Hearts and Scrolls

Balcony Shadow, Tradd Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok




Hearts and scrolls come alive with morning sunlight
 in one of the oldest parts of historic Charleston.

Dawn Doorway

Classical Door, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  



I found this doorway South of Broad at dawn
 when the light was soft and the air a bit cool
 even though the hot summer months are upon us.

So We'll Never Forget

Patriots Point Naval Museum, Mt. Pleasant, SC
© Doug Hickok



A sinuous coastline along Charleston Harbor
 leads to the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier,
a survivor of World War II and
the feature exhibit at Mt. Pleasant's naval museum.
It is also where the Medal of Honor museum makes its home.

Shadow Art

Gate Shadow, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Sunlight shining directly down a courtyard path
 creates a work of art on a city sidewalk.

Primitive Mountain Church

Primitive Baptist Church, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee  © Doug Hickok



I like the simplicity of this plain window
 on an old Appalachian church in Cades Cove.
This little house of worship was built in 1827 and
its congregation continued to meet here up till the 1960's.

Layers of Limbs

Live Oaks, near Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok




Layers of live oak limbs arch on to the ground
 at an old plantation near Charleston, South Carolina.

Ubiquitous Red Scooter

Scooter, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



I see this red scooter often around the Historic District.
This time it's in the French Quarter where there are many
 arts and crafts galleries to explore.

Desert Howl

Wolf Window, Mission San Xavier,
Tucson, Arizona  © Doug Hickok



At a Spanish mission in the Sonoran Desert,
a wolf howls at the moon on this decorative window grate.

Reds and Greens

Crepe Myrtle, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



In Charleston's French Quarter, hues of a crepe myrtle
 complement the red door and shutters on the Pirate House.

Saguaro Man

Saguaro Cactus, Superstition Mountains, Phoenix, Arizona
© Doug Hickok



An ancient Saguaro assumes an anthropomorphic shape
 as it appears to wave down a taxi in the Superstition Wilderness.

Stone and Flower

Saint Philips Churchyard, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Tucked among a cluster of fading hydrangeas,
 an old headstone in the French Quarter
 forms a stoney contrast to the vegetation's delicacy.

Stepping Up

Rope Ladder, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



The easiest way to climb Charleston's big oak trees
 is to attach a rope ladder and reach for the sky.

Battery Stillness

White Point Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



Morning fog from the sea envelopes
 the oak-filled park on The Battery.

Vine and Iron

Vine and Ironwork, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



Clinging to any surface reachable,
 creeping fig finds a wrought iron grate
 to explore in Charleston's French Quarter.

Growing Wild

Informal Garden, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



An informal garden springs to life with an array of blooms
 in Charleston's Historic District.

Spring in the Churchyard

Azaleas, St. Michael's Church, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



Bright blooms fill Saint Michael's Churchyard
 with warm hues in the springtime.

Paddling

Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok



Along Shem Creek, a paddleboarder heads toward
 the open harbor and the setting sun.

The Stone Cutter

Rocky Outcrop, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
© Doug Hickok



The Colorado River meanders through the eastern portion
 of the Grand Canyon, cutting its way into the stone
 during its long journey toward the Pacific Ocean.

Circle of Hearts

Courtyard Gate, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



A heart motif is the central focus
 of this garden gate near the Market.

Sun Bathing

Red Chair, Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
© Doug Hickok



A red chair catches some rays from the afternoon sun
 in a courtyard at the Heard Museum.

All Quiet at Dawn

Elliott Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Lamps and lanterns light the way along a narrow street
 in Charleston's Historic District.

Bloomin' Oleanders

The Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Morning light paints East Battery homes with warm hues
 back when oleander bloomed full along the promenade.
I shot this photo on film several years ago before I turned to digital.

Red Brick Path

Alleyway, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



A brick walkway leads to an entry off a main street
 in an area of Charleston that was formally part
 of the original walled city in the 1700's.

Lone Sign

Road Sign, San Luis Valley, Colorado  
© Doug Hickok



A lone road sign divides the photo of an arid valley
and a big sky in southern Colorado.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona  © Doug Hickok



Framed by two boulders, this long view of the Grand Canyon
 includes a switchback trail zigzagging
 toward the bottom where the Colorado River flows.

