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.

COMMENTS are appreciated as feedback is the driving energy of blogging - And if you like this site please pass it along to a friend. Thanks!

NOTE: TO ENLARGE PHOTO, CLICK ON SAME - If using Firefox also click f11 - photos will fill the screen ...... ----------------------------------- ......TRANSLATION BUTTON AT TOP OF LEFT COLUMN!


GOOD NIGHT - SEE YOU ALL SOMETIME TOMORROW 


Dee Dees - patiently waiting in line for the feeder in the rain


Drumming Rain - II



Colour Against The Limning Rain


Himself Resting After Clearing Fallen Trees Before the Front Arrived


Snuggled In - Reading and Listening To The Rain


Cold Rain - III


Cold Rain Drumming Off The Car Roof


In The Cold Rain


White-throated Sparrow,  Zonotrichia albicollis

Beauty Is Everywhere


- yesterday was an exception to my general state of never being depressed so I walked through our copse of wood and ended lying on my back in the leaves watching the sky and the changing hues of blue and wisps of cloud with the glint of sunlight resparkling the trees in random flow and the beauty that resides in everything turned my day around - and so with my handy photography machine that I seem to have always in hand I took this photo while still lying on my back and then those six or so that I posted yesterday - the eye of the beholder is everywhere 



I am sometimes confused on whether to use 'lying or laying' but a good rule to remember is:

"The second definition of lying is, quite simply, to be horizontal in your position. Lying down for a nap will help me feel better.
It’s not uncommon for people to use laying when referring to being in a horizontal position. It seems to be the easiest of the definitions to get mixed up.
The definitions for laying become simple when you look at them in their root form. Lay means the place. Used in a sentence, you could say: Lay the school books on the table and then go up to clean your room. Adding the ING suffix is simply a function of sentence structure. Laying the school books on the table she went up to clean her room. Most often you can check your use of the word by replacing the word in the sentence with place. Placing the books on the table she went up to clean her room.
Laying is also defined as producing eggs. The chickens are laying more eggs than we can eat."

Pre-fossilized



these leaves on the muddy surface of the drying creek bed are candidates for becoming fossils - but the odds are, that like most of the life that has existed on this earth for billions of years, they will simply decay and be absorbed rather than being sub-ducted by some earth upheaval that would supply the necessary conditions for being entombed in rock-to-be - and that makes me happy

While Early This Morningm -










- the non-migrating Canadian Geese fly from their flocking on the Elk River to farmers fields farther north [it has been many a year since the geese on the Chesapeake Bay region have done their normal migration to southern states]

Basking in February








these Painted Turtles (haven't decided if they are Eastern or Southern) are soaking up the rays on 24 February in approximately 75 °F (24 °C) instead of being buried in the mud beneath the 'normal' layer of ice that this time of year normally brings

Did You Notice The Bit of Green


Red-shouldered Hawk - II


Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus



The red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a medium-sized hawk. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. Red-shouldered hawks are permanent residents throughout most of their range, though northern birds do migrate, mostly to central Mexico. The main conservation threat to the widespread species is deforestation.   -  from Wikipedia

Tread Lightly


Eastern skunk cabbage - Symplocarpus foetidus


The Eastern skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus as it looks in early spring before blooming - from Wikipedia but it describes my photograph exactly although it is mid February in the warmest winter that I have ever experienced

Knot Whole


Roc Egg - photographed along the Little North East Creek by NorvellHimself


Four Wheeler Trail - along the Little North East Creek


A Few Neat (hopefull I will identify these in an update soon) Woody Mushrooms - II


A Few Neat (hopefull I will identify these in an update soon) Woody Mushrooms


Little North East Creek


Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus (24x zoom - and then enlarged)



he bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird,is the only eagle unique to North America. The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. Bald eagles are found throughout most of North America, from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. Combined with British Columbia's population of about 20,000, the northwest coast of North America is by far their greatest stronghold for bald eagles. They flourish here in part because of the salmon. Dead or dying fish are an important food source for all bald eagles.