we knew; we spotted packets of educational materials pertaining to the eclipse.
At the next establishment upon which we happened, a dog-friendly joint called Parson Jack's, there were advertisements for an eclipse party. Highway billboards, regardless of the companies they advertised, also hooked into it.
Back in Mount Pleasant, along the Wando River, we were planning a fiesta of our own.
We had the glasses, we had the space, we had the beer.
Most importantly (perhaps), we were able to stream Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety.
When we got onto the dock on the Wando River, a storm was looming on the opposite bank. It looked bad. Yet for the entirety of the eclipse, not a drop fell on our bespectacled faces.
It was a most glorious celestial event. And, for once, there could be no disagreement among any of its observers: This. Was. Awesome.
This article appears in Aug 17-24, 2017.