Have a Great Thanksgiving

Cape Breton Highlands National Park & The Skyline Trail

 

 Acadian Coastline, Gaelic Folklore, Celtic Culture and The The Mi'kmaq Nation… To say the least there is a lot going on in Cape Breton Nova Scotia. A “My Quality Time” post.

The Skyline Trail::: “Length: 7.5 km (4.7 mi) return or 9.2 km (5.7 mi) loop Elevation: 290 - 405 m (950 - 1,330 ft) Time: 2 - 3 hours
Significant Features: Headland cliff, ocean Main trail suitable for most skill levels.  Boardwalk with steps at headland.  Rugged back loop.” Linda and I with my sister Sara and her husband Larry did the In-Out trail not the loop.

If one is going to do just one hike in this area this is the one to do. There are hundreds of wonderful blog posts/web sites devoted to this area with detailed photos and descriptions of the hike. You can do your own research if interested. Here are a couple links I really like: One Journey and Wandering Not Lost .

On this hike you may see moose and bear but we did not… so it goes…   Instead I offer up a “At A Breton Calvaire” from the book::”Cape Breton Tales” by Harry James Smith 1880-1918.

“Upon that cape that thrusts so bare.. Its crest above the wasting sea-Grey rocks amidst eternity- There stands an old and frail calvaire, Upraising like an unvoiced cry Its great black arms against the sky. For storm-beat years that cross has stood: It slants before the winter gale; And now the Christ is marred and pale;

The rain has washed away the blood That ran once on its brow and side, And in its feet the seams are wide.

But when the boats put out to sea At earliest dawn before the day. The fishermen, they turn and pray, Their eyes upon calvary:

“O Jesu, Son of Mary fair, Our little boats are in thy care!” and when the storm beats hard and shrill

Then toil-bent women, worn with fear, Pray for the lives they hold so dear, And seek the cross

upon the hill: “O Jesu, Son of Mary mild, Be with them where the waves are wild!”

And when the dead they carry by Across that melancholy land,- Dead that were cast up on the strand

Beneath a black and whirling sky,- They pause before the old calvaire; They cross themselves and say a prayer.

 

O Jesu, Son of Mary fair! O Faith, that seeks thy cross of pain! Their voices break above the rain,

The wind blows hard, the heart lies bare: Clutching through dark, their hands find Thee,

O Christ, that died on Calvary!”

Film crew getting ready to shoot a documentary… and now I’m HUNGRY:::

 

The Beggars Banquet a chance for you to get into period costume and gorge on a feast of local seafood in a replicated 18th-century tavern.
Hope you enjoyed the post/photos… and as always have

a great day…. Joe Todd reporting for “My Quality Time”

 Cape Breton Highlands National Park & The Skyline Trail

Technorati Tags: Cape Breton,Skyline Trail,Nova Scotia,Acadian,My Quality Time

A Few Photos From Nova Scotia

Always have a “Quality time” Day…

Cape Breton is the prize of Nova Scotia, a green getaway splashed with lakes and lapped by the blue waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. Besides the natural beauty to be found here, the Cabot Trail immerses you in the still vibrant Gaelic and Acadian cultures of Cape Breton. Photo was taken from Skyline Trail, Cape Breton Island

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Some Nova Scotia shoreline

The perfect end to the day::: Beggar's Banquet, Louisbourg

Going back in time. They had costumes for us, that we wore during the supper, the seafood was great and the experience was unbelievable.

Have a great day…..

Technorati Tags: Nova Scotia,Wandering,Canada

Big Skies Repost

Big Skies…Big Land…Our Western Skies
Arizona,Utah,Colorado,New Mexico for Sky Watch Friday



“Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.” Abdul Kalam

“The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” Rabindranath Tagore



“Go forth under the open sky, and list To Nature's teachings.” William C. Bryant

“The sky is an infinite movie to me. I never get tired of looking at what's happening up there.” K. D. Lang



“This continent, an open palm spread frank before the sky.” James Agee


When you visit the West and if you look real close you just might see some of these folks.


“Onward from vast uncharted spaces, Forward through timeless voids, Into all of us surges and races The measureless might of the wind. In the steep silence of thin blue air High on a lonely cliff-ledge, Where the air has a clear, clean rarity, I give to the wind...my pledge: “ By the strength of my arm, by the sight of my eyes, By the skill of my fingers, I swear, As long as life dwells in me, never will I Follow any way but the sweeping way of the wind.” Published in On Desert Trails with Everett Ruess, G.J. Bergera & W.L Rusho (Eds.



"There is a muscular energy in sunlight  corresponding to the spiritual energy of wind."  Annie Dillard 
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome dangerous, leading to the most amazing view…
May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.”  Edward Abbey


 
“They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars – on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home To scare myself with my own desert places.”
Robert Frost
Big Skies…Big Land…Our Western Skies
Arizona,Utah,Colorado,New Mexico for Sky Watch Friday

Technorati Tags: Arizona,Utah,Colorado,New Mexico,Sky Watch Friday,Western Skies