Decline and Resurgance

Arched Windows, Old Warehouse, Savannah, Georgia  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)


Patterns of semi-circles dominate the facade of this forgotten old building in historic Savannah. Like film and film cameras, it has fallen into decline, but has the potential for resurgence given the right circumstance.

Big Tuna

Big Tuna Restaurant, Georgetown, South Carolina  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)


It is the perfect time of day for photographing wonderful warm hues, but too early to visit the gritty, rustic Big Tuna Restaurant and Raw Bar. It is better to come back later in the evening, when it becomes a hoppin' kind of place.

Ferny Woods

Ferns and Rhododendron, Craggy Gardens, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)


Along the mountain trail to the top of Craggy Gardens, hikers pass through thick groves of rhododendron and a forest floor lush with ferns. But be alert for little creatures that scurry beneath the ferns, like fairies, gnomes and trolls... oh my!

Yin and Yang

Shutter Clasps, Elliott Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)

Two shutters and clasps mirror one another as evening light illuminates opposite tones.

Bastion of Light

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


Early morning light shines through these east facing archways spotlighting an arcade in Fisherman's Bastion.

Misty Monday - Outcrop

Rocky Outcrop, Ship Harbor, Acadia National Park, Maine  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Using the imagination, it is not unusual to see
 anthropomorphic shapes in rocky outcrops... perhaps the profile of an aquiline face, for instance. Or something completely different like a proboscis monkey or a pop tart.
 Oh, and speaking of prominent noses, I turn 55 today!

Evening on the Creek

Boats, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view.)


Shem Creek boats glow in the violet light of twilight.

Today, Eye See Red II

Handle, Church Door, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)




I am not mad, just happy to see red.

Lion Fountain

Lion Fountain, Courtyard Garden, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


A glimpse into a courtyard garden reveals a small fountain
 and the calming sound of falling water.

Sunset Surf

Surf at Sunset, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


Sunset colors surf the waves at the edge of America.

Obstruction

Large Rock, Tanawha Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


A boardwalk trail leading down from Grandfather Mountain offers spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains,
 except for that big rock obstructing the view!

Altered View

Mills House, Meeting Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok
(Velvia slide film)


Just as tourists view Charleston differently than the locals, these tour bus windows reflect an altered view of downtown Charleston.

Misty Monday - Apparitions

Black Mountains, Near Burnsville, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


Mists rise above verdant mountain valleys like apparitions.

Ornate Handles

Decorative Door Handles, The Saracen, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Like the scrolls of clefs on sheet music, these ornate door handles are a melody of charm, enticing the visitor to enter.

Looped Ropes

Red Ropes, Tall Ship, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view.)


Learning the ropes enables you to live a well ordered
 life on tall ships at sea.

Insight

Theater Mask, Riviera Theater, King Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



A close-up of this beautiful mask on the side of the Riviera Theater, two stories above street level, shows details not seen from cars and pedestrians passing below. Often it is the task of the photographer (or writer, or actor, or sculptor, etc.) to show an aspect of the world around us not commonly seen. The textures of this sculpture reveal how much skill went into the making of this mask. And this in turn gives me insight into the work involved in the making of many things I pass each day. If beauty is in the details, then there is much beauty to be admired in the world. We simply have to take time to notice.

Babbling Brook

Mountain Creek, Tanawha Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Gurgle, murmur, plash... 
imagine the soft soothing sounds of a mountain stream.

Gliding

Laughing Gull, Clouds and Jetty Ruins, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Gliding over the sandy beach,
 a Laughing Gull looks down upon the ruins of an old jetty. 

Handel was not a Handle

Yellow Wheel Cart Handle, Old Depot, Lewisburg, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

The composer George Frideric Handel, as you may know, was not a handle. He was not a yellow wheel cart handle, nor a caboose door handle, nor a coffee cup handle. Neither was he a shopping bag handle, nor a sink faucet handle, nor a tree saw handle. He was not, as most people think, an umbrella handle. And he was most definitely not a sauce pot handle. No, George Frideric Handel was simply Handel.

 Handle it.

Thank you.

Misty Monday - In a Fog

Man in the Fog, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC  ©  Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


Seemingly lost and looking for direction, a solitary man peers into a thick coastal fog in Charleston Harbor.
Luckily his wife was nearby pointing him the right way.