Ancient Echoes

Capital Detail, Randolph Hall, College of Charleston,
Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This Ionic capital could very well be from ancient Greece,
but is actually on the iconic portico of Randolph Hall
 at the modern day College of Charleston.

Prime Real Estate

Perching Heron, James Island, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A lone heron gazes across a tidal marsh
 from a prime vantage point
during a misty morning on James Island.

Cool Refreshment

Mountain Stream, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Tumbling mountain water twists its way down the photograph
 and rushes around a lichen covered boulder in the Smokies.

Garden City

Courtyard Entry, French Quarter, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Shaded by on old redbud tree, this French Quarter courtyard
befits Charleston's description as a garden city.

Autumn Chill

Rocky Coast in the Mist, Acadia National Park, Maine
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)


Cooler weather means misty mornings are more frequent
 along the coast than in summer,
whether up north in Maine or down south in the Carolinas.

Seek and You Shall Find

Scrollwork, Saint Phillip's Churchyard Gate, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



While walking around town
don't waste time scrolling on your electronic device...
look for scrolls in Charleston's French Quarter instead.

Emergence

Loop Road, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A curve in the road presents a view emerging from the forest.

Autumn Color

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



Cassia blooms brighten the entry to an old mansion
 near the South Battery in Charleston.

Glacial Remnant

Blue Lakes, Mt. Sneffels Wilderness, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A slab of ice floats on the surface of an alpine lake
 in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Travel Destination

Unity Alley, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Old Unity Alley is home to McCrady's Restaurant,
rated among the nation's finest dining experiences.
The 18th century long room and tavern hosted a banquet
attended by George Washington while he was
 on tour of the South (being one of Charleston's earliest notable tourists!).



 

Hello

Doors on a Rustic Cabin, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A contemporary greeting scrawled over this doorway
welcomes visitors to a rustic cabin in Cades Cove.

Charleston Style

Ornate Lantern, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An ornate gas lantern provides a stylish accent
 to this blue shuttered house South of Broad.

Tucked Away

Hardwood Cove Cascade, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Tucked among a forest of hemlocks and yellow poplars,
 a small waterfall complements its lush surroundings
 in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Glimpse of a Walled Garden

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



This door offers a window to a courtyard garden
in Charleston's Historic District.

Peace in the Valley

Stream in a Mountain Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Tranquility flows with this mountain stream
 as it tumbles down a lush valley in the Smokies.

Otherworld

Spruce-Fir Forest, Mount Mitchell, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The thick, dark coniferous forest on Mount Mitchell
 appears mystical when the sun beams through the mist.

Row House Display

Row Houses, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Window boxes and flower pots adorn row houses
 along Queen Street in the Historic District.

An Evening Invitation

Tree by the Roadside, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Warm evening light adorns a tree
 that frames an inviting road in the Smokies.

Foggy Friday

Surfer in the Mist, Folly Beach, SC  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)


A lone surfer trudges along the beach
 on a fog shrouded morning at the Folly Pier.



 

The Finer Things of Life

Streamside, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Lacy foliage graces the streamside
 of a cool mountain valley in the Smokies.

Slant of Light

Courtyard Alleyway, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Slanting sunlight illuminates a courtyard alleyway
 in Charleston's French Quarter.

Appalachian Apparitions

Conifers in the Mist, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A pair of ghostly conifers appear out of the mist
 near Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Smoky Mountains.

Hues of Twilight

Lantern with Wisteria, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A combination of natural and man-made light at twilight
makes a vivid vignette of a lantern on the Battery.

Reused

Old Doors, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A pair of old doors and a well worn wall
 serve as canvases for ads in Rome.

Sun-drenched

Road Sign, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A sign makes a graphic silhouette
 along a sun-drenched road in Cades Cove.

An Eye for Monochrome

Boulders in a Mountain Stream,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Even without hues,
one can appreciate nature's wonder
through the eye of a lens.



 

To the Nth Degree

An "N" Fence, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee



You probably know by now that I am fond of Cades Cove
 and its 19th century rural charm.
I've been visiting here for decades and never seem to tire
 of its rustic beauty. I would keep coming here forever if I could.

