Monday, July 15, 2013

Why I love Cape Breton

Hot summer weather was in abundance this weekend ,beautiful blue skies and very warm temperatures so how did I spent these hot days of summer ? Bill and I headed for Baddeck which is located on the incredibly beautiful Brasdor Lakes in Cape Breton . Baddeck is a quaint little town which is bustling with tourists this time of year and understandbly so , it is so pretty and is also the starting point for many for the Cabot Trail which is a scenic drive through the Highlands of Cape Breton winding over several mountains along the coast , incredible. We did not do the trail on this trip though , we had the good fortune to be babysitting our two granddaughters Nila and Elise while their parents took part in a cross country bike challenge of 65km. yes that is 65 km. which makes me tired just thinking about it. There were 100 participants in this challenge some opting to finish after 45 km. the rest going on to do the complete ride .

Chad and Shauna as they prepare for the challenge.
Here is the group as they assemble for a little talk from the organizers before they pedal down the road. Most of this challenge is off road taking them over Kelly's mountain through the woods . The starting point is St.Anne's college which you see in the background.
Here they are after finishing , Shauna is receiving her little recognition as Nila wants to hug her mother , she was so relieved to see her parents come across that line. Chad is looking on  as they stayed beside one another the entire ride . I am so proud of them for completing such a grueling challenge , they had some very difficult terrain to deal with ,lots of rocky conditions , mud and water as well as the heat and bugs to deal with .
 Would you like to see some scenery of the surrounding area , sure you do .
This is just down the road from where they started , isn't that sky incredible .

 This is on the opposite side of the road , love the rocks here .' 

I find this photo to be so peaceful and serene .
Around Baddeck there are many sailboats , a popular past time for the locals as well as the tourists and it is not uncommon to have celebrities sail into Baddeck with their yachts . 
They also offer tours on this lovely vessel and having taken this tour I would highly recommend it , the scenery is lovely and the guides very knowledgeable . We stayed at a B&B just across from this scene , so nice to wake up to :-)
On our way home yesterday we noticed a lot of cars parked along the Canso Causeway and there were lots of cameras out so we had to investigate and wow , what luck there were whales heading back out , it is probably impossible to see them here but there were several whales or that is what I think they were , they weren't close enough to identify but I am pretty certain that is what we saw . I had a wonderful time with the girls , playing mini golf, swimming and they were biking through the camp ground where they stayed and I walked along so I slept real well ;-)
On the sewing front, obviously not much happening there but I did manage to get these made .
I saw this idea on pinterest here  and thought it would be a great idea to have a little bag for my mini kobo so I measured it and started cutting and , well I didn't allow enough room for the depth of the kobo so had to start over , however the first one is a perfect fit for my camera and will pop into my purse nicely . I think they are rather cute in their simplicity . 
It is another hot day so I am hoping to get a little sewing in , best place to be is inside when it is this hot . Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.
 hugs Sheila

15 comments:

  1. Gorgeous photos Sheila,it looks like a beautiful part of the world. Congratulations tothe cyclists - what an achievement, that's a long way! The little bags are very cute and a great idea.

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  2. I can see making a picture quilt from some of the beautiful photos you took. I just read about them on the Martingale site. Just beautiful scenery. The cases are pretty and functional, which makes them perfect.

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  3. Gorgeous. Cute little bags. Hugs,xx

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  4. Wonderful Scenery! Hope to get out that way one day soon!

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  5. well done to the riders... great experience... and how lovely for you to spend time with the girls... lovely scenery aroudn there.. i like that building shown at the start up too.... pretty little bags...
    Hugz

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  6. I'm never at the causeway at the right time!! Glad you enjoyed your trip to CB! Cute little bag for your kobo!

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  7. Lovely photos Sheila....thank you for showing us this lovely spot in your part of the world.
    Cath @ Bits 'n Bobs

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  8. Truly beautiful spot Sheila. Such wonderful photos. Congrats to the bike riders too. Sounds like you had great fun with the grandies.

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  9. what gorgeous pics ,you live in such a pretty country Sheila,thankyou for sharing and love your little pouches,well done.xx

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  10. I think you should write a tourist guide for Cape Breton! Your pics are fabulous and your first-hand knowledge is the perfect match. Congrats to the bikers...amazing feat! Great little bags you made!

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  11. Beautiful scenery! Maybe I'll get here next fall. . .

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  12. Don't we live in the most beautiful country!!

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  13. Such gorgeous pictures of the beautiful scenery.

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  14. Wow, tell your family congrats on the bike ride! 65 km over rocky ground is a long, long ride. Hey, it would be a long ride any time, right? Lovely views, thanks for sharing them with us.

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  15. Oh, my! what a gorgeous place to visit. Sounds like a perfect visit.

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