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.