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. :)

Backyard Cricketing Fun...

September's weather was lovely in Metro Detroit. It meant the children and I played some exciting games of cricket in our back garden. I have so many fun memories of playing cricket with my dad in our back garden back in Cape Town, and Riaan is so enthusiastic about playing cricket with me. I hope that he will carry these memories forward. :) Here, Riaan advances down the track to face a fiery delivery from Anya!

Anya bowls to Riaan.

Riaan bowls to Eliza. We were playing at a nearby park. :)

Visiting Mounds State Park...

Nearly eight years ago we visited Mounds State Park just outside Anderson, Indiana, on a drive to visit friends in Michigan. Earlier this month, on our drive back home from Daviess County, we stopped for lunch at this same state park. It was good to stretch the legs and be surrounded by nature and ancient natural history. 

Bronnenberg House, built by German settlers in the 1840s.

Candace and the children on a bench. We have a similar photo from 2016's visit.

Eliza surveys the Great Mound.

Riaan reads about the smallest earthwork at Mounds State Park.

It was a beautiful day to visit!

Hummingbird Moth...

This unusual creature may resemble a hummingbird in flight, but it is in fact an insect. It is the snowberry clearwing, although more commonly known as a hummingbird moth. We spotted it as it was buzzing quickly along - enjoying the pollen from a garden verbena on our recent trip to Indiana. :)

It flew quickly from flower to flower - making photography rather challenging.