September 19,2026, Bruceville,TX- Hana had a fairly quiet day with her Mom and Dad, while Papa was down here, building more connections with Baha’is from other parts of Texas, as well as Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. There are dozens of children at this camp, more than I’ve seen at any such gathering since three years ago, in Colorado Springs. Texas is a far younger state than many seem to think-and with youth, there are changes in community thinking. The energy I sense in my granddaughter is also evident in those not too much older than she.

As I write this, a dance party, similar to those in which I have taken part in the past, is joyfully playing out in front of me. Hana already likes to bounce on her feet, while singing a tune that reflects her inner joy. I will most certainly encourage both. The embracing of life, while a certain portion of our population embraces artifice and calls it progress, is a clear and present choice.

HANA’S NOTE- Mommy and Daddy are making my day fun. I wonder where Papa is.

EXPANDING CIRCLES– Northwest Texas The Panhandle and Llano Estacado are both oil and gas country, and the hub of the Texas cattle industry. The region is drained by the Pecos, Colorado (not to be confused with the longer river, further west), Red and Canadian Rivers. The Permian Basin,at Northwest’s lower end, also is a treasure trove of mega fauna fossils, both dinosaurian and mammalian. The Turf- Much of the lower half of Northwest, from Odessa to Abilene and west to Lubbock, is flat, with cotton farms taking up the area close to the New Mexico state line.

The northern half, the Panhandle, is cattle country, and is more rugged. Canyons, such as Palo Duro-the nation’s second largest and Caprock, a bit further south, hold their own when it comes to scenic beauty and challenging hiking. Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument showcases an area that was nearly as important to the indigenous peoples of the West and Great Plains as Pipestone was. The flint quarries were invaluable for the shaping of arrow and spear points, and thus were a key factor in hunting.

FIRST NATIONS- Northwest Texas is the ancestral home of the Comanche, (or Numunuu), Kiowa and LIpan Apache peoples.

I have a good friend in Amarillo and have enjoyed that city’s Old Route 66 area of shops and restaurants. I would like to show Hana the Quarterhorse Museum, also along Old Route 66. Between Fort Worth and Amarillo lie the canyons I mentioned above. I’ve had two exhilarating hikes in Palo Duro and would like to revisit there, as well as spend time in Caprock and at Alibates. The little towns between Wichita Falls and Amarillo also have their charms-like the Quanah Museum, in the town named for Comanche leader, Quanah Parker, and Valley Pecans, a large market and restaurant in Chillicothe, which has been one of my favourite pit stops, over the past five years. Northwest Texas has been a good friend, in my travels back and forth to Arizona.

NEXT- Beginning a look at Texas’s nearest neighbours, starting with Oklahoma.