Gifts from the UK...

Horizons hosted its North American staff summit in Dearborn earlier this month. A friend of ours came over from the UK for the summit, and he brought some gifts from my sister and her family in Scotland - such as this amazing Mr. Men book! :) Our friend also gave us some British sweets, such as Murray Mints!

Riaan with his sign welcoming Christian to the USA.

Opening our gifts from Shirley and Montassir and the boys.

Gifts that Christian brought over for us. :)

Garden Flowers...

Our sunflowers in the back garden are now in full bloom and, together with other flowering plants, are attracting plenty of pollinators. It's a privilege to see so much beauty in the middle of a big city like Detroit. :)

Ailanthus webworm on coreopsis.

Ironweed - the tiny buds almost resemble proteas, South Africa's national flower.

Honeybee on a colourful sunflower.

Dodge #4 State Park...

On the 4th of July, we ventured about 45 minutes north to Dodge #4 State Park. Although there aren't many hiking trails here, there is a beautiful lake (Cass Lake) and a large beach. Being a holiday, it was quite busy, but that didn't put us off and we all had a lovely time on this rather gloomy Independence Day. :)

Wetlands along the shore of the lake.

Walking to the beach.

Swans on the lake.

Male black swallowtail puddling on the beach. Puddling is when a butterfly extracts nutrients from the moist ground.

Selfie with Anya. :)

4th of July Fireworks...

We were at friends for the evening of the 3rd of July, and on the way back home there was a spectacular sunset - God's natural fireworks - followed by the traditional 4th of July fireworks display from Greenfield Village in Dearborn. We parked nearby and watched from our vehicle. I think I enjoyed the sunset more than the actual fireworks display. :)

Pretty fireworks seen from the Dearborn Transit Center's parking lot.

Love the streams of light from this one!

Early Morning Cycle...

I was rewarded for waking up and going for an early morning cycle with an amazing sunrise. Exercise is extra special when there are such fantastic rewards - outside of just health and fitness. The clouds looked like rippling waves above me!

Dearborn Covenant's 70th Birthday...

Dearborn Covenant, the church that has become like family to us here, celebrated its 70th birthday in late June. There was a special event at a nearby park for church friends and family. It was a lovely evening with great food, fun games, and engaging fellowship - and the weather couldn't have been better!

There was face painting, too. :)

Riaan with his flame-covered soccer ball.

Anya with a little butterfly on her arm.

Lots of intense soccer action...

And Nine Square was extremely popular!

Beautiful Skies...

The sunsets have been quite special lately - especially when there are thunderstorms and towering cumulonimbus clouds in the sky. This is the view on one of those evenings - looking due west from our front door. :)

Father's Day 2024...

Father's Day this year was on Sunday, 16th June. We started the day with a lovely breakfast, before a family cycle to church. The day was completed with a lovely afternoon braai. All in all, a pretty good day! :)

Delicious breakfast prepared by Candace. :)

Eliza and I on the way home from church.

Amarula on ice is always a nice treat.

Beautiful skies as the meat sits on the braai.