Autumn Colours...

We were treated to some glorious leaf colours during our first autumn in Michigan - yellows, oranges, reds, purples, and browns. It really is a special time! The photo here was taken at a park during the golden hour of the day.

A creeper on a car park showing brilliant red leaves.

Plymouth Apple Orchard...

Towards the end of October, we visited the Plymouth Apple Orchard on the far western outskirts of the greater metro Detroit area. It was the first time visiting a Michigan apple orchard since our first trip to Detroit back in 2016. 

We had a lovely time strolling around the farmyard and seeing all of the delicious apples. We also bought some apple cider and doughnuts. Yum! 

Eliza makes a cute little caterpillar.

Bags of apples.

Gourds and vegetables for sale.

Riaan is around four feet tall.

On the wagon display.

Enjoying the chickens, turkeys, and ducks.

Eliza on a hay bale.

Riaan driving a tractor.

A view of the orchard.

The drive home was pretty.

Kids Safety Day...

A few weeks ago, our church hosted a safety day for the children. A large ladder truck from the local fire station came to visit, along with a couple of police cruisers - including a K-9 unit. The children (and adults, too) had lots of fun asking questions about fire safety, what you should do in the event of an emergency, and how to call 911. It was a great morning!

Meeting the firemen in front of their big ladder truck.

It was a really interesting time...

... And one of the firefighters even got kitted out in his firefighting gear!

Next, we met a couple of policemen and a lovely police dog, Loki.

Learning about the police dog.

The children also enjoyed turning on the lights and sounding the siren in the police car. :)

Losing Rusty...

After nine years with Rusty in our household, we had to say goodbye to him after a short but devastating illness. Our sweet canine family member became ill on Thursday, September 21^st. He refused to eat his food and he even turned up his nose at his favourite dog biscuits. He also developed a nasty cough and seemed to be struggling to breathe, and would stand still, staring off into space – often with his legs collapsing from under him. I knew that something was seriously wrong.

Since moving to Michigan, I hadn’t set up a vet for him yet, but I found a nearby animal hospital. Eliza and I took him and they did an x-ray, which showed massive inflammation and possible tumours throughout his chest. He had limited lung capacity and was slowly suffocating. Upon hearing this news, I started weeping and Eliza was so sweet, putting her arm around me and comforting me, telling me, “Daddy, we can still smile even when we’re sad.” 

Throughout the next few days he rebounded a bit and was eating again, and he seemed happy. But it was just the medicine that the vet had given us. His cough returned on Friday, September 29^th, and he rapidly declined that weekend. I spent all of Sunday (October 1^st) at home with my sweet boy. Eliza was especially concerned for him. He was breathing noisily and wandering around aimlessly that night, and she got down and lay with him on the carpet. I walked in on them a few minutes later and she was reading a book to Rusty (pictured here). She has such a huge heart! I also spent that night down in the living room next to Rusty in his basket. Thankfully, he passed a peaceful night.

On Monday, October 2^nd, we called the animal hospital and made the heartbreaking decision to put Rusty down. It would be too selfish of me to prolong his suffering just because I couldn’t let him go. Candace (and Anya) stayed with me in the room as we said farewell to our beloved canine family member. We were all in tears as he took his final breath on this earth.

Rusty really was the best dog for me, from that very first day back in 2014. He had been with me through all of my American adventures, challenges, mental health issues – and for most of our marriage. For nine years, we matched each other perfectly with our anxious tendencies. He loved us well by constantly pawing for attention, licking my ears, and being so very patient with our children. It's been a month now and I still miss him so much.

Rusty and I on our very first day together in 2014.

Pregnancy announcement.

Sitting with Riaan.

He was always so patient with our children.

Typical Rusty pose in his basket. "Scratch my belly!"

Rusty and I on our final day together in 2023.

Candace and her mom made the most beautiful memory cushion out of his blanket.

His pawprint that I collected from the vet a week or so after we put him down.

A beautiful watercolour painting of Rusty that good friends here gave us. It was so thoughtful of them!

The Hobbit Artwork...

I've talked before about our son's artistic talents. He drew this battle scene from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit earlier this month. I am constantly amazed by his attention to detail and his fantastic imagination! :)

New School Year...

Last month - as we did last year - we snapped another photo of Candace with the children in front of our front door. Candace continues to homeschool our children and she does a wonderful job holding down the fort on the home front while I work. We particularly love the flexibility that homeschooling offers - such as using family holidays as opportunities to learn about new cultures while visiting museums and art galleries. The great outdoors is also a great classroom! :)

Playing a learning game outside.

Moody Skies...

Moody afternoon skies in Detroit. :)