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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Snowy Hawk





Like the rest of the east coast we woke up to a snowy morning.  As I was loading a chunk of wood into the entrance-way stove Carol called me to the other end of the house to point out the hawk perching on a limb of a large Gum tree in the steadily falling snow.  At first glance it seemed to possibly be the same type, if not the same one, as I had photographed the other day.  However after a lot of searching through various bird books my feeling is that this is the Red Shouldered Hawk although I did not get a good photo of the shoulders.  The closest look-alike is the Broad-Winged Hawk but it is much smaller.  So for now I will go with Búteo lineátus, the Red-Shouldered Hawk – still not sure about the previous photo.

Drifting With The Day


The Morning News

Portent Cloud
29°F   <>   -1.7    (during the night)


Back Wood Creek and Bridge






Getting in my daily constitutional I walked down through my own wood then followed the back line up the south side of Black Hill to the top of a neighbor's lot and down the other side to one of the feeders to Piney Creek that flows into the Elk River.  Other than some flurries of wings of what sounded like grouse as we crossed the bridge and a little later some scattered Robins, my dog and I saw no wildlife - although I'm sure Elijah smelled many a woodland creature.  This clear limpid run was a beauty to the eye.