April Cycles...

Here are a few photographs of where my bike took me around Daviess County this past month. :) From extremely windy weather and undulating farm lands to round barns, this month had it all! (I even spotted a great horned owl on an early morning ride - but I could not capture it with my phone's measly camera.)

I've always been impressed by the signage here.

Plane taking off at Daviess County Airport.

It was a really windy day!

A mare and her foal in a paddock.

The Daviess County round barn as viewed from the Highway.

Grain bins in a picturesque valley.

Earth Day Adventures...

I celebrated Earth Day with our two older children last Friday. (22nd April.) Eliza and I spent the morning together. First, we went to the Cherry Ghost for hot chocolate (coffee for me) and a story, and we then headed on to the East Side Park. Here we played at the playground and walked around the lake. We saw lots and lots of water snakes! 

Then Riaan and I had a boys' afternoon out at Shakamak State Park. On the drive there, I did a double-take and turned the car around upon seeing a zebra by a fence near Shakamak! We pulled over and had a nice chat to her owners. She's Zoey the Zebra and is an eight-year-old grant's zebra. Upon arriving at Shakamak, Riaan played at the playground and we then hiked Trail 2 together. We saw lots of wonderful creatures and plants. 

It was a fantastic day and it was so special to have some one-on-one time with our older kiddos. And, as always, it's so much fun to be outside and see God's creation on Earth Day!

Eliza watches a family of ducks.

View across the lake.

A couple of northern-banded water snakes.

Riaan meets Zoey the Zebra.

Such a beautiful creature!

Hiking Trail 2.

Fungi growing up a tree. We almost expected elves to appear on each fungus, armed with a bow and arrows.

Trillium.

Just a boy and his sticks.

The old coal mine exhibit.

Riaan explores this little stream.

Lovely trail at Shakamak.

We weren't there when the tree fell - thankfully!

Lovely colours across the lake.

Riaan and I counted 13 sunbathing turtles on this log.

Grumpy-looking bullfrog.

An osprey coming in to land. Fantastic!

A closer view at this large bird of prey.

Gorgeous Shakamak!

Driving home we saw a billboard for Mercy Ships! :)

Easter 2022...

Another Easter; another low-key celebration here. Our children were fighting tummy bugs and so we spent the Easter weekend at home - even missing the annual seder meal that we love so much. We spent time outside on Easter itself, enjoying the sunshine while having a family braai. We have also discovered The Chosen miniseries - the story of Jesus' life as told by those around him - and enjoyed watching an episode or two of this powerful drama together. I pray that you would know that Easter is so much more than just bunny rabbits and chocolate eggs!

Candace made this asparagus dish - including some asparagus from our own garden - on Saturday night.

Steaks on the braai for Easter.

Toasted sarmies.

Sweet little Anya.

Eliza enjoying the swing.

Riaan, our firstborn, enjoying the sunshine.

Rusty, the ever-alert mole-catcher, watching me across the lawn.

Bald eagle soars over our property.

Making fun family memories together.

Drawing Fun...

Here is the latest installment of Riaan's drawings. We're currently reading the Ranger's Apprentice series, by John Flanagan, and much of Riaan's recent artwork is influenced by these books. Knights, castles, dragons, and viking longboats! They're fantastic!

Viking (Skandian - in Ranger's Apprentice language) longboat.

Lots of amazing knights!

Siblings...

We went to a wedding recently, and it gave the occasion for a nice siblings photo. We don't often have our kiddos dressed up and it is very rare for our eldest to appear in jeans, and so we grabbed the opportunity and got a nice photo of our three children on the front stoep. They're the best!

Postponed Brown County Anniversary Trip...

Candace and I (with Anya) were able to get away to Brown County State Park's Abe Martin Lodge on Friday, April 1st, to celebrate our anniversary. (We were meant to be here for our actual anniversary back in March, but the kiddos were sick and we had to postpone it.) Candace's parents watched the two older children while we were away. 

We enjoyed being in beautiful Brown County again, and the hotel staff had even placed roses and rose petals in our room! We also enjoyed a couple of hikes. On one of these hikes, we were blessed to see three different species of woodpecker within the space of an hour! Amazing! :)

We hiked Trail 2 in cold conditions on Friday afternoon. There are many fantastic stone bridges on this route!

Wooded scene on Trail 2.

Red-headed woodpecker.

Downy woodpecker.

Anya loved the hike!

This tree has some mossy green feet!

Fungi on a fallen log.

The North Lookout Tower at Brown County.

Pileated woodpecker - Indiana's largest woodpecker species.

The lower shelter near the saddle barn.

View looking back as we head up to the Lodge.

The rear of Abe Martin Lodge.

Ten red roses in our room.

Sweet Anya in the heart.

I went on an early-morning frosty hike on Saturday, April 2nd.

I just did the shorter Trail 1.

The small stream is slowly eroding the roots of this tree.

Cute little chipmunk enjoying his breakfast.

Another wooded scene on Trail 1.

Gnarled tree.

Strahl Lake.

Candace and I on our anniversary night away! :)