Cape Breton Living Blog

Photo of the Week milestone

2011-12-08T15:06:00.004-04:00

A photo a week for 10 years!

It was one Friday in November 2001 when the idea of sharing one photo a week of Cape Breton Island came to mind. Everywhere I went, I always carried my camera and everywhere you look there's a picture perfect occasion to capture a slice of Nova Scotia's Masterpiece, Cape Breton Island.

So every Friday, if you come back to the Cape Breton Living's - Photo of the Week website you will find a new photo of that special little piece of Cape Breton Island.

Check out all the past photos here on Photobucket and Webshots. You can also find the most recent ones on Flickr. If you have a photo you would like to share with the world, please send it to capebretonliving@gmail.com .

Thank you to all those that sent and shared their photos and hoping we'll get to keep on sharing photos for another decade!

This photo of Irish Cove Look-off was the very first Photo of the Week posted November 16, 2001

Road trip to Cheticamp

2011-09-05T12:42:00.000-03:00

Sunday morning we headed out for a little road trip from L'Ardoise to Cheticamp. First I checked the Environment Canada website which stated a mix of sun and cloud for Richmond and Inverness Counties. The sky was mostly cloudy at the start of our road trip, but later saw the sun, more clouds and sun again later in the day. First stop in St Peter's, we picked up a coffee and then headed out towards Port Hawkesbury. From there we got on the Trans Canada and turned off in Whycocomah and followed the highway through East Lake Ainslie, Upper Margaree, South West Margaree and Margaree Forks. We are now on the Cabot Trail and heading for Cheticamp. Once there, we had a little lunch, took some pitures (of course) and turned around to head back. On the way we stopped at Le Centre de la Mi-Carême in Grand Etang. Here we enjoyed learning and viewing a colourful display of artwork about the history of an old Acadian tradition (La Mi-Carême) that is still being celebrated in the Cheticamp area. The way back home, we traveled the Route 19 through the town of Inverness, Mabou, Judique, Craignish and Port Hawkesbury. By 4:30pm we were back in L'Ardoise, where we still had daylight time to sit outside and enjoy the day on this Labour Day weekend...

Someone else on a Sunday drive around East Lake Ainslie

Pretty Cheticamp shops

The Love Boat going out for a tour in Cheticamp

View from Le Centre de la Mi-Careme

Cap Le Moine

Overlooking Margaree Harbour

Little treasures from the beach

2011-07-20T12:05:00.000-03:00

A couple of pieces of beach glass and other little treasures found during this morning's walk on the beach...

This old chair

2011-07-12T15:15:00.000-03:00

A couple of years ago, I found these two old wood folding chairs at a Value Village store in Sydney, Cape Breton. They were both in rough shape, barely sturdy enough for an adult to sit on, but still good enough to display in the garden just for show. After a couple of years of enduring our maritime weather, the blue paint wore off and they ended up falling apart but I managed to salvage one chair out of the two. A couple of coats of white paint and picking the best slats out of the two chairs for the seat, it was good enough to bring one chair back to life. I'm glad I didn't send them both to the dump but decided to recycle instead...

Yellow buttercups and purple clovers

2011-07-02T19:37:00.000-03:00

I don't know if it's because the sun was shining so bright all day today, I couldn't resist finding that the wild flowers (or are they weeds) in the fields all around had such vivid colours. I gathered a few yellow buttercups and purple clovers and created a wonderful little bouquet, set in an old pottery vase that I found in the back porch. It's now the month of July and I can finally say that it feels like summer...

This morning's walk

2011-06-16T10:37:00.001-03:00

For this morning's walk, at least the wind wasn't too brisk, just a soft breeze which was a little cool. On the way back it started to drizzle a bit, but with just a light spring jacket, it was still a pleasant stroll up Chapel Cove Rd. It's always a nice walk, either it being a bright and sunny day or a foggy day when you can smell the ocean in the air. I'm hoping we'll see the sun later on, maybe by the end of the week?

With all this rain

2011-06-05T15:51:00.000-03:00

Cape Breton Living's Photo of the Week, June 3, 2011. With all the rain we've been getting in L'Ardoise lately, the grass is turning a bright green. Again today, we are having drizzly weather and I'm sure the grass is even greener. But if we could get warmer temperatures and a bit more sunshine, maybe those little buds in the trees will bring out more of that green colour...

Webcams are back on..

