Rip Van Winkle

Bald Cypresses and Spanish Moss, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Wispy clusters of Spanish Moss dangle from a row of bald cypresses reflected in a garden pond. You can see why this mossy epiphyte is sometimes called "old man's beard". I hope if I ever live to be ancient, that I can grow such a beard...
 like Rip Van Winkle.

Mystery of the Sphinxes

Sphinx, Piazza del Popolo, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)


16 identical marble Sphinxes sit atop a wall that surrounds the 
Piazza del Popolo in Rome. These statues give the outdoor space an 
Egyptian flavor, complementing an authentic obelisk from ancient Heliopolis 
that stands in the square. 

Sphinxes and mysteries seem to go together. To me, the mystery of these sphinxes is whose face is represented on these sculptures. Is it the artist himself, Guiseppe Valadier, or is it a politician... or maybe a war hero? The profile looks classically Roman, so it can't be some guy from Ohio.


And another mystery... what the heck came first, the chicken or the egg?


I know one mystery that needs to be solved as soon as possible... where the nearest frothy cup of cappuccino can be found!

Suffusion

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, near Atlanta, Georgia
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The last light of day suffuses the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center 
with a glowing warmth.


(And... A very happy birthday to you, Bucko!)

A Cool Sunrise

Sunrise, Folly Beach pier, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

A cool morning sunrise greets a lone fisherman on the Folly Beach Pier. I remember when Becky and I first moved to Charleston, we drove out to Folly Beach to eat at the Atlantic House Restaurant, which offered lovely views of an adjacent pier and the ocean. 

But both the restaurant and the pier were destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. 6 years later the Folly Beach Pier was constructed and is intended to be hurricane proof. So far so good!

Local Advertising

Old Door and Wall, Krakow, Poland  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)



Many years of repeated use have proven this metal door an ideal place for local advertising and the hodgepodge of placard remnants blends perfectly with the chaos of the old stone wall.

Leaving Early

Tire Tracks in the Snow, near Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Making fresh tire tracks in the snow, a car leaves signs of departing home in the bluish light of frigid dawn. With the streets utterly still and quiet so early on a holiday weekend, I was curious what errand this person ran...
 a trip to the tanning salon perhaps?

Beautiful Decay

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



An old wooden door slowly succumbs to decay,
 while being framed by the lush greens of a winter garden.

Finding the Niche

Old Oak on a Marsh, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Lowcountry live oaks spread their limbs any direction they can to find their niche in the wild... the very epitome of adaptability.

A Walk on the Creek

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



Fishing boats, marshlands and Lowcountry vistas... a perfectly natural place to build a boardwalked park for all to enjoy.

Anyone for a Sunday walk on the creek?

Nature's Hand

Snowy Gravel Pit Mounds and Bare Trees, near Harrison, Ohio
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


These mounds of gravel covered with slowly melting snow 
offer an interesting visual...
an industrial site fashioned by the hand of man,
transformed by the hand of nature.

Winter Trellis

Garden Trellis, near Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Charleston is not the only place where I find ironwork to photograph... this scroll is part of a garden trellis near Harrison, Ohio. In summertime, colorful vines may twine themselves around it, but in wintertime it is piled with freshly fallen snow.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Morning

Woodlands, near Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Becky and I spent the holidays back home in Ohio with family. We awoke one morning to a fresh snow fall, so I could not resist the temptation to leave the house early and shoot.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I had promises to keep..." promises to eat the sour cream doughnuts that awaited me back in the warmth of the house.

Desert Canyon

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



When Becky and I camped here last summer, it was 104 degrees! 
Horse trails and hiking trails meandered through dusty canyons, past red rocked cliffs, scrubby mesas, and a landscape rich in fossils. 

Today, in the midst of winter, this desert canyon seems a comforting sight indeed!

An Eagle has Landed

Lantern with Brass Eagle, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



A lantern has winged company for the evening along Saint Michael's Alley in a district of Charleston known as South of Broad.

Modernity

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, near Atlanta, Georgia
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This contemporary performing arts center
illustrates a change of venue... from old colonial Charleston
 to the modern metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia.

 

Balding

Bald Cypress, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The bald cypress is a deciduous conifer. Here it is gradually loosing its "hair" and will soon be completely bald for the winter.

Man, I feel its pain, because I can relate!

Hidden Anchor

Bare Tree and Billboard, Atlanta, Georgia  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Some personalities are recognizable anywhere,
even when incognito.

