Alone

Helicopter Tours, Mount St. Helens, Washington
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



A helicopter tour office stands alone near a desolate landscape
 marred by erosion from the eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Striped PJs

Entry Gate and Balcony Shadows, East Bay Street, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Looking like striped pink pajamas,
shadows from a wrought iron balcony
frame an East Bay Street entry.


A short blog note... 
Doug's Photo Blog went over the 1000th
 consecutive post milestone this week.
I hope you are enjoying them. 
Thanks again for all your visits!

Whoop Whoop!

Commercial District

Broad Street Facades, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



This row of colorful 19th century commercial buildings along Broad Street
 houses law firms, real estate offices and art galleries. 
The lone palmetto tree seen here, is a symbol of the state of South Carolina.

Mountain Waters

Alluvial Fan, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Cold mountain water rushes past veined stones
 at an alluvial fan stream in the Rockies.

Plain and Simple

Shaker Hat, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)



A plain and simple hat hangs
 on a Shaker house peg in Kentucky.

High Plains Highway

Highway, near Monument Rocks, Kansas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A high plains highway takes the traveler
 toward unknown horizons.

Light and Shadow

Saint Philip's Ministries Hall and the Huguenot Church, Charleston, SC  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Light and shadow paint facades
 on Church Street in the French Quarter.

Fishing

Fountain Statue, South Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Gather all ye fishes while ye can,
while gazing skyward toward Pisces.

Artist's Courtyard

Courtyard and Table, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




A Charleston painter harbors a rustic courtyard
 behind his studio on East Bay Street.

Balcony Scrolls

Balcony Ironwork, High Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Balcony scroll work on an antebellum mansion
 makes a great subject for black and white photography.

Compliments

Float and net, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The orange float told the blue net, 
"You're looking mighty fine!"
The blue net responded,
"You float my boat!"

A Froggy Welcome

Garden Frog Sign, near Logan, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



A friendly frog offers his welcome 
in an Ohio country garden.

Misty Monday - West Quoddy Head

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, Lubec, Maine  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



On a warm summer day in Maine, dense fog cloaks the coastline, 
dramatically dropping air temperature into the cool 50's.
The West Quoddy Head Lighthouse sounds its deep fog horn, 
penetrating the mist with a warning to approaching ships.

Chapel and Oak

Oak and Window, Chapel of Ease Ruins, near Beaufort, South Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A window in the Chapel of Ease ruins frames a live oak covered
 in Spanish moss and resurrection fern.

Ghostly

Drayton Hall Reflection, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Drayton Hall's reflection in a pond
gives it a spectral appearance.

Breaking News

Ceiling, Dubai Mall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Alien mothership lands inside Dubai Mall...
Witnesses report sudden strange craving for Caribou coffee.

Picnic Table Sunrise

Sunrise on the Pier, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An early morning sun rises over the sea,
and a row of unoccupied picnic tables
 on the Folly Beach fishing pier.

Waterfront Condos

Palmettos and Condos, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Seen through a stand of bending palmettos, 
condominiums nod toward Charleston's waterfront
 with prime views of the harbor.

Accesories

Blue Door, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This simple blue door is accessorized by ironwork, 
 a fan window, a lantern, its house number, and
 an electric meter.

Aurora's Touch

Folly Beach Pier, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




Aurora suffuses sky, sea and pier with soft light and color,
 heralding a calm start to the day.

View from the Mesa

View of San Luis Valley, Chapel of All Saints, San Luis, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Afternoon rain clouds gather over San Luis Valley,
seen from the Chapel of All Saints mesa.

Collaboration

Art Deco Detail, Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Colors and shapes collaborate
 on the facade of an Art Deco building in Cincinnati.

Radiance

Garden Gate, French Quarter, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Behind its rounded gate,
a French Quarter garden is radiant
 in morning light.

Spiraling

Stairway, Hunting Island Lighthouse, Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




Spiraling up inside of Hunting Island lighthouse,
a nautilus-like stairway takes visitors to the top.

Prestidigitation

Reverse Reflection, Tidal Marsh, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



I have a little trick up my sleeve today,
a little photographic prestidigitation...
a photo of reflected marsh grass turned upside down.

East Battery Mansion

Palmetto and Window, East Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Early morning sun highlights forms and textures
in this vignette of an East Battery mansion.

Botany Bay Shadows

Boneyard Beach, Botany Bay Plantation, Edisto Island, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Afternoon sun creates wavy shadows
 using the limbs of skeletal trees.

