Misty and Mysterious Monday - Claws

Limbs of an Old Oak Tree, Wando River, Daniel Island, SC  © Doug Hickok


Hanging over a misty river on a wet and foggy day, the dead limbs of this ancient oak are like claws of a monstrous being from Middle Earth, ready to grab any unsuspecting souls that pass by.

Winter Churchyard

Old Headstones, Unitarian Churchyard, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


The lush appearance of the Unitarian Churchyard is just one of the attractions of this old Southern Gothic graveyard. Ironwork fences try to contain the luxuriant growth of ferns and grasses. Crepe Myrtle trees draped in Spanish moss overhang ancient headstones that tell brief stories of mysterious past lives. A walk among the rampant growth and slowly decaying graves, in the shadow of the Colonial era church, is like stepping back in time to a place completely isolated from the present.

Know Your Books

A Stack of Books in front of Blue Bicycle Books, King Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


Books, Books, Books!

On cold winter nights, what a joy it is curling-up with a good book. If you enjoy books, or just knowing all about books, take some time to explore Goodreads. This is the place for you, especially when looking for that next perfect book to read. A word of caution though... Goodreads can be habit forming.

Pharaoh

Faux Pharaonic Mask, Antique Shop, Mount Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)
The word for the day is Pharaoh. It is a noun meaning "great house", and applies to the official title of the kings of ancient Egypt. The word dates from the reign of Akhenaten (about 3,500 years ago), but was made popular by its use in the Bible, especially in the Book of Exodus. Famous Pharaohs include Ramesses the Great, Tutankhamun and Steve Martin.

The phrase "Pharaoh's Chicken" refers to the Egyptian Vulture, the symbol of which appears commonly in hieroglyphics. A philosophical question that might be asked is, "Which came first, Pharaoh's Chicken or the road kill?"



Completely unrelated to today's word (but it rhymes) is the phrase "fair row", which is when Crew teams don't cheat during a race.

Conveyances

Vessels, Shem Creek, Mount Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok


The calmness of Shem Creek is momentarily disrupted by the passing of a pair of watercraft. The kayak and the motor boat, in conjunction with the docked shrimp boat, are examples of nautical conveyances typically found on Lowcountry tidewaters.

What you will not find in these waters is the infamous Yellow Submarine or Captain Ahab's Pequod.


(Oh... and Happy Birthday Bucko!)

Torch Light

Outdoor Dining Tent, Shem Creek, Mount Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok


Like a flaming torch light, the glow of a setting sun illuminates an outdoor dining tent near a seafood restaurant on Shem Creek. On cool winter evenings you can sit outside beneath the enclosed canopy and keep warm while watching the fading light of day... a pleasant way to enjoy your favorite fresh seafood.

Battery Promenade

East Battery and Waterfront, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)


Perhaps Charleston's most iconic setting is the High Battery, perched on the waterfront and lined with antebellum mansions (built before the Civil War). A stroll along the promenade atop the seawall is ideal during the peacefulness of dawn or dusk. From here you experience the sights and sounds of this unique American vista, where waters from the sea and history converge.

Park Ramble

Pineapple Fountain, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


A lovely way to begin the day is a ramble in the park... Waterfront Park in Charleston offers beautiful fountains, shady lanes and pleasant views of the harbor, especially at sunrise.

The Duomo of Florence

Northern Facade, Bascilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


Few man made structures dominate a city center like the Duomo of Florence. Begun in 1296 and finally completed in 1436 by Brunelleschi, the famous Gothic cathedral towers above the 15th century Renaissance city, a symbol of Florence's religious and secular power. Centuries later, you still get a sense of its immense size with this view down a narrow street toward the Duomo's ornamental facade. The final step in construction was the making of the facade. Marble was quarried from various parts of Italy and transported to Florence to decorate the facade,... from Carrara, white stone, from Prato, green, and from Siena, red. This task was not completed until 1887. The Duomo was truly a long term project!

A Deceptive Quietude

Ruins and Old Olive Tree, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


A peaceful moment in the Roman Forum inspires reflection upon the immense depth of history found here among the old olive trees and weathered ruins. Yet, it is a deceptive peace. Not only was the Forum a hubbub of activity in ancient times, but it still is during tourist season, when throngs of visitors file past the remains of the once vast and seemingly indestructible Empire of Rome.

