French Quarter Eve

French Quarter, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



Night falls over Charleston's historic French Quarter
 just as a car follows a curving street past Saint Philip's Church.
Many happy travels
and I hope your new year is a happy one!

Sprouting Trunks

Old Oak, near Meditation Garden, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



It appears that long ago, this old oak toppled over
but grew new sprouts that eventually became tree trunks.

Misty Monday - Winter Marshlands

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



Winter marshlands have a minimalist look
when veiled with morning mist.

Garden Design

Lamp Post at Sunset, White Point Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




The symmetry of White Point Gardens
makes a lovely image at sunset.

Colonial Colors

Colonial Lake at Dusk, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



The light of dusk reflects vibrant hues
 off of the surface of Colonial Lake.

Gate with a View

Cherub Fountain, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A peek through an overgrown gate
 offers a glimpse of a garden fountain in the historic district.

A Charleston Christmas

Classical Door with Wreath, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A classically designed door with a wreath
 is a merry greeting to all.

Sweetgrass Morning

Sweetgrass and Palmetto, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Feathery sweetgrass is adorned with dew
 on a foggy Lowcountry morning.

Craftsmanship

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



Two ornate gates stand open in front of a doorway
 to a house near the Battery. The skill used
 to make such beautiful wrought iron is remarkable!

Misty Morning - Still LIfe

Boat Ramp, Ashley River, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Golden light greets a still morning
 along the Ashley River.

Southern Fruit?

Little Pineapple Fountain, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



What better way to add a splash of Charleston symbolism
 to the garden than featuring a fountain topped with a pineapple,
 a sign of hospitality in the South.

Stand Together

Two Trees in the Surf, Botany Bay, Edisto Island, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Film photography.)


Twin trees stand together against the relentless power of the sea
 on the boneyard beach at Botany Bay.

Last Show

Japanese Maple Leaf, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A maple leaf clings delicately to a vine-covered wall
 in one last show of autumn brilliance.

Throwback Thursday - Harbor Vista

Piazza Overlooking the Harbor, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



This piazza overlooking Charleston Harbor may provide
 the best waterfront view in town, especially on a beautiful Carolina day.
I made the image on film many years ago and came across it
 recently while searching through my slide files.

Cobblestone and Brick

Cobblestone Lane, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A cobblestone and brick lane appears to arrive at the doorstep
 of a single house decorated for the season.

Opportunist

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



An egret standing inconspicuously in the stern of a shrimp boat
 seems out of place from its usual haunt in the marshlands.
 No doubt it has learned there are delicious tidbits from the sea
 to be found in the hull of this shrimper.

Misty Monday - Winter Fog

Shrimp Boat, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



On a winter morning, when heavy fog settled over the Lowcountry,
a shrimp boat found shelter amid the stillness of Shem Creek.

Ginkgo Hues

Ginkgo Tree, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A ginkgo tree spreads its autumn hues over a vine-covered
 house in Charleston's historic district.

Sea Island Glow

Rural Road, Edisto Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



A dirt road leads through a lush sea island woodland
of live oaks and spanish moss.

Dreamscape

Vine Covered Doorways, Meditation Garden, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



In a landscape out of dreams,
 doorways standing in the mist invite entry.
But where do they lead?
Only the curious will learn.

Pirate Scrolls

Pirate House Gate, French Quarter, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Scroll work patterns adorn the gate of the Pirate House.
 The facade is covered in fine-grained stucco,
 a construction material used on Charleston's historic buildings.

Venetian Bustle

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



A busy afternoon on the Grand Canal finds an assortment of water transports passing the domes of Santa Maria della Salute.



 

Hues for the Eyes

Azalea Hill and Reflections, Middleton Place Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



As in yesterday's post, red and green hues complement each other
 and captivate the eye, but this time in the spring
 on a hillside blooming with azaleas.

Rainbow Red

Autumn Dogwood, Near Rainbow Row, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Fall arrives late to Charleston. Typically we see autumn hues
 well into December. This dogwood tree, which adds white
 blooms to Rainbow Row in the springtime, also makes a
 crimson splash in the fall.

Framing the Government

View of Parliament, Budapest, Hungary  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Film photography.)



From atop Fisherman's Bastion on Castle Hill
 a trio of arched windows frames
 the Parliament Building of Budapest.

