Category Archives: Hiking and Nature

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 17

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

November 7, 2026- Hana celebrated having her mother back, by crawling all over her, as they were together in the playpen. They also took a mother-daughter stroller walk, around Hoblitzelle Park. By early afternoon,they were both exhausted, but Yunhee fell asleep first. So, Papa got Hana lulled to sleep, and I held her for the better part of two hours, including giving her the afternoon feeding.

Aram was off on Navy Reserve business, so I was keeping myself around the house, for the very reason that Yunhee would need a second pair of hands, after her own long trip, yesterday. When Aram returned, this evening, and we had dinner, he wondered aloud as to how much Hana understands of our conversations. I said she likely understands more than he might think. Hana chortled at that, as if to say: “You have no idea.”

HANA’S NOTE– I am trying to stay one step ahead of my grownups. It’s not easy, since they have been where I am, which Mommy never tires of reminding me.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Vermont- The Green Mountain State has been on my route, about a dozen times. I first went to Vermont in 1969, just before entering the Army. A brief drive through Vernon and Brattleboro was shortened by my having to lose some locals who were tailing me. The next time I passed through was on a bus from Boston to Montreal, in 1972. We stopped in White River Junction and in Burlington. I would have more leisurely and more pleasant visits to Bennington, Bellows Falls, Rutland and St. Johnsbury, whilst studying at the University of Massachusetts. Since 2011, I’ve been through Vermont while making return trips from Maine to Arizona, and cutting across to the Tri-Cities of New York, through Bennington.

The Turf- Most of Vermont is mountainous. The Taconic Range covers the southwest portion of the state, while its central and eastern portions are the province of the Green Mountains, and thus, the state’s nickname. (The Long Trail runs 273 miles, along the spine of the great mountain chain, which runs north-south and intersects with the Appalachians, as they veer off into New Hampshire.) The Champlain Valley is a lowland region, bordering Lake Champlain, in the northwest of Vermont. It is the location of the state’s largest population centers and much of its agriculture.Vermont is drained by the Connecticut, White, Missisquoi, Lamoille and Winooski Rivers. It shares Lake Champlain with New York and Quebec, and Lake Memphremagog, with the latter.

First Nations- Vermont is the ancestral home of the Abenaki, Mahican and Pennacook peoples. The indigenous peoples suffered greatly from diseases brought by the French and British settlers. The French brought Abenaki warriors into their fold, during the French and Indian Wars- 1688-1763. Many of the Abenaki left the area, once Vermont broke off from New York and became a state, in 1791. Those who stayed, gained State recognition as three Abenaki communities: Missisquoi, Nulhegan(Coosuc) and Elnu. The Mazipskwik Community is not state-recognized, but maintains Abenaki traditions.

Where I most feel at home- Bennington, Burlington, Springfield.

Where I most feel at peace- Springfield

NEXT: New Hampshire

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 16

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

November 6, 2026– Hana slept a lot this afternoon, and let me know later that she missed her mother. She finally broke down crying, calling “Momma, momma”, after dinner. Yunhee returned home after Hana went to sleep this evening, so they will have a fine reunion tomorrow.

Hana has been delightful, comical, throughout the last three days. I sensed she was trying to be strong for her parents. It all became too much, this evening, and I ‘m glad she both let it out and let her father and me comfort her. She felt better after crying.

HANA’S NOTE-I started to wonder if Mommy would ever come home. That’s why I got scared. Daddy and Papa told me she would come back tonight. I hope she’s here tomorrow when I wake up.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Massachusetts- The Bay State is where it all began for me. Home was first Melrose, then Saugus- for eighteen years. College and university found me living in Beverly, Amherst, Northampton and South Deerfield, but Saugus was always home. Over the years, I’ve visited every part of Massachusetts, save Nantucket. I don’t feel out of place anywhere in the state.

The Turf: Western Massachusetts is covered by two distinct mountain ranges: The Taconics and the Berkshires/Hoosacs, the latter being an extension of the Green Mountains. The Taconics include the state’s two highest peaks: Mount Greylock and Mount Everett. The Connecticut Valley, or Pioneer Valley, lies east of the Berkshires. The Eastern Highlands cover the central and northeastern parts of Massachusetts, including Cape Ann. The southeastern part of the state, including Cape Cod, is Coastal Plain. Ponds and bogs cover the southeast’s interior. The offshore islands-Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, the Elizabeth Islands and Monomoy, were formed by glacial moraines. Massachusetts is drained by the Housatonic, Hoosic, Connecticut, Merrimack, Quinebaug, Blackstone, and Charles Rivers, as well as by their tributaries.The state is bounded by several bays: Massachusetts, Cape Cod, Buzzards and Mount Hope.

