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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American persimmon - Diospyros virginiana (along the verge of The Pumpkin Field)


 
Not too many people of the late 2oth and present 21st century North America have eaten the native persimmon that grows wild over the middle Atlantic range of temperate forest - even those of my age - but long ago, growing up very poor and rural this was one of the available sweet treats in late fall that my father showed me how to eat when they were fully ripened and hopefully kissed by frost to dissipate the harsh astringency due to tannins which can make the unripened fruit - which might look beautiful and ripened but full of mouth puckering tannin.  These fruits shown above are wizened and almost fully ripe (I ate one which was initially lovely and delicious but with some of those lingering tannins which ruined the after-taste.  I tried a few store asian persimmons but they just don't appeal to me.  Like all wild fruit some of the wild fruits are fantastic and others are just 'blah'.  But I have a few trees that I visit in late November and in a good early frost year enjoy a great wild repast.

Chief Cook (right) and The Oyster Cook