Sunrise, Provincetown Harbor, Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA

Slug that I am, I didn't make it downtown to the wharf for sunrise with Amy's group but, I did walk out of the hotel onto the beach. This is sunrise the next morning after the wet trek to Race Point Light which I blogged about last. A ten-foot low tide makes a wide sand flat. The light was magical.



With the tide way out, I was able to wander out onto the wet sand for the added reflections.



There were also some clouds to make it even more interesting........

.....and a couple random cooperative birds put the icing on the cake.  Life is good at the end of the world in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Sunrise, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

These images aren't from this morning but, they feel appropriate to mark the most significant day in the Christian religion celebrated by more than two billion people around the world. A spectacular sunrise is a reminder of the glory of life whether connected to a God or evolution or whatever else one might believe.  A sunrise like this fills the spirit with hope and the promise of a new and better day ahead.



The bluff in Manomet faces due east and this time of the year there have been some spectacular sunrises. Not knowing in advance which morning will be breathtakingly beautiful and which won't, I asked others who were able to capture a couple of the recent wonders and let me publish them. (First photo above courtesy of Ida Parker). (Second photo above courtesy of Mary Ellen Parker).



It is within the power of humanity to create peace in the world.  We just have to stop killing each other in the name of God - any God.  Many will say: it's not that simple.  But I say, yes, it is that simple.  Stop killing in the name of God. Peace to all on this day of hope for a better world.

Sunrise at Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A sunrise generally doesn't need an editorial comment.

(Panorama - click to view in full width).

It's Still Summer, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I have found our local bumblebees to be extremely tolerant of me getting close to them while they are gathering pollen from these blue thistle flowers. It is ironic that as a kid and throughout my life, I've always expected bees to sting me yet, as an adult, I am often very close to bees and have never been stung. Unless I step on or hand on one, they seem no more interested in stinging than I am in getting stung. Funny how some childhood fears never leave.

What is it about balancing rocks that is appealing?

The march of the seasons plays out every morning. A month ago, the sun rose a couple inches to the left in this view.  At the winter solstice, the sun rises way off screen to the right.

Sunrise and Sunset, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A great way to start another summer New England day.

A different day, a more muted sunrise, but still a great beginning.

And at the other end of daylight, a dramatic ending as well.

Low tide and summer warmth - a perfect combination to enjoy White Horse and Priscilla Beaches.

Summer Sunrise, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A beautiful beginning to a New England summer and a nice way to start any day.

Dawn, Villas del Mar, Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico

It's not perfect here on the Riviera Maya everyday - but it's pretty close!

I don't usually depict fishing or any other activity harmful to animals but, this image of a fisherman casting in the rising golden sun is mighty pretty.

The only thing missing is a floppy fisherman's hat.......

Golden Sunrise, Villas del Mar, Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico

I don't think I will ever get tired of viewing beautiful sunrises through the rustling fronds of coconut palms. Always a good way to start a new day.

Dawn, Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico

In this dawn hour, the wind is warm and steady, the world is quiet but for a few birds greeting the day, the light is mostly gray but for a few hints of the golden sunrise to come. I like being up early to greet the new day, a time when all things are possible. Particularly when the clouds drift into just the right place at just the right time........

....and the sky explodes with color and the announcement of a new day.

Orange Sunrise, Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico

I guess what makes some sunrises visually spectacular is that it doesn't happen every day. Sometimes, weeks can pass before an explosion of color greets the day.  It is worth waiting for and being up and about - even more so in a warm tropical breeze.

Sunrise, Bartlett Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I am one of those people that never tires of sunrises - or sunsets for that matter but my view onto the pond doesn't face to the west.  I find it fascinating that either through bio-engineering or evolution or God or who-knows-what (take your pick), that so many humans stop and gape in awe of sunsets and sunrises. 

Of course, many people aren't awake yet  for the sunrise.............

This fancy 30+ meter sailing vessel passing through the Cape Cod Canal is named "First Light," perhaps in appreciation of sunrises?

Sunrises, Bartlett Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Sometimes the sunrise is pretty spectacular on the pond.

Same view, on the very next day.

Low Tide, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A panorama of Amy taking a panorama of the panoramic view.  (Click on  it to view in full width).

Low tide at White Horse Beach looking north toward Priscilla Beach.

A tidal pool on White Horse Beach with Manomet Point in the distance.

A white chair at White Horse Beach.

Sunrise, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I very much enjoy the summer sunrises over Bartlett Pond - except that I have to get up before 5am to be ready.  I'm not complaining - it's still an hour later than I used to get up every day as a working man. (This image was taken using the HDR function within the camera).

Different day, different sunrise - I post-processed out everything except blue.

Beautiful Days - Villas del Mar, Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The only disadvantage to sunrises is that you have to be awake and out of bed to enjoy them properly.  That's a price I'm usually willing to pay. On this morning, the sky view from Villas del Mar was muted and soft-edged.

On the next day, the sky had sharper edges, brightly backlit.

And the next day, a golden glow more like a sunset than a sunrise.

And for something completely different, we had some rain.  And not just a little bit of rain - it was a torrent falling from the sky, bucketfuls, and it washed clean the main pedestrian walkway from the front gate to the beach.

The rain brought the natural colors of the native plants to life. 

I'm not sure if this was morning dew or a rain shower.

And when the sun came back out, this pretty little kiskadee landed and relaxed on a satellite dish feed horn.

Sunrise, Bartlett Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Here is the sunrise today as compared to the green arrow which depicts where it rose on the summer solstice.  It will continue to move to the right until the winter solstice in December.



Sunrise, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I couldn't prove it with this picture - you'll have to take my word for it - just left of center low over the water and below the houses, flying left to right, is a pair of great blue herons. Their raucous squawk had filled the quiet morning air only moments before.

The very next morning I was treated to this view - no invisible herons either.

And again the next morning - still no herons.

Sunrise, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

One of those rare spectacular sunrises when the world looks like it is on fire. I have been retired for a year now but still usually get up before the sun - old habits die hard - and the reward is that sometimes I get to see something like this.

Later in the morning, it was just regular sunshine - suitable for a catnap.