You’d think that with something that comes around every day, morning would be a relatively easy subject to photograph. But I was preoccupied with NaBloPoMo, which might explain why it wasn’t until I learned I’d be making a quick trip to Nassau that I came up with a unifying concept for this month’s photo blogging challenge.

Unless something happens to disrupt Earth’s rotation, until the end of the Sun, one thing we can count on is the sunrise at the start of each day.* With that short-notice trip to the Bahamas added to my November calendar, I’d have the opportunity to see the sun rise in four different places in one month…the basis of this post.

1. Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas – This was the make or break location for my idea. I had three mornings to create the first sunrise photograph for this post; otherwise, I’d have to come up with a new idea. So I set the alarm for about 45 minutes before sunrise to make sure I was down on the beach the morning after I arrived. Conditions were not ideal: the sun rises very quickly at N 25 degrees; from the hotel’s beach, I was facing north towards the harbour; and there was fairly extensive cloud cover. But some beautiful pinks and peaches broke through just as a cruise ship was departing and I made the most of those few minutes. (BTW – I felt like I was seeing an alternate version of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” as I took this photograph.)

2. Canmore, Alberta, Canada – We stay in Canmore something like 90 nights/year and consider it our other home. But after I came up with my idea for this month’s photo challenge, we were in Canmore only two nights. The first morning, there was an abrupt transition from blue hour to golden hour, with none of the pinks or oranges that typically characterize a beautiful sunrise. Fortunately, Mother Nature was feeling more cooperative the second morning.

3. Vernon, British Columbia, Canada – The 2015 (not quite) annual GeoKs girls’ getaway was to Sparkling Hill Resort. It was after dark when we arrived, so I didn’t venture out the first morning. After a couple of day-time walks to scope out potential sunrise vantage points, I set the alarm for 45 minutes before sunrise on the second morning and headed out for my one and only chance to photograph an Okanagan Valley sunrise. As fate would have it, I was on the Deer Trail when I spotted a browsing doe. Glad I had an intermediate zoom lens on my camera, I took advantage of her appetite to get in a few shots before she moved along.

4. Calgary, Alberta, Canada – Calgary is home base for the GeoKs (and 1.2 million other residents). For more than 20 years we’ve lived west of downtown, where we enjoy a wide open view of the Canadian Rocky Mountains even further to the west. We don’t really have a view to the east from our home, but that’s okay because we often see refracted and reflected morning light to the west. It can be absolutely stunning when the mountains are snow-covered. Add the setting of the full moon to the frame and it’s photo-blogging-challenge worthy. I was standing on our back deck when I took this, and opted to include our backyard blue spruce in the shot.

5. Coffee – In addition to setting an alarm to be sure I’d be up in time to photograph the sunrise in four different places, a cup (or two) of coffee is part of my morning routine. The filtered coffee at the hotel in Nassau was probably the best coffee I drank this month. Even when I’m bleary-eyed, part of my morning coffee ritual in Calgary is watching the wisps of steam that curl out from the nozzles of my great indulgence – a built-in coffee maker!

That’s it from me this month. Click here for to see the link-up for everyone else who took part this month.

The December theme will be posted at A ‘lil HooHaa tomorrow. New participants are welcome to start the photo blogging challenge any time, so please join us for a good excuse to practice your photography!

* Unless you’re somewhere that experiences polar night, pretty much anywhere north or south of 66.5 degrees latitude.