Early morning sun brightens the waters of Castine harbor where the sailing vessel Bowdoin resides.

Coastal Maine offers glorious sunrises if you’re willing to wake up early, bundle yourself in layers, and stand on a dock for the morning show.

And you’re never alone.  From birds gliding overhead to lobstermen checking traps before dawn, docks like Acadia in Castine put on a spectacle like no other.

Leaving Acadia Dock before dawn is the Maine Maritime Academy tug awash in early-morning sunlight.

Sunlight filters through lobster traps at Acadia Dock, Castine, Maine

Dawn comes in layers.  First a subtle orange or salmon or pinkish sky.

Aglow in morning light, a lone tethered boat stands ready.

Then a peep of light that quickly washes over anything in front of it.

Sunrise: Castine Harbor.

To a full-blown wake-up of morning activities.

Morning light: Castine, Maine.

Just another sunrise?  No such thing.

For more sunrises and sunsets, visit the WordPress DailyPost Weekly Photo Challenge:  Rise/Set.

For more posts on the beautiful state of Maine, check our Travel Series:  Autumn Down East.

Aging in place with no change in sight: Monhegan Theatre.

Much of Maine could be said to be out of this world — the raw beauty of its rocky coastline, old-style clapboard homes dotting the landscape, and the quiet that falls over the state after Columbus Day when residents hunker down for long, cold winters.  But nowhere was an other-worldly experience more pronounced for us than in the remote, almost untouched island of Monhegan.

With a rocky shore for a side yard, this house faces the elements on the island of Monhegan.

We knew we were headed to a place that time forgot.  After all, that’s why artists and writers and part-time bloggers like us go there: to see how people live simply and without fanfare in a day-to-day existence envied by many. We were told to bring our own food because “nothing’s open in late October.”  “Pack it in, pack it out,” the owner of Shining Sails told us, and we thankfully heeded the warning, or we wouldn’t have even had granola bars handy for supper.

Maybe only at rest for the winter, but possibly at rest for several years. No hurry on Monhegan.

Tourists are rarely seen or heard after the season ends.  And the scarcity of people coupled with remnants of another time reminded us that not much gets “packed out.”  It just ages in place.

Rusting in place.

Homes boarded up for the winter take a stoic stance against the elements.  Isolated and humble, they almost resemble colonies long abandoned. Until spring when tourists return and doors open to salty sea air again.

Facing the morning, a house closed for the winter endures the elements all alone.

Monhegan Island is out of this world.

For more “out of this world” photos, check out this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge.

To see other posts on travel in Maine, see Autumn Down East.

Lone boat in the harbor at Searsport, Maine

It’s hard to imagine a harbor being quiet, but frequently before dawn, it’s almost silent.  No seagulls honking.  No boat horns sounding.  No one yelling to pull up another trap.

Birds await fog lifting at the dock in Castine, Maine.

And it’s even more serene if fog has blanketed the area.

One lone boat in a reflective moment: Castine, Maine

So necessary, these serene moments of reflection.

For more serene photos, check out the DailyPost Weekly Photo Challenge: Serene.

The view from Acadia Dock in Castine, Maine on an unexpectedly foggy morning.

Before I started taking pictures so fervently during our travels, I thought that a foggy day would be an unfortunate happenstance.  But a true photography expert who vacations with us at Pawleys Island each summer told me he welcomes foggy mornings, describing the gift of fog as “a godsend.” “Fog,” he said, “is something we can’t duplicate or even plan to see, an unexpected gift from heaven.”

Each morning, a group of guys meets at the dock in Castine to greet the sunrise — or, in this case, the morning fog.

Each morning we stayed in Castine, Maine, I was up before dawn, anxious to watch the sky turn orange, then pink, then blue as the sun rose and bathed the harbor in light.  It became a ritual of sorts, as I talked with some of the locals who met at Acadia Dock each morning and watched the day unfold.  But one morning, we received that “godsend” my friend at the beach told me about:  gray, all-encompassing fog.

Boats appeared moody and lonely as fog isolated them in my camera’s eye where they competed with nothing else on the horizon. The dock became mysterious as familiar regulars — like boats tethered at the dock and the usual lineup of larger vessels — were enshrouded.

Waiting to launch: boats at Castine.

Even the closed-for-the-summer Yacht Club dock appeared as a walkway to parts unknown.  A movie set in the making perhaps.

The long dock at Castine’s Yacht Club.

And a glance to my left and then to my right revealed two welcome views.  On my left, I could make out the other side of Acadia Dock with the Maine Marine Academy tugboat on the far left of the lineup.

The view from Castine Yacht Club of Acadia Dock enshrouded in fog.

On the right, gray shingled houses with their reflections shimmering beneath them, awaited the unfolding of day.

Houses along Castine’s waterfront as seen from the Yacht Club dock.

But the more I looked, the more I noticed something I didn’t expect to see so clearly — the color red.  The juxtaposition of one single red boat added a focal point to this already intriguing lineup of waterside homes and sheds. And the photo is now one of my favorite from a month of snapping sunrises in Maine.

One red boat stands ready on a foggy morning in Castine.

