Parasitoid Wasp...

After taking too long to emerge, we discovered that some of our swallowtail chrysalises had been destroyed by a parasite. Some of the remaining chrysalises had a perfect round hole on the side of them. This was where the parasitoid wasp emerged after eating its host from the inside!

The wasp lays its eggs on the caterpillar, and once the caterpillar forms a chrysalis, the eggs hatch and the wasp larvae eats the poor caterpillar inside its chrysalis - before it has a chance to transform into a butterfly. Nature can be quite scary sometimes!

Summer Flowers...

A selection of some of our summer flowers, including two sunflowers merged into one!

Beautiful red poppy.

Hollyhocks.

Beautiful sunflower.

Two sunflowers fused together.

Spot the Dusty...

Our canine family member, Dusty, is certainly well-spoiled. Here she is perched up alongside the girls' stuffed animals, with pride of place on a large cushion. She is certainly well-loved. :)

Latest Plane Spots...

Here are a few of the latest planes that I've spotted on approach into DTW airport. :)

Turkish Airlines Airbus Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner arriving from Istanbul.

Air Canada Express Mitsubishi CRJ-900 from Toronto.

Underbelly of United Airlines Embraer ERJ-175.

FedEx Boeing 767 arrives from Memphis in the evening sunshine.

Air France Boeing 777-228(ER) inbound from Paris.

Two Years...

Saturday, 5th July, marked two years since we moved to Michigan. We are so thankful for all the friendships and memories that we have made during our time in this beautiful state. :)

Indiana Trip... with Dusty!

We took another trip down to Indiana for another family wedding over the last weekend in June. And this time, we brought along Dusty - since our normal dogsitters were unable to look after her this time around. On the whole, she did really well on the long drives! 

It was good to catch up with family and friends in person, and to make time to visit some of our favourite places in Daviess County, Indiana. The wedding itself was lovely, and we left Daviess County feeling refreshed and with hearts full. 

We had a lovely meal with good friends in Washington.

Barrels of fun at Candace's parents' house.

We saw rainbows and sunny skies in Amish country.

Dusty had a couple of walks in Washington.

We browsed at the Farmer's Market.

The wedding was lovely.

Reception in the church hall.

Selfie with the ever-beautiful Candace.

Golf cart rides on quiet country roads.

We visited Summit Lake State Park on the drive home.

Dusty was quite well-camouflaged, blending into the trail!

The calm water of Summit Lake.

Stormy Cycle...

I dodged some thundershowers as I cycled under moody skies towards the end of June. :) The cloud cover created a lovely atmosphere - and it was quite nice since it wasn't too hot.

Heavy rain to the northeast.

Selfie on the road.

State Park Quilt Complete!

I mentioned the Indiana State Park quilt that Candace was working on in a recent post. Well, she has completed it and it looks amazing! I am in awe of how patient and detail-oriented my wife is when it comes to quilting, sewing, and any craft projects. :)

We even visited an Indiana State Park on a recent trip we took down to Indiana, and we captured the photo below at the entrance sign. 

At the entrance to Summit Lake State Park. :)

Cotton Wool Skies...

The clouds above looked like little bits of cotton wool, 

slowly drifting over the bluest of skies.

Storm Damage...

A few weeks ago, a strong thunderstorm rolled through the area and dropped an inch (25 mm) of rain inside of about 20 minutes. It also included some gusty winds and hail. A few trees lost limbs in the storm, but the main damage in our area was to our local petrol/gas station. 

The wind must have caught the canopy and twisted the structure, breaking it at the base of one pillar. It was subsequently out of commission for several days until it was repaired last week.

The canopy sagging at a crazy angle.

Swallowtail Transformation...

The swallowtail caterpillars that I mentioned here just a few days ago are in the process of transforming into butterflies. The first butterfly emerged out of its chrysalis earlier today - and it was a real beauty! We are thankful to be able to watch this whole lifecycle from egg to butterfly.

Multiple chrysalises in the butterfly tent.

Our first butterfly - photographed just this morning.

The empty chrysalis.

Swallowtail butterflies are stunning!

Father's Day 2025...

We had a lovely day on Father's Day - Sunday, 15th June. The day started with a lovely breakfast and some cards and gifts received from my precious children. We also went to the morning church service, which was followed by an afternoon hike at Oakwoods Metropark. Getting outdoors is so important to our family. :)

Another Father's Day; another delicious breakfast. :)

Family selfie at breakfast.

Special display at church, in honour of all fathers.

Hiking along a rough track at Oakwoods Metropark.

The Huron River below the trail.

Eliza takes the lead through the forest.

A rare photo of me with Anya.

Our three children make life as a dad so much fun!

Viking Cruise Ships on the Detroit River...

The Friday before Father's Day (13th June) we drove into Detroit and visited the riverfront - fast becoming one of our favourite places to visit and walk along as a family. There were several ships on the river, including two large Viking Cruise ships, Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis, that had just docked in Detroit.

Family photo on the Detroit riverfront.

View towards the Ambassador Bridge with three large vessels pictured. Viking Polaris has just docked at right.

Algoma Innovator, a self discharging bulk carrier, in serious need of some fresh paint. 

No such worries for Viking Polaris, moored in downtown Detroit.

The ship had just docked and there were lots of preparations underway as the ship cleared customs.

We drove to another park from where we saw Viking Octantis, docked in a more industrial part of Detroit.

The view looking back towards the Ambassador Bridge.

Pilot boat docked south of the bridge.

Vessels owned by the VanEnkevort Tug & Barge line sail past.

The tug Clyde S. VanEnkevort pushes the barge Erie Trader.

The view looking southwest towards the new Gordie Howie International Bridge.

The tugboat Tenacious sails under the Ambassador Bridge.