Last of Summer in Cape Breton

The Longer way to Skyline Trail – a bench beneath a massive birch, overlooking the forest and mountains

 

Greetings to the golden month of September!

The mornings are damp, days shorter and my heart is so full with summer!  I’m well satiated until next spring, to get me through the long winter.  But who talks of winter on the first of September?!  September, the month of michaelmas daisies, county fairs, full apple trees and ripening pumpkins.

Here on this little blog, I wanted to preserve our little trip to Cape Breton Island, the birth place of my Grandmother.  One of the most beautiful places I feel so incredibly lucky to visit. A place I hope to visit in the next couple of months to just focus on my art.  So please, join us on our journey for a minute or two (I won’t write much!  The pictures make me feel overwhelmed with happiness)!  We spent only 3 nights on this island during the last week of August, but it will serve us with memories for a lifetime.  For how this earth sings and that I’m alive and able to experience it… I’m eternally grateful.

Jagged Rocks off the Coast
Our private deck, looking over the river to the National Park – the trees you see are Oaks!

 

A whale vertebrae on the beach – I wanted to bring it home but it hasn’t been cleaned just yet by the sun
The view at the end of Skyline

We hiked each day, enjoyed each others company, forgot about the world around us.  I am happiest as a traveller – focusing on the most basic aspects of life.  We climbed our humble east coast mountains (400 million years old!), swam in swimming holes, had bonfires, ate bags of carrots, drew, ate and vowed to come back again and again.   I feel like the earth breathes with old spirits, I only wish we could hear them more clearly.

MacKintosh Brook – a short walk but so beautiful
Followed an Elfin family up this very steep hill to each have our own pool with waterfalls!
A stop on the trail
The Sweetest neighbour
The top of the Aspy Trail – Up and up a mountain, over streams, through hardwood forests (the forest floor covered in acorns) and I hope to make it here in the fall (yes I did bring my knitting… why do you ask?)
Sadly closed when we passed by but I will be back Pumpkin Patch (there is actually a huge pumpkin patch behind this cute little shop!)
Draw a little bit, each day ❤
The trail to the Gypsum Mine Lake
The beautiful lake
Wild Nova Scotia Blueberries
A ruin in “Le Buttereau” trail – an abandoned community after the creation of the National park (not mentioned on the sign is that the government forced the people living within the boundaries of the new park to leave – despite having roots there since the 18th century). This is the remnants of one of these homes, now covered in Herb Robert but once home to 10 children and their parents.
Drawing at a swimming hole in the mountains
Beyond happy to be here!! Can you tell?
Beulach Ban Falls
A bonfire on our last night
At sun set – getting some photographs of knitwear when 2 sled dogs came to visit us (not joking, they would take themselves on a walk on the beach every evening!).
The Drive up from the mainland – a stop in the very quaint and witchy town of Baddeck

I would love to own a piece of land here….someday, I hope this will happen.  I wonder is it just my mind and body being on “vacation” that makes me feel so connected, so in love with a place?  Or is there really something at work.  Cape Breton is rife with folklore – the Scottish Gaelic settlers believed in the little people.  There are place names (place names in CB have the Gaelic name under the English) which in English will be one thing and in Gaelic will be a reference to the fairies, Sithean.   I have seen interviews of Mi’kmaq (the Indigenous people of Nova Scotia, as well as other areas of Atlantic Canada) women recount stories of seeing the little people. I can’t help but thinking of these stories as we are hiking with the ancient oaks. Braided tails of mares, tasks being completed in the morning, iron protection and beings emerging from hills.

Do you have a place that makes you feel like magic is afoot?  That you feel like you could nestle into an old tree and fall asleep until the end of days?

Souvenirs – a willow handmade basket, a mug by Arts North in Dingwall and lastly, the mittens I started and designed in our little cabin

I leave you now!  Tomorrow, I have a post for the shop finally being updated.   I once had pictures printed and would past in a book for safe keeping – feels like such a long time ago now.

Merry Part,

*****A folksong, recorded in the 90’s by 2 special Cape Breton icons!

10 thoughts on “Last of Summer in Cape Breton

      1. I definitely agree that they did! The Miꞌkmaq also have many beautiful and magical beliefs as well. It must just be embedded in the beautiful land ❤ When I'm there, I find it's almost tangible in just the air 😀

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  1. Well, Julia, I have already informed my husband that when the time comes for us to plan a trip to PEI and Nova Scotia, we MUST add Cape Breton to the list. I look at these pictures and my heart says, “HOME”. Interesting since I’ve never been there and I am not from Canada, though I LOVE LOVE LOVE visiting Canada!!! As always, gorgeous magical photos. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your life. Lastly, I have that CD and LOVE it!

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  2. Thank you for sharing so many photos of your days in Cape Breton! It sound like the best way to spend summer, just breathing in the air and connecting to the earth in magical woodlands 🙂 I can see why you dream about buying some land there some day. 🙂

    I do have my favourite trail that I walk, and that feels sort of magical sometimes, when my mind in still. 🙂 You know, the one I’ve been writing about earlier.. 😉

    Hope you have a nice day!

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    1. You’re so very welcome!

      Camilla, never apologize for not responding to a post! I understand COMPLETELY! I often fall off of the respond to comments train – or I forget to respond. There is just so much happening!!! Life is strange. I heard a statistic today that said something along the lines of, the chances of you being born at all is like 1 in 1 trillion – how insane is that!

      I hope school has been good to you 🙂 🙂 Sorry I am going so quickly through past comments because I am making soup and pie 🙂

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