2011-05-31T13:00:00.000-03:00

We're back on track, the webcams are updating once again... on the Cape Breton Living website.

West view webcam

2011-05-31T09:22:00.002-03:00

Here is a still shot of the west view webcam taken this morning. You might have noticed that the webcams on the Cape Breton Living website has not updated since yesterday at 11:55am. I'm hoping to have this problem resolved soon, so in the meantime, I will post an updated image of the cams here in the blog.

Around the yard

2011-05-30T20:31:00.004-03:00

Today, the sun finally came out after weeks of rain, drizzle, fog, wind and early this morning, thundershowers. In the last few weeks, well for all of our spring season so far, we might have enjoyed 4 or 5 full days where the sun did make an appearance. So finally when the clouds and the fog cleared up by late afternoon today, I grabbed my camera and got busy out in the yard snapping pictures of that beautiful warm sunshine making everything look so bright and colourful. My lilac tree (or is it a bush) needed this bit of sunshine. Soon I'll be able to enjoy a freshly picked bouquet of these purple flowers on my kitchen table. I'm hoping that the month of June will bring more sunny days than rainy and foggy ones...

Fortress of Louisbourg

2011-04-29T17:10:00.001-03:00

Photo of the Week, April 29, 2011

Cape Breton Living's Photo of the Week is of the Fortress of Louisbourg.
This summer, why not visit and experience living history in the 18th century? I am told it's the largest reconstructed 18th century French fortified town in North America. It's sure to be the highlight of your vacation... For more info visit these websites:
Fortress Louisbourg Association
Parks Canada - Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site

Muskrat or otter?

2011-03-16T12:35:00.001-03:00

On our daily walk along the shore road by home, we came across this muskrat or maybe it was an otter. We stopped to look and noticed it was looking at us too. At the same time, close by was a frantically cawing black crow that seemed to have an issue with this little guy. As cute as the otter might seem, when it started to head towards us, I felt a little uncomfortable. Just then, the loud black crow got himself between us and the otter and scared it back in a hole in the ice. I'm not sure what happened here, but I was glad the crow did what he did

It's almost springtime

2011-03-07T09:57:00.000-04:00

Instead of going out to find signs of spring, I was out yesterday looking for snow, mountains of snow! We set out early Sunday morning and stopped for breakfast at the Big Stop in Auld's Cove before heading out for the Highlands of Cape Breton. Our road trip was to drive along Route 19, through Port Hastings, Judique, Port Hood, Mabou, Inverness then coffee at Tim's in Cheticamp. From there we took our coffee with us and headed for North Mountain, just past the picturesque community of Pleasant Bay. Lots of snow we did find, now that I got my fill...I'm looking forward to signs of spring...

Wintertime

2011-02-06T12:22:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Week February 4, 2011 - L'Ardoise

It wasn't an easy task to make a selection of just one photo from the many cool wintery shots I have in my collection. After the second snow storm in two days, I couldn't resist but to get out there, with camera in hand and click away, finding a picture perfect scene all around me. You'll find this first photo as the Photo of the Week on Cape Breton Living website. I'm also sharing with you more wintery shots of wintertime in L'Ardoise -

East cam Christmas tree

2010-12-13T08:19:00.002-04:00

Cape Breon Living Webcams

Yesterday, Sunday December 12th was a beautiful mild and sunny day without a breath of wind... a perfect day to put up my outdoor Christmas tree. So if you are wondering where the tree is today, rest assured, it didn't blow away with the high gusts of wind we often get here on the east coast, like we are getting today. Before the tree ends up in the ponds or the ocean (depending on the wind direction), I carefully stash the tree in a safe place until a day that winds are a bit more gentle. So hopefully we'll get to see the little Christmas tree more often than not during this Holiday Season!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-10-16T15:37:00.000-03:00

On this Thanksgiving week-end, we went on a day trip ending up driving around the Bras d'Or Lakes. We started off at 8:30am from home, passed through the town of St Peter's, picked up 2 coffees and baked goods at Tim Horton's in Port Hawkesbury and from there we got on the Trans-Canada Highway heading north to Sydney. Before leaving Sydney, we grabbed a pizza and headed home via the Old Highway 4. The day was a typical fall day where we had sunny periods, then rain, crazy winds, heavy grey clouds and fluffy white clouds too. It made for interesting pictures.

