Thanksgiving Fun...

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Candace's family last Thursday. (23rd November.) We enjoyed a lovely lunch and then played board and card games together. It was great to get together and be thankful! It always reminds me to be thankful for the many blessings that God has given us!

 Candace at 28 weeks. :)

 Riaan making friends with a kitten. :)

 Relaxing after lunch.

 Riaan hanging out with his cousin Layne.

Enjoying family time together. :)

Little Red Caboose...

Riaan is a huge fan of Thomas the Tank Engine and all other trains at the moment, as I mentioned in this blog post a few weeks ago. There is a little red caboose just ten minutes away in one of the closest towns to our house, and so it only made sense that I took him to see it last Tuesday. (21st November.) He loved seeing this old caboose in Elnora's Antique Show grounds. :)

 Pretty red caboose in Elnora.

 Riaan was so excited to climb on the caboose.

 A view towards the caboose in the show grounds.

Selfie in front of the caboose. :)

Louisville Zoo...

Candace had a work conference down in Louisville on Thursday, 9th November, and so Riaan and I tagged along and had a boy's day out at the Louisville Zoo. This is a lovely place to take a boy who is showing an interest in nature and creation. We had a wonderful time seeing all the animal exhibits, especially the rhino, giraffe, and gorillas. It was a great day and the little man was rather tired-out from fun at the end of it! :) Below is a selection of the animals we saw at the Louisville Zoo!

 Enjoying looking at some fish.

 King Louie, a rare albino alligator.

 Madagascan tree boa.

 Staring contest with an Egyptian cobra.

 

 Looking at the giant toads.

 Bald eagle.

 Snowy owl.

 Canada lynx.

 Watching the jaguar.

 Tiger.

 Riaan and a gorilla enjoying a snack.

 Awesome creature!

 Posing next to a gorilla.

 Orangutan.

 Lunch time!

 The colourful bongo.

 Meerkat.

 Zebra!

 Giraffe!

 African elephant.

 Big rhino!

 Selfie with the rhino behind us.

 There was also a display on rock hyraxes, commonly called dassies in Cape Town.

 Dassies on a rock.

Warthog.

 Ring-tailed lemurs.

West Baden Springs Hotel...

After viewing the trains at the French Lick Scenic Railway, we walked through two huge hotels in the area. The French Lick Springs Hotel is just across the road from the railway station, and we walked quickly through this historic hotel. We then drove to the nearby West Baden Springs Hotel, where we marvelled at this impressive structure. There is a massive 200-foot (or 61-metre) dome covering its indoor atrium. We enjoyed relaxing in the atrium, pretending we were staying there, before walking in the vast grounds outside. It certainly is a beautiful place!

 The French Lick Springs Hotel.

 The West Baden Springs Hotel.

 The dome above the atrium is massive.

 A close-up of the dome's intricate design.

 We relaxed on the couches for a while.

 Walking in the beautiful gardens outside.

 Lovely flowers. The hotel is partially hidden by the trees.

 Water fountain.

One of the former springs.

French Lick Scenic Railway...

Riaan is a big fan of trains and railways at the moment, and so on Saturday, 28th October, we took him to see the trains at the French Lick Scenic Railway. He loved seeing the big diesel locomotive and passenger train, along with the steam trains and the small tram that operates between the two hotels in the area. It was a fun excursion for our family!

 Riaan and Candace next to a big steam locomotive.

 A side view of the same steam train.

 Another old steam train in need of attention on the tracks.

 Diesel engine that pulls the passenger train.

 Walking past the French Lick Scenic Railway train.

 The red caboose.

 The train going over the railway crossing.

 One of the small trams that run along the track between the two hotels.

A closer view as it went past us.