A Hike in the Highlands

View from the Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)

Appalachian Trail and Chain of Balds, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

View from Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Dried Grasses, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Mountain Ash, Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Birch Grove, Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Spruce-Fir Forest, Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Star Moss with Snow, Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina 
 © Doug Hickok

 Trail through Spruce-Fir Forest, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Snow, Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Becky hiking Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina  © Doug Hickok

Plank Bridge, Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok


Last fall we took a hike along part of the Appalachian Trail. We began on a high ridge, a treeless Appalachian bald, with 360 degree views of the Roan Highlands. As we progressed up a mountain side, through a spruce-fir forest, we hiked through a wonderland of snow.

The beautiful scenery and silence along this section of trail was invigorating, giving us the feeling that we could go on forever.
We enjoyed this hike so much that we want to return again another season.

Happy 2012 !!!

Angel Oak at Sunrise, John's Island, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


Hail to a dawn of new beginnings.
May 2012 be a year of peace and beauty for all of us!

Humdinger

Fountain of the Moor, Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


The word for the day is humdinger. It is an informal noun meaning an excellent person or thing. Its origin is American English slang from around 1905, derived from the words hummer or dinger (perhaps a beautiful woman). The following are a few possible usages...

An art critic from the Ozark hills once described La Fontana del Moro by Della Porta as "a humdinger example of early Baroque sculpture".

That fashion dive Medusa had one humdinger of a hairdo.

After winning the tiddlywinks tournament, Roger rewarded himself with a real humdinger of a hamburger, stacked high with dozens of pickles chopped into tiny chips (hence the invention of picklelywinks).

Some spin-off words might include humdingerthon, which may refer to a spectacular, long-lasting event... as well as the rowdier version of the word, humdingerpalooza.

So twist and shout, and toot your horns... have a New Year's celebration that is one big humdingerpalooza!

Decay

Abandoned Gas Station, Elizabethtown, Ohio  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)


Decay may delay your stay with a warm ray from the late day.

It has been a long time since I made my last Favorite Photographer Friday post, so I would like to end 2011 with an introduction to the work of photographer Stephen Wilkes. He is a fine art and commercial photographer who's projects include focusing his camera on abandoned settings like Ellis Island and Bethlehem Steel.

I hope you have a great weekend, and a wonderful New Year!

Cutting Edge

Medical University of SC Parking Garage, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


A thin edged corner of this modernistic building slices through blue sky, proving that parking garage architecture does not have to be dull.

I hope to get caught-up with everyone over the next few days. I very much appreciate your visits and comments during my absence.
Thank you!

Cinderella

Door on Storage Shed, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok


There is a lovely hued door beneath all the soot and scratches... a Cinderella just waiting to be revealed. Perhaps there is a little bit of Cinderella in all of us...
 if given the chance.

 

Night in Shining Fountain

Pineapple Fountain, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)


The darkness of night enhances this fountain aglow with lights.

Warm for the Holidays

Christmas Wreaths, Old Church Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


We have had warm weather leading up to Christmas in previous years, but this year may be the longest stretch of warm days yet. As I mentioned in a previous post, we have had an extended Indian Summer this year, dating back to October. It has been so mild that Spring flowering plants are blooming. We have a forsythia bush sprouting yellow blossoms in our yard at the moment. And autumn leaves still hang on trees.

So, as we begin the season of the Twelve Days of Christmas, we will relish these mild days of December... that is, until Old Man Winter finally arrives.
Hope everyone continues to have a wonderful holiday season.

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.