St Peter's

Tim's in Port Hawkesbury

The Red Barn

The Trans-Canada Highway near Baddeck

Kelly's Mountain

Near the bottom of Kelly's Mountain

Millville

Old Highway 4

Construction along Highway 4

Bras d'Or Look-off

Photo of the Week July 30, 2010

2010-08-02T22:01:00.002-03:00

This week's photo was taken in Grand Etang during our trip to Cheticamp on July 27th. At least once during the summer, I like to take a road trip along the west coast of Cape Breton to Cheticamp and the Cabot Trail. Before we left the house that morning, the weather was fine, just a bit overcast, then we hit heavy rain from Louisdale to Port Hastings. I had checked the radar on the Environment Canada website and only noticed a thin strip of precipitation running through Cape Breton, and I believe that was what we drove through up to Port Hastings. I figured we'll be ok weatherwise by the time we reach Route 19... and sure enough, the radar was right! The rest of the road trip was a mix of sun and cloud with slightly cool temperatures of 20ish celsius.

On this road trip, we ended up in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park as far as the Bog trail where a boardwalk allows visitors to step into a typical highlands bog environment, complete with Pitcher plants, Sundews, Bicknell's Thrush, and orchids. It's a short but very pleasant and interesting walk. From here we returned by the same route, stopping at look-offs and stopping for dinner at the Irving Big Stop in Auld's Cove across the Causeway.

Photo of the Week June 4, 2010

2010-06-05T10:14:00.002-03:00

Last Friday I posted this scene on the Photo of the Week page. I have to mention it's one of my favorite spot for walking. Every summer, my younger sister and her 2 children, come from Ottawa to visit us, using her vacation time to come down to a place that hold dear memories for the last 28 years or so. This is where my sister and the kids love to spend time at least once a day, it being foggy or sunny. Either way they seem to enjoy the peacefulness one gets every time on this path that heads down to the shore or Chapel Cove Rd up above. Soon, they will be here again for another much deserved vacation, on their island getaway of Cape Breton...

Webcam update

2010-05-11T12:54:00.002-03:00

For the past few months, on the Cape Breton Living website, we've been showing only one camera which was overlooking east at the ponds, hills and houses. As of yesterday, the camera has been moved to overlook south-west at the shore, wharf and the ocean. Eventually, hopefully soon, 2 cameras will be up and running again at the same time so everyone can view either the east view or the west view in real time. Till then, I hope you enjoy the view whichever way it's facing!

Photo of the Week April 16, 2010

2010-04-16T08:23:00.001-03:00

It's Friday once again and here is the latest Photo of the Week on Cape Breton Living website. On a quick stop in town for a coffee at Tim's, I snapped this photo of the buildings across the street. The village of St Peter's is working on a beautification project and being revitalized with a new look on the main street with professionally designed façade and streetscape improvements. I must say that I do like the new look along Grenville Street and congratulate the Village of St Peter's on a fantastic job, which is still today a work in progress.

The Blue Heron is back

2010-04-14T07:46:00.001-03:00

First thing this morning, before my first coffee, I walk down to the road to pick up my newspaper and as I pull the paper out of the box, I spotted the large Blue Heron, back from its winter vacation. He looks as if he's trying to keep warm, with its neck all tucked in, looking as if he's thrown a big blanket over his shoulders or should I say his wings. It's not an easy task to capture an Blue Heron on camera. As I got a little closer, in a blink of an eye, he was up in the air flying away. Lucky for me, he just made a loop around and landed a few feet away from his first spot in the pond. Glad to see them back, another sign of spring.

Photo of the Week

2010-04-09T15:15:00.000-03:00

This week's photo on Cape Breton Living's Photo of the Week is of a colourful spring shot of the St Peter's Canal which is a National Historic Site of Canada. The St Peter's Canal links the Atlantic Ocean with the Bras d'Or Lakes. You can find some interesting reading at this Parks Canada Website http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/ns/stpeters/index.aspx .

Sunny Sunday

2010-04-04T16:50:00.000-03:00

The weather always seem to be a good topic here on Cape Breton Island. We've been getting some nice days lately, with temperatures just above the zero mark, but today, it was just like a summer day. Perfect for this Easter Sunday with family. Even the the breeze was warm, making it just right for a walk along the shore after our big dinner. Heard the peepers for the first time last evening. They must have known we were going to get this beautiful sunny day today. Spring is really here....