First Nations- Massachusetts is the ancestral home of the Mahican, Massachusett, Nipmuc, Pennacook, Pocomtuc, and Wampanoag peoples. The Wampanoag have two Federally-recognized reservations: Mashpee (western Cape Cod and Taunton, in Bristol County) and Gay Head (western Martha’s Vineyard). The Nipmuc have two state-designated reservations, both in Worcester County.

Massachusetts is famed as the site of the first Thanksgiving, yet that initial bond between First Nations and European settlers did not hold. Although the original English colonists, known as Pilgrims, had respectful relationships with the Indigenous people, the Puritans who came nine years later regarded the “Indians” as inferior. The southeast figured prominently in the Pequot War of 1636, King Philip’s War, fought in 1675-76 and with the forced relocation of First Nations people from the Praying Towns of Massachusetts Bay to several islands in Boston Harbor, during the winter of 1675-76, relations between the government of Massachusetts bay Colony, on the one hand and the Indigenous people and those settlers who wanted to live in peaceful integration with them, on the other, continued to be tense. As it were, large numbers of those people who were sent to live on the harbor islands died of disease that winter. In 1704, during Queen Anne’s War between France and England, a party of French and Mohawk/Abenaki warriors staged a retributive raid on the village of Deerfield, killing 47 villagers and taking 100 captives. These were forced to walk towards Montreal, but not all of them made it. The Deerfield Massacre was the nadir of Indigenous-English relations in New England, albeit having been instigated by the French.

Where I most feel at home: Saugus,Wakefield, Boston, Mashpee, Amherst, Gloucester, Lynn

Where I most feel at peace- Breakheart Reservation(Saugus/Wakefield), Quabbin, Rockport, Mount Greylock, Egremont

NEXT: Vermont

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 15

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

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

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 14

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Travel

November 4, 2026- Hana likes to brush her own teeth. She also insists on holding the round container of brushes, with a picture of a baby on it, while taking her evening bottle. I don’t see any harm in it, so I play along. I do make sure to give her teeth a once over, after she has “finished” her own brushing.

Her mother is away for three days, as part of her work. Hana seems to understand at some level and isn’t showing anxiety, the way she did when Yunhee was working 45 minutes away. If anything, my granddaughter is showing more signs of independence, playing by herself more happily in the playpen, or in her upstairs room. Of course, I am right there in the same room.

HANA’S NOTE- Papa helped Daddy and me with my bath and putting on my pajamas tonight. Then, he went to a meeting somewhere. He was carrying a black bag.*

  • I went to Baha’i Feast, where I presented the news from the Local Spiritual Assembly, so I brought my laptop with me, and read off it.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Connecticut- The Nutmeg State has seen me about 25 times, since my parents took us down there in 1958, to see some paternal relatives in Stamford. Each road trip, either from Virginia or from Arizona, has involved either I-95 or I-84, through Hartford. South Windsor, Danbury and Killingworth have been overnight stops, as has the capital. Connecticut is by turns bustling and serene.

The Turf- Northwest Connecticut contains part of the Appalachian Mountains, known as the Taconic Range. The Connecticut Valley Lowland lies in the center of the state. The Coastal Lowlands run along the southern shore of Connecticut, which borders Long Island Sound. The Eastern New England Uplands cover the eastern part of Connecticut. The state is drained by the Connecticut, Yantic, Niantic, Scantic, Thames and Farmington Rivers, as well their tributaries.

First Nations- Connecticut is the ancestral home of a large number of Indigenous Peoples: The Wiechquaesgeck, Pequannocks, Paugusett, Pootatuck, Schaghticoke, Mohican, Tunxis, Quinnipiac, Hammonassett, West Niantic, Wangunk, Agawam, Podunk, Nipmuc, and Mohegan-Pequot peoples. These tribes suffered dramatic losses, through disease and warfare, caused by the pressures of European colonization. Several of the tribes merged or took in survivors of intertribal conflict or war with the English. Today, the Mashantucket Pequot and the Mohegans are the last remaining Federally-recognized tribes in Connecticut. Both are in southeast Connecticut.

