Louisville Zoo with the Family...

Having enjoyed our drinks and sausage rolls at Ntaba Coffee Haus, we headed on to our next destination, the Louisville Zoo. The cold weather kept the crowds at bay, and so it was a quiet, peaceful day walking around the vast zoo. The children loved seeing all the animals, especially the reptiles, elephants, and tigers. I particularly enjoyed the peaceful, calm gorillas, while Candace's favourite animals were the giraffe and zebras.

UPS Boeing 747 taking off from Louisville - as seen from the Zoo's parking lot.

Observing the dalmatian pelicans.

Little penguins.

African penguin - from my hometown. :)

Riaan and Eliza loved meeting the orangutans. 

Cuban crocodile.

Komodo dragon.

Panther chameleon.

A smiling Asian box turtle.

Canada lynx.

Jaguar.

Waiting to see the harbour seals.

Brown bear.

Proud-looking, magnificent tiger.

The mountain gorillas were inside because of the cold weather.

Such beautiful, intelligent creatures.

African lion taking a nap in the afternoon sun.

Two African elephants along with their Asian cousin at right.

The baby elephant was so cute.

Zebras grazing in the sunshine...

While the giraffe, inside, cleaned the windows. :)

Southern white rhino.

We had so much fun at the Louisville Zoo! :)

Ntaba Coffee Haus...

We visited Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday, 14th January. I had recently discovered that there was a South African coffee shop in Louisville—two hours' drive away—and this made the trip worthwhile! It was a chilly day, but we were up early and were on the road by 08h30 in the morning.

We arrived at Ntaba Coffee Haus soon after 10h30 and enjoyed tasty sausage rolls with our lattes and hot chocolates. The coffee house was lovely and relaxing, and they also have a little spaza shop that offers a fairly comprehensive selection of South African treats and groceries. For a short while, I felt like I was back in South Africa! We will definitely be visiting this special place again in the future!

The owners also organise safari trips to South Africa.

Enjoying our hot drinks...

... And the amazing sausage rolls with chutney!

The African painting and craft decorations for sale.

The spaza shop at the back.

With our multinational children. :)

Red Hills State Park...

Saturday, 7th January, dawned bright and chilly here in Southwest Indiana. We made the most of the weather and drove across the border to Southeast Illinois, where we visited a new (to us) state park, Red Hills State Park. It is maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and offers camping facilities, hiking trails, picnic areas, and a large lake with fishing opportunities. 

We walked the lovely, paved road that circles the lake. The children also played at a couple of playgrounds, and we enjoyed quality family time outdoors. I particularly enjoyed spotting two adult bald eagles soaring above the forest!

The children enjoyed the playground first-thing in the morning.

Off we go on our walk. Eliza pushed Anya for a little bit.

Riaan sprints ahead!

A thin layer of ice was still visible in sheltered areas of the lake.

Large turkey vulture.

Pileated woodpecker.

Bald eagle seen at full optical zoom.

The pair of eagles soar over the state park.

Red Hills Lake.

I hiked another short trail through heavily wooded areas.

Blue jay.

Thick moss on a fallen branch.

A hornet nest hanging from a tree.

Perler Bead Art R2-D2...

Currently, Riaan is really enjoying a creative phase. He will spend hours sitting at the table creating these meticulous perler bead artworks. This one here is a design that he came up with himself - based on his Lego R2-D2, of course. There are many more that he has made and is hoping to sell. Perhaps those will warrant their own blog post in future weeks. :)

Walking in Historic Vincennes...

We went on a field trip to historic downtown Vincennes earlier this month. We parked near the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, and then explored the park area. The park is located on the Indiana side of the Wabash River and is dominated by the imposing granite memorial.

From there, we walked into Illinois by crossing over the Lincoln Memorial Bridge - pictured here - where we looked at the Lincoln Trail State Memorial. We walked back over the bridge and visited several other historic sites, including the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. 

We bundled into the car after our afternoon's exploring, and drove to nearby Vincennes University (where Candace attended nursing school) and "Grouseland," the former home of William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the USA. It was a busy few hours enjoying some of Indiana's local history!

Entrance to the George Rogers Clark Park.

An old tree taking over the roadside curbs.

The Memorial to George Rogers Clark.

Riaan colouring the picture of the memorial in his Vincennes colouring book.

Images on the original bronze gate of the Memorial.

View towards the Lincoln Memorial Bridge.

View looking south as we cross over into Illinois.

The Lincoln Trail State Memorial, honouring the route that Abraham Lincoln and his family took into Illinois.

The Old Cathedral in the Historic Vincennes District.

Old gravestones in the cemetery, that dates back to the late 1700s.

Original stone masonry seen under the bricks here.

Birds, likely snow geese, flying in formation high overhead.

The Vincennes University water tower.

Riaan at the entrance to the Vincennes University grounds.

"Grouseland," the home of William Henry Harrison, is now a museum.