Mercy Ships Reunion at the Eastern Market...

Last Friday, I found out that fellow Mercy Shippers, Aaron and Jenn, would be in Detroit. Candace was out of town, but the children and I headed to meet them at the Eastern Market on Saturday morning, 16th May.

I've known Jenn since we first served together in the Liberia 2008 Field Service, and she met her husband Aaron on the ship in Sierra Leone in 2011. It was amazing to see these friends for the first time in about 14 years. And like with most Mercy Ships friendships, the conversations came incredibly easily, as if no time had passed. :)

It was a beautiful morning in Detroit.

Mother's Day 2026...

Mother's Day was celebrated on Sunday, 10th May, here in America. We headed to church and then later in the day went on an adventure to Lake St. Clair. We walked at a local park in Grosse Pointe Farms. It was lovely to feel the lake breeze and see the calm waters of Lake St. Clair.

We are so thankful for all the amazing mothers in our lives!

The beautiful sheltered marina.

The harbour entry.

The beautiful waters of Lake St. Clair.

So fun to have adventures with this crew.

Candace and our children. So thankful for her!

Detroit Riverfront Walk...

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon walk last Saturday, wandering along the Detroit Riverfront and watching the marine traffic sail past. :) It's always good to see the river on a beautiful late-spring day. The photo at left is of Windsor, Ontario, a short distance away.

The Diamond Queen, a sightseeing boat, moored at Milliken State Park.

The Renaissance Center at right.

Canada Steamship Lines' M/V Spruceglen sails along the Detroit River.

Canada goose on its nest in the rocks by the river.

Love adventuring with this crew!

A Day at the Detroit Zoo...

After receiving a couple of free tickets at their e-recycling event, we made a day out of it and headed to the Detroit Zoo on Friday, 1st of May. It was a lovely day - not too hot and not too cold - and we enjoyed seeing all the animal exhibits. We took a picnic lunch and ate overlooking the lions and monkeys.

I particularly enjoyed the graceful movements of the swift-swimming penguins at the Endurance-themed penguin centre. Candace loved the zebras, while the children enjoyed the baby chimpanzee, the baby gorilla, and the penguins. We all loved the colourful peacocks walking around the Zoo!

At the Zoo's entrance.

Shackleton's Endurance was particularly well done.

Eliza fist-bumps a diver.

King penguin zooms right past my camera.

I found my flag outside the penguin centre.

Butterflies in chrysalises waiting to emerge.

The indoor butterfly garden was amazing!

We certainly got all our steps in at the Zoo.

Beautiful peacock!

Southern white rhino.

African lion.

Cute little warthogs.

Candace's favourite zebra.

Posing near the polar bear exhibit.

The polar bear was magnificent!

Riding the carousel.

Can you flutter like a butterfly?

Or perhaps waddle like a penguin? What a great day out!

Prim and Proper Dog...

This dog loves to sit with either her front paws crossed or on top of each other. It makes her look quite distinguished! :) 

New Garden Boxes...

Candace recently bought wood from Home Depot, and we assembled two large garden boxes against our fence. We drove down to Taylor and picked up free compost and soil from the recycling depot. The car was quite weighed down on our drive back!

Shovelling compost into buckets to take back home.

Our lovely new raised garden boxes.

Pizza Night...

We hosted friends for a Make-Your-Own Pizza night the other evening. It was a time filled with good conversation, laughter, and of course delicious food. We're thankful for our community in the area. :)

Such good times with awesome people!