Where I most feel at home- Danbury, Killingworth, Newtown, Bethel

Where I most feel at peace- Killingworth, Bethel

NEXT: Rhode Island

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 13

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

November 3, 2026– Hana has taken to wiping my mouth with one of the cloths of the type we use to wipe her mouth after a bottle feeding. She also has taken to drinking as much as half of her bottle while standing up. Since most of her diet is solid food now, this is no different from one of us drinking a sparkling water or cup of coffee, whilst standing.

We had a visitor from Japan, who is married to one of Aram’s Navy friends, and living in another part of the DFW Metro. Hana took to her very quickly and delighted in playing peek a boo with the lady. As Hana means “flower” in Japanese, there was an instant liking for her on the friend’s part.

I had a phone interview with a journalist from The Wall Street Journal, this morning. So, I will be mentioned in an article on the possible Social Security cutback of 2032. My take is that it will not be necessary, if Congress takes certain steps, I do have a reduced income plan, though, but it will mean little or no charitable spending, outside my family and the institutions of the Baha’i Faith. We will see what happens, in five years’ time.

HANA’S NOTE- I was happy to have another auntie visit us and bring me a Snoopy toy-and a blanket.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: New York- The Empire State seemed to me to be the gateway to a wider world, during the years of my childhood and youth, in New England. Indeed, while my first time outside my home region (1969) entailed changing planes at Newark, then going on to Columbia, SC, the train I took to Boston from Washington, that December, brought me into Pennsylvania Station, in New York. I bumbled around, but found the right train to Boston, in about ten minutes. I have been to many parts of New York State, maybe 25 times. My maternal grandmother’s hometown of Plattsburgh was a welcoming place to reset, after a difficult visit to Montreal, eight years ago. I’ve had good experiences in New York City and Buffalo, as well as in Newburgh and Poughkeepsie. Lake George offered a small taste of the Adirondacks, in the mid-70s. Fishers Island, off Montauk, was a low key, but restful, weekend getaway spot, in that same year. Besides my maternal grandmother’s nieces and nephews, in the Plattsburgh area, some extended family live in the Albany area and in the lower Hudson Valley.

The Turf: New York has three mountainous areas. The first, the Taconic Range, is part of the Appalachians, It crosses the Hudson River, and hugs the state’s boundaries with Connecticut and Massachusetts. The second, contnuing north from Pennsylvania’s Poconos, becomes the Catskill, Shawangunk, Helderberg and Hellibark Ranges, all west of the Hudson. The Adirondacks occupy the greater part of northern New York. The Allegheny Plateau covers southwestern New York, an area known as the Southern Tier. New York’s lowlands include the Hudson Valley, both north and south of the Taconics, the Mohawk River Valley , the St. Lawrence Valley, in northwest New York the shore of Lake Ontario, and the bulk of New York City and Long Island. New York is drained by the Hudson, Mohawk, St. Lawrence, Genesee, Niagara, Allegheny, Oswego, Chemung, Tioga and Delaware Rivers, as well as their tributaries. New York has 12 narrow lakes, collectively called the Finger Lakes, plus Lake Oneida, along its Southern Tier. Lake George, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Schroon Lake are glacial carvings in the Adirondack Region. New York borders Lake Ontario and Lake Erie to its north and west, respectively. The Atlantic Ocean, and its subsidiary, Long Island Sound, form New York’s southern maritime boundary.

First Nations- New York is the ancestral home of the Lenape, Mohican, Shinnecock, Mohegan, Abenaki, Laurentian, Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, St. Regis Mohawk,Erie, Poospatuck, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Unkechaug peoples. Indigenous Nations fought both alongside, and against, European settlers and traders, in the 17th and 18th Centuries, the key events of which included Pontiac’s War (1673-75), Schenectady Massacre (1690) and Cherry Valley Massacre (1778). After the United States was established, much Native land was given over to settlers. Today, the Shinnecock, Unkechaug, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, St. Regis Mohawk, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations have Federal and/or State reservations.

Where I most feel at home- Port Jervis, Middletown, Brewster, Plattsburgh, Lake George, Auasable Chasm, Fishers Island

Where I most feel at peace- Ausable Chasm, Bear Mountain, Lake George, Central Park

Future Five- Mount Marcy, Finger Lakes, Amagansett, Montauk, Albany

NEXT: Connecticut

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 12

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

November 2, 2026- Hana pointed at the United States, on the cloth globe, and babbled a question. I took the opportunity to point out Texas, then run my finger westward across the country and the Pacific ocean, to South Korea. I told her that was where her mother is from. One never knows what can settle in little minds.

