Flowering Asters...

Candace's asters that she planted last year have finally flowered. They have really taken over around our mailbox and have attracted so many bees this autumn. They also add a dash of colour to the front of our house. :)

Eliza's First Tooth Loss...

Our middle child lost her first tooth late last month. Unlike when Riaan lost his first tooth and we never knew what happened to it, Eliza knew that it was the time to pull it out - she had, after all, been wiggling it for quite a while!

White River Campground...

Late in September we drove down to the White River Campground, north of Indianapolis, where Candace's parents were camping for the weekend. We joined them for a day and enjoyed exploring the surrounding area. We visited the Strawtown Koteewi Park, where we explored the nature centre and the replica Native American village. There were also atlatl throwing demonstrations, along with an arrowhead making workshop. It was really interesting!

Walking over the White River.

A late morning walk to Strawtown.

The trail is for horses, cyclists, and walkers.

It was a lovely warm day.

Wildflowers growing in the prairie grassland.

The trail winds through tall prairie grassland.

Replica community building at the Taylor Center of Natural History.

Replica stockade wall.

Riaan trying his hand at the atlatl - what was used for hunting prior to the invention of bows and arrows.

Arrowhead workshop.

There are also animal exhibits and a small museum here.

Cycling Sunrise...

An early morning cycle rewarded me with breathtaking clouds as the sun rose over Detroit. I stopped and snapped a few photos before continuing on my ride. The frequent planes overhead (top left of this photo) were also a bonus.

Lovely morning for a cycle. :)

There was also a low-hanging mist shrouding the low areas on my route - as seen in this photo.

Father Christmas Babushkas...

We were given some store-bought stackable wooden dolls recently. They were from a kit, so you could paint them any pattern or design. Riaan decided to paint them as Father Christmas, since they have the pointy hat on top. So now he has three Santas, complete in red, light blue, and navy. :) He did a wonderful job!

Oakwoods Metropark...

We visited Oakwoods Metropark, almost directly due south of Detroit's main airport, in the middle of last month. We enjoyed a simple picnic lunch, and then explored the fantastic Nature Centre before hiking through the lovely woods along the Huron River.

We also met all the resident animals at the nature centre - snakes, turtles, and toads, as well as Radar the great horned owl and Hawkeye, the red-tailed hawk. It was a great afternoon! 

Fun in the Nature Centre.

Anya loved this turtle/tortoise carving.

Looking out over the Huron River.

It was a beautiful day!

Selfie as we hike along the trail.

So relaxing in the forest.

Spider web.

Circular ferns.

We saw a deer through the trees.

Wigwam model.

Radar, the great horned owl.

Hawkeye, the red-tailed hawk.

We purchased owl pellets at the Nature Centre and it was a fun family activity dissecting them to discover what Radar had eaten. :)

Common Checkered-Skipper...

We spotted this attractive little butterfly taking a breather on our apple tree early one evening. I love the blue-ish fuzz on its back. :)