Lurking

Albino Alligator, South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

If you've ever wondered what an alligator does all day, this would be the answer... lurk quietly just below the murky surface of dark water swamps, waiting patiently for its next meal.

This rare albino individual is on display at our local aquarium. Its skin is so sensitive that it must be kept indoors, away from the sun. In the wild he probably would not have survived to adulthood. He is not camouflaged

 like his pigmented brothers.

Local Wildlife

Yard Ornament and Fresh Snow, near Harrison, Ohio  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Snowy Egret

Dwarfed

Bicyclist and Wingate Sandstone, Colorado National Monument, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Dwarfed by sheer walls of desert sandstone, a lone cyclist tests his endurance by biking along a national park road which eventually snakes up the valley to the canyon rim. 

The reddish Wingate Sandstone formation is composed of ancient sand dunes dating from about 200 million years ago. It towers above the valley along a fault line to form immense cliffs throughout Colorado National Monument. 

On this particular day, we spotted a pair of Peregrine Falcons flying along the cliffs where they had made their aerie on a rocky ledge.

Bridge Wednesday - No End in Sight

Wando River Bridge, Daniel Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Ghostly fog shrouds the concrete columns of an expressway bridge,
with no end in sight.

Embellishments

Ornate Gate, Ansonborough, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




Scrolls embellish a gate to a colonnaded mansion in
Charleston's Historic District.

Winter Camellias

Sasanqua Camellias, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Winter camellias bloom amid a cascade of Spanish Moss in the gardens of Magnolia Plantation.

The Watch

Statue, Prato della Valle, Padua, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view.)



The statue of Antenore of Troy, the legendary founder of Padua (according to Virgil), keeps steady watch over the domes of the Monastery of Saint Justina (founded in the 5th century). Justina of Padua was martyred in 304 AD, and later became venerated as a patron saint of the city. She was a young lady
 regarded for her chastity.

Tentacular

 Trimmed Sycamore Trees, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Plant, animal or mineral?

Don't Worry, Be Happy

OK Cafe Sign, Atlanta, GA  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Everything's going to be OK.

Snow Diaper

Swing at Playground, near Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A baby swing holds a load of freshly fallen snow.

Spice It Up

Pineapple Fountain, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



When you have a bland meal, adding a little spice can liven it up. Perhaps that goes for photography too. I woke early one morning to shoot Charleston's iconic Pineapple Fountain at sunrise. But the light was less than appetizing, resulting in a rather bland image.

I kept the image in my files for a few years, but went back to it recently to reexamine its potential. I decided to mix in a few spices to add flavor... some deep blues and purples in the shadows, some warm yellows and oranges in the highlights.

This spiced-up version of the image may not be to everyone's taste,
 but at least it's not as savorless as the original.

A Nerve Wracking Experience

Boulder Scattered Tidal Zone, near Seawall, Acadia National Park, Maine  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



A boulder strewn intertidal zone is exposed at low tide along a misty Maine coast. Growing abundantly here is a seaweed called rock wrack, more commonly known as rockweed. It is also known more indelicately as bladder wrack.

These mats of thick rock wrack are quite wet and slippery, so this hazardous tidal zone is no place to test your track and field skills... for if you do, you are very likely to encounter a most nerve wracking experience.

 

Castle Pinckney

Sunrise and Shutes Folly, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



On the isolated island of Shutes Folly, in Charleston Harbor, lies the overgrown ruins of Castle Pinckney. Although not a real castle, it was a small fortress built in 1810 to help guard the city from naval threat. 

It was briefly revived as a prisoner-of-war camp during the Civil War. But mostly the fort has been abandoned for long periods of time, fading into the obscurity of history.

The Color of Stone

Sunset on Stone Sidewalk, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Strolling on the stone paving of a sidewalk at sunset, one sees colors and textures not seen during the day.

Do the Twist

Window and Crepe Myrtle, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Two trunks of a crepe myrtle tree twist past
 a curtained window on Tradd Street.

Hindu Parable

Detail, Elephant Mural, Portland, Oregon  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Do you know the old Hindu parable about the elephant and the blind men? Several versions exist, but it basically goes like this...

 6 blind men (who do not know they are blind) gather around an elephant, each touching only a part of it, the trunk, the head, an ear, etc. Each blind man then interprets what he thinks the elephant is, based on what he has learned. 

Of course there is disagreement among them. The blind men each stubbornly hold to their opinions, and eventually come to blows. In an alternate version, they compare their varied knowledge and reach an agreement.

Another version tells of a sighted person walking by, explaining to the blind men what the elephant actually is. At this point they realize for the first time they are blind.

A more contemporary version of the parable reverses the circumstances, where 6 blind elephants each determine the nature of a man. 
They all conclude he is flat.

Seaside Tranquility

Bench on Patio, Folly Beach Pier, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved 



A tranquil dawn unfolds over the Atlantic
 offering a peaceful view from this seaside bench.

Pristine

Bench in the Snow, near Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Sitting quietly and undisturbed on a hillside,
 a bench is bundled up in a fresh coat of snow.

Photo Shoot

Couple on Beach, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



There is no doubt in my mind that this is a man in the ocean 
imitating Kung Fu Panda.

Rip Van Winkle

Bald Cypresses and Spanish Moss, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Wispy clusters of Spanish Moss dangle from a row of bald cypresses reflected in a garden pond. You can see why this mossy epiphyte is sometimes called "old man's beard". I hope if I ever live to be ancient, that I can grow such a beard...
 like Rip Van Winkle.