My granddaughter got a good report from one of her doctors today. She is progressing very well. I pretty much come to the same conclusion, each day. She is fairly intuitive, likes compliments and has a feistiness about her, with a healthy sense of humour.

HANA’S NOTE– I was happy when I went to the doctor. He didn’t say much; just that I am strong.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: New Jersey- The Garden State gave me a wife and a stellar extended family. At Longmeadow Farm, in Pluckemin, my love for horses was rekindled and I came to know New Jersey as far more than a land of industrial cities and crowded beaches. Central New Jersey is as fine an equestrian country as any in the world.

The Turf: Northwest New Jersey is covered by the Appalachian Mountains, locally known as the Kittatinny Range. An area known simply as The Highlands falls east of the mountains, and includes the Ramapo Range. Piedmont runs south and east of The Highlands. This is prime horse country, and is where Longmeadow Farm was located. It is also where most of the state’s industrial centers are found. South and east of the Piedmont lies the Inner Coastal Plain, New Jersey’s Garden region. The outer coastal plain contains the Pine Barrens, a large wetland that is prime berry growing country. It also contains most of the Jersey Shore, with its celebrated beaches and barrier islands. New Jersey is drained by the Delaware, Passaic, Hackensack, Hudson, Raritan, Musconetcong and Mullica Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations: New Jersey is the ancestral home of the Unami, Minisink and Unalachtigo peoples, all regarded as Lenni Lenape. Most of the Lenni Lenape left New Jersey, following colonial expansion in the 1740s, yet small communities still live in Vineland, Bridgeton, Rancocas and Mahwah.

Where I most feel at home- Pluckemin, Princeton, Califon, Vineland, Barnegat, Teaneck, Morristown

Where I most feel at peace- Teaneck, Barnegat, Pluckemin

NEXT: New York

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 11

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Travel

November 1, 2026- Hana was constantly pointing to the mantle of the living room fireplace. I took each item off it and showed her. It turned out that she was most interested in the pair of readers that I keep up there, to help me read the Baha’i prayer book in the morning, when it is still semi-dark. She loves to place her hands on the book, as I recite several prayers. If I put on the glasses, she wants to put them on , too. I tell her that I hope she never has to do that.

She doesn’t nap much on weekends, perhaps hoping to maximize time with Mommy and Daddy. As it happened, Aram had a Navy ceremony to attend this afternoon and Yunhee needed to take a rest. So, I proposed a walk in the park, which delighted Hana greatly. We made our customary loop past the Middle School and through the west end of Hoblitzelle. We found the Sourdough Bakery open, so I picked up some pizza sourdough. Mommy was waiting for us, when we got back, and we all had a light snack.

HANA’S NOTE- I got to wear Daddy’s Navy cap, when he came home. It is almost as big as I am.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Pennsylvania- There is no place like the Keystone State. It is almost as much home to me as Massachusetts and Arizona have been. I first passed through Philadelphia in 1969, on that train trip from Washington to Boston. In 1972, I first heard about the Baha’i Faith, after having hitched a ride from Havre de Grace to King of Prussia. Then came Bethlehem, Stroudsburg and Milton.Brother’s family lived in three PA locations, over the years. Now they are spread out in the suburbs of Philly. Dear friends live in Oley, not far from Reading, yet in a dreamlike place.PA was the first state that let caretakers use the restroom of their opposite gender charges, when we went across to New Jersey, in 2007. My solo years have also found me in Allentown, Scranton, Easton, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Du Bois, Clarion, Pittsburgh, Erie and blessed Bedford. I have enjoyed visits to Harrisburg and York, and been humbled by time in Gettysburg.

The Turf- Western Pennsylvania features the Allegheny Plateau, a series of ridges and valleys, extending nearly to Ohio. A lake plain runs along PA’s shoreline at Lake Erie. The Appalachian Mountains run from the southwest to the northeast of Pennsylvania. They include the Allegheny and Pocono Ranges Southeast of the mountains, the land is covered by Coastal Palin.

