Special Sunset...

I blogged recently about the fantastic autumn sunsets that we witness here in southwest Indiana. Well, this past Monday night (6th December) was no exception. It was something special!

Happy Birthday Anya...

Our youngest turned one-year-old on the 27th of November. We had a pretty low-key day celebrating the birthday girl - complete with presents, cupcakes, a visit to the East Side Park, and a birthday supper with her grandparents here. We are so blessed by this little one. As always, here is how she joined our crew a year ago! Happy first birthday, Anya!

Birthday cupcake for the birthday girl!

Squashed nose snuggles with me.

Wearing her lovely new winter's hat in the park.

Jungle gym fun!

Family walk around the park.

My beautiful girls!

Anya on the see-saw.

Riaan and Eliza take to the sky!

Happy birthday, sweet girl! :)

Dark vs Light...

Another view up in the heavens for this post - but this time not in the middle of the night! There was a clear contrast between dark clouds and light blue sky in this photo captured last Sunday (21st) as the sun sank near the western horizon.

November 2021 Partial Lunar Eclipse...

I was up early - 4am - to watch the partial lunar eclipse on Friday, 19th November. It was a clear and very cold night indeed, but the view (and historical importance) made it worthwhile. This was, after all, the longest partial lunar eclipse since 1440 and there won't be a longer one until 2669! I captured these photos with my Lumix FZ300 - and the earth's shadow is clearly visible to the left on the moon's surface. :)

The stars were fantastic. Many constellations were visible, including the belt of Orion here.

The moon was spectacular!

Qwirkle Fun...

This game, Qwirkle, is now our favourite game for long winter evenings in the Crawford household. It's a game of strategy and it creates really pretty patterns. Candace is currently leading the victory stats! :)

Autumn Sunsets...

One of the reasons I enjoy going for a walk at either sunrise or sunset is to look at the amazing colours visible as the sun is low on the horizon! Autumn is certainly the time for pretty skies! :)

View to the west from near the YMCA sports field.

November Cycles...

I've still managed to get out and cycle a few times during the past three weeks, despite the weather being noticeably colder this November. Here are a few photos from this month's cycles - including this one showing a multitude of geese at the East Side Park!

Daviess County Airport on a chilly Tuesday afternoon.

The Baumert Lake at East Side Park - with its island out in the middle.

Double-crested Cormorant...

I went looking for the local bald eagle at its favourite lake recently. I didn't find the bald eagle, but I did find a double-crested cormorant, taking a break on a chilly morning as it heads south for the winter. :)

Resting by the water's edge...

And then flying away!

Autumn Leaves...

Camouflaged Riaan!

Eliza and Anya enjoying the leaves. :)

 

 

The kiddos really enjoy all the leaves in autumn. They have loads of fun raking, jumping and hiding in them!

Autumn Visit to Brown County...

We visited Brown County State Park on Sunday, October 31st. We did two hikes and enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch near a quiet playground. The colours of autumn were just taking hold and made for some pretty scenery. 

The first hike we did was an easy one that encircled Ogle Lake and the second one started just behind the Fire Tower and was rather rugged and covered over four kms! A highlight was seeing an endangered box turtle sitting in a stream halfway through that hike. :) All three children did really well on this family adventure outdoors!

Family selfie at Ogle Lake.

Colours of autumn across the lake.

Evidence of beaver activity.

Riaan rounds the bend.

Picnic lunch between hikes.

Painted lady butterfly enjoying the last of the warm weather.

There was a persimmon tree nearby. :)

Swing fun with the kiddos.

The Fire Tower at Brown County.

A shelter house on the second hike we did.

Large stick insect at the shelter house.

Eastern box turtle! What an awesome find especially since he was quite camouflaged with the falling leaves in the rocky stream. :)

Beautiful autumn colours - greens, yellows, browns and reds.

Cute chipmunk perched on a broken trunk.

Our sweet kiddos at the West Lookout Tower. :)

Raw Food Diet...

Candace and I undertook a raw vegan diet this past month. A raw vegan diet consists of a lot of healthy eating, including raw nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies, and it is essentially a complete body detox by getting away from cooked and processed foods.

Candace did a full 30 days while I did seven days completely raw and then for the remainder of October I went down to eating two (of my three) daily meals raw with Candace and the other one with the kiddos - who weren't participating in this diet. Both Candace and I lost weight, reduced inflammation and feel much better than we did before! :)

Fast Friends...

I have high hopes that at least one of our kiddos will grow up to love dogs as I do. Anya enjoys entering Rusty's basket when he's not there - and even when he is in there! She loves playing with his tags, patting his head, and giving him little hugs. She's so sweet - but I'm not entirely certain that Rusty appreciates the attention, though! :)

Giving him a sweet hug. :)

Fiery Tree...

I took a lovely cycle down south and west last Saturday - and I saw this fiery tree. I love how with the onset of autumn, the trees change colour and start dropping their leaves. Some of them are more beautiful than others - and this one is no exception. It looks like the top of the tree has caught fire with an engulfing blaze that will overtake the lower branches in time!

Board Retreat...

We had our United Way of Daviess County Board Retreat out at Camp Illiana on Tuesday, October 19th. It was a great time relaxing and learning more about each other in beautiful surroundings. :) This is the lovely little lake that you can hike around. There are even canoes and kayaks for a fun time spent out on the water.

The day's activities were held in the Lakeview Lodge.

We spent some time inside, but most of the day was spent outdoors.

Stink bug on a bumpy leaf.

Colourful canoes.

Spider web.

Bare branches on a tree.