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From the Cape Breton Living website

Hello 2014… Cheers to a brand new year folks!  What better time to tell you about a couple recent changes done on the Cape Breton Living website. First, on the Photo of the Week page, the last 3 week’s photos were added and are conveniently posted below the current Photo of the Week. So if you missed the last week’s photo or just wish to see them again, they are right there just a click away. 
Another change to the website is the URL you type in the address bar. The correct address is www.capebretonliving.com , If you find yourself using other URLs like “vhost1…” or “stpeterscable…”, you might then be re-directed or end up on a page that doesn’t exist. Best thing to do is go to www.capebretonliving.com and once on the website, you may bookmark it for future reference.

One more thing, it’s not exactly new, but on the Webcam pages and the Photo of the Week page, there’s a comment box for you to share your thoughts with other viewers. The next time you visit the website and you have time to spare, we’d love to hear from you!

This Week's Photo

Pleasant Bay - Cabot Trail

 

Early Monday morning on Thanksgiving Day, before the sun was even showing any light in the starry sky, I packed our picnic basket with the lunch that I prepared the night before and  packed my charged cameras, cell phone and (just in case) all its cables and chargers. By the time we had everything gathered and ready to head out, the sun was just coming up over the hill giving us an amazing warm yellow sunrise.

On this road trip, we decided to head for Sydney and do the Cabot Trail counterclockwise. Somewhere on the 105 near Bras d’Or we stopped for a coffee at Tim’s and then down the road to top up the car with gas. Instead of taking the ferry in Englishtown, we drove to St Ann’s and enjoyed the spectacular view of St Ann’s Harbour and its winding roads. The fall foliage was not quite at its peak, but another week or two would have done it, changing what is still green into yellows oranges and reds.  But then waiting too long, we risk having heavy rain and strong wind, leaving us with only bare trees with shades of browns and greys.

Where my Father Was Standing

Photo of the Week September 27, 2013

The Cape Breton Living Photo of the Week for September 27, 2013 is of where my father might have been standing when he was in Cape Breton back in 1942-43 during WW2. All I know is that he came over from Mulgrave on the ferry to Port Hawkesbury for a visit and that the photo was taken nearby where the ferry came in with the automobiles. As the years went by and with the opening of the Canso Causeway, the area has changed, like the background and along the railroad tracks. Looking at the photo (Photo of the Week photo), I’m thinking that the old photo might have been taken further south along the train tracks with maybe Point Tupper in the background? The next photo is where I think might be the right place.

Another photo from the same visit is of him posing in front of a large sign saying “PORT HAWKESBURY WELCOMES YOU TO CAPE BRETON ISLAND”.  This sign was set in front of the Baptist Church on Granville Street for the tourists arriving on the island by the automobile ferries until the opening of the Canso Causeway on May 20th, 1955.  

Soon after this day visit, my father returned home to Aylmer Quebec to later get married and raise a family in Ottawa. Looking back, I know my father never knew that decades later he would come back to this lovely island to visit a daughter of his who met and married a Cape Bretoner and later made this island her home…

Road Trip - Cabot Trail

Every summer, usually sometime in August, there is one thing that’s on my to-do list and that is to go on a road trip around the Cabot Trail. The past 4-5 years we would rent a van so that the whole family could make the trek together, all of us in one vehicle. This year however, we had less people tagging along, so our trusting Nissan Sentra was able to take the four of us around the Trail. Before heading out, we checked the weather updates, got ourselves ready, packed a lunch and with our cameras fully charged we managed to leave the house by 8:00am. First stop was The Country Kitchen Restaurant in Port Hastings for a hearty breakfast to keep us going until lunch.  Leaving the restaurant, we got on the Trans-Canada Highway 105 and stopped in at The Red Barn Gift Shop then onto the Cabot Trail through the Margarees. Along the way we stopped every so often to stretch our legs and admire the beauty that was surrounding us. The wind was crazy that day and the waves were crashing on the shores with a loud roar sounding like thunder. It felt very refreshing (without actually having to go in)! I couldn’t pass through Chéticamp without stopping at Le Petit Chady Convenience store to say hello and meet in person a fellow Instagrammer.  It was such a pleasure to meet her, I could have spent all morning chatting.  Carl, Julie and Maeghan were back at the car ready to continue on, so Denise’s daughter took a quick snapshot of the two of us before I ran off back to the car. Soon after leaving Chéticamp, we enter the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and drove along the coastline to the MacIntosh Brook Park for lunch. We spent a little over half an hour in the picnic area where we found and set up a picnic table to eat our lunch and then spent a few minutes down by the brook before getting back in the car to head for the Beulach Ban Falls then Meat Cove and Bay St Lawrence.  By the time we arrived at the Englishtown Ferry it was 7pm. There we only had a couple of minutes wait time before getting on the ferry and it takes a couple of minutes to cross St Anns Bay. Coming off the ferry we headed for Sydney where we had a bite to eat then onto the old Highway 4 to home. So here we are at the end of another great day spent with wonderful people and being so thankful for living in such a beautiful place… 

Left Behind at the Yard Sale

It was three weeks ago we visited several local yard sales, and in my last blog post I wrote how we did find a couple of interesting items. The only regret of the day was that Julie left one of her findings behind at one of the yard sales. She is now back in Ottawa and is kicking her butt for leaving these little novelties behind. This was a set of two syrup (or molasses) pitchers. It’s not that they are some valuable antiques, but just something that reminded us of when we were kids.    I believe they’re from the 1970s. Since this yard sale is in the nearby community of River bourgeois, I went back and found that the two pitchers were still there and set aside in case one of us would eventually go back to collect them. It was almost like finding a little treasure for a second time…