Pennsylvania is drained by the Delaware, Susquehanna, Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio,Schuylkill, Lehigh, Lackawaxen, Juniata, Lackawanna, Chemung and Shenango Rivers, along with their tributaries. The Allegheny and Monongahela flow into the Ohio, at Pittsburgh. In turn, the Ohio flows into the Mississippi, at Cairo, IL and its waters thus empty into the Gulf of Mexico, in southern Louisiana.

First Nations- Pennsylvania is the ancestral home of the Lenapehoking(Delaware), Shawnee, Erie, Munsee, Susquehannock, Haudenosaunee(Iroquois Confederacy), Honniasont, Saluda, Saponi, Tutelo,Tuscarora, and Wenrohrenon peoples. Through the deception of the Penn family, the Lenape were stripped of title to 1.2 million acres of hunting land (The Walking Purchase of 1737). Most Lenape now live in Oklahoma, as the Delaware Nation. The Susquehannock were slaughtered by the Paxton Boys, a vigilante mob, in 1763. The Erie (Erielhonan) were wiped out by the Iroquois Confederacy, in the Beaver Wars of the 1650s, which were instigated by European fur traders. The Seneca, members of the Iroquois Confederacy, were themselves deprived of significant portions of their land, by one of the less seemly projects of the New Deal: The Kinzua Dam, which resulted in the flooding of large tracts of the Seneca’s reservation land. The “trade-off” was the protection of Pittsburgh, downriver along the Allegheny from its constant springtime floods. There is no Indigenous reservation or recognized tribe in Pennsylvania. The Zimmerman Center for Heritage, in Wrightsville, documents what information is available about the Susquehannock people. The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania continues to preserve Lenape language and culture.

Where I most feel at home- Oley, Exton, Downingtown, Wilkes-Barre, Clarion, Bedford, Harrisburg,York

Where I most feel at peace- Oley, Exton, Bedford, Bushkill Falls, York

Future Five: Lancaster, Johnstown, State College, Erie, Bird-in-Hand

NEXT: New Jersey

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 9

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

October 30, 2026- Hana cried when she watched me getting adjusted at the chiropractor, this afternoon. She stopped when she saw that I was okay. I told her that the doctor was a good person, who helps us stay strong. She comes with me when Yunhee has a tight schedule, as she did today.

When we got home from Frisco, Hana wanted to go for a stroller walk, so we did our medium loop to the middle of Hoblitzelle Park, and looped back around, past the middle school. She was satisfied with that and I gave her some vegetable pieces,which she ate ravenously.

I carved a pumpkin I had bought earlier in the week, but by evening, the whole thing had collapsed. I went and got another pumpkin, that was not on its last moments. Hana saw me carve both pumpkins. She is seeing persistence, in a way.

HANA’S NOTE-Mommy wasn’t home when we got back from Papa’s doctor. We went all over the house, looking for her, then Papa saw a note on his phone and told me she was running an errand. I felt better then.

EXPANDING CIRCLES:Maryland- The Old Line State has seen me 20 times, over the years. First was on a train that stopped in Baltimore, (1969), and about eight times while I was at Fort Myer, walking to places like Rockville and Coral Hills, suburbs of Washington. I visited an Army buddy and his family in Essex, east of Baltimore, in 1972. Baltimore itself, Annapolis, St.Marys, La Plata,Assateague, Hagerstown, Frederick, Hancock and Cumberland have all been stopovers, Havre de Grace is the home of an online friend and is thus on a future itinerary.

The Turf- Western Maryland is split between the Allegheny and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Appalachian Trail goes through the state, around Hancock. East of the mountains lies the Piedmont, around Frederick, Hagerstown and Columbia, then northeast to Elkton. The Coastal Plain covers the area from Baltimore south to La Plata and Lexington Park, and takes in the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay. Maryland is drained by the Potomac, Patapsco, Patuxent,and Susquehanna Rivers and their tributaries.. Chesapeake Bay receives the waters of these rivers and streams.

First Nations- Maryland is the ancestral home of the Choptank, Nanticoke, Lenape, Matapeake and Susqueannock peoples. The Piscataway and Accohanock are recognized by the State, and still maintain communities in Maryland. There is a large community of Lumbees in Baltimore. The other nations have dispersed to the Great Lakes region, Oklahoma and Ontario, Most departures of indigenous people from Maryland have been voluntary and were affirmed by treaty.

Where I most feel at home- Essex, Cabin John, Hagerstown, Hancock, St. Marys. Annapolis.

