I See the Green Sea

Eroding Jetty and Atlantic Ocean, Folly Beach, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved 
 (Click on image for larger view)


From inside of the remains of an old weathered jetty,
I see the white clouds in the blue sky and
I see the green sea.

Modern Conveninces

Lantern and Yellow House, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


During the era of the Shakers, this lantern would have been aflame with an oil burning wick. But these days a light bulb does the work.

Bent Blade

Salt Marsh Grass, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


A bent blade of grass is essential to this
 minimalistic composition of marsh grass.

A Pyramid in Charleston

Pyramid, Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film)


The W. B. Smith Pyramid is one of about 30 surviving pyramid mausoleums in the U.S.  It was built during the exotic Egyptian Revival period of the mid-19th century. 

The beautiful and gothic Magnolia Cemetery contains the graves of prominent South Carolinians, and in particular many who perished during the American Civil War, including the crew of the CSS Hunley submarine. 

It is a favorite place of mine to explore on occasion, to search for unique or atmospheric photography. Today's image is published in this month's issue of Charleston Magazine.

Inky Waters

Wave and Boardwalk Reflections, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Like a pen and ink drawing,
the shadow of a boardwalk creates serrated reflections
 in the wave patterns of Shem Creek.

Caladiums

Caladium Detail, Nathaniel Russell House Garden, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Candidum caladiums, also known as Angel Wings, grow in Charleston's tame courtyard gardens this time of year. What I remember about caladiums before moving to Charleston is seeing large displays of them in Cincinnati's Krohn Conservatory, a steamy glass enclosed hot house that featured many tropical plants. That makes sense because caladiums are originally from the humid forests of South and Central America, which gives you an idea of our climate here along the coast of South Carolina.

Ever Swim in a Quarry?

Old Quarry and Reflection, near Micaville, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Where did you swim as a youngster?

 When I was a kid, I never had the luxury of an abandoned, water-filled quarry, out in the countryside, to jump in and swim around. Nope. I was city born and bred, in the Midwestern heartland, in what is now considered the Rust Belt. All we had were old soup cans to go swimming in. Sometimes if we were lucky, we had rusty paint cans to splash around in, or newspaper-lined shoe boxes. Yeah, those were the good ole days!

Italian Light

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


Near the Piazza Navona in Rome,
 a lantern provides an ornate shadow
 created by the painterly light of Italy.

Ribbon of Blue

Multnomah Falls, near Portland, Oregon  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film)



Resembling an aqueous ribbon of blue, a cascade of mountain water freshens the day at Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge.

Strength

Beneath Folly Beach Pier, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


The ocean is a mirage,
an illusion of velvety softness.
The pier is clear and strong,
a sturdy support for barnacles below,
and people above who wish to fish,
or stroll upon the promenade at eventide.

At Rest

Red Canoes, Whitewater River, Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


These well used canoes are at rest for the day,
but come tomorrow will be ready to play.

Bridge

Ravenel Bridge at Night, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view.)


A column, a pillar, a pinnacle of strength...
A Pharos, a beacon, a bastion of light...
A Pisa, an Eiffel, a towering spire...
A mast, a sail, a ship in the night.

Your Face

Face Shaped Ironwork, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)


I took a fancy to your face...
the beautiful curves, the strength, the inner glow...
the uniqueness of you.

Connections

Old Car Door Handle, Danny's Classic Cars, Elko, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Click on image for larger view)


I try to imagine all the people whose hands have grasped the handle of this old car through its long life time. If one believes in six degrees of separation, the "friend of a friend" concept where everyone is linked by six steps or fewer, then I am connected to someone who knew one of these people...
and you are connected too.

Cloth Hall

Cloth Hall, Old Town Krakow, Poland  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film)


This elegant facade is the entry to Krakow's Cloth Hall. It has been the center of various trade in the old market square since the Renaissance. It is believed to be the oldest shopping mall still in use.

If only Walmart looked this good, the world would be a touch more stylish.

Tideland Tale

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


As the soft light of dawn rises, high tide fills this marshland on Edisto Island.  There are many sea islands along the South Carolina coast. In the novel Prince of Tides, Lowcountry author, Pat Conroy, tells a tragic tale of the ebb and flow of the Wingo family, who live on a fictitious sea island called Melrose Island. For movie buffs, the book was made into a critically acclaimed motion picture, nominated for Best Picture (not to be confused with this picture, which is not a best picture, but a nice picture nonetheless).

A Purging of the Land

North Fork Toutle River Valley, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film)


Reminiscent of a Dantesque landscape, shaped by purgatorial smoke, ash and fire, what once was a densely forested river valley was dramatically purged by the violent eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Although it will take many lifetimes to restore this valley to its former lushness, life is slowly, persistently returning, offering hope for the return of a renewed paradise among the mountains of the Cascade Range.

Inspiration

Carnival Fantasy Cruise Ship and Dolphin, Charleston Harbor, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Click on image for larger view)


How often has nature been a model for human endeavor? When prehistoric peoples first watched dolphins plying the freedom of ancient seas, it no doubt inspired them to one day do the same. We have progressed far since that time.

Beyond the Known

Car Port Reflection, Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Our physical world consists of myriad universes, ranging from the infinitely small to the infinitely large... from the known to the not yet known. What lies beyond the known may exceed our wildest imaginings.

Flash Mob

Garden Statue Shop, Augusta, Georgia  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




Following instructions given in a viral email, 
a sudden gathering of lawn ornaments pose at a local nursery.