Sinister Cloud...

I don't consider clouds to be sinister. That was until I spotted this evil-looking cloud at sunset. With a little bit of imagination you can clearly see the right-hand side profile of a bearded man with a crooked nose and a piercing eye!

 The cloud started off quite innocently...

 Before morphing into this scary figure...

It then transformed, again with some more imagination, into a charging buffalo!

Northern Cricket Frog...

This striking little frog was sitting by the small fish pond outside our front door last month. It's a northern cricket frog and is common throughout most of Indiana.  There are many different types of amphibians in our area. :)

Hiding amongst the small pebbles.

First Cycle Ride...

Candace and I did our first cycle ride together since last October recently. We've been very busy with parenting in the past year, but it was lovely to get away and cycle through the countryside. Definitely good for the soul! :)

I wore my new South African cycling jersey, which I had purchased off Ebay recently. It has a large South African flag on both the front and back. :)

 Front of the cycling jersey...

 And the back. :)

2016 Odon Old Settlers...

The 131st Annual Odon Old Settlers festival was held in early August. The event marks the founding of the little town. It started with a parade down Main Street ending at the Odon Park, where there were food stalls, games and carnival rides. There was also a competition for arts and crafts, encompassing anything from photography to quilting. Candace entered a few of her quilts and other crafts, while I entered some nature photography. Candace won a few of the quilt and needlework categories in which she entered, and I won in the Landscape and Animal categories of the photography. There was also a baby show over the weekend, and that was fun too. It was a great event!

 We walked in the parade for the Children's Charity.

 Various arts and crafts on display.

 Quilting and needlework section.

 Some of Candace's quilts.

 Her African fabric picnic blanket won second place in the Miscellaneous Needlecraft category.

 Some of the woodwork entries.

 The Landscape photography. I won with the sunset.

 My raccoon won first place in the Animal category.

 Candace and Riaan at the baby show.

 Candace and Riaan being interviewed on stage.

 

The other entries in the baby category.

Spider's Web...

I'm not a big fan of spiders, especially when they're inside the house, but this little guy was hanging out just outside our front door - and outside is just fine with me. :) I love the intricate zig-zag pattern of the web. It's pretty cool. :)

 View from above.

 Several days later he had caught a fly in his web.

Four weeks after the first photo he'd grown much bigger!

Dragonflies on the pond...

I noticed some tiny dragonflies sitting by the water's edge one summer evening. I quickly ran inside and grabbed my camera. I'm always amazed by the intricate design of little insects. They are so cool!

Three dragonflies on the grass by the pond.

Relaxing Saturday...

We spent a relaxing Saturday at Shakamak State Park several weeks ago. We had lunch with Candace's family and friends, who were camping for the weekend, and enjoyed hiking and swimming in this lovely state park.

 Enjoying spending time with family.

 Candace and her boy.

 The campsite at Shakamak State Park.

 Tiny little insect. Not quite sure what type, though.

 One of the beautiful lakes at Shakamak.

 Walking across the boardwalk over the lake.

 Interesting hole in the trunk of a small tree.

Walking through the forest.

Late-summer storm...

Another threatening storm rolls in from the north-west. I'm constantly amazed (and sometimes scared) by the power of these short-lived, but often severe storms. This storm brought some strong wind gusts and rain, but nothing too dangerous.

 View to the north-west from our front porch.

 Clouds building up.

 Rain to the west.

Heavy rain approaching.

Lincoln State Park...

Back in late-July we took Candace's niece and nephew to Lincoln State Park for a day. We spent time playing on the beach and I also hiked around Lake Lincoln. I saw lots of nature on my walk around the lake - deer, raccoon, and lots of birds.

We even visited the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial on our way out of the park. Abraham Lincoln spent several years here, living and working on his father's farm in the area. We saw where the original farm house stood, as well as the living farm where you can witness first-hand what life was like in 1820s rural Indiana.

 The beach at Lake Lincoln.

 A bird nesting under the beach pavilion.

 Butterflies "puddling" together on the sand. They do this to extract nutrients from the ground.

 Bullfrog under a log.

 Deer in the woods.

 Mother and her fawn.

 Raccoon in the tree.

 Interesting mushrooms on the trail, including this red one...

 And this yellow one.

 Turtle sunning itself.

 Another view of the beach and pavilion at Lincoln State Park.

 Lake Lincoln on a calm day.

 Riaan and his American cousins.

 The Living Historical Farm, part of Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.

 The site of the original farm house.

 Turkey feathers.

 An interesting nest.

 A black rat snake crosses the path just in front of me.

 Slithering away in the grass.

 A large cow.

 Chicken sheltering from the sun.

 Corn field at Lincoln's farm.

The National Park Service turns 100 this year.