Internet is down

2010-03-20T15:09:00.000-03:00

Since early this morning, March 20th, the internet connection has been down. Because of this, the webcam on the Cape Breton Living website hasn't been updating every 5 seconds like it is scheduled to do. I was able to connect through dial-up and managed to occasionally send an image of the webcam throughout the day. Hopefully the internet connection will be restored soon. I'm just realizing how painfully slow working with dial-up connection really is!

Trip around the Cabot Trail

2010-03-15T12:03:00.001-03:00

Took a trip around the Cabot Trail yesterday. Although spring is not officially here yet, it was beautiful mild day with temperatures of 5-6c. We left from Sydney, where only patches of snow was showing here and there on lawns and parking lots. Spring was definitely in the air! We started the trip via Seal Island Bridge, Kelly's Mountain then St Ann's Bay, Cape Smokey, Ingonish and up around Big Intervale, through Cheticamp and the Margarees and back on the Trans Canada to Sydney. You can say we did the trail counter-clockwise. The photos up above are taken on the northern tip of the Cabot Trail in the Highlands. The snow banks on North Mountain had to be at least ten feet high. This time of the year, I don't usually look for snow, but I was in total awe with the the beautiful snow covered scenery around us. Since we didn't get much snow all winter around home, this was a pleasant change. Now I am looking forward to the spring and summer...

Friday morning

2010-03-06T08:41:00.000-04:00

Early friday morning, just before 6:45am, these beautiful creatures were taking a stroll along the shore road, heading for the field and forest further up, away from the seashore. In the shot you can see five deer, but I believe there was another one ahead in the front. This shot was "Photo of the Week" on the Cape Breton Living website this friday.

The eagle is back

2010-03-04T10:29:00.001-04:00

A sure sign that the winter is almost over and that spring is just around the corner. This morning, just another cloudy, drizzly and windy day, I spotted the magnificent bald eagle, back again after the long winter months to do some fishing in the pond. The ice is breaking up, giving the eagle a great opportunity to pluck an eel from the water in the pond.

News on the webcams

2010-02-21T13:34:00.002-04:00

On friday, the trusted computer running the Cape Breton Living Webcams eventually went on the blink. Hopefully it's not something too complex, that it can be repaired and that I won't need to replace the whole system. I have temporarily fixed a new webcam shot from a different location and because of this change, I was only able to setup one camera instead of two cameras. The camera for now is pointing east and will be the only one showing on the website. Maybe later on, the west view camera will be back up and running for those who liked to check the sights of the beach and ocean. So keep coming back, there's always something new and always kept up to date!

Skating on the pond

2010-02-06T15:51:00.005-04:00

Another great day for skating on the pond. The temperature is minus 8.6c and a bit of a breeze, which makes this a typical Canadian winter day... only without the 2 or 3 feet of snow we usually have on the ground by now. Well at least there's no need to do any shovelling before enjoying the ice!

Today's Photo of the Week

2010-01-22T09:31:00.006-04:00

Today's Photo of the Week on the Cape Breton Living website is of a beautiful, serene scene view across a small pond in L'Ardoise. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago after a light snow covered the ground and everything else that sits above it. Today the pond is frozen and a great spot for the young ones (and mature ones too) to skate, in the open air. I was happy to see 3 or 4 kids out skating on the ice shooting a puck in a net they dragged onto the ice on the pond. They played until dark and came back again the next few days while the weather permits them to enjoy the ice and the great outdoors. Only a few days before, a few guys were out there on the ice, spearing for eels. Another great winter event for sure. The only problem with this, was the way they left most of the smooth clean ice surface with guck and black branches and wood that was raked from the bottom of the pond making it look like a war zone. Not only did it deface what might as well be our front yard, but the chance to do any skating there on that section of the pond a very difficult thing to do. I'm not sure if it was their plan to leave a corner of the pond for those who might want to enjoy a bit of skating, but I was glad to see the kids able to do so after all.

A walk to the shore

2009-11-13T13:16:00.012-04:00

It's Friday morning, 4 celcius, sunny sky and no wind. As we finish our second cup of coffee, we set out for a walk to take in some fresh air and a stress free way to start the day. This time, instead of walking the road, we take the path that leads to the shore. Usually, after getting a few days of rain, the path floods around the edges of the ponds and makes it impossible to get through to the shore. The past few days have been beautifully warm and dry, so getting to the shore was achievable.