Sheldon Church Remains

Sheldon Church Ruins, Yemassee, South Carolina  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Surviving burnings by two invading armies, in two distant wars,
 the remains of colonial era Sheldon Church are a reminder of the Lowcountry's turbulent history. 

Ironically, its quiet setting in the countryside makes it a perfect place for a peaceful stroll.

Charleston Mosquito

A-6E Intruder, USS Yorktown, Patriot's Point, Mt. Pleasant, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The more it rains
 the bigger they get.

Rockin' At the Top

Pink House, Chalmers Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Good news continues for Charleston tourism. Travel and Leisure Magazine selected Charleston as the No. 1 city in North America for visiting. This recognition is in addition to Conde Nast's vote for top travel destination 
in the world last year.

We have a long holiday weekend,
so why not enjoy some of our city's many charms?

By the way, Charleston rocks...
as in, there are lots of cobblestone streets to see!

Independence Day in the USA

USS Yorktown Flag, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)


Old Glory shines bright.
Happy 4th!

Showing the Way

Stetts at Sundown, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)



Sunlight glances across a stone path showing the way.

Earth's Bounty

Workbench, Old Salem, Winston-Salem, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Natural textures of wood and stone abound in the village of Old Salem. Visitors step back in time to glimpse a life of simplicity and intimacy with the earth.

Archway to the Heavens

Monument Rocks, Kansas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An earthen archway frames a view toward the airy heavens.


I have a brief announcement. Regretfully, I am stepping back from the social part of blogging for awhile. I need to refocus time and energy on our photography business. In the meantime, because I have a trove of photos which I would like to share with you, I still plan on taking a few moments each day to make a post. 

I hope you will continue to stop in for a quick visit.

Stucco Canvas

Unitarian Church at Sunset, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



The stucco facade of the old Unitarian Church makes a perfect canvas for the warm painterly light of sunset.

A Cool Way

Lush Pathway, Gateway Walk, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A cool way to seek relief from summer's heat...
 stroll down one of Charleston's secluded shaded pathways.

Lines Drawn in the Sand

Sand Dune and Sky, near Al Ain, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Artistic winds delineate parallel patterns in a desert dune.

Have a great weekend!


 

Front Row Seat

Great Blue Heron at Sunrise, Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A resting heron finds the best "seat" in the harbor
 to watch a breaking dawn.

Three Sisters

Three Single Houses, Meeting Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Like three sisters holding hands, a trio of Charleston single houses bask in the morning sun on Meeting Street.

Quintessential

Portico and Palmetto Tree, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Palms and porticos... this must be Charleston!

Ethereal

Surf at Sunset, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An ethereal moment in time is captured at Folly Beach
 using a long exposure.

Questions for an Old Door Handle

Old Door Handle, Krakow, Poland  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



I wonder how many souls have touched this door handle 
in the old town of Krakow. 
Who were they, what were their lives like, 
and where are they now?
Imagine the stories they could tell.

Buoys in the Hood II

Lobster Buoys, Bar Harbor, Maine  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Buoys in the hood,
just wanna hang.

Yo.

Kaleidoscopic Color

Umbrella Canopy, Miracle Garden, Dubai, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A canopy of kaleidoscopic color offers shade to visitors who stroll the paths of Dubai's Miracle Garden.

To see more of my UAE photos, visit my new tumblr blog.
There is a link on the sidebar also.

Happy Weekend!

Bear Lake

Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Bear Lake is an alpine lake at about 9,500 feet in elevation in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. It was formed during the last ice age by glaciers. 

The surrounding peaks and slopes reflect in its glassy waters, making it a great subject for photography. It stays clear because constant cold water temperatures minimize the growth of algae and moss.

Tic Tac Tow...

Cadillac Ranch, near Amarillo, Texas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Three cars in a row.

Color on the Creek

Shrimp Boats, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



A few years back colorful shrimp boats adorned Shem Creek,
 making perfect subjects for the hue seeking eyes of a photographer.

Italy in Charleston

Drayton Hall, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Built in the symmetrical style of Italian architect Andrea Palladio, Drayton Hall is an 18th century plantation house preserved in its original form and open for public tours. Especially notable is its large projecting portico, a classic Palladian feature. It served both as protection from the sun and as a place to openly view the grounds.

A Momentary Peace

Sunset Clouds, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Gazing at clouds makes me dream.  
I loose track of time and am lost in another world... 
where I find a momentary peace.

Narcissistic Oak

Live Oak Branch and Reflection, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A narcissistic oak branch looms over the Ashley River to gaze at its reflection 
in the water's glassy mirror.