The next time I’m in Castine peering out from the bedroom window to see what kind of day is in store, I’ll grab the camera even faster if I see gray skies.  As fleeting as foggy mornings can be, I want to catch that “godsend” before the lift begins!

— Rusha Sams

For more on our month-long trip to Maine, click onto Travel Series: Autumn Down East.  And then share with us what you’ve enjoyed most about the lovely state of Maine.

A reflection at the waterfront in Castine, Maine offers a glimpse of morning light on still water.

Sometimes a telephoto lens gives you just a peek of the bigger picture.  And that’s what I saw from Acadia Dock at Castine  — a reflection in still waters right before sunrise.  Just a glimpse of the whole, of course.  The big picture opened up a whole new vista: a dock washed in early-morning pinks that would later fade away to bright sun.  But, oh, what a peek to start the day!

Almost sunrise at the waterfront: Castine, Maine.

More entries in this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Peek await you.

Facing the sun at day’s end, a little red house at New Harbor, Maine.

There’s no such thing, at least in our book, as the prettiest fishing village in Maine.  Each one is prettier than the last, and all are unique.  But the most photographed one, according to Moon Travel Guide: Maine (July 2017),  is New Harbor in the Pemaquid Region.  And we happened upon it by accident.

New Harbor boats waiting for day’s end.

Our goal?  Drive from Newcastle to Pemaquid Point for a view of the lighthouse at sunset.  But, once we had taken pictures and walked around long enough to satisfy everyone in our party, there was enough light remaining in the day for a quick stopover in New Harbor.  We had no expectations.  No knowledge of what was there.  And no timeframe, except to avoid winding roads after dark.  But now, having seen New Harbor, we can safely say, “There’s just no reason to miss it.”

Whether it’s truthfully the most photographed fishing village of all is moot.  New Harbor at sunset offers views of quaint seaside homes, weathered buildings, and boats standing up to the sun, ready for photographers to snap.

Authentic.  Real.  And totally unpretentious.  Just the way we like Maine harbors to be. And add to the scenery a place to pick your own lobster and have it steamed on the spot (That would be Shaw’s Wharf), and you’ve got a Down East evening made for picture books.

Always work to be done at a seaside restaurant. This is Shaw’s Wharf getting a little attention.

So maybe New Harbor IS the most photographed fishing village — but who’s giving prizes?  They’re all pretty lovely — especially at sundown.

Sunset view of New Harbor, Maine — the most photographed fishing village? Could be!

For more of our Travel Series on Maine in October, go to Travel Series: Autumn Down East.  

Parliament forms the background for a memorable sunset cruise on the Thames.

You never know just how valuable a concierge can be ’til he gives you information that 1) saves you money and 2) gets you where you want to be!  Thanks to Grosvenor House: JW Marriott for hiring a man who understands Southern tourists (We have a drawl, ya’ll) and knows how to make their day.  When we approached the desk and asked the best way to get to The Globe from the Mayfair section where Grosvenor House is located, the concierge immediately said, “Have you heard of London’s Oyster Card“?

Good on most any London transport — the Oyster Card!

And that’s how we discovered this little gem.  With an Oyster Card, you can tool around London on just about any form of transportation:  public buses, London Underground (the Tube), Docklands Light Railway (DLR), and trains.  River boat fares are discounted with an Oyster Card, the little blue smartcard you pre-load with money at any tube station. When you want to ride, hop on and touch your Oyster Card to an electronic reader which deducts the price of your trip and shows you how much you have remaining.  No cash involved.  Don’t use it all in one trip?  You can get a refund both for your deposit and what you didn’t spend.  Check it out at participating tube stations.

Is it only crazy, old Americans who take Thames Clipper selfies? Surely not.

Passengers on a SunClipper, cruising the Thames

Purchasing an Oyster Card in London is pretty convenient, but you can order a Visitor Oyster Card before you leave home and have it mailed to you.  It wasn’t, however, much more expensive to purchase one onsite.

Boarding a ThamesClipper for the route to The Globe is easy.  Just walk down behind Parliament where ships dock.

London’s Parliament

Follow the covered walkways to the waiting areas where you wait — but not long.  Many boats ensure short wait times.

Covered walkways leading to the docks.

Scan your Oyster Card.  Board.  And off you go.

If you want clear shots of the skyline, head to the back of the boat, stand up facing the back, and brace yourself.  It’s worth it to get shots like this one of the London Eye . . .

London Eye at sunset — great time of day to catch this shot!

or boats wrapping up their business for the day.

A scene on the Thames.

Of course, not all is lovely on the river.  But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This seagull must like what he sees!

Traveling on the river takes you close to architecture you can’t see from a bus, like these ornate details on one of the bridges . . .

Spectacular details on this bridge on the Thames.

or passengers crossing Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral.

London Millennium Bridge was once called Wobbly Bridge when crossers felt a sway. But it was revamped and reopened, better than ever, in 2002.

It’s just another day on the Thames for those making a living on the water.

Birds know the right boats.

But for us, it was a sight to remember.

For pennies on the pound, a Thames River cruise may be one of your best memories of London.

For more scenes of London, check out our series Postcards from England.