Bras d'Or Lake Local Customs

This house along the highway had lost almost all it's snow. However, the remnants of four snowmen were still visible on it's front lawn. It won't be long before the sun finishes them off, but the snow hidden in the shadows of the deep forest can last for another month or two yet before Winter finally succumbs to the changing of the seasons!

On some of the more open expanses of land in Canada, it is common to see 'snow fences' erected to try to control the drifting of snow. These fences work best in areas where the wind direction is almost always from a particular direction. The idea behind the very 'open-construction' fence is that it merely creates a swirl in the wind flow that strikes it, causing a downdraft on one side of the fence. This swirling wind pattern results in the snow piling up in front of the fence instead of somewhere else on the farm where it would be a nuisance to the owner.

In the old days, these fences were made using long narrow slats of wood held together with wire. This one is of the modern all-plastic construction.

Bras d'Or Lake really comes alive in the Summer when both the locals and tourists arrive to enjoy this magnificent area. It is still relatively undeveloped and it is certainly a peaceful place to get away from it all when the sun is shining.

Many people have small cottages that sit empty all Winter but then come alive during the 'heat' of Summer. My daughter and her husband spent their first two years on Cape Breton in a cottage along the lakeshore not far from this one. It was a fantastic place to visit (see my 'Halifax' page for a few scenes taken there) but how the time drags when you are cooped-up all winter long with no neighbours and a half-hour drive from civilization!