Spring Dazzler

Flowering Crabapple, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Charleston's Washington Park has a flowering crabapple
 that dazzles every spring. Blooms begin as red,
 then fade to pink and white. The green of new leaves
 adds to the mix of color.

Courtyard Sunrise

Lanterns in a Courtyard, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The rising sun sets these twin lanterns aglow
 in a courtyard near the Battery.

Marrakesh in Charleston?

Door and Window, The Old Saracen, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



You might think this photo is from Morocco,
but in fact this Moorish door and window belong to the old
Saracen restaurant in Charleston.
 
Not coincidentally, I received a surprise package of Moroccan
 cuisine in the mail today (containing couscous, tajine sauce,
 argan oil, kefta rub, and more.). Thanks to my amazing wife,
who signed us up at trytheworld.com, we'll be mailed
 a different box of gourmet products from around the world
 every other month. I can't wait to try the recipes included!

Twinkle

Gate Scroll at Night, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Lights appear to twinkle behind a South Battery gate,
adding a warm touch to this photo made at dawn.
If beauty is in the details, the scenes to be found
around Charleston certainly qualify.

Reflections of a New Day

Windows and Ironwork, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



East facing windows on this High Battery mansion
 reflect the warm light of sunrise over Charleston Harbor.

Complementary

Cherry Tree Blossoms, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A warm touch of spring color graces a Charleston evening
 complements of a cherry tree along Meeting Street.

Colors of the Rainbow

East Bay Houses, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



These houses near Rainbow Row catch the morning sun
 which makes them a richly colorful subject to photograph.

Spring City

Azaleas, White Point Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



It's been said that Charleston is a city within a garden.
This is especially true this time of year when
 spring blooms unfold all around town. As a bonus, guided tours
 of private homes and gardens began yesterday
 and continue through April 19.



 

Discovery

Green Shuttered House, Charleston, SC  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



I discovered this green-shuttered house in the Historic District
 while strolling along one of Charleston's alleyways.



 

Framed

Garden Door Window, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Beautifully symmetrical ironwork is framed
 in this garden door window, which also frames
 the house window in the background.

A Natural Ballet

Live Oaks, Middleton Place Gardens, Charleston, SC  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The arching limbs of these live oaks
 are like ballet dancers moving in graceful harmony.

Spring Breeze

Azaleas, Middleton Place, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Breezes on a spring day put these woodland flowers
 in motion at Middleton Place Gardens.

Photophilic

Driveway Gate and Morning Light, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



My lovely wife called me a name yesterday. She said I was a photophile.
At first, I was taken aback, but then she told me what it means...
a lover of light.
 
Today I just happen to have a picture with gorgeous
morning light as a key element.
Clearly she knows me better than anyone!

Scintillating

Sail Boat in Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Film photography)



The Sun burns its way through morning fog in a burst
of scintillating light upon Charleston Harbor.

French Connection

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



A fleur-de-lis pattern on ironwork frames a balcony at dusk.
 This stylized flower is usually associated with French royalty.
 Charleston has a French connection that dates back to the
 colonial era when the town was settled by Huguenots
escaping religious persecution.



 

Welcome

Door Knocker, French Quarter, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A door knocker in the shape of a pineapple,
 like the fountain in Waterfront Park,
is a symbol of hospitality. It echoes the welcoming
 attitude that the city has toward visitors.



 

Morning Glow

Pineapple Fountain, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Cascades of water catch and hold the glow
 of morning light at the Pineapple Fountain
 in Charleston's Waterfront Park.

Quiet Among the Early Blooms

Garden Bench, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Framed by two stone statues, an ornate bench sits quietly
 in a Charleston garden, offering the visitor an invitation
 to rest among the early blooms.

Misty Monday - Shrouded

Fishing Pier, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Folly Beach Fishing Pier, one of the longest fishing piers
 on the east coast, is shrouded by an encroaching sea fog.



 

Open Gate

Open Gate, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An open gate offers a glimpse of a colorful courtyard
 in the Historic District. Note the angular gate design,
 a unique sight among Charleston's famed ironwork.

Charming Collection

Lanterns and Ironwork, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




This collection of lanterns, ironwork, doors and windows
 is well defined by strong morning light, imparting a sense
 of Charleston's unique 18th century charm.

Morning Workout

Morning Run, Ravenel Bridge, Mt. Pleasant, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The pedestrian and bike path along the Ravenel Bridge
 is the only "steep" incline in the Lowcountry
 making it perfect for an aerobic workout.

Monumental

Remains of Old Cooper River Bridge, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This support structure is all that remains
 of the old Cooper River bridge, the one that preceded
 today's Ravenel Bridge. It was left standing as a monument
 to that aged cantilever bridge which stood for so many years.

Sideways Stretch

Live Oak, Daniel Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The sandy banks of the Wando River are exposed at low tide.
 This old live oak stretches along the bank toward the river
 choosing to grow sideways rather than upward.

