Garden Glow

Sunset, White Point Gardens, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Evening sun illuminates fresh green grass
 between long limbed oaks at White Point Gardens.

Stones of Venice

Marble Column, Saint Mark's Basilica, Venice, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



If you like rocks, go to Venice. For example, a geologist would surely find the mineral composition of these architectural elements a fascinating study... in fact, the entire Basilica of Saint Mark's is a treasure trove of precious stones.

A Notably Low Tide

Fishing Boats at Low Tide, Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Low tide brings to rest a trio of weatherworn fishing boats on Campobello Island.  The nearby Bay of Fundy has the world's highest tidal range...
 nearly 50 vertical feet between high and low tides.

Dreaming at Day's End

Sunset Through My Window, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Curtains veil a sunset through my window,
evoking a tranquil moment of pleasant daydreaming.

Any Which Way

Trail Signs, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Go left, go right, or just stop and admire the evening light
 as it settles over the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Whichever way you choose, the views are serene and awe inspiring.

Rocky Slope

Rocky Slope, Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



They are called the Rockies for a reason...
whether you look up or down, 
there are bits of the mountains everywhere!

Looking Ahead

Wisteria Vines, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



By the time April arrives, colorful blooms such as these
 will spring upon Charleston and the Lowcountry.

Misty Monday - Monochromatic Morning

Mist Under the Fishing Pier, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A soft misty morning is perfect
 for a monochromatic interpretation
 of the Folly Beach Fishing Pier.

An Eye for Natural Light

Oculus, Pantheon, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Velvia slide film.)



The natural way to light the Pantheon,
a temple of ancient Rome dedicated to all the gods,
is to let the sun shine through its oculus,
the great eye at the dome's center.

Swamp Palms

Palmetto Frond and Cypress Swamp, Middleton Place, Charleston, SC



Early spring at a bald cypress swamp...
 where native palms thrive even after a winter
 of ice storms and sub-freezing temperatures.

Crossing the Desert

Walking Man Sign, Al Ain, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



It seems there are "walking man" signs everywhere
 pedestrians cross the road to get to the other side...
even in the desert.

A Game of I Spy

Two Shrimp Boats, James Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



I spy with my eye... a pelican.

The Old Days

Tie Dye T-Shirt, Vancouver's Downtown Market, Washington
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



A tie-dye T-shirt that I photographed in Vancouver takes me back to
my hippie days in the 1970's when I had shoulder length hair,
wore bell bottom jeans, listened to the Doobie Brothers,
and said things like, "groovy".
Surely, Surly Mama, you remember this trip!
It was far out, man!

Blue Haze

Blue Ridges, Southern Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



The Blue Ridge Mountains are named after the cool-hued haze which
often settles among the peaks and valleys of the Southern Appalachians.
Thick vegetation gives off tiny particles that mix with atmospheric gases
to produce the haze.

On another note, Doug's Photo Blog passed the
half million page view plateau yesterday.
As always, thank you very much for your visits and comments!

Upward Trend

Roofline and Sky, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Slide Film)



A bright combination of simple hues gives this image visual impact.
 I originally shot this photo in the horizontal format, 
then turned it to give it a more graphic feel.
 In fact, it looks like a graph...
perhaps one indicating the upward trend
 of my longing for a box of deluxe chocolates.

The Givers

Angel Oak, John's Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



 Some people are givers, and some people are takers. 

I am fortunate that my wife and her family have been givers, 
providing me with strength and sustenance for many years.

Trees are givers too, like this ancient tree, the Angel Oak... providing us with the oxygen we need to survive, 
and the aesthetic beauty that sustains our spirit.

Punny Oar Not... You Decide

Red Oars and Row Boats, near Prospect Harbor, Maine
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



To row oar not to row,
that is the question...
whether 'tis nobler in the mind
to suffer the slings and arrows
of outrageous puns.


Also, a quick note... another of my posts was selected
this week for the National Geographic Travel blog. Yeah!

Up Close

Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



A front row view of Multnomah Falls cascading, in all its
 sound and fury, is better than any front row seat at the theater.

Above the High Plains

Rock Formations and Clouds, Monument Rocks, Western Kansas
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



In 1968 Monument Rocks became the nation's first designated National Natural Landmark. They consist of buttes, arches and pyramid shaped chalk formations that stand strikingly above the flat plains of western Kansas. In about 80 million years, they will be eroded low and flat enough to have a picnic on them.




  

Shop Window

Condensation on a Shop Window, King Street, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Going out early one morning and exploring the King Street Shopping District,
I found a shop window dripping with condensation.
The feet behind are on a poster displayed next to the window.

Wander

Rural Road, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



A narrow country lane wanders between oaks
in an old Appalachian valley.

Misty Monday - Vintage Bridges

Old Cooper River Bridges and Tug Boats, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Slide Film.)



Today's Misty Monday image is also a "throwback" image.
 Anyone who can remember the days when travelers and commuters drove
the old narrow lane bridges that spanned the Cooper River
can also remember how nerve racking it was... and slow.
Imagine the traffic snarls we would have now if we didn't have
the Ravenel Bridge, which opened in 2005. Yikes!

Spring Preview

Live Oak Branch, Spanish Moss and Azalea Hill, Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



In a few weeks time, spring will be in full swing here in Charleston.
Azaleas will infuse the hillside at Middleton Place gardens with
 a blaze of warm and vibrant hues.

Hushed

Little Waterfall, Acadia National Park, Maine  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Glimpsed through green foliage,
a little waterfall spills over Maine granite,
 adding a soothing pattering to the hushed forest sounds.

Gnarly Weekend Ahead

Steps Down, The Washout, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This surfer heads down toward the surf at The Washout on Folly Beach.
After all the cold rain we've had this entire week, stepping into a
sunny, warm weekend is going to be totally gnarly dude.

Illumination

Sunrise, Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The sun bursts through early morning clouds to illuminate
 the waters of Charleston Harbor.

A Grand View

Grand Canal, Venice, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Velvia slide film.)



Here is an image that exhibits the bejeweled colors of dazzling Venice.
It was taken from the Accademia Bridge, which spans the Grand Canal,
and features the golden domed Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.

Ingredients

Facade Colors and Cloud, The Plex, North Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Find the right light, find the right angle, add a bit of shadow, then wait for a cloud to pass by at a pivotal point in the image... these ingredients, when mixed together, make this colorful image.

Ebb and Flow

Live Oak and Tidal Creek, Daniel Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



The ebb and flow of coastal tidal creeks varies the vistas over marshlands
by the hour. On this occasion, high tide offers a mirror of still water
for the live oak to bend toward, as if admiring its reflection.

Layered History

Temple and Church, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film.)


San Lorenzo in Miranda stands inside the ancient temple ruins of
 Antoninus and Faustina. This 7th century church is reputed to be the site of Saint Lawrence's martyrdom. Places like this,
where history is layered upon layer, are commonplace in Rome.




 

Aspen Grove

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



This quaking aspen grove shows the deep furrowed bark of old trees.
 The bark is also subject to scaring by grazing elk,
 seen commonly in this Rocky Mountain meadow.