What's It All About, eh?

Cape Breton evokes deep memories and strong emotions for me as well as a deep appreciation for the beauty of my adopted island. My hopes are that you too might find the photos evocative - maybe a view you've not enjoyed before, or an 'Oh I've been there', or if from away that you may be encouraged to visit this fair isle so that you might come to love and breathe Cape Breton as I do. One word about place names that I use - some are completely local usage while others are from maps of Cape Breton that I've purchased over the years. I frequently post travel and other photos that are of interest to me - and hopefully you.

On the right hand side bar find my take on Single Malt whiskey - from how to best enjoy this noble drink to reviews (in a most non-professional manner) of ones that I have tried and liked - or not. Also musings, mine and others, on life in general.

Photographs are roughly 98%+ my own and copy-righted. For the occasional photo that is borrowed, credit is given where possible - recently I have started posting unusual net photographs that seem unique. Feel free to borrow any of my photos for non-commercial use, otherwise contact me. Starting late in 2013 I have tried to be consistent in identifying my photographs using ©smck on all out of camera photos I personally captured - (I often do minor computer changes such as 'crop' or 'shadow' etc but usually nothing major), and using ©norvellhimself on all photos that I have played around with in case it might not be obvious. Lately I have dropped the ©smck and have watermarked them with the blog name.

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When I was young and the river past Harry Harvey's Fish Market exited into what was called the 'old channel' and the 'new channel' and this body of water reflecting the setting sun was Anthony Cameron's cow pasture, right about where the small light on the middle right is beaming from the now old town office in the town park was an old shanty house belonging to Burns Ford where he and my father and others would gather and drink and play cards and sing old songs like 'Love's Old Sweet Song' and I was a young young pre-school kid that went everywhere - taverns, bars, old shantys, fishing boats, night hunting, staying awake until I would fall asleep against some old dog, or on the stern plank of a rowing boat in a drizzling rain or in the heat of a summers days and those old memories still roam across my mind as I capture scenes that never existed then.

Love's Old Sweet Song

Music by J.L. Molloy;
words by G. Clifton Bingham

Song Lyrics

Once in the dear dead days beyond recall,
When on the world the mists began to fall,
Out of the dreams that rose in happy throng
Low to our hearts Love sang an old sweet song;
And in the dusk where fell the firelight gleam,
Softly it wove itself into our dream.
Just a song a twilight, when the lights are low,
And the flick'ring shadows softly come and go,
Tho' the heart be weary, sad the day and long,
Still to us at twilight comes Love's old song,
comes Love's old sweet song.
- and there are more verses to this lovely old song