November 9, 2026- It was overcast today, so I was able to leave the canopy retracted on the stroller. letting Hana see things like the big Turkey Pilgrim, on one of the side streets near Legacy Boulevard. She was also able to get a better sense of the neighbourhoods through which we walked. My granddaughter is still a bit skittish, when going into unfamiliar areas, but she