Apple Harvest...

Our apple tree has produced four apples this summer; three of which are still on the tree. Eliza picked the first apple earlier in the month. We were so excited, and it tasted really good! Candace added it to an apple crumble that she was making with other homegrown apples that a friend gave us.

A healthy apple in Michigan!

Riaan's Lego Ringwraith Scene...

Following on from his Lego Moria scene, Riaan has made another iconic scene from The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. This time, the scene features the Black Rider, leaning over the bank searching (sniffing) for the hobbits.

He made this all from memory, having watched the film several months ago.

Go Springboks!

Eliza was all ready to support the Springboks in their first Rugby Championship game of 2025 - facing Australia's Wallabies on Saturday, 16th August. Unfortunately, despite the lovely South African flag that Eliza coloured, the Springboks still succumbed to a difficult loss. And Dusty dozed through it all, quite oblivious to such trivial matters. :)

A late morning nap is bliss. :)

Another Amazing Quilt...

 

Candace recently finished this fantastic quilt. It is one of many projects that she has done - and this one is up for sale. :) 

The back of the quilt. I'm so amazed by her intricate craftmanship.

Sourdough and Scones...

Candace has been hard at work in the kitchen recently, working on her sourdough baking skills, along with other recipes. She made a delicious sourdough brie wheel (pictured here) for a church picnic and then the next weekend she blessed us with amazing scones. We are so thankful for her talents and these yummy treats!

Always need jam and cream on a scone! :)

Warrendale's 100th Celebration...

We visited our local neighbourhood community organisation's 100th anniversary celebration a couple of weeks ago. It was a fun atmosphere with train rides, jumping castles, face painting, raffles, and even an Indycar from the Detroit Grand Prix! It was great to see the community come out and celebrate together. :)

Fun party atmosphere.

Lovely monarch butterfly bench.

Playing noughts and crosses with Eliza.

She was so excited to sit in the race car...

As was her brother!

Family photo at the anniversary celebration.

Riverfront Cycle...

I joined my old Mercy Ships friend Dan for a lovely Saturday morning cycle earlier this month. We drove through to Belle Isle, from where we offloaded our bikes and headed off on our adventure. 

We cycled around the island and then across the bridge to the mainland, where we meandered along the Detroit Riverfront. A Tall Ships festival, Sail Detroit, was underway and it was great to see four sailing vessels docked at Detroit's Port. 

Later that day the family and I returned and walked along to see these historic vessels, a true glimpse of the former days of sail.

Beautiful skies before we headed to Belle Isle.

View across from Belle Isle.

USCGC Bristol Bay docked in Detroit.

Dan heads along the Riverfront. The bridge to Belle Isle is in the distance.

Tall sailing ships moored on the Detroit River.

Lovely to see all the masts with flags fluttering in the breeze.

A view later in the day when we returned as a family.