Merry Christmas from Charleston!

Giant Christmas Tree and Saint Matthew's Church, Marion Square, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia Slide Film)


Our warmest wishes to everyone on this special day!

Delivery Man

Santa Claus, Helen, Georgia  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia Slide Film)


Climbing up the side of a Christmas store in Helen, Georgia, Santa is either looking for his lost reindeer and sleigh, or scouting for the best delivery route to make his deliveries tonight. Either way, this delivery man will soon be making a stop near you.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Ahoy Mrs. Judy!

Shrimp Boat, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)


I found this "Mrs. Judy" at the Shem Creek shrimp boat docks, and thought it perfect for a post dedicated to someone special.

You see, ours is the original Mrs. Judy, a one of a kind gal.

So thanks Judy, for all you do for us!

Peace and Goodwill

Mini Van with Bumper Stickers, King Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)


A Bumper Crop of Bumper Stickers!

Bridge Wednesday - Port

Ravenel Bridge, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok


Graceful and imposing, the Ravenel Bridge stretches across the Cooper River, offering easy passage by foot or auto. Framed beneath the bridge's span are two container ship cranes, part of the Port of Charleston where thousands of tons of cargo pass each year.

Perhaps one of your holiday gifts passed through this port...

Scrollwork

Ironwork Scroll on Railing and Red Door, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


Charleston has an abundance of ornamental ironwork. The scroll is a very common ironwork motif. The origin of the word derives from a 13th century Anglo-French word that refers to "a roll of parchment" (for example, the Dead Sea scrolls).

This spiral shape is simple and graceful, and is commonly found in nature... as in sea shells, flower blossoms, fern fiddleheads, eddies in rivers, swirls in clouds, crop circles, and in the whipped cream atop cappuccinos. Yum!

Well perhaps the last few were a stretch, but you get the idea.

Still Dawn

Kiawah River and Cloud Reflections, John's Island, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


When conditions are just right, when the high tide is at its peak and the air is perfectly calm, the still waters of tidal creeks and rivers become mirrors of the dawn sky.

Saint Stephen's Lion

Lion Head Door Knocker, Saint Stephen's Basilica, Budapest, Hungary  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


Saint Stephen's Basilica was built in the neo-Classical style in 1905 and is the tallest building in Budapest. As with the tallest church in Charleston (Saint Matthew's Lutheran Church, 255 feet.), city regulations state no building in Budapest shall be taller than Saint Stephen's (315 feet). This door knocker shows beautifully ornate metal work, and a rather docile looking lion head awaiting your entry.

Sage Advice for the Road

Lines in Road, Auburn, Alabama  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)


Some roads take you to some places.
Other roads take you to other places.
In the end, you end up someplace.

                                             - Doug -

(Every other weekend I try on this new template to show a better overview of my blog. Please enjoy a browse or two.)

Gone Fishin'

Crab Traps on Boat Dock, James Island, SC  © Doug Hickok


To make their daily catch, fishermen are awake before the crack of dawn (as well as some photographers) and out on the water plying their trade. In the blue light of dawn, fishing boats have pulled out from the dock, but left behind is a stack of extra crab traps used for nabbing blue crab. The large net overhead deters pelicans and gulls from mobbing the deck. 


Hope you're able to nab a good weekend, even if you aren't fishing for crabs.

Photo Note: Here are some ideas for photography gifts this holiday season.

Sparkling Wishes

Bernini's Fountain in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City, Italy  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


Today I felt the need to post something happy... something bright, sunny, and sparkling... something endearingly Italian! Whenever I think of our visits to Italy, I think warm thoughts. So a Bernini fountain in Saint Peter's square, splashing in joyful sunlight, serves the purpose.
I hope you enjoy this refreshing photo as much as I do.
Have a sparkling day!

Mediterranean Color

Palmetto Shadow and Shutters, Aiken-Rhett House, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


This could easily be a scene from Italy or southern Spain. The light, color and palm tree shadow have the look of the Mediterranean. Yet it is here, in Charleston. There are times and places where Charleston has hints of an old world appearance, an old world charm. This was one of the first impressions I had when we first moved here from the Midwest.

Charleston Shutters

Shutters, Tradd Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


As you stroll along the narrow streets and alleyways of old Charleston, you will notice most residential windows come adorned with a functioning pair of shutters. For a city that can be exposed to heavy weather from the sea... tropical storms and hurricanes... having shutters that quickly close to protect windows is a benefit. Shutters are usually made of timber and painted an assortment of colors pre-approved by the Board of Architectural Review (BAR).

But one shutters to think what would happen if an unapproved color was ever used... say, neon pink polka dots over a dayglow green background. Egads!

(If you click on the link above and "Launch Color Visualizer", you can paint the town red... or any color you prefer!)

Misty Monday - Fog Bank at Sea

Fog Bank off the Coast of Oregon  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


An ominous bank of sea fog moves over the ocean in late afternoon, casting a dark impenetrable shadow above the horizon. The moods of the sea fascinate me... and so do stories about the sea.

My favorite story about the sea was one of the first novels I ever read as a teen in Ohio... Hemingway's Old Man and The Sea. It made such an impression on me that it led me to a love of great literature, and yarns about the sea. Other favorites of mine include Treasure Island, Moby Dick, A High Wind in Jamaica, The Dark Frigate, Voyage of the Narwal, The Perfect Storm, The Wreckers, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, and Pirates in an Adventure with Scientists.
Hummm... maybe that's why I moved close to the sea...

Do you have any sea story favorites?

