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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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!

Rip Rap - lines the shore in this man made cove


this used to be a pasture and/or corn field, depending on whim from year to year, and then sometime in the late 1940s just after 'The War' (WWar II) a huge dredging ship worked night and day for several years converting a quiet bit of field and shrub to a large deep water cove that all the people in North East called the Dredge-Hole - barges were towed toward the bay and places afar carrying untold tons of gravel to the post war boom in building.

Now it is an access cove to the river at large, with it's restaurant and marina and homes galore and night and day the power boats entertain those homes with un-mufflered noise that somehow boaters and cyclists need to confirm their existence
 

Floaters - a little rough on power boats


Seagulls and Boats


Mr. Calvin Watterson


Glow


St. Mary Annes Episcopal Church As Night Comes On


Start of The Process To Fell The Remaining Basic Trunk


Jerry Loafing About (just kidding Jerry)


Actually it is a true act of bravery with good knowledge of tree work, and having great judgement and skills in the trade that enable him to be working in this dead rotting tree.

Cecil Tree Service- work trucks, though no 'boom-truck' this time as tree to be felled is in a too awkward position to use the boom


Large Dead Oak - close up showing Jerry placing another rope to guide the cut pieces to the ground


This Large Dead Oak Is Being Prepared For Take Down


I had Cecil Tree Service down last July and should have had this tree taken down then for it was clearly dying.  But I had no idea that it would start to decay quite so quickly, with small upper branches falling almost daily and the bark was flaking onto the ground - a scary tree both for our house toward which the bulk of the tree was leaning and for Jerry (Cox) in particular - up the tree - and his crew in general - on the ground.  Great job as usual and no incidents from this scary hulk of a tree, due mainly to Jerry's methodical planning of what to cut first etc to prevent both structural damage to my house and damage to himself and crew.  Big thumbs up for a great job.

Female Cardinal


Sky, Water, Rays


Working on The New Library


Tuffed Titmouse, Parus bicolor


Visitors - 20 Jan '20 through today the 27th



Visitors - 20 Jan '20 through today the 27th

 Bangladesh
Belgium
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Peru
Poland
Singapore
Thailand  
Turkey
Ukraine 
United Arab Emirates
United States
Unknown Region


[it is possible that other countries visited but I can only check the top ten of the day or of the week]

also the mighty google blog controls I am using will not allow me to update the print colours  -  or rather I can change them but when I command to update it just closes and goes to the blog as if I never changed the command - I think that they are just not supporting the blog at all anymore just using whatever they threw together years back - so I will do a copy and paste to Microsoft Word and then come back and do the entire post from Microsoft - screw google




Is That You Donald?


Even Closer - notice the Selkie


Close Up (of previous post)


High Tide, Run-off, and Humidity High


The Humidity is 100 Percent


Blue Jay - through window glass (sometimes it works great others it looks like this)


(It was a Chelsea afternoon and the low sun lights up the festive candle hanger)


Ladder-Backed Woodpecker - Centurus


there are a number of Ladder-backed woodpeckers of which this is the Red-Bellied Woodpecker (not what I would have named it though) Centurus Carolinus, the only one of the group in our neck of the woods up here in Maryland -  the red, head markings are a bit ambiguous as to the sex, for a full red cap is male, and a red back of head/neck is female, while this bird has a few bits of coloration, but my guess is female (gifted birders may give me a educational comment on this I hope)


Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I saw