Haven for Nature Lovers

Footbridge, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A footbridge beneath moss draped live oaks leads to trails that explore wilder parts of Magnolia Gardens, including an observation deck that overlooks ancient rice fields. These marshes are a haven for water birds and reptiles.

Reflecting Canal

Reflection in a Canal, Rio di San Barnaba, Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Venetian waters mirror a row of warm hued buildings
bordering a canal in the Dorsoduro sestiere.

A November Autumn

Cobblestones and Autumn Leaves, Chalmer's Street, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Fall comes to Charleston later in the year than many places in North America. November is our autumnal month, when splashes of colorful fallen leaves decorate our cobblestone streets.

Lingering Light

Spanish Moss and Palmetto, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The last light of day lingers on beards of Spanish Moss
 dangling from branches in a maritime forest.

Ancient Dunes

Mt Herard, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



In the blue shadow of lowering clouds, Mt. Herard and the Sangre de Cristo Range rises above the the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado. It has taken nearly half a million years for these dunes to pile-up in the San Luis Valley.

Fly Over

Parachute and Plane, Dubai, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An air strip along the coast of Dubai
 is the destination of a parachute gliding down from above.
 Sightseeing by high flying daredevils is a popular activity over the city.

Future Event

Olympian Athlete Sculpture, Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia



A stylized Olympian athlete seems engaged in molecular shifting
 to pass through a wall of heavy metal,
 perhaps foretelling an Olympic event of the distant future.

A Moravian Village

Tree Shadow and Fence, Old Salem, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Shadows from a bare tree provide a wintery setting for a picket fence in the village of Old Salem. This restored village interprets the lifestyle of a Moravian community that thrived here in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The League of Extraordinary Women

The League, near Mount St. Helens, Washington  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Thanks Gramomistel.
The League wouldn't be so extraordinary without you.
Happy Birthday!

Autumn Marshes

Brackish Pond, James Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



Late season colors appear in Lowcountry marshes
 as russet hues take the place of lush summer greens.

Lounging Around the Vatican

Statue, Vatican Museum Belvedere Courtyard, Vatican City, Italy 
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



A man lounges around in a Vatican Museum courtyard,
spending a carefree Sunday afternoon frozen in time.




 

Valley Hues

Mountain Valley, near Hot Springs, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Backlighting from the afternoon sun warms
 a mountain valley alight with autumn hues.

Mimicking Clouds

Clouds at Sunset, Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Clouds at sunset hover high above Appalachian ridges,
 whose contours the wispy vapors seem to mimic.

The Creature from Outer Someplace

Alien Spider, Waterfront Park, North Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



This bizarre arachnid appears to have descended from outer space (or someone's outer imagination) to invade earth on Halloween. Perhaps the opening is a wormhole to another universe, where one might be dropped suddenly into a fantastical Willy Wonka world.

Grand Gondolas

Gondolas, Grand Canal, Venice, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Rows of moored gondolas covered with blue tarpaulins
offer a classic Venetian sight along the Grand Canal.

Ship Watching

Cupola, Antebellum Mansion, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



With a view over Charleston harbor, this antebellum mansion, near the Battery,
 is an ideal place for watching ships come and go.

Mission Angel

Angel Face, San Antonio, Texas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film.)



At the San Jose Mission, an old stone carved angel greets parishioners.

Palmer Chapel

Palmer Chapel, Big Cataloochee Valley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Tucked near a wood margin in Big Cataloochee Valley,
 a little one-room chapel evokes the primitive lifestyle
 of Appalachian Mountain settlers.

A Fond Farewell to my Father-in-Law

Cliff, Overlooking Cannon Beach, Oregon  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



"I remember you too clearly,
but I'll survive another day;
Conversations to share, when there's no one there;
I'll imagine what you'd say."
                                -Company by Rickie Lee Jones

In loving memory of
Cliff Schulte
1931-2013

Looking for Clues

Tire Tracks, Sand Dunes, Al Ain, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



If I were a detective or a tracker looking to piece together a story of what happened here, I should be able to "read" the assortment of clues left in these dunes in the Arabian Desert near Al Ain...
 tire tracks, camel tracks, foot prints, etc.

But all I can gather is that the desert, despite its forbidding nature, 
can be quite a busy place.