A Journey to Trust

Old Barn, Road to Trust, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)

Bear Country, Road to Trust, near Walnut, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Autumn Color, Road to Trust, Appalachian Medley By-Way, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

French Broad River, Road to Trust, Hot Springs, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Rushing Waters, French Broad River, Road to Trust, Hot Springs, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Hillsides Ablaze with Fall Foliage, Road to Trust, near Walnut, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Old Red Caboose, Road to Trust, Hot Springs, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Road Cut and Pine Trees, Road to Trust, near Spring Creek, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Sugar Maple Leaf, Road to Trust, near Spring Creek, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Farm House and Barns, Road to Trust, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Saint Jude's Chapel of Hope, Trust, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Stain Glass Window, Saint Jude's Chapel of Hope, Trust, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok


Back in the autumn of early November, we took a road trip to a little community called Trust in the western mountains of North Carolina.

These pictures show a bit of what we saw along the way.

When we finally reached Trust, we found a little chapel at the crossroads.
The story of this chapel is remarkable.

It was built by a cancer survivor who dedicated it to St. Jude.
(Saint Jude is the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes.)
The cancer patient went through intensive treatment, but her prospects seemed so grim and the side effects so ravaging that she stopped therapy. Instead, she put her trust in a higher power and turned to prayer. Remarkably her cancer vanished. 
On a plaque outside the chapel is a quote... 

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help".

The chapel is peaceful and full of heart and hope.

We trust you enjoyed the ride along with us. Come with us next time as we venture along the Appalachian Trail and find snow.

Gander

Detail of Painted Cart, Old Depot, Lewisburg, Ohio  © Doug Hickok


Today's post is brought to you by the word gander. It is a noun that means a male goose (derived from the Old English which dates before the year 1000). Used informally it means a quick look (of more modern origin). For example, "Take a gander at this painted wagon... it reminds me of the colors on Christmas wrapping paper".

Interestingly, according to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable the word gander-mooning describes the "aimless meanderings of the gander when the goose is sitting".

As you might expect, I have derived a few new words and phrases of my own... 

Get your gander on - to strut your stuff in front of the hens in the goose pen.

You've been ganderized - somebody has been looking at you rather intently.

gandermonium - when the goose pen gate is left open and hundreds of ganders are running amok in the farmyard.

Carpe Ganderum - seize the gander... and maybe have him for dinner.  Bon Gander!

 

Quoddy Head

East Quoddy Head Lighthouse, Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada  © Doug Hickok


MaesTro, your music is an inspiration and a beacon to those who listen. Wish we could be at your concert tonight, but 1,723 miles is a bit far for us to drive...
even for a stellar night out.

Break a leg!
(But not really because it's difficult to move furniture that way.)

P.S. If the woman in orange looks familiar to you, it is because she is!

Hope you and everyone else in the whole world has a great weekend!

I Dreamt...

Cherubs and Car Keys, Portland, Oregon  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia Slide Film)


... I wandered in a city of blue. I felt lost and bewildered as I journeyed through a labyrinth of concrete and brick. I was like the allegorical traveler in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress searching for truth and meaning in a strange world. Then I looked-up and saw angels... cherubs like those in a Raphael painting. They began shooting arrows at me... not arrows of love... but car keys.

I was quickly impaled by what seemed like hundreds of keys. Yet I felt no pain. I felt only delight... as though I was the ecstatic subject of a Bernini sculpture. As I became a pin cushion of keys, lovely ultra-luxury cars began appearing all around me.

I plucked a key off of me, I tried it in the nearest car. It fit perfectly. "The car", you may ask, "what was it?" A bright red Maserati! Yes! No kidding! I took the sleek machine for a spin around the block, feeling the wind in my hair and a rush of excitement in my toes. I tried keys in other cars too. They all fit! Ode to Joy! Say no more! Say no more!

I drove Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Rolls Royces, Bugattis, Bentleys, Aston Martins (which came with martinis shaken, not stirred), a fire truck, a bakery truck (ummm, pastries!), and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.... the list went on and on.

But my wonderful dream quickly turned Kafkaesque as I found myself metamorphosed into a Saturday Night Live Killer Bee, crammed inside a 1970's Ford Pinto.

Alas, such stuff as dreams are made...

Lucky you. All of this surreal absurdity simply because of a photo I made years ago in Portland, which inspired this Borges-like ficciones.

Night of the Living Kayaks

Kayaks at Night, Shem Creek, Mount Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  
(Velvia slide film)


Renting kayaks for paddling tidal creeks and coastal marshes is a popular outdoor activity around Charleston. Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant offers docks for people to moor their commercial and recreational boats, as well as a place to rent colorful kayaks. Shem Creek is also a "hot spot" for photography. By day it is a delightful place to observe picturesque fishing vessels, but by night it can be throughly magical.

The colors of these kayaks glow in the dying light of twilight,  seemingly bringing them to life. This time lapse photograph shot on film captures a red streak of light made by a motor boat as it passed in front of the kayaks. Lights reflected in the creek create patterns that remind me of a row of candles on a birthday cake.

If today is anyone's birthday...
Happy Birthday!

On the Edge

Cypress Swamp, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


The Lowcountry is on the edge of two seasons... fall is almost over and winter is almost here. We are at the in-between time when one day there is a hint of frost in the air, yet the next day it is a balmy 75 degrees, like it was here today.

But when you are on the edge, in that transition zone... where fall meets winter and land meets water... something special is sure to happen. In this image at Magnolia Garden's cypress swamp, you can see the transition from fall to winter taking place. The cypress trees have lost their needles, revealing their bare limbs draped heavily with Spanish Moss, while another tree basks in the glow of autumn gold. All of this is reflected in the still waters of the swamp, which acts as a mirror to the world around it...
on the edge between reality and fantasy.