Old Storm Door

Screen Door, Old Farm House, Village of Lewisburg, Ohio
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film)


A weathered screen comes loose from a storm door to reveal a second door within. Fortunately the screen has been repaired since I made this photograph, but I like this image as a glimpse of the old farm house's rough charm. This house in Ohio has been resilient over time... it is more than 150 years old... that's older than my straw hat and overalls.

Through the Ages

Roman Forum, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
  (Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)


In the foreground weathered steps and columns of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina reveal the workmanship of ancient hands, while the dome of Santi Luca e Martina, and a statue on top of Il Vittoriano fill-in the background.

The Roman temple was begun in 141 AD by Emperor Antoninus Pius and dedicated to his deified wife, but converted into a Roman Catholic church in the 7th century. During the Renaissance it became the headquarters for the College of Chemists and Herbalists.

The church dedicated to Saint Martina dates from 625 AD, but in 1577 was given to a group of painters, sculptures and architects to house their academy.

The Victor Emmanuel Monument (Il Vittoriano) was completed in 1935 to honor Italy's first president. It features the statue of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory on her chariot. Being one of the tallest buildings in Rome, the monument is also one of the most visible.

The Roman Forum is literally a timeline of human endeavor stretched out in stone for all to see and admire.

Drawbridge Catwalk

Ashley River Bridge, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film)


A catwalk leads to the drawbridge operator's house at twilight
 on the old Ashley River Bridge.

Antique Chandelier

Chandelier Shadow on Door, Old Farm House, Village of Lewisburg, Ohio
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film)


An antique chandelier casts its shadow on a farm house dining room door,
just in time for a spot of afternoon tea and crumpets.

Humming in the Rain

West Prong Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


On a misty, rainy afternoon, a long fallen tree points the way to the West Prong Little Pigeon River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Rainfall in the park averages up to 85 inches per year, making it one of the wettest places in the U.S.  It is no wonder the Smokies have the greatest variety of plant species of any temperate climate! ... a significant reason for being declared
 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

To take this photograph, I held an umbrella over my head with one hand while trying to steady my camera with the other. I did this as I sang Beethoven's Ode to Joy... well, sort of. Because I could not remember all the words,
 I mostly hummed.

A Touch of England

Thuya Garden, Seal Harbor, Mount Desert Island, Maine  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


Pavilions, lawns, rows of annual and perennial flowers planted in semi-formal style might indicate a garden in the English countryside. But surrounding this garden are the Maine woods of Mount Desert Island. The 140 acre paradise near Seal Harbor once belonged to a Boston landscape architect, but the land was eventually donated in trust to the residents of the island for public enjoyment.

Look Up!

Lantern and Ceiling, Great Market Hall, Budapest, Hungary
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Velvia Slide Film)


When entering the Great Market Hall in Budapest, visitors are invited to explore three floors of stalls selling a variety of goods... meats, pastries, caviar, deep-fried treats called langos, fish, garlic, cucumber pickles, palinka (fruit brandy) and of course hot red paprika.  The bright arrays of treats may delight the eyes, but one must look up to discover this invitingly warm and ornate ceiling. This month the market will specialize in foods from Thailand as part of its National Gastro Days program.

Back Dunes

Back Dunes, Beachwalker County Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film)


Behind sea island dunes, hardy plants and animals thrive in a hot, dry and salty environment. Inkberry, one of these plants, forms a colony rooted in the sand. Tracks of a ghost crab weave through this miniature forest toward the beach.

Trapezoidal Stairway

Stairway, Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Near exhibits of cutting-edge art, a stairway provides geometry
 for abstract style photography.

Finding Little Treasures - Birthday Edition

Lamb's Ear and Rocks, Boulder, Colorado  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


The velvety softness of Lamb's Ear thriving in a field of granite stones would seem improbable, but the improbable often becomes the probable when talking about Mother Nature. Finding this little treasure near our friend's house in Boulder was pure delight. The Lamb's Ear is likely a naturalized escapee from a neighborhood garden. Coincidentally, Lamb's Ears and rocks are two of my wife's favorite things. Which is why she chose this image for today's post, because today is her birthday!

Happy Birthday Becky!

Forest Realm

Tree on an Island, Crabtree Falls, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Wood sprites and dryads,
Satyrs and water nymphs,
Fauns and elves,
Oberon and Puck...
a vision such as this conjures an imaginary realm of faeries
 who frolic among forest and falls.

The Midas Touch

Portico at Night, Pantheon, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia Slide Film)


Columns of the ancient Pantheon, the color of aging florins, adorn the Piazza della Rotonda on a golden Roman night, where everything seems transformed by the touch of Midas.

Fossil

Hood Detail of Old Mercury, Danny's Classic Cars, Elko, South Carolina 
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Snaggletoothed-clunker.

Fiery Beacon

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, Acadia National Park, Maine
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Click on image for larger view)


Even on a sun-splashed afternoon, a lighthouse beacon glows like the blacksmith's fiery furnace. Steady and reliable, it blazes regardless of weather or season, guiding boats safely to harbor and home.

Ambiance

Unitarian Church (foreground) and St. John's Lutheran Church, Charleston, SC
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


On Sunday's in Charleston, the musical sound of bells tolling in historic churches are part of the quaint ambiance of this charming Southern town.

(These two churches are National Historic Landmarks. They are among the 1400 historically significant structures within the Old and Historic
 District of Charleston.)

A Gem of a Window

Stained Glass Window Detail, Sottile House, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Velvia slide film)


Little jewels of light and color... elegant patterns of stained glass illuminate this Queen Anne style mansion in Charleston.

Left Hanging

Tree Swing at the Beach, Botany Bay Plantation, Edisto Island, SC  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film)


A rustic swing lolls from an ancient tree by the sea as children's whispers echo on the breeze.

Standing Out at Sea

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


In a place where the sea's blue horizon meets the blue of the Carolina skies,
 this trawler stands out when it sails out.

Haute Couture

Window Display and Reflection, King Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


How will you wear your pinwheel this summer?

*Fashion tip: display it proudly on your lapel,
 on your hip, in your hair, on your hat,
 or perhaps more daringly
 in the middle of your forehead.

Silky Connection

Gate Scrollwork and Door, Legare Street, Charleston, SC
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


One of Charleston's hallmarks is its decorative ironwork, as seen on this gate. Notice the little cobweb of silky gossamer spun between two adjoining arms of scrollwork... a small example of nature's symbiotic connection with the works of man.