Bristly

Winter Crepe Myrtle, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Shoots from a pruned crepe myrtle
 appear to bristle after its leaves have fallen.

Before the Storm

Lily Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The tendril of a late afternoon thunderstorm creeps toward a mountain lake in the Rockies where two floating anglers try their luck before the rains fall.

On a High Horse

Equestrian Statue, Florence, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Cosimo I de Medici rides tall and proud atop his bronze saddle in the Piazza della Signoria of Florence. And well he should... the Medici were great patrons of the arts, and put their indelible mark on the history of Florence
 and the Italian Renaissance.

Early Winter Garden

Red Bridge and Pond, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



In early winter there are still plenty of hues to see in Lowcountry gardens,
 and abundant pools of still waters to reflect their beauty. 
Beholding such delights is a fine way to begin a new year!

Happy New Year from Charleston!

Favorites of 2012 - Becky's Picks

Dusk, Folly Beach Pier, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image to begin slide show)

Spring Blooms, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Pediments, Saint Francis Garden, Roper Hospital, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Live Oak with Spanish Moss, Daniel Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Reflection in Pool, Pineapple Fountain, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Misty Harbor with Boats, Mt. Desert Island, Maine  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Palmetto Tree Trunk and Shutter, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Ironwork and Steps at Night, Market Hall, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Lambs Ears and Stones, Boulder, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Beneath the Archway, Saint Louis, Missouri
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




Happy New Year Everyone!

Favorites of 2012 - Doug's Picks

Monument Rocks, Kansas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


Becky and I are ending the year with a look back at some of our favorite photographs from our 2012 posts. Today we show my picks. I had a hard time choosing, not surprisingly, since many photographers struggle with objectivity regarding their own work. I took some pics out, put others in, took more out, put more in... fond memories from the places in the pictures influenced many of my favorites. Regrettably, my editor said I could only choose 10 images. Becky made her picks in a matter of minutes... which is why she is the blog editor! 
Tomorrow we'll post her selections.

Click on any image for a quick slideshow. Hope you enjoy!

Fisherman's Wharf, Budapest, Hungary
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)

Traffic Lights, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)

Ravenel Bridge Tower at Night, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)

Angel Oak, John's Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)

Great Egret, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

"Eye of Sauron", Impression of Sunrise, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Mountain Stream, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Saint Michael's Church Reflection, City Hall, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

Dawn, Clingman's Dome,
Great Smoky Mountain National Park, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)

A Peak Above the Clouds

Ravenel Bridge in Fog, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This cabled tower of the Ravenel Bridge resembles the pyramidal shape of a mountain peak as it rises above the morning mist which shrouds the Cooper River.

Gateway to Higher Education

Gateway to Randolph Hall, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Pass through this elaborate gateway to the College of Charleston's Randolph Hall, the main building of the oldest municipal university in the country (founded in 1770). Much of the campus is shaded by the twisting limbs of ancient live oaks.

Binocularity

Telescope at Sunrise, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Would it not be grand to drop a coin into a machine
 and look into our futures with the power of binocular vision... 
to peer deeply into the vistas of the coming year?

Strolling Past Palms

Crosswalk Sign and Palmetto Trees, The Battery, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Pedestrian sign man strolls past a diagonal row of palms, no doubt intent on his destination, but walks contrary to the direction of the arrow. 
Yes, he is a man with purpose, one who follows his own compass.

We Wish Hue A Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve in Charleston

Palmetto Tree with Lights, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Colorful lights add holiday cheer to our state symbol,
 the ubiquitous Palmetto tree.

Becky and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas
 and a Happy New Year!

Local Made Christmas

Wreaths on Wooden Door, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



It is common for folks in the Lowcountry to use materials from nature to make their Christmas decorations. In this case, a pair of wreaths are made of red painted seeds from a tallow tree. As you might guess the tree gets its name from the waxy seed coverings used to make candles. Another interesting fact is that vegetable oils from these seed coverings are used to produce biodiesel fuels.

Yet, in spite of its abundance the tallow tree is not native to South Carolina... it originated in China and Japan, but thrives in our warm climate. So thank you Asia for brightening our holidays!

Holiday Whimsy

Santa Hat, Meeting Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Travel and Leisure magazine recently named Charleston among the top 5 places in the world to spend the holidays. The historic Southern city was noted by the editors for its unique Lowcountry twist on Christmas. If the Santa hat on this colonial mansion's cupola is any indication, a holiday in Charleston will not soon be forgotten!

Beaded Veil

Window Beads, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Beads veil the view through my window.