Ancient Echoes

Capital Detail, Randolph Hall, College of Charleston,
Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This Ionic capital could very well be from ancient Greece,
but is actually on the iconic portico of Randolph Hall
 at the modern day College of Charleston.

Prime Real Estate

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



A lone heron gazes across a tidal marsh
 from a prime vantage point
during a misty morning on James Island.

Cool Refreshment

Mountain Stream, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Tumbling mountain water twists its way down the photograph
 and rushes around a lichen covered boulder in the Smokies.

Garden City

Courtyard Entry, French Quarter, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Shaded by on old redbud tree, this French Quarter courtyard
befits Charleston's description as a garden city.

Autumn Chill

Rocky Coast in the Mist, Acadia National Park, Maine
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)


Cooler weather means misty mornings are more frequent
 along the coast than in summer,
whether up north in Maine or down south in the Carolinas.

Seek and You Shall Find

Scrollwork, Saint Phillip's Churchyard Gate, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



While walking around town
don't waste time scrolling on your electronic device...
look for scrolls in Charleston's French Quarter instead.

Emergence

Loop Road, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A curve in the road presents a view emerging from the forest.

Autumn Color

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



Cassia blooms brighten the entry to an old mansion
 near the South Battery in Charleston.

Glacial Remnant

Blue Lakes, Mt. Sneffels Wilderness, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A slab of ice floats on the surface of an alpine lake
 in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Travel Destination

Unity Alley, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Old Unity Alley is home to McCrady's Restaurant,
rated among the nation's finest dining experiences.
The 18th century long room and tavern hosted a banquet
attended by George Washington while he was
 on tour of the South (being one of Charleston's earliest notable tourists!).



 

Hello

Doors on a Rustic Cabin, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A contemporary greeting scrawled over this doorway
welcomes visitors to a rustic cabin in Cades Cove.

Charleston Style

Ornate Lantern, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An ornate gas lantern provides a stylish accent
 to this blue shuttered house South of Broad.

Tucked Away

Hardwood Cove Cascade, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Tucked among a forest of hemlocks and yellow poplars,
 a small waterfall complements its lush surroundings
 in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Glimpse of a Walled Garden

Garden Door, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This door offers a window to a courtyard garden
in Charleston's Historic District.

Peace in the Valley

Stream in a Mountain Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Tranquility flows with this mountain stream
 as it tumbles down a lush valley in the Smokies.

Otherworld

Spruce-Fir Forest, Mount Mitchell, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The thick, dark coniferous forest on Mount Mitchell
 appears mystical when the sun beams through the mist.

Row House Display

Row Houses, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Window boxes and flower pots adorn row houses
 along Queen Street in the Historic District.

An Evening Invitation

Tree by the Roadside, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Warm evening light adorns a tree
 that frames an inviting road in the Smokies.

Foggy Friday

Surfer in the Mist, Folly Beach, SC  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)


A lone surfer trudges along the beach
 on a fog shrouded morning at the Folly Pier.



 

The Finer Things of Life

Streamside, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Lacy foliage graces the streamside
 of a cool mountain valley in the Smokies.

Slant of Light

Courtyard Alleyway, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Slanting sunlight illuminates a courtyard alleyway
 in Charleston's French Quarter.

Appalachian Apparitions

Conifers in the Mist, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A pair of ghostly conifers appear out of the mist
 near Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Smoky Mountains.

Hues of Twilight

Lantern with Wisteria, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A combination of natural and man-made light at twilight
makes a vivid vignette of a lantern on the Battery.

Reused

Old Doors, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A pair of old doors and a well worn wall
 serve as canvases for ads in Rome.

Sun-drenched

Road Sign, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A sign makes a graphic silhouette
 along a sun-drenched road in Cades Cove.

An Eye for Monochrome

Boulders in a Mountain Stream,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Even without hues,
one can appreciate nature's wonder
through the eye of a lens.



 

To the Nth Degree

An "N" Fence, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee



You probably know by now that I am fond of Cades Cove
 and its 19th century rural charm.
I've been visiting here for decades and never seem to tire
 of its rustic beauty. I would keep coming here forever if I could.