A Fine Twine

Blue Plumbago, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



This blue flowering vine twines and arches over
 the ornate ironwork at one of Charleston's famous historic inns,
 the John Rutledge House bed and breakfast.

Tree Cemetery

Boneyard, Folly Beach, SC   © Doug Hickok

Bleached by the rigors of time and the elements,

 this old boneyard beach can be found at the

 Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve on Folly Beach.

Narrow Road in the Smokies

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



A narrow country road stretches across a pastoral
 mountain cove in the Southern Appalachians of East Tennessee.

Courtyard Shadows

Entry Courtyard, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Morning light casts shadows of an entry gate
into a courtyard along East Bay Street.

Old Man's Beard

Rural Road, near Savannah, Georgia  © Doug Hickok



A curve in the road takes travelers past oak trees
 covered in Spanish moss, which grows thickly
 in this part of the Old South.

Pyramids of the Prairie

Monument Rocks, Western Kansas   © Doug Hickok



Most people think of Kansas as flat farmland or prairieland.
But jutting out of the soil is the protected area
 called Monument Rocks, or Chalk Pyramids.
These ancient formations were once part
of a vast shallow sea that spaned across the continent.

Odd Bird

Sunset, near Harrison, Ohio   © Doug Hickok



After an evening rain storm passed,
the sun set the sky ablaze with color.
This oddly shaped cloud "flew" above the tree line
like a strange meterological bird.

French Quarter Delight

Window Box, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



This lush window box in Charleston's French Quarter
 is delightful to see, year after year.

Mirror, Mirror

Marshland, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Calm wetland waters reflect oak trees
 at the edge of a marsh like a polished mirror.

Letterbox

Letterbox, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Fig vines on a garden wall
  punctuate an ornate letter box
near the garden entrance.

Ghost Mines

Old Silver Mine, Colorado   © Doug Hickok



The relic of an abandoned silver mine frames Red Mountain,
which gets its color from iron ore. The Red Mountain
Mining District of Colorado was once one of the richiest
 in American history, lasting about a decade in the late 1800's.

Summertime

White Crepe Myrtle, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Summertime means crepe myrtle time...
all throughout the Lowcountry,
these colorful ornamentals
add their blooms to the landscape.

Campus Beauty

Sago Palm, College of Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



A sago palm lends a tropical feel to the Sottile House garden
 at the College of Charleston. The college was
recently voted America's most beautiful campus
 by Travel + Leisure Magazine.

Blue Plumbago

John Rutledge House, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Flowering blue plumbago follows the curve of entry steps
 to an historic Bed and Breakfast in Charleston.

Lush Window Box

Window Box, Charleston, SC   © Doug Hickok



A window box bursts with lush growth and a multitude of color
 at a mansion overlooking Meeting Street.

Crescent Domes

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE   © Doug Hickok



Mid day sunlight forms crescent shapes
 atop the domes of Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque.



 

Misty Ridges

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina  
© Doug Hickok



Clouds move across misty ridges
 in the heavily forested mountains
 of the Southern Appalachians.

Iron and Wood

Door Grille, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



A wrought iron grille fits in the recess of a wooden door,
 making an interesting contrast of organic and inorganic materials.

Pink and Blue

Hydranges, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok 



Hydrangeas frame an entry to a house
 in the Ansonbourgh area of downtown Charleston.

Window Grille

Garden Door, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



At the end of a brick walkway,
a door's wrought iron window grille
 is backlit by morning light.

Verdant Walls

Alleyway Path, Charleston, SC   © Doug Hickok



Vines, ubiqutious throughout Charleston,
cover garden walls and building facades
with patinas of lush greens.

Evanescence

Sunset, Savannah, Georgia   © Doug Hickok



A towering cloud catches the warm light of sunset
 over a palmetto tree near Savannah, Georgia.
In a matter of minutes both the cloud and the sunlight
 dissipated into the night.

Saint Michael's Alley

Saint Michael's Alley, Charleston, SC   © Doug Hickok



A sunny morning illuminates a South of Broad alleyway
in one of Charleston's oldest neighborhoods.

Balancing Finials

Finials, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Two large finials balance on a brick entry gate
 at one of Charleston's early 19th century mansions.