Feast for the Eyes

Gate and Finial, South Battery, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



The light along Charleston's Battery is marvelous at sunset.
Add an ornate gate and a bit of bokeh,
 and you have the ingredients for an image evoking the city's lovely charm.
Speaking of ingredients, where's the nearest restaurant?
... it's time for dinner!

Swamplands

Cypress Swamp, Middleton Place Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Reflections in the mirky waters of a bald cypress swamp
 mirror the trees that flourish in perpetual inundation.

Lowcountry Meteorology

Virga, Charleston Harbor, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



Virga falls over Charleston Harbor on a humid summer day
 indicative of our warm coastal climate. Interestingly, the rain
 in this image evaporates before reaching the surface,
which is not typical of our weather.

The Battery at Dawn

Sunrise of the Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Fiery hues light a dawn sky at the Battery.
Standing sentinel is a statue of General William Moultre,
who led a state militia in defense of Charleston
during the Revolutionary War.

Lowcountry Vista

Tidal Marsh and Clouds, James Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



A cloud rack drifts across the sky
 above tidelands on James Island.

Magnificent

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



A magnificent specimen of live oak
 spreads its ancient limbs over a park on John's Island.

At Peace

Old Ironwork, Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




Fading light on wrought iron in old Magnolia Cemetery
accentuates the calm at day's end.

Walk This Way

Japanese Maples, South Battery, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



Autumn maples are aflame over this sidewalk on the Battery.
Take a walk this way for a glimpse 
of Charleston at its peak in the fall.

Geometry and Color

Wagon Detail, The Old Depot, Village of Lewisburg, Ohio
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Color comes in different sizes and shapes,
 depending on your point of view.
Have a fun Friday!

Beauty of the World

Live Oaks and Rice Mill Pond, Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



I am thankful for the beauty of the world in which we live.

Making a Splash

Autumn Ginkgo, South Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A splash of yellow brightens the view along Charleston's
 Battery on a brilliant autumn day.

Boards of Color

Painted Boards, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Interesting color can be found just about everywhere.
These old boards near Shem Creek caught my eye
with their bright hues and weathered textures.

Icon

Pineapple Fountain, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



Charleston's iconic Pineapple Fountain symbolizes
 the city's deep rooted sense of hospitality.
It is framed beautifully by the verdant environs of
Waterfront Park, a key green space along Charleston Harbor.



 

Left Standing

Lone Gate, Middleton Place, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Union soldiers burned Middleton Place's main plantation house
 (built in 1705) during the final months of the Civil War.
The gate was left standing.

The Way We Were

Wheels and Pumps, Old Depot, Village of Lewisburg, Ohio
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Old wheels, gears and pumps with their patinas
survive from a former era when hand and horse power
 ran the country.

Shadowy Plot

Fence Shadows, Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Late afternoon light stretches shadow patterns across an old
 graveyard plot at Charleston's historic Magnolia Cemetery.

Post-Revolutionary Entrance

Handrail and Steps, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Follow the scrolling handrail and the curving steps to the entry 
of an 18th century mansion in the South of Broad historic district.

Decorating for the Season

Spanish Moss and Live Oaks, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Natures way of decorating is to drape spanish moss over oak trees,
 then let the setting sun light it up.

Grand Landscape

Dunes and Mountains, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The grand scale of this landscape can be sensed from this vantage point
where grasslands merge with dunes, which are then towered over
by the jagged peaks of the Rockies.

Misty Monday - Ashley River Sunrise

Marsh Grass and Sailboat, Ashley River, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A moored sailboat blends with
 marsh grasses in the mist along the Ashley River.

Lowcountry Sunset

Sunset with Spanish Moss, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


A Lowcountry day comes quietly to an end
 as the sun sets over the tidelands.

Sunflower Wreath

Sunflower Gate, Longitude Lane, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



How do you add sunshine to a shady lane?

Burning

Mid-Morning Sun, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The fireball that is our sun blazes away
 after burning-off morning sea fog at Folly Beach.

Green Curtain

Red House, Venice, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



A touch of green in a balcony curtain
 complements this red house in Venice.

Towers of Stone

Rocky Pinnacles, Monument Rocks National Natural Landmark, Kansas
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Walking amid the pinnacles of Monument Rocks
 feels like walking amid ancient towers of stone.