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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Trek Verve 3 Disc Lowstep - my new bike I bought to help offset my decreasing body agility brought about by arthritis - i.e. I can dismount by simply stepping through the deep V of the frame

Rode my 320 Trek Verve 3 Disk Lowstep today (fourth ride with my seating finally adjusted near the correct height). I did about 15 miles today feeling quite decent with the longer ride - but did tire out a lot on the (to me) steep Shawnah Hill quite near the end of my way home.  That name Shawnah Hill seems to have disappeared from local usage as I have aged along with many of the names for other local hills in the area.  I wasn't certain of the spelling in a recent Facebook posting so have referred to my copy of the 'History of Cecil County Maryland' by George Johnson (originally published in 1881).  There on page 4 a continuation of a discussion of the various Indian tribes settled in the whole of Cecil County I found the following comment:  "The Shawanese originally lived in the south, but being threatened with extermination by the surrounding tribes, left their original location, migrated northward, and appear to have been finally absorbed by the more powerful tribes near which they settled.  Some of them stopped in Elk Neck, and for a long time after it was settled by the Europeans that part of it along the North East River was called 'Shawnah'.  (and I am guessing that what is now known as Hances Point along the river was the Indian settlement area itself)