Scrolls Galore

Gate Scrolls, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



A pattern of scrolls dazzles the eye
 on a garden gate in the Historic District.

Turquoise Bicycle

Turquoise Bicycle, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



An early mode of transportation is often most effectual
in traversing an old but small city like Charleston.

Old But Not Forgotten

Orvieto, Italy  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)



The hill town of Orvieto perches on steep volcanic cliffs
 above fertile valleys in the region of Umbria, Italy.
The town is so old that it was originally settled by the ancient Etruscans.
I made this photo almost 20 years ago,
 on Kodachrome slide film (now aging and fading like me).



 

Rosy Dusk

Dusk, Kiawah Island, SC
© Doug Hickok



Coastal oaks near the beach at Kiawah
 are silhouetted against a rose-tinged sky at sunset.

Brick and Blooms

Springtime, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok




Garden blooms brighten a brick-walled
 courtyard near the East Battery.

Semi-Tropical Eden

Garden Gate, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



A King Street gate opens to a lush semi-tropical garden
 typical of those found in many parts of the Lowcountry.

Geologic Wonder

South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
© Doug Hickok



The top of a pinyon pine adds some scale
 to the sheer depth of the Grand Canyon.

Slytherin?

Gateway and Mailbox, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



An old gate with a crest of twin serpents
 accompanies a letter box on Wentworth Street.

Lead the Way

Banister, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok



A handrail leads up a flight of vine-covered steps
 to the entrance of a home in the Historic District.

Impressions of the Hohokam

Petroglyphs, Superstition Mountains, Arizona  © Doug Hickok



Petroglyphs etched by the prehistoric Hohokam Indians
 adorn volcanic rock in a Sonoran Desert canyon.
 This artwork is about 1500 years old,
and depicts animals that were native
 to the Superstition Mountains long ago.

Eagle Door

Door with Eagle, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



This single house features a wreath decorated door
 accentuated by a flying eagle. Notice the piazza above,
which faces toward the harbor to catch cooling breezes.

Guiding Light

Pirates Alleyway, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



A shaft of sunlight points out the alleyway
 to Pirate's Courtyard in the French Quarter.

Mission Accomplished

Window, San Xavier Mission, Tucson, Arizona
© Doug Hickok



Beautiful ornamentation wonderfully accentuates
a plain window on an old Spanish mission near Tucson.

Clouded Water

Church Creek, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



Cottony clouds fill Church Creek
 on a summer morning in June.

Campus Beauty

College Way, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok



This vignette along College Way illustrates the unique
 charm of the College of Charleston campus...
it is both an historic and horticultural beauty.

Slightly Different Take

South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona  © Doug Hickok



When visiting the Grand Canyon,
it ultimately becomes the subject of everyone's focus.
But for something a bit different, I used it as a backdrop
 to this shapely juniper growing at the canyon rim.

Window Display

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



Just about any street in the Historic District
 will have houses with decorative window boxes.
These are on a classic Charleston single house near The Battery.

Marshland Moods

Marshland, West Ashley Park, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Summer morning haze adds a misty atmosphere
 to the Lowcountry marshlands near where I live.
I take my daily bike ride past here
 and try to capture the mood of the park.

An Eden for the Natives

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



A rounded door with trellis archway
 is surrounded by a lush garden and
wrought iron scrollwork in the Historic District.
If your eyes are sharp enough you might also spot
 an inconspicuous reptilian denizen as well.

Summer Hues

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



June blooms along The Battery fill a blue sky with color.

Colorado Plateau

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A view across the Grand Canyon toward the North Rim
 illustrates the plateau's flatness, and the layers of stone
 which the Colorado River persistently cut through over time.

Morning Clouds

Marshland in the Morning, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Morning clouds add texture to sky
 and water at a West Ashley Park marsh.

Backdrops

Ironwork, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Colorful doors, walls and gardens provide vivid backgrounds
 for Charleston's seemingly unending variety of ironwork.

Country Life in the City

Cast Iron Gate, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Details on this ornate gate evoke a pastoral theme
 that dates back to the classical era.

Behind Door Number One

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



Behind this door in the wall
 awaits a secret garden blooming with color.