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.