November 5, 2026- Hana spent the day entertaining us, with goofy noises and pretending every hard surface was a drum. She managed to eat heartily, despite wanting to play at the table. This seems to be her way of coping with her mom being away for a few days. It beats moping and crying.

We went around the southeast side of Hoblitzelle Park and walked past a lovely fountain. When Hana gets a little older, I will take her, in the crosswalk, to the east addition to the Park. For now, we stay on the west side of Alma Road, and build a routine set of paths that will help her become familiar with the greater neighbourhood.

HANA’S NOTE- I hear my Mommy talking with Daddy on the phone, so I know she is okay. I don’t worry so much, as long as she calls.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Rhode Island- The Ocean State has seen me the least number of times, among New England states: Eight. That is no reflection on the state, or its people. It is more a matter of the tenor of my journeys back and forth to Massachusetts. The focus has been mostly on getting to the North Shore, where my mother lived and where many of my family members still live. I have extended family in the Cranston-Warwick area, and a fair amount of any future visits to Massachusetts will be devoted to the southeast. So, I am likely to get to know Rhode Island better.

The Turf- Northwestern Rhode Island is covered by the Eastern Highlands, with rolling, heavily-forested hills, The southwest and east of the state is Atlantic Coastal Plain, low-lying, with its eponymous island and several others, lying in Narragansett Bay. Block Island lies to the south of the mainland, at the juncture of Block Island Sound and the open Atlantic Ocean. Rhode Island is drained by the Pawcatuck, Providence, Pawtuxet, Woonasquatucket, Moshassuck, Seekonk and Warren Rivers, as well as by their tributaries.

First Nations- Rhode Island is the ancestral home of the Narragansett people. While the Narragansett got along well with Roger Williams, and the initial European settlers, increasing encroachment by the English on Narragansett land, in the 1670s, led to a war between the combined Wampanoag and Narragansett nations, led by Metacomet(King Philip) and the English of Plymouth Colony and Rhode Island. Providence was among the communities burned (twice). Metacomet was killed by a Narragansett scout, hired by the English, in 1676. The Indigenous forces were defeated, two years later. The war cost the lives of thousands of First Nations people and over 600 English. Today, the Narragansett are recognized by the Federal government. A reservation is maintained by the Narragansett, near Charlestown.

Where I most feel at home- North Smithfield, Point Judith, Block Island, Bristol, Narragansett, Middletown

Where I most feel at peace- Block Island, Middletown

NEXT: Massachusetts