La Serenissima

View from the Canale Della Giudecca toward the Fondamenta Zattere
 and the Bell Tower of Santa Maria dei Carmini, Venice, Italy  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view.)


The "Most Serene Republic" looks just that, serene, on a bright gem-like winter day. Perhaps Venice has seen more prosperous days, but in vivid light and glowing color, it is still a city of incomparable beauty.

Letters to Sala

Placards, Old Town, Krakow, Poland  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


One of the amazing stories to come from Holocaust survivors is the story of Sala. Beginning as a 16 year old, she spent five years in seven different labor camps. Remarkably, she was able to hide over 300 letters, post cards and photographs from the authorities, documents that told the story of her young life.

If you would like to read further about her story, here is the link.

X Factor

Balconies of the Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)


When I visited the Fox Theatre in Atlanta last summer, my goal was to frame an image that illustrated the variety of brickwork on its facade. The X in the brickwork of this foreground balcony caught my eye, so I sought to make it the focus of my photograph. But, I also wanted to include the rounded Moorish arch over the window as a counter balance to the X.


 Just as I was thinking about my composition, the sun came out from behind the clouds, illuminating the X. This emphasized the X, while leaving the background window in shadow. Lastly, a tilt of the camera... just enough to make the horizontal lines slightly diagonal... made the image more dynamic.


Composing a photograph is sometimes like putting a puzzle together. When something unusual happens, like the burst of sunlight, then that extra twist, the X factor, puts the final piece in place.

Time Weathers All

Rusty Door, Savannah, Georgia  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


More rust than door.

Misty Monday - Ageless Shores

Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada  © Doug Hickok


Some places have a timeless feeling, a sense that little has changed since the dawn of the earth. While walking along the stretch of ancient shore seen above, I had this feeling. The rocky coast of Campobello Island has an ageless spirit... the scene above could be from the present or from a million years ago, before the age of man.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir

A Transcendental Spirit

Sand Beach and Newport Cove Headland, Acadia National Park, Maine  © Doug Hickok


There are places in the great outdoors that exude an inspiring energy, a feeling of awe or wonderment or a transcendental spirit. For me such places are often ancient mountains, old forests and wild coastlines. These feelings are especially strong when the three ecosystems converge into one. Examples of this convergence in North America are the Big Sur of California, the wild coasts of Oregon and Washington state, and the Down East shores of Maritime Canada and Maine, such as the picture above from Acadia National Park.


"We are attracted by wilderness, the Otherness of it, the sense it is something inevitably outside of us."
Henry David Thoreau

The Leaf that Wouldn't Fall

Dead Leaf and Window Curtains, Old Farm House, Lewisburg, Ohio  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)


This leaf, miraculously clinging to the smooth surface of the front door glass, symbolizes the possibility of the "impossible". Many things once thought to be impossible have become reality... horseless carriages, telephones, television, exploring the depths of the sea, satellites photographing distant galaxies, the internet, laser surgery,
Doug having a photography blog...
What next!?

Eat the Rich

Lobby Table and Chairs, Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok


A table for two at the
"Occupy Cafe".

Universal Language?

Letters on a Gas Station Sign, South Carolina  © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)


Momeed higsoci) peasing unitHar nosserly carizink ffexte estembou, hunDica caliblab Aliter diapst. Slogreti eeklyisu roortic arfdi otikesp loogext:
 C0nfirm y0u aRe NoT a SpaMmer! setksh olocombesse misho radjhba ifformf 154, quigmaXe dradig asesses W0rd Ver!ficAtioN monvami varnum ingnu iggy sty?


CAPTCHA! Ha, ha, ha!

FROPPLIP!!!

Log Jam

Logs Washed Ashore near Elephant Rock, Seal Rock State Park, Oregon  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia Slide Film)


The above collection of wooden jazz musicians, known as "The Logs", have pilled-up together along the Oregon coast for a jam session. Rhythmic thudding and thumping have become a signature sound of this tree-mendous group. You can hear them "live" at Seal Rock State Park, especially on days when the tide is up-tempo, 
and the winds are blowing hard.