Where I most feel at peace- Hancock, Havre de Grace

NEXT: Delaware

The Hana Chronicles: Month 20, Day 8

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

October 29, 2026- Hana decided to roll a ball to me and we did this, back and forth, for about five minutes. This was while we were in her future bedroom, where I am getting her used to the plush toys and other playthings, like a plastic chute, on which a ball is placed on top and let go down a series of spirals. She will also hand me something with which she has been playing, as a way of sharing.

My granddaughter has started to talk to people outside the house, and to the Halloween characters we see on our stroller walks. She had some comments about a couple of the scenes in people’s front yards. When these words of wisdom start coming in English or Korean, people will likely take note.

HANA’S NOTE- Papa put a coat on me, this morning, saying it was a little cool out. It felt nice. When we went out this afternoon, I reminded him about the coat, but he said we didn’t need it. He was right. It had gotten a little too warm.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: District of Columbia- Our nation’s capital was my weekend hangout for most of the time I lived at Fort Myer. Georgetown and Southeast were my places to meet up with friends. The C & O Canal and Rock Creek Park were my havens. I’ve been back for visits eight times, since leaving in 1971.

The Turf- Washington, D.C. may be a small area, but it is divided into two topographic areas. The western side of the District is Piedmont, with rolling hills and valleys. The eastern side is riparian plain. Washington is drained by the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, and the Potomac tributary of Rock Creek.

First Nations- The District of Columbia is the ancestral home of the Nacochtank and Piscataway peoples. The former were decimated by disease and with relocation, the surviving members of the nation merged with the Piscataway, who themselves relocated across the Anacostia River, to southern Maryland. The Rappahannock Nation also frequented the area, and still hold gatherings in the District, each year.

Where I most feel at home-Georgetown, Rock Creek, Southeast

Where I most feel at peace- Rock Creek Park, C&O Canal, U.S. National Arboretum

NEXT: Maryland

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 7

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

October 28,2026- Hana waved me off, as she was scooting along the perimeter of the playpen. She hadn’t done that before, so I sense she is building up a reserve of self-confidence. She has also been standing up without support, more readily. Taking steps independently is likely not far off.

She is adapting to the change in seasons, by taking longer naps in the afternoon, just as she did in the Spring. Of course, she is bundled up for morning walks and in the relative afternoon heat, we take her out in lighter clothing. The rainy season is about to return, so outdoor activities will be even more limited on several days.

HANA’S NOTE- Mommy ate the rest of her ice cream, and I still didn’t get any. I hope I can have some soon.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: West Virginia- The Mountain State has seen me pass through and make overnight stops, ten times. My first stop was in Morgantown, in 1972, for an overnight at West Virginia University. I have passed through the northern Panhandle, five times and the eastern Pothandle, on four occasions. Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry were focuses of a couple visits. I drove through Charleston once, in 2017, en route to visiting family in Indiana. Each time, I was well-received. West Virginia’s scenic beauty and historic landmarks are likely to draw us back.

The turf- Eastern West Virginia is covered by the Allegheny Range, of the Appalachian Mountains. The southern part of the state features the Cumberland Mountains. The rest of the state is covered by the Allegheny Plateau. New River Gorge, Cheat Canyon and Blackwater Canyon are among the most striking landscapes in the eastern U.S. West Virginia is drained by the Ohio, Potomac, Kanawha, New, Bluestone, Shenandoah, Gauley, Monongahela and Cheat Rivers, along with their tributaries. West Virginia has a healthy portion of the Appalachian Trail and Harpers Ferry is the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Association.

First Nations- West Virginia is the ancestral home of the Cherokee, Shawnee, Monacan, Meherrin,Manahoac, Nottoway Occaneechee,Tutelo and Saponi peoples. The Mingo, an Iroquoian tribe, moved to the area after Europeans began to push westward. As part of the Commonwealth of Virginia, until 1863, West Virginia was affected heavily by the continuous conflicts known as the French and Indian Wars, from 1688-1763. Part of these was the Anglo-Cherokee War (1758-61), which ended in defeat for the Cherokee, and the Treaty of Long Island. The Shawnee were also defeated, in Governor Dunmore’s War (1774). Most of the First Nations people moved westward, during the Trail of Tears, from 1836-38. There are no Native American reservations in West Virginia today.

Where I feel most at home- Martinsburg, Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Morgantown

Where I feel most at peace- Harpers Ferry, New River Gorge

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