Not rockin’ the 902 this fall.
Posted: October 8, 2015 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 | Tags: Atlantic Canada 2 Comments
For the last several Octobers I’ve made a pilgrimage to volunteer at the Celtic Colours music festival in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, my favorite place on earth.
Can’t swing it financially this year. Heavy heart. Today would have been my travel day. Right now I would be in a rental car, heading northeast on Highway 105 to the St. Anns Motel near Baddeck. Probably stopping at a Tim Horton’s along the way for road food, Sobey’s in Truro for supplies, and the NSLC in Baddeck for libations. Listening to Wendy Bergfeldt’s afternoon show on CBC Cape Breton.
Plans are already afoot for next year, the 20th anniversary of the festival. Gonna make it. Don’t know how yet, but I’ll be there.
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Re-rockin’ the 902: Canadian haircut
Posted: October 16, 2014 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 Leave a comment
NOT my haircut. Image from staticflickr.com
Got a Canadian haircut yesterday. Pretty much the same as back home. It was the same chain of haircut places I go to, just located in Sydney, Cape Breton instead of Minnesota, and the hair stylist was far more polite.
I mention it, though, because “getting a Canadian haircut” sounds like it should be a euphemism for something else.
“He got himself a Canadian haircut… IF you know what I mean…!”
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Re-rockin’ the 902: Celtic Colours 2014 and David Francey
Posted: October 13, 2014 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 | Tags: Celtic, If it's nae Scottish it's crr-r-r-r-rrap, music Leave a comment
Image from davidfrancey.com
Updates will follow. But so far my big revelation of this year’s festival has been David Francey.
Just remember where you heard him first. Find more here. You’re welcome.
I saw you first in the smoky café light
Where I’d come in from the frozen winter night
And I saw a face that put the stars to shame
I loved you ‘fore I ever knew your name
And my heart sank, lost without a trace
And it’s a lucky man that gets to kiss your face
I’ve seen you shine in the summer, spring, and fall
But it’s winter when I love you best of all
And I’ve seen you in the spotlight hard and bright
And I’ve seen you in the shadows of the night
And when I see you coming I can feel my cold heart race
And it’s a lucky man that gets to kiss your face
I heard you singing to that empty hall
And I heard the joy that echoed off the walls
And I realized when all is said and done
That youth is never wasted on the young
And I don’t believe the silence of this place
And it’s a lucky man that gets to kiss your face
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Re-rockin’ the 902: Falling in love with a place
Posted: October 28, 2013 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 | Tags: Atlantic Canada 3 Comments
Every traveler knows how it feels. When you fall in love with a place, you come to appreciate it on so many levels. The natural beauty, the smells, the sounds, the smiles. You’ve connected with the locals, you’ve made friends that will remain close to your heart. – Mitchell Kanashkevich
Everyone, if they’re lucky, has known the feeling of falling in love. And you can fall in love with a place as with a person. Click here for more.
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Re-rockin’ the 902: Met an old friend for the first time, and ushered for the final time.
Posted: October 27, 2013 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 | Tags: Atlantic Canada, If it's nae Scottish it's crr-r-r-r-rrap, music Leave a comment
Saturday (10/19/13) was an exceptional day. I met up for a cup of coffee with my friend and fellow blogger Leah Noble, of the blog Dream Big Cape Breton (follow it, folks, it’s awesome). In addition to blogging Leah is hard at work, as both a full-time student and an entrepreneur. But she was kind and gracious, and carved out some time for coffee. I’d been reading Leah’s blog and swapping emails with her for a year now: it seemed like we were already old friends.
Image from dreambigcapebreton.com
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Re-rockin’ the 902: Nearly found the Cape Clear Look-off.
Posted: October 26, 2013 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 | Tags: Atlantic Canada, nature Leave a comment
What I was looking for: The Cape Clear Look-off
Image from anotherdayofgrace.blogspot.com
For months I’ve been reading about Cape Clear, a small, isolated, wooded area with an astounding look-off view over Cape Breton. Recently my friend Leah Noble wrote about it in her blog Dream Big Cape Breton (follow it, folks, it’s awesome). She wrote:
The Highland Road, for those of you who don’t know, is a series of roads put in by the logging company to harvest wood from the interior of the Cape Breton Highlands. (You can read more about this part of the island here.) My Dad, who works in the woods doing tree-planting, laying out cuts, and other stuff I don’t know too much about, is frequently taking the Highland Road to work. You get on it in Middle River, and you can drive up to Cheticamp or Wreck Cove on it. They are all dirt roads, and they are marked, somewhat. Once you’re off the main road, though, it’s kind of a maze. Other than logging trucks, you’re also likely to encounter hunters, snowmobilers, or dirt bikers, depending on the season.
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Re-rockin’ the 902: Churchin’ it up, with the Capers
Posted: October 24, 2013 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 | Tags: Atlantic Canada, music, radio Leave a comment
Images from cbc.ca
As you recall, last year Wendy Bergfeldt from CBC Cape Breton was kind enough to clue me in about these recording sessions during Celtic Colours week. Performances and interviews are recorded at Knox Presbyterian Church in Baddeck for later broadcast. I attended Monday and Tuesday, went whale watching on Wednesday, and returned for more music on Thursday and Friday. Click here for more.
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Re-geekin’ the 902: Canada is penniless
Posted: October 24, 2013 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 | Tags: Atlantic Canada, geekery, money Leave a comment
Image from coinnews.net
Last time around I wrote about the Canadian loonies and toonies, and how much sense they make. On this visit I learned that Canada made another sensible currency decision: it’s eliminated the penny.
Last year the Canadian government decided to get rid of the penny, and the Canadian mint produced the last ones. This past February the last shipment of pennies was sent into circulation. As with the phase-out of paper $1s and $2s, the mint will collect pennies as they arrive and remove them from circulation. Click here for more.
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Re-rockin’ the 902: I spend more time in church in Cape Breton than I do any other time of the year.
Posted: October 23, 2013 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 | Tags: Atlantic Canada, music, radio 1 CommentImages from cbc.ca
For several years CBC Cape Breton has hosted performances and interviews for later broadcast during Celtic Colours. These take place weekday mornings at Knox Presbyterian Church in Baddeck and are hosted by Wendy Bergfeldt, host of the weekday afternoon program Mainstreet and the Saturday program Island Echoes. Wendy was kind enough to clue me in about those last year, and I attended four of the five mornings this year as well.
It’s a small church and seating is first come, first served. Often it’s standing room only. But the shows are phenomenal, easily the equal of the concerts I purchased tickets for. Wendy is a phenomenal interviewer with great knowledge about Cape Breton and Celtic culture. And unlike the official shows, I could take pics. Click here for more.
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Re-rockin’ the 902: A momentary rant.
Posted: October 23, 2013 Filed under: Rockin' the 902 | Tags: Atlantic Canada, music Leave a comment
Though I’m back home now *snif* I’m still working on more installments. There’s some great stuff in the pipeline. Making it extra-special good, just for you.
Meantime, this is the only performance pic I was able to take at any of the official Celtic Colours venues. Festival club, opening night. In case you can’t tell (!), that’s Artist in Residence Kimberly Fraser and friends. Read the rest of this entry »
Name-Brand Ketchup. 