At the end of the path we get to a brook that runs into the ocean. It's too nice of a day to turn around, so we make our way down the beach. The tide is low, which makes it easy walking.

We walk the beach for about 5-10 minutes then head back. Once in a while, beach glass can be found in the sand and rocks. In this particular area, the beach glass is scarce, but lucky me, I did find two small brown pieces.

As we get back to the path, we have another 10 minutes or so of walking until we get back to the house.

Cape Breton paintings

2009-10-25T11:09:00.008-03:00

A couple of commissioned paintings I have done in the last couple of months. The top one is of Little Harbour and the other one is of a sou'wester in Margaree Harbour.

Sunday drive to Chéticamp

2009-09-22T14:32:00.015-03:00

Sunday morning 6:49am. The sun was just coming up in the sky and looked like a perfect day for a Sunday drive. By 7:30am, we got in the car and headed out for Chéticamp, a nice little drive to the other side of Cape Breton Island. First we stopped in Port Hawkesbury for breakfast at The Country Kitchen Restaurant. Leaving satisfied on a full stomach, we headed for Highway 19, through Port Hood, where I got out for only a few minutes to take a couple of pictures then drove right through Mabou, Inverness and many small communities. In Dunvegan we took the shore road to Margaree Harbour, over the new bridge to Belle Cote and then Cheticamp. Once there, we stopped at Tim Horton's for a much needed hot cup of coffee. The weather wasn't too bad, a cool 15-17 celcius and a few scattered grey clouds. On the way back, we took the highway going through the Margarees, then onto the Trans-Canada and back to Port Hawkesbury where we picked up a few things at the Superstore before heading back home.

Margaree Harbour Painting

2009-07-28T16:12:00.003-03:00

After 3 years, I can finally say this painting is finished. I've been working on it off and on, and sometimes months without even dabbing any paint on its canvas. It started when I found this old window frame in the shed, soon to be taken to the dump. Picking it up from behind more old junk, I thought it would make a great frame for a painting. So this was the beginning of a new life for this old window frame. Each panels is an individual 8x10 canvas board. With a little paint, it's surprising what can be done to an old piece of junk. The scene is of a view of a lighthouse in Margaree Harbour. Breathtaking sight!

The Bali duck

2009-07-20T15:21:00.003-03:00

With a bit of research, I managed to find out that this is a Bali duck. It is a little odd to see this duck, with a fluffy crest on the back of his head, trying to fit in with the other ducks. I haven't seen him around today, he might have gone back home after a short visit with his cousins in Lester's pond.

Duck or goose?

2009-07-18T09:32:00.003-03:00

The fluff ontop of its head caught our eye. Other than being white, he's also a little larger than the other ones he's been hanging around with, back and forth across the ponds.

Jake's Cape Breton birdhouse

2009-07-13T18:49:00.004-03:00

For the first time after 3-4 years, the swallows decided to build their nest in Jake's (my nephew) homemade birdhouse! As you can see, the babies are waiting eagerly for their frequent feeding. The birdhouse is safely set on the west side of our shed in the back yard.

On the Cape Breton Living website

2009-07-10T08:25:00.004-03:00

This week we finally got to see some sun after a couple of weeks of miserable fog and rain. I wasn't really complaining, but when the day is bright, sunny and warm, people are out and about in a cheerful and uplifting kind of a way... The community comes to life!

Paving the bridge

2009-06-20T15:12:00.007-03:00

A year ago, the old bridge on the shore road was finally torn down and replaced. The new little bridge turned out beautifully, but it was left unpaved with only gravel at each end. By the end of the winter, getting on and off the bridge was a challenge with the huge ruts left in the gravel. Soon anyone passing through would need a four-wheel drive to get across! Finally after a year, we can travel across as if we are floating ontop of the bridge. Now if we could get the rest of Chapel Cove Road repaired ...

Today on the webcams

2009-06-16T14:33:00.013-03:00

What is it that when it's a bright and sunny day in Cape Breton, it makes one want to write and tell the world about it! It's not quite the warmest day so far this spring and I'm sure there's warmer days to come, but since I haven't written anything in a while, today's sunny day gave me a reason to post a shot of the webcams. We are now the 16th of June and if you look closely, you'll see that the leaves are still not fully opened on the shrubs. But no worry, soon enough, the trees and shrubs will be full and green and the breeze will be soft and warm. So be sure to check the webcams often to see the changes for yourself.