Fiery Hues

Pyracantha Berries, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Fiery colored Pyracantha berries add to the red hues
complementing a window along Queen Street.



 

Light the Night

Balcony at Night, Dock Street Theatre, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The Dock Street Theatre emits an inviting glow
 when evening falls over Charleston's French Quarter.

Italy in America

Portico Details, East Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Decorative details on an East Battery mansion
 are reminiscent of the classical Italian architecture
which Charleston buildings borrowed from frequently.

Threshold

Great Blue Heron, West Ashley Park, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A heron wades to the threshold of a misty void
 in a wildlife haven on the edge of suburbia.

Harbingers

Garden Gate, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Fresh blooms provide a pleasing backdrop
 to a garden gate in Charleston's Historic District.
Early flowering trees such as these cherry trees are a prelude
 to the flourish of spring color coming in March and April.

Bridge Walk for the Birds

Guineafowl Crossing a Bridge, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
(Click on image for larger view.)



One of the biggest and most anticipated events of the year
 is the annual Guineahen Bridge Walk. Ballyhooed with much fanfare,
 the 30 second event is often the chirp of the town.
Here is one of those fabulous fowls practicing for the big day.

Night Scrolls

Gate Detail at Night, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Scrolls grace an ornate gate at
 the entry to a courtyard passageway.

Bold and Brilliant

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



In full sun, bold colors are at their most brilliant
 on the shrimp boats at Shem Creek.

Daybreak

Tidal Creek at Dawn, Edisto Island, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Film photography.
Click on image for larger view.)



A tidal creek meanders past Lowcountry marshes
and coastal woodlands at the break of day.

Borrowing a Bit of Summer

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



After a half day hike through a desert canyon to the foot of a mesa, 
this is the view looking back toward our trek. 
Temperatures that summer day in Texas were over 100ºF. 
I'd like to borrow some of those degrees now and apply them
 toward warming-up this frigid winter.

Monetesque?

Garden View, Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Looking through lead window panes creates
an impressionistic view of a garden at Middleton Place.

Celebrity

Wooden Star Door, Budapest, Hungary
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia Slide Film)



The character of the doors up on Budapest's Castle Hill is diverse.
This one is, quite literally, the star of the show.

Finding Calm

Pathway, Meditation Garden, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The pathway to serenity winds beneath
 the arching limbs of ancient oaks.

Beauty in the Details

Balustrade, East Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Finding patterns to photograph helps sharpen my eye for details.
 This image of repeating shapes on a balustrade near the Battery
 is a fine example. Mixing in early morning light to enhance
the warm hues adds the final touch.

Patience

Alligator, Middleton Place, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Thanks to the stealthiness of this alligator,
not a wave nor ripple disturbs the water
 surrounding this Lowcountry predator.

Flowers for a Wintery Monday

Ironwork in Spring, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This portrait of a wrought iron flower was taken during
spring with rosy-hued blooms as a backdrop.

Star Gate

Star Gate, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



In this case, star gate does not allude to
exploits in deep space, but rather a beautifully
symmetrical motif on a wrought iron gate near the battery.

Happy Valentine's Day

Tunnel of Azaleas, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



While this azalea pathway is not exactly the tunnel of love,
it displays plenty of pinks and reds that echo
 the romantic sentiments of the day.

Majestic

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



One of the architectural treasures of the Lowcountry
colonial era, Drayton Hall, is framed by majestic oaks
 that are as venerable as the Palladian mansion itself.

A Post Card from Charleston

East Battery at Dawn, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A view of Charleston's best known landmark, the Battery,
shows antebellum mansions, palmetto trees and the placid waters
 of Charleston Harbor.

Piling On

Trailside Cairn, Boulder, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains,
 Boulder has a natural resource that seems unlimited...
an abundance of stone. It's an ideal situation
 for people who enjoy building cairns along the numerous hiking
 trails that network the city. This trailside landmark
 appears to win the trophy for tallest rock pile in town.

Rocky Night

Longitude Lane, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Longitude Lane is one of Charleston's oldest streets,
dating back to the Colonial era. Light from street lamps accentuates
 its rocky texture and adds a sense of mystery
as to where it might lead.

End of the Journey

Remains of a Tree on a Rocky Shore, Acadia National Park, Maine
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The remains of an old tree find a resting spot
 on a rocky shore along the Maine coast.
Its long journey from seed to bones
 can only be imagined.

Form and Function

Ravenel Bridge, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The simple beauty of the Ravenel Bridge design
 is clearly seen from this perspective in Mt. Pleasant.
It was built to withstand hurricanes, earthquakes
 and ship collisions.

Springing

Dawn, East Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Signs that spring is around the corner are popping up in my yard.
Early blooms on Daffodils and Forsythia have sprung forth.
And scenes like this one will soon be springing upon us!

Easy Recipe

Spanish Moss, Middleton Place Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A splash of  backlighting, a pinch of breeze, and a generous helping of hues
 combine deliciously in this composition from Middleton Place Gardens.