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.

Appalachian Rain Forest

Smoky Ridges, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Much like a temperate rain forest, these verdant mountains
 exude moisture in the form of rising mists,
hence the name given to them by the Cherokee...
"place of the blue smoke", which eventually became
the Great Smoky Mountains.

Follow the Red Brick Path

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



Stolls Alley is a narrow brick path from the colonial era
neighborhood South of Broad
to the antebellum mansions along The Battery
The milieu here has an old country feel to it.

Colors of Charleston

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



While most rainbows fade,
Charleston's rainbow shines all the time.

Crow in the Cove

American Crow, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserve
(Click on image for larger view.)



A young crow perches momentarily by the road that loops
 around Cades Cove, a mountain valley in the Smokies.

End of the Rainbow

Rainbow in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

I finally found out what is at the end of the rainbow!

Cades Cove!

Labor of Love

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



I spent nearly 8 hours photographing along a short stretch
 of backwoods road, fronting a mountain stream in the Smokies.
I worked as many angles as possible,
encountering views like this one...
a feeder brook cascading over a leafy slope.

Blue Patina

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



As twilight deepens in the valleys of the Smokies ,
a long camera exposure reveals a silky sheen
 on the surface of a mountain stream.

Golden Meadow

Meadow After a Rainstorm, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Following an afternoon rainstorm, the sun emerges
 to suffuse a wet meadow in Cades Cove with a golden glow.

Through the Woods

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



A narrow road passes through leafy hardwoods
 on its way to the meadowlands of Cades Cove.

A Model Stream

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



A low shelf in the stream bed enables mountain water
 to reveal its beautiful flowing tresses.

Little Fence Post

Fence Post, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A single fence post in a meadow doesn't seem like much,
 but it evokes a sense of a simpler time and place.

Window Light

Window Light in a Rustic Cabin, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




Plenty of negative space in this monochrome
 adds simplicity and a bit of mystery to the image.

Cloudscape

Cumulus Clouds at Dusk, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Cumulus clouds tower over soft mountains,
taking on the hues of a dreamy painting.

Rustic Charm

Sparks Lane, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A peaceful country lane bordered by grassy meadows
 and surrounded by verdant mountains
 typifies the rustic beauty of Cades Cove.

Lily Heaven

Turk's Cap Lily, near Clingman's Dove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok



This striking wildflower, called the Turk's cap or turban lily,  thrives at the highest elevations in the Southern Appalachians.
 I found this vibrant specimen near Clingman's Dome,
 the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Rainy Day Activity

Observation Deck, Little Tennessee River, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Afternoon rain lends a somber mood
to the view from this observation deck
 as I gaze across the Little Tennessee River.