Although today the wind was a bit cool, it was a great day for drying the clothes on the line. I don't mean to sound negative, but one thing I despise is when the wind blows in just that certain direction and crazy way and the clothes on the line end up twisted and curled around the clothesline. Today is one of those days. Well the clothes did dry in no time and they do have that nice fresh spring scent...

Springtime

2009-04-25T16:55:00.011-03:00

What a beautiful bright and sunny day we had today! The forecast called for 16 celcius, but here along the coast we were still pleased to get 10 celcius. The ice in the ponds has all melted away and looking around I can't see any snow anywhere, not even under the trees in the shade. It's definitely springtime. Soon enough the grass will turn green and once again the webcam will show the colourful scenery, of this little piece of paradise coming to life.

Last week while picking up some of the winter remnants of things that somehow made its way on my lawn, I spotted this newly growth of Tiger Lilies sprouting through the dead grass. That's what I enjoy about this time of the year, nature coming back to life!

On the webcam this morning

2009-03-30T08:55:00.002-03:00

At 6:30am this morning, I was blessed with the most beautiful sunrise, a bright red and orange sky. My first thoughts were that's great, maybe Cape Beton will be spared from the snow and ice pellets that has been forecasted for today. But only minutes later, the sky turned dull. Looks like the weather folks might be right. For the last few days around here on the southeastern shore of Cape Breton we've been getting beautiful spring weather with temperatures of 7-10 celcius. Right now it's 0 celcius, windy and cloudy. Here is a clip of the text forecast from Evironment Canada for this area:

Sydney Metro and Cape Breton CountyRichmond County Inverness County - south of Mabou Victoria County. Snowfall warning in effect. Today.. Cloudy. Snow mixed with ice pellets beginning late this morning. Risk of freezing rain this afternoon. Snow and ice pellet amount 5 cm. Fog patches dissipating this morning. Wind east 30 km/h gusting to 50. High plus 1. Tonight.. Snow. Snow mixed with ice pellets early this evening. Snow and ice pellet amount 10 to 15 cm. Local blowing snow. Wind northeast40 km/h gusting to 60. Low minus 1. Tuesday.. Snow ending in the morning then clearing. Amount 2 cm. Wind northeast 40 km/h becoming north 20 in the afternoon. High plus 2.

Photo of the Week

2009-03-13T09:28:00.005-03:00

Today's Photo of the Week on Cape Beton Living is a scenic shot of Chapel Cove Rd in L'Ardoise. The day was a bright and mild one, feeling the spring is in the air! One more week from today spring will be upon us once again. While up on the hill, in the fields where we can see miles all around, something else caught my eye besides this picturesque coastal view. Way out in the distance, a loud rumble was getting louder until this large helicopter came flying right over my head. Two Maritime air squadrons are in Cape Breton this week conducting joint training exercises. This is one of six CH-149 Cormorant helicopters that was training in Cape Breton on Wednesday March 11th. It's usually quiet in L'Ardoise, with only the sounds of the wind, seagulls and the passings cars and trucks, so seeing this monster helicopter circling in our skies, was something see. The video below is from the Cape Breton Post Video-on-Demand website

Photo of the Week

2009-03-06T11:34:00.010-04:00

The Photo of the Week on Cape Breton Living for March 6, 2009 is a wintry shot of a deer just off Chapel Cove Road in L'Ardoise. This wonderful photo was taken by Jamie Boulet of L'Ardoise. Many mornings I walked this road, have been for the last few years and only once have I seen a deer along the shore on this part of Chapel Cove Road. Another time, I did see a doe and her young from my front room window, walking down the path heading towards the shore. Deer tracks are visible in the sand on the beach and along the paths, so I know there are deer making their way along the shore and heading inland into the forest. I just never get the timing right as to getting a glimse of the beautiful animals when they happen to be passing through. Thank you Jamie for capturing this photo, it's a good thing you had your camera handy with you at the time!

The Rankin Family in Sydney

2009-02-28T18:27:00.010-04:00

The Rankin Family is touring our vast country, starting in Penticton, British Columbia and working their way east. Jimmy Rankin, currently on tour with his sisters in support of their new album, These Are the Moments says “It’s nice to be out with my sisters again and the old band. We’re singing a bunch of new material and the show is sounding great and it’s fun.”

