Another South African Passport...

After applying for it at VFS Global in Chicago at the end of June, Riaan's new South African passport arrived here safely in the middle of August. I was really happy (and super impressed) to see it arrive here, after an exceptionally quick turnaround of just six weeks from when we submitted the application. Great job, VFS Global in Chicago and Home Affairs in Pretoria! :)

Visiting Family in Grabill, Indiana...

We drove down to Grabill, Indiana, to visit family on Saturday 8th August. Candace's aunt and cousins (on her dad's side) live in this area just northeast of Fort Wayne, and Candace's parents were visiting. It's a little less than two-and-a-half hours' drive, and so we drove down in the morning and home again in the early evening.  

It was good to relax and spend time together. The children also enjoyed seeing another part of Indiana Amish country. After an afternoon of laughter and fun, we said our farewells and drove back home to Detroit.

A short family ride on the driveway.

Riaan having a blast in the wagon.

Lots of laughter and games.

You know you're in Amish country when there are signs like this.

Driving back through Toledo - the sunflower silo.

And a ship loading its cargo.

Kite Flying Fun...

We took the kites that the children recently made at a local library to a nearby park, where they had great fun flying them in the breeze. It was a lovely evening and it's always good to try out something new.

So much fun!

The children enjoyed this new experience.

Lake Huron Beach Day...

We're desperately trying to cling to the last few weeks of summer here in Detroit. We visited Lexington towards the end of July. The beach was rather crowded, but it was a lovely place to relax and enjoy the calm waters of Lake Huron.

Athletics Evening...

A missions team visited our church recently, and one of the ministry events that they organised was a track and field evening. There were many events, like a three-legged-race (pictured here), tug o' war, 4x100m relay, 800m race, and more. 

There was also a guest speaker, Nick Willis, a two-time Olympic medalist (Beijing 2008 and Rio de Janeiro 2016) from New Zealand, who shared his testimony.  It was a great evening, and it was encouraging to see some new faces join in the fun!

Ready for the tug o' war.

Parents and children await the instructions.

Meeting Family in Kalamazoo...

Continuing the theme of seeing friends and family up here in Michigan, we met up with Candace's brother and his family in Kalamazoo, Michigan, one Saturday in late July. We hung out at an indoor trampoline park and the children loved playing with some of their Indiana cousins again. We then grabbed Mexican food for a delicious lunch. It was good to connect with them!

We had a great time in Kalamazoo!

Self-driving Car...

We saw our first self-driving vehicle in our neighbourhood last month. This Waymo robotaxi pulled up opposite before continuing on its way. 

It was quite amazing to see, although I think I'd rather stay behind the wheel for now. :)

Wildfire Smoke...

For a couple of days in mid-July, Detroit had the worst air quality of any city in the world! Wildfire smoke had drifted down from Minnesota and Ontario, Canada, causing a dusty haze and an extremely poor air quality index. We spent a lot of time indoors, not venturing out apart from bringing in the post and watering the garden. Thankfully, rain has since fallen to help firefighting efforts up north, and our air quality is back to normal. :)

Greenfield Village with Indiana friends...

It's been a summer of visitors popping in on an almost weekly basis. And we've loved it! We've shown our friends many of the wonderful sights of Detroit and Dearborn, including diverse food, culture, and good coffee! 

Family friends from Indiana were up in the area in the middle of July for a wedding. They scheduled in a couple of days with us after the event. We enjoyed good food and fellowship together, and took them to Greenfield Village, which was absolutely lovely.

Colourful fabric at the weaving shop.

A volunteer works the historical loom.

The Detroit, Toledo, and Milwaukee Roundhouse and turntable.

Eliza stands in front of one of the display locomotives.

Working the turntable.

The Wright Brothers' home, originally located in Dayton, Ohio. 

The Wright Brothers' cycle shop, where they worked on their plane designs.

Displays in the cycle shop.

Lots of antique bikes.

The wind tunnel for testing the lift of wings.

Statue of Thomas Edison.

The Sarah Jordan Boarding House, built in 1870, where workers from Edison's Laboratory worked. It was also one of the first homes to be wired for electric light.

We caught the train back to the entrance of Greenfield Village.

The Farris Windmill, the oldest windmill in the USA, originally built in the mid-1600s in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

It was a great day at Greenfield Village!

Garden Produce...

It's been another year with a bumper harvest. We have lots of garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and peppers thriving in our garden boxes. And that's not to forget the amazing blackberries growing behind the garage - some of which are pictured in Candace's hand here. We're so grateful that we can grow our own food!

Overgrown garden box with cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes.

The green peppers are fantastic...

As are the tomatoes.

Candace and Eliza work on removing the outer layer of the garlic.

Eliza was so excited!

Breakfast at Belle Isle Beach...

We visited Belle Isle beach early one Saturday morning in July. We took homemade sourdough bagels with bacon and eggs for breakfast. It was lovely to watch the calm waves on this slightly misty morning. The children also enjoyed swimming in the Detroit River. :)

Breakfast was delicious.

A misty morning in Detroit.

Gull flying overhead.

Early morning rower.

The flags of many countries, including South Africa, at an event

A whole host of paddle boarders on the river.

It was a gorgeous morning.

With my lovely wife. :)