If you are interested in early American history, this is where it all began. Thomas Carter, one of my mother’s ancestors nine generations ago, arrived here ten years after the Mayflower arrived. He settled in Woburn, Massachusetts, where a painting of the Reverend Thomas Carter hangs in their library. I recently visited Cape Ann, Massachusetts, where I explored the towns of Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, Ipswich, Newburyport and Plum Island. While I was in the town of Newburyport, I got a close-up view of a full-size replica of Christopher Columbus’ flagship, Santa Maria. It was moored behind the Custom House Maritime Museum on Water Street. I got some dockside photos with a wide-angle lens. The same lens was useful for a walk through the narrow streets of Newburyport, my new favorite New England City. I found a historic New England inn in a very convenient location just one block from the Newburyport harbor. I left my rental car in their free parking lot and spent the rest of the day photographing this historic city and looking for a café with a view, that had lobster rolls on their menu. The whole Cape Ann trip was a great success, especially the last-minute motel selections and all the fresh lobster.

On the streets of Newburyport, I photographed dogs being walked on leash. My camera was down at their eye level. Auto focus helped and I got a few keepers, especially with small dogs, like Oliver, this longhair dachshund. Dogs always like a little attention.

Maine, a great place for dramatic seascapes. Autumn color adds to the striking scenes of this peninsula. Photograph fishing villages, rocky beaches, and much more. Acadia National Park has one of the best harbors for sunrises and sunsets. You will find puffin photography and discover remote fishing villages. With tide tables you can set up your tripod for tide pool photography. Set your alarm clock and arrive at the summit of  Cadillac Mountain for classic sunrise photos. Nearby is the historic ­fishing village of Stonington, Maine, on Deer Island, on the Schoodic Peninsula and the fishing villages of Corea and Beals Island.

The Cornwall Covered Bridge is located eight miles north of Kent. It was built in 1864 and is one of only three covered bridges still standing in Connecticut. A concrete support in the middle of the Housatonic River holds up this 242-foot town lattice truss bridge. Pedestrians and bikes have the right-of-way on the bridge. Cell phone photographers moved out of my way when I set up a serious-looking digital SLR camera on a tripod. I moved in close and low to shoot the sunny side of this bridge with a wide-angle lens and included a blue sky to contrast with the red bridge.

Calico, a mining town in the Calico Mountains of Southern California, was settled in 1881. It was the most prolific producer of silver ore in California by producing $86 million in silver from its mines. The town supported a population of 4,000 before the price of silver crashed in 1896. The town of Calico was completely abandoned by 1907. Calico is called the official California Silver Mine. Bodie is the official California Gold Mine. The ghost town of Bodie is in a state of “arrested decay,” whereas Calico has been completely rebuilt.