SLEEPY UP AND OVER —— The muddy beaches of Blomidon are always pulling me back. Not so far from home, but I still somehow overlooked them till my late twenties... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 14, 2025 Blomidon Provincial Park, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6517 of my daily journal.

IN HER DIRECTION —— Not since my early years with a camera have I been much concerned with capturing humanity. I shoot self-portraits often, but rarely of... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 14, 2025 Blomidon Provincial Park, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6517 of my daily journal.

LOVE AT FIRST LISTEN —— On the first day of 2009 when I was only twenty-one, I got a message from a girl who'd stumbled over my writing in passing. She wrote from some... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 13, 2025 Beaconsfield, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6516 of my daily journal.

WITH NO ONE —— I'm not relaxed from way back, that's always been pretty primary to my state of mind. But the company of Susy has always served as the singular time when I'm a... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 12, 2025 Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6515 of my daily journal.

OTHER HAPPY —— There's something waking in me when a long-awaited night finally falls. Months of drought and endless sunshine has made me rather averse to brightness, eager... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 12, 2025 Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6515 of my daily journal.

JOY HIDES —— I've got nothing invested in presenting a curated depiction of my life. Recently, I read from a casual acquaintance how their pretty photography reflects... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 11, 2025 Beaconsfield, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6514 of my daily journal.

Looking for some great music? Perhaps our tastes cross over a little. Here's a playlist containing 3 songs from all the songwriters who've made the biggest impact on my writing, and my heart. Happy listening! Let me know if you find anything you love.

TIMELESSLY —— There's such a gentle murk in the colours of a late hazy day. Sleepy shades of yellow-orange, and a sense that time has no real hurry. Down at the rush of... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 10, 2025 Burntcoat, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6513 of my daily journal.

THE OTHER END —— The world is full of folks who've rarely been away from those they love in life. They think of separation like death, and so do all they can to avoid it. They... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 9, 2025 Truro, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6512 of my daily journal.

THE LEESIDE —— I'll be away from the screen for the next couple weeks, but I won't be far from home. As someone working seven days a week year 'round, a two-week vacation comes... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 8, 2025 Lequille, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6511 of my daily journal.

VISITING PREACHER the shadows we squandered shine brightly in the sun they are the kindness we intend for everyone the sharp understanding when you've lost your branding and... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 7, 2025 Milford, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6510 of my daily journal.

ELSE BUT US —— When you look to the streams and rivers running low, they're only the end result of a drought run rampant through western Nova Scotia. But inland bodies of... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 6, 2025 Springfield, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6509 of my daily journal.

THE STARKNESS —— There's very little left in LaHave River. Sleepy pools connected by a tiny trickle, wide wasteland of bare black stone. All the aquatic mosses and grasses... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 6, 2025 New Germany, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6509 of my daily journal.

LITTLE LIGHT SHED —— There's only one place you'll find freshwater flowing at more than a trickle in the Annapolis Valley. This river of the same name is sure running sleepy... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 5, 2025 Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6508 of my daily journal.

I've currently got 4 stops booked for my fall tour. Come out and hear me talk about my adventures! Signed copies of all my books will be available.

LAST HOURS —— Distracted by drought and wildfire, it'd been a couple weeks since I last hiked the shore. When I planned, the tide was always coming up to catch me — so I... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 4, 2025 Canada Creek, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6507 of my daily journal.

MORE ME THAN SOME —— I find it remarkably hard to find folks who truly value who they are. They mostly consider themselves combined creatures of where they work, what the... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 4, 2025 Canada Creek, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6507 of my daily journal.

Surprised to spot my two books with Nimbus Publishing — "The Dead Die Twice" and "This River Was Once a Road" — atop the Photo Essays list on Amazon this week! It's flattering, but hey man, don't buy from them, buy from me. Haha. Get a signed copy at www.etsy.com/shop/SteveSkafte and I earn 4X more.

LIVING OUTSIDE —— The heart of the hollow calls me most when the drop is deep. Steep descent down precarious rocks to Nictaux River, Torbrook Road rattling far overhead... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 3, 2025 Nictaux Falls, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6506 of my daily journal.

SOUNDLESS SONG —— There's something so sweet in the shimmer under bridges. Sharp sun rays reflected off semi-stagnant water, and up to the shadows again. There's always a... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 2, 2025 Bear River, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6505 of my daily journal.

PERFECT PERCH —— You might not notice from up on the road driving, but once you get east of the tidal influence at Bridgetown, the Annapolis River is rarely more than knee-deep... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] September 1, 2025 Paradise, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6504 of my daily journal.

THE LAST DRIFT —— When I was a kid, my great-grandparents made a too-sharp turn out of Jubilee Park, smashed through the guardrail, and landed upside-down just feet from where... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 31, 2025 Bridgetown, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6503 of my daily journal.

Every time I see someone with the surname Hunter, I feel like it implies that they’re exclusively engaged in hunting down people with their first name. Kim Hunter? Oh, people named Kim must be terrified of you…

LONG FLIGHT HOME —— There are few views I love quite like the tidal headwaters of Allains Creek. Golden grass sways steady beside a glassy surface, clouds rush past but seem some... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 30, 2025 Lequille, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6502 of my daily journal.

GENTLEST SENSE —— It's good to remember why some of the first humans settled somewhere, often for reasons insignificant to modern society. But back when we were a far more water... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 30, 2025 Lequille, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6502 of my daily journal.