Narrow Lane

Narrow Lane, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok



Evening envelopes Cades Cove where a narrow lane
 cuts across pastureland that dates
 from 19th century settlements.

Park View

Saint Michael's Church, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Across the street in Washington Square,
Saint Michael's Church, one of Charleston's iconic landmarks,
 can be seen through a wrought iron gateway.

Three Gardens

3 Backyard Gardens, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Here is a sampler of backyard gardens
 in Charleston's Historic District,
showing an assortment of horticultural styles.

Light and Iron

Lantern and Balcony, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Mid morning sun backlights a lantern
 and a wrought iron balcony
 along an alleyway South of Broad.

Classic Storefront

Facade on Meeting Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Decorative details abound on the facades
 of historic commercial storefronts along Meeting Street.
This area features restaurants, shops and hotels.

Port City

Tall Ship, Charleston, SC   © Doug Hickok



Every few years Tall Ships sail into Charleston Harbor
 to spend a weekend for tours. This one docked at the Maritime
 Center and stayed a bit longer. My photo recalls
 a past era when Charleston was a thriving port
 in the 1800's.

Spring Scroll

Wrought Iron Fence, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



The scroll of a wrought iron fence
 is a focal point for a garden blooming with azaleas.

Twins

Old Fire Station, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Twin green doors complement the bright red
 of fire trucks at this old fire station in the Historic District.

French Quarter Morning

Chalmers Street, French Quarter, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Early morning light slants across one of Charleston's
 cobblestone streets, this one being in an old section
 of the French Quarter near Washington Square.

Mini House

Doll House, Charleston, SC   © Doug Hickok



Beneath a canopy of tangled vines,
a doll house waits patiently for playtime
 in a Charleston garden South of Broad.

Rusty

Window Grille, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Along Broad Street is an old bank
 with wrought iron window grilles.
This one shows bits of rust seeping through,
adding interest to its ornate design.

Box Office Hit

Ironwork, Dock Streat Theatre, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Shadows and light create an intriguing combination
 of shapes and textures at Dock Street Theatre
 in Charleston's French Quarter.

Biding Time

Clock on King Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Ben Silver's mannequin bides his time,
early on a Sunday morning,waiting for the store to open

Italy in Charleston?

Cypress and Palmettos, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



An old, narrow alleyway passes by
Charleston houses with backyards
where Italian cypresses grow alongside palmettos.

Renoir Redux

Mural near Poogan's Porch Restaurant, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



David Boatwright's mural, painted on the side of Mira Winery,
 is a contemporary version of Renoir's
 Luncheon of the Boating Party
depicting local chefs and restraunteurs.

Well Preserved

French Quarter, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Johnson Row is a colorful group of tenement houses
 built in 1803 along Queen Street in Charleston's
 French Quarter. Like so many of the city's historic properties,
 renovation efforts by preservation groups
 have kept them well cared for.

Mills House

Mills House, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Ornate details abound on the Mills House,
one of Charleston's beautiful hotels in the Historic District.

Sunrise at the Park

Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



One of Charleston's most scenic public green spaces
 is Waterfront Park, which overlooks Charleston Harbor.
It's an ideal place to watch the sunrise.



 

Ivy Gate

Gate Detail, Charleston, SC   © Doug Hickok



The skill of a metalsmith brings wrought iron foliage
 to life on an entry gate in the Historic District.

Midnight in a Garden in Charleston

Pimeapple Fountain, Charleston, SC   © Doug Hickok



Today's photo is brought to you by one of Doug's blue moods.

Verdantly Framed

Garden Door, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



Lush growing vines surround a garden door
 that leads to a narrow courtyard in the Historic District.

Doin' the Charleston

Antique Ford, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



A Roaring 20's Ford looks right at home
 amid the surroundings of Charleston's Historic District.

Broad Street Sunrise

Broad Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



This view down Broad Street early in the morning
 shows the colonial era Saint Michael's Church
 framed by serveral of South Carolina's state trees, the Palmetto.

Rough Ride

Cobblestone Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



One of Charleston's cobblestone streets
 seems at odds with modern transportation,
though such a rocky byway kept the carriage wheels
of yesteryear out of the mud.