Appalachian Rain Forest

Smoky Ridges, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Much like a temperate rain forest, these verdant mountains
 exude moisture in the form of rising mists,
hence the name given to them by the Cherokee...
"place of the blue smoke", which eventually became
the Great Smoky Mountains.

Follow the Red Brick Path

Brick Alleyway, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Stolls Alley is a narrow brick path from the colonial era
neighborhood South of Broad
to the antebellum mansions along The Battery
The milieu here has an old country feel to it.

Colors of Charleston

Houses Near Rainbow Row, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



While most rainbows fade,
Charleston's rainbow shines all the time.

Crow in the Cove

American Crow, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserve
(Click on image for larger view.)



A young crow perches momentarily by the road that loops
 around Cades Cove, a mountain valley in the Smokies.

End of the Rainbow

Rainbow in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

I finally found out what is at the end of the rainbow!

Cades Cove!

Labor of Love

Forest Cascade, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



I spent nearly 8 hours photographing along a short stretch
 of backwoods road, fronting a mountain stream in the Smokies.
I worked as many angles as possible,
encountering views like this one...
a feeder brook cascading over a leafy slope.

Blue Patina

Mountain Stream, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



As twilight deepens in the valleys of the Smokies ,
a long camera exposure reveals a silky sheen
 on the surface of a mountain stream.

Golden Meadow

Meadow After a Rainstorm, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Following an afternoon rainstorm, the sun emerges
 to suffuse a wet meadow in Cades Cove with a golden glow.

Through the Woods

Forest Road, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A narrow road passes through leafy hardwoods
 on its way to the meadowlands of Cades Cove.

A Model Stream

Cascade in a Mountain Stream,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A low shelf in the stream bed enables mountain water
 to reveal its beautiful flowing tresses.

Little Fence Post

Fence Post, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A single fence post in a meadow doesn't seem like much,
 but it evokes a sense of a simpler time and place.

Window Light

Window Light in a Rustic Cabin, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




Plenty of negative space in this monochrome
 adds simplicity and a bit of mystery to the image.

Cloudscape

Cumulus Clouds at Dusk, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Cumulus clouds tower over soft mountains,
taking on the hues of a dreamy painting.

Rustic Charm

Sparks Lane, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A peaceful country lane bordered by grassy meadows
 and surrounded by verdant mountains
 typifies the rustic beauty of Cades Cove.

Lily Heaven

Turk's Cap Lily, near Clingman's Dove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok



This striking wildflower, called the Turk's cap or turban lily,  thrives at the highest elevations in the Southern Appalachians.
 I found this vibrant specimen near Clingman's Dome,
 the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Rainy Day Activity

Observation Deck, Little Tennessee River, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Afternoon rain lends a somber mood
to the view from this observation deck
 as I gaze across the Little Tennessee River.

Veiled Wilderness

Pine Tree and Misty Ridges, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A lone pine looms against misty ridges
 which recede into a shrouded remoteness.

Secluded Tranquility

Small Waterfall, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



In a little-known hardwood cove in the Great Smoky Mountains,
 I made a short climb to this cascade which rewarded me
 with an image that feels cool and soothing.

Mountain Moods

Crepuscular Rays over Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The ever changing weather and light
 over the Great Smoky Mountains is fascinating to witness.
 From sunrise to sunset, the mood of the ancient mountains
 is always in flux. Here crepuscular rays break through
 late morning clouds to illuminate peaks and valleys
 of the national park.

Shuttered

Shutters at Sunrise, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Film photography)



Being at the right place at the right time enabled me to see
the first light of sunrise on this row of shutters near the waterfront.

Framed

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



Creeping fig vines frame a lovely garden gate
 in the historic district of Charleston.

Shadow Art

Gate Shadow, Saint Philip's Church, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Film photography)



Steps leading into Saint Philip's Church
 provide a canvas for the shadow of an ornate gate.

Light from the Heavens

Sunlight on Mountain Ridges, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok



After a passing storm, a shaft of sunlight dappled
 the mountain peaks that surround Cades Cove.