Last night, February 27th, they played at the Centre 200, to what I would say was a full house. The crowd was all fired up to welcome them back home to Cape Breton Island and the show, as always, was an energetic and lively time for everyone who had the good fortune of being there! I picked up their new CD "These Are the Moments". The CD has thirteen tracks, with nine new songs and four of their classic songs. Since I can never get enough of the Rankins, I listened to the CD on the way home from the concert in Sydney and enjoyed their presence as we travelled along the old Highway 4 all the way home.

Auto Glass

2009-02-26T11:11:00.002-04:00

I received this picture in an email yesterday and just had to share it on Cape Breton Living! This interesting shot is of what looks like a custom job on a van window, parked at a Wal-Mart in Sydney, Cape Breton. The question that comes to mind is "What's the story?" Maybe it is temporary, until the owner can get the work done at an auto glass shop, hey it's better than plastic flapping in the wind or maybe the owner is trying to make a point ... whatever the story, it might be a little rough around the edges, but it seems to do the trick!!

Art prints - Grand Etang

2009-02-18T08:52:00.004-04:00

Grand Etang

This reproduction is from an original acrylic painting done by myself, Cecile Samson. This print is 5x7" and is set into an 8x10" mat. Grand Etang is located on the picturesque Cabot Trail, just a few kms south of Cheticamp. The print depicts the simple beauty and colourful landscape by the sea. Please visit the Cape Breton Living Art Gallery at http://www.capebretonliving.com/galleryhome.htm where you can find more information and more artwork.

Snow for Cape Breton

2009-02-05T15:25:00.005-04:00

A couple of days ago, most of Cape Breton was lucky to miss the mess that the rest of Nova Scotia received as snow, ice pellets and freezing rain. Well, today, Cape Breton is getting it in the form of snow. It's not really all that bad, 5-10 cm ... enough to add a nice clean white blanket over the dirty grey snow. The last few storms, we've been getting more rain than snow, which is great as there's not much shovelling or plowing to do!

In the morning sun

2009-02-02T08:39:00.006-04:00

The sun was bright and warm this morning. There's something about the first hour of sunrise, especially when it's sunny. Today's sunrise time for St Peter's is 7:25am, sunset is 5:08pm. So I hear the groundhog did see his shadow? No matter, the days are getting longer and hopefully we'll be getting many more mornings like today's...

Robin in winter

2009-01-29T12:07:00.007-04:00

This robin decided to stay the winter in Cape Breton. Didn't see him during the cold snap, but today I found him out and about while the temperatures reached 1 Celsius.

Cold cold morning

2009-01-27T20:09:00.005-04:00

Woke up this morning, the temperature outside was a cool -20.4 Celsius. The ice is in the bay and the little island off Isle Madame seem to be floating above the frigid ocean. On the positive side, we are almost halfway through the winter!!

Beautiful slideshow

2009-01-26T09:41:00.004-04:00

Beautiful music and imagery of Cape Breton

Photo of the Week

2009-01-23T15:23:00.000-04:00

Canadian Idols Theo Tams, Drew Wright & Mitch Macdonald at the Membertou Trade & Convention Centre in Sydney. Today's Photo of the Week is from Jamie Boulet

Sunset

2009-01-21T16:56:00.001-04:00

Tonight's beautiful sunset on the southeast coast of Cape Breton.

Skating on the pond

2009-01-21T15:49:00.000-04:00

The kids are enjoying some skating on the pond in L'Ardoise. The wind is minimal and the temperature is fluctuating between -1 and -5 Celcius. If only winter could stay like that until the spring!

The pictures are taken from the Cape Breton Living webcam.

Photo of the Week

2009-01-21T10:39:00.000-04:00

Photo of the Week January 16, 2009. Walking on a cold January day I snapped this shot on Chapel Cove Rd in L'Ardoise. The temperature wasn't actually all that bad, a mild minus 4-5 Celsius. The cold snap hit us a couple of days later.

Introduction

2009-01-20T11:10:00.000-04:00

Welcome !

Cape Breton Living was created back in 1997, when the Internet was something very new to me. It started with a dial-up account with Sympatico. With this account, free webspace was available, so the first thing I created was a page about my family (Samson & Samson), then it evolved into everything Cape Breton. Over the years, I've added and updated the whole site to what it is today - Cape Breton Living! Keeping this Blog is a way to keep the Cape Breton Living website active and the visitors informed with what's going on across the whole website.