My 41st Birthday...

I celebrated another year older on Wednesday, 5th February. I had the day off work and we went exploring to Belle Isle State Park. It was below freezing, but we still managed a brief family walk and saw sheets of ice on the Detroit River - as well as a Canadian Coast Guard ice-breaker patrolling the waterway. We popped in at our favourite coffee shop in Midtown, Awake Cafe, and enjoyed some hot drinks on the drive home. Dusty also joined us on our adventure, so it was a true family afternoon out. :)

Eliza put a birthday bow in my hair.

Hobbit's breakfast. :)

Detroit skyline from Belle Isle.

Samuel Risley steaming towards Lake St. Clair on ice patrol.

Ducks flying over the icy river.

Walking towards the William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse.

View across the Detroit River to Canada.

Thin ice sheets pass by on the current.

Thick ice piled up on the shoreline.

Heading home with our delicious hot drinks. :)

City Hawk...

We've seen lots of wildlife during our daily life in Detroit, including sightings of bald eagles, coyotes, deer, groundhog, and more. Earlier in the month, this red-tailed hawk landed in the trees opposite our house. It remained perched there for some minutes, allowing me to take a couple of photos, before it flew off to continue its hunt for a meal.

Maybury State Park in the Winter...

We ventured to Maybury State Park late in January for a winter hike. One of the last times we hiked at Maybury was in late March last year, when there was snow all around. This time, there was even more snow on the ground. :) We had a lovely hike around the lake, and our canine family member had a wonderful time, too!

Hiking through the frozen forest.

Dusty loved the hike.

The frozen lake.

Family selfie on the boardwalk.

Hiking along the trail.

Admiring the bulrushes.

A bent branch creates a tiny tunnel.

Selfie with the lovely Candace.

Our three beautiful children. We take a photo at this same spot every year. :)

Meet Dusty...

After over a year without having a canine member of the family (and months of searching), we adopted Dusty in the middle of January. I had missed having a dog since Rusty's passing in October of 2023, and so for me the time felt right.

Although Dusty was initially shy and hesitant when we first met her at the shelter, we decided to give her a chance and returned the next day to see her again. The shelter let us take her home for the afternoon to see if she would settle - and she definitely did. We all fell in love with her and returned to the shelter to officially adopt her that same afternoon!

Dusty immediately settled in, eager to explore her new surroundings. She is such a good dog, house-trained, and gentle with our children. She also enjoys walks, playing fetch with her ball, and chewing on her toys. We all love our new family member so much!

Our first meeting with Dusty.

Back at the shelter the next day with Candace.

Sweet dog completely at home. :)

Shimmering Reflections...

In the late afternoon, the sun shines through our kitchen window at just the right angle to create beautiful colours and shapes on the wall. It's like we're living inside a prism!

Welcome Winter...

January was a month filled with colder temperatures and snow on the ground - a trend which continued into February. The children were so excited when we received our first proper snow of the season - one where they could build a snowman and go sledding. We managed both these milestones on the 10th and 11th of January. :)

Their cute snowman.

Sledding behind Dearborn High School.

We then had an awesome snowball fight. :)

Health and Lifestyle Fair...

The family and I drove to St Clair Shores, a suburb northeast of Detroit on the edge of Lake St Clair, last month. A local VFW centre was hosting a health and lifestyle fair, and Ntaba Taste of Africa - a South African food and coffee shop - were having a stall there. Ntaba used to be based out of Louisville, Kentucky, and we even visited their coffee shop there a couple of years back. It was great to come away with some rooibos tea and other South African treats. :)

The other stalls were quite interesting, with everything from raw honey to organic soaps being sold.

An icy, frozen Lake St Clair.

New Year's Activities...

We had a pretty good New Year's. We spent time at a Secret Santa event at church (pictured here), before heading on to good friends - where we welcomed in 2025. New Year's Day itself was a rather quiet affair. Illness forced us to stay home, but we still had fun and I worked on a puzzle throughout the day. :)

My three puzzle helpers. :)

Final December Days...

We arrived back to beautiful weather in Detroit, necessitating a family walk to a local park on Saturday, 28th December. The lovely warm sunshine was to be short-lived, however, as January was a frigid month with lots of snow. 

We also took the opportunity to clean out our very messy vehicle!

Farewells and Travels...

We were up early on Boxing Day, 26th December, and after breakfast I walked quickly into town to visit the coffee shop one final time before our travels to Michigan. It was then time for some sad farewells for this visit. We were all quite emotional saying goodbye, especially Eliza who loves her UK family so deeply. It was a wonderful time in Glasgow and thanks must go to Shirl and Montassir for hosting us again.   

Shirley drove us off to the airport and saw us safely to the security gate at Glasgow. Our flights back to Detroit, Michigan, were quite smooth and uneventful, and we have been truly impressed by Icelandair's service joining Detroit with Glasgow via Reykjavik. We arrived safely back home at around 20h30 in the evening, and we all collapsed into bed after a full day's travels.

Cousins photo the morning of our departure.

With Shirley at Glasgow Airport.

The Boeing 737-MAX 8 that would take us to Reykjavik.

Air hockey at the boarding gate.

Taxiing past a massive Emirates Airbus A380 in Glasgow.

Flying over a snowy Iceland as we approach Reykjavik.

On the tarmac in Iceland.

Final flight to Detroit as we fly over Ontario, Canada.

A few souvenirs from Glasgow. Fridge magnets...

And coffee mugs. :) What a wonderful Christmas visit to Scotland!