President Garfield died from wounds sustained during his assassination attempt on a Monday, so it’s safe to say he wasn’t a fan. No information is available on his opinion of lasagna, however.

ABOUT THE RUSH —— The drastic disconnection between a busy highway and the rural roads that overpass it has a strange little hold on me. From here up on Clementsvale Road to... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 30, 2025 Princedale, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6502 of my daily journal.

THIS RIVER MIGHT —— Despite the drought, there's no shortage of water in Bear River. Expect, of course, it's soaked in salt and disappears twice daily. The town spills over the... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 30, 2025 Bear River, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6502 of my daily journal.

NO DRIER AUGUST —— I'm no big believer in omens or signs, because they're bound to mean whatever the see-er decides. But when I look in the direction of West Dalhousie, it's a... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 30, 2025 Clementsvale, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6502 of my daily journal.

CLOUDS FELL AWAY —— Sudden downpour on a drought-stricken stream is a pleasant illusion. When it seems like now is all there is, next may never come. There's not much running on... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 30, 2025 Bear River, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6502 of my daily journal.

Final precipitation records are in for the western Annapolis Valley — even though it's expected, it's still shocking to see! It's evident looking out the window, with signs of an early autumn, and rivers at an all-time low. But still, it's quite a thing to know that these were record-breaking weeks.

SINCE THE SCENT —— There's a thunder running every time a car crosses McMaster Bridge, rattling rusty metal and shaking flecks of paint loose. It's benign enough, but the... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 29, 2025 South Tremont, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6501 of my daily journal.

DEEP IN THE DRY —— Black River is named for its dark surface in shadow, but there's as much bare rock as water showing these days. Deep grey stepping stones exposed — you... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 29, 2025 Torbrook Mines, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6501 of my daily journal.

LIFE IN LITTLE —— Late afternoons are finally letting me off the hook of straight sunlight. It's that drifting dream of August to September calling, when shade stops... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 28, 2025 South Farmington, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6500 of my daily journal.

AT LEAST ONE —— I walked across the Annapolis River today, and it never rose over my boots. The effect of drought has settled heavy, turned rivers to streams, and made... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 28, 2025 South Farmington, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6500 of my daily journal.

LOVE THE UPS —— I'd surely rather the Annapolis River weren't so low, but that doesn't mean I can't see a beauty in it. From up on high atop Lawrencetown Lane, the depths of... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 27, 2025 Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6499 of my daily journal.

DAY OF LATE —— The way that sunlight filters into shadow never fails to make me happy. Rebounding off the riverbed, shimmering from the concrete pilings and the bridge over... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 27, 2025 Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6499 of my daily journal.

WATERBORNE —— There's nowhere better than under bridges when I want to feel a little weight lift. Over the hill from here, homes burn, flames spread, and smoke drifts — but the... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 26, 2025 Brickton, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6498 of my daily journal.

AUTUMN IN AUGUST —— As a reaction to the record-breaking drought we've been facing in Annapolis County, some leaves started changing weeks ago. Survival instinct to... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 25, 2025 Carleton Corner, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6497 of my daily journal.

FEEL CLEARLY —— The week began in a cloud of warm grey haze, casting vanishing points across a smoky horizon. If it were a fog or mist, might be easier to see more beauty in it... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 25, 2025 Clarence, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6497 of my daily journal.

Round Hill River — a tale of two extremes. Top photo is summer 2023, during some of the most extreme flooding we've ever seen. Bottom photo is now, summer 2025, stuck in our driest August for at least 80 years. Looking down from the bridge on Highway 201, Round Hill (Annapolis County, Nova Scotia).

NIL BY MOUTH —— The wildfire in West Dalhousie is barking up my heels here. Blowing from behind toward that North Mountain shadow, looking misty in a veil of smoke. Never in my... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 25, 2025 Inglewood, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6497 of my daily journal.

IMMERSED —— There's a lot of unexpected strain in a state of emergency. Beyond the wildfire's frontline workers, other services are stretched as well. Folks helping evacuees... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 25, 2025 West Paradise, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6497 of my daily journal.

Here's a wildfire fable from my 2017 poetry paperback: Gregarious Introvert. If you want to grab a signed copy, there's a link in the replies.

EARLY WONDERING —— This was the first night that the wildfire glowed with equal intensity as streetlight. It's far from belonging on my South Mountain horizon, dominating a... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 24, 2025 Beaconsfield, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6496 of my daily journal.

MORE MENACING —— It comes through like a freight train rolling, silent steam engine without a sound. But it couldn't be that. The last railcar rattled through this town in... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 24, 2025 Valley View Park, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6496 of my daily journal.

THE FLAMES ARE BACK —— They never went anywhere, but for those of us living safe in the shelter of the valley below, it's a bitter sight to see the flames are back. After... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 23, 2025 Valley View Park, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6495 of my daily journal.

DARK AT THE MIDDLE —— The underbelly of infrastructure has a mysterious heart that never fails to draw me. Though the Church Vault Brook culvert is somewhere few would ever go... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 22, 2025 Canada Creek, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6494 of my daily journal.

BARELY INTIMATE —— Today, I hiked the rocky coast west of Turner Brook, a stream that forms the borders of Harbourville and Ogilvie. Soon down the shore, I encountered an elderly... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] August 21, 2025 Ogilvie, Nova Scotia Year 18, Day 6493 of my daily journal.