Stucco Canvas

Unitarian Church at Sunset, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



The stucco facade of the old Unitarian Church makes a perfect canvas for the warm painterly light of sunset.

A Cool Way

Lush Pathway, Gateway Walk, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A cool way to seek relief from summer's heat...
 stroll down one of Charleston's secluded shaded pathways.

Lines Drawn in the Sand

Sand Dune and Sky, near Al Ain, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Artistic winds delineate parallel patterns in a desert dune.

Have a great weekend!


 

Front Row Seat

Great Blue Heron at Sunrise, Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A resting heron finds the best "seat" in the harbor
 to watch a breaking dawn.

Three Sisters

Three Single Houses, Meeting Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Like three sisters holding hands, a trio of Charleston single houses bask in the morning sun on Meeting Street.

Quintessential

Portico and Palmetto Tree, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Palms and porticos... this must be Charleston!

Ethereal

Surf at Sunset, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An ethereal moment in time is captured at Folly Beach
 using a long exposure.

Questions for an Old Door Handle

Old Door Handle, Krakow, Poland  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



I wonder how many souls have touched this door handle 
in the old town of Krakow. 
Who were they, what were their lives like, 
and where are they now?
Imagine the stories they could tell.

Buoys in the Hood II

Lobster Buoys, Bar Harbor, Maine  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Buoys in the hood,
just wanna hang.

Yo.

Kaleidoscopic Color

Umbrella Canopy, Miracle Garden, Dubai, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A canopy of kaleidoscopic color offers shade to visitors who stroll the paths of Dubai's Miracle Garden.

To see more of my UAE photos, visit my new tumblr blog.
There is a link on the sidebar also.

Happy Weekend!

Bear Lake

Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Bear Lake is an alpine lake at about 9,500 feet in elevation in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. It was formed during the last ice age by glaciers. 

The surrounding peaks and slopes reflect in its glassy waters, making it a great subject for photography. It stays clear because constant cold water temperatures minimize the growth of algae and moss.

Tic Tac Tow...

Cadillac Ranch, near Amarillo, Texas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Three cars in a row.

Color on the Creek

Shrimp Boats, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



A few years back colorful shrimp boats adorned Shem Creek,
 making perfect subjects for the hue seeking eyes of a photographer.

Italy in Charleston

Drayton Hall, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Built in the symmetrical style of Italian architect Andrea Palladio, Drayton Hall is an 18th century plantation house preserved in its original form and open for public tours. Especially notable is its large projecting portico, a classic Palladian feature. It served both as protection from the sun and as a place to openly view the grounds.

A Momentary Peace

Sunset Clouds, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Gazing at clouds makes me dream.  
I loose track of time and am lost in another world... 
where I find a momentary peace.

Narcissistic Oak

Live Oak Branch and Reflection, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A narcissistic oak branch looms over the Ashley River to gaze at its reflection 
in the water's glassy mirror.

Giant Sundial

Shadow of Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The shadow of the world's tallest building moves across an arid urban landscape like a giant sundial. What time is it? Time to gape in disbelief at the Burj Khalifa's astonishing height!

To see more of my photographs from the United Arab Emirates see my new tumblr blog, Hue and Eye Photography.

Johnny

Mural, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This figure is part of mural painted on the side of 
Planet Follywood Bar on Folly Beach. 
The painter is award winning Charleston artist James Christopher Hill. 

Any of you film buffs know the depicted Hollywood actor
 and in which movie he played?

High Plains Tea Pot

Monument Rocks, near Oakley, Kansas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Looking a bit like a geological tea pot, a butte of chalk rises above the High Plains of Kansas at Monument Rocks. In 1968 these rocky outcrops became the first designated National Natural Landmark in the U.S.  
Their origins however are much older...

This outcrop brews a mixture of 80 million year old fossils with multiple layers of sediment from an ancient inland sea.

Rivers of Stone

McKinney Falls State Park, Austin, Texas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Channels of erosion in limestone rock form "rivers of stone" at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, Texas. The Cretaceous age limestone is the result of an ancient shallow sea which covered present day Texas.

A Real Survivor

Drayton Hall and Live Oak Shadows, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Drayton Hall is one of the few plantation houses to survive from the colonial era. It was built in 1742 and designed in the Italian style of Palladio. In contrast to most of the other Charleston area plantations, it endured the marauding forces of both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, persevering in its original state. 

Unlike players on reality TV, Drayton Hall is a real survivor.

Antebellum Mansion

Antebellum Mansion, South Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved





An antebellum mansion looms above South Battery in evening light. A low angle view brings out quintessential Charleston elements of architecture... 
a tall ornate gate, multi-columned piazza and hipped roof.

Soccer at the Colosseum

Souvenir Bus, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Where is the best place to buy souvenirs when in Rome? Probably in front of the Colosseum. You can buy a soccer ball and kick it around with your friends where plebeians once cheered the gladiators of ancient Rome. And don't forget to buy a delicious ice cream afterwards... GOOOOOOAL!

Fan the Cotton

Fan and Cotton Shirts, Al Ain, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Not only does this fan cool the room,
 it's also perfect for hanging cotton shirts to dry.

And yes, the word cotton comes from the Arabic qutn.

To see more photographs from our UAE trip, take a look at my new tumblr blog

Old Rusty

Rusty Truck, Denny's Classic Cars, Elko, South Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved 
(Click on image for larger view)



This aged truck once enjoyed a vigorous life with a fresh green coat of paint. But since retirement, its splendid green has faded as it languishes in abandonment, subject to corrosive elements of the weather. It has remained sedentary for so long it is known now for its bright red hues, hence the name Old Rusty. 

Farms

Fence Post on a Farm, near Dayton, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



There is nothing quite like the textures at farms... the rough hardwood of fences and barns, the bristly fur of livestock, the soft feathers of fowl, the delicate leaves of crops and gardens, the cool metal of machinery, the firm yet friable feel of the earth... the simple joy of being connected with the land.

The View from Rough Ridge

Boardwalk, Tanawha Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Along Rough Ridge, the Tanawha Trail becomes a boardwalk over a 
fragile mountain-heather ecosystem. Rhododendrons bloom rosy hues while 
in the distance the Line Cove Viaduct, part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, 
can be seen below a cliff.

Scenes like this make me long for the mountains!

Fading Pine

Old Pine Tree, Lily Lake and Long's Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




The solitary remains of an old pine overlooks a lake in the Rocky Mountains. 
As this tree fades to dust, younger pines growing near by will replace it. 
The life cycle continues.

A Subtle Touch

Hand Rail, Saint Philip's Church, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


A little curl at the end gives this hand rail a subtle touch of ornamentation which one might overlook on their way to Sunday services.

A Folly Stonehenge

Ruins of a Jetty, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



This "Stonehenge" on Folly Beach is nothing more than the rotting
remains of an old jetty. Despite man's best efforts, constant erosion
by wind and water whittle away the beaches. And yet, we continue
to be drawn to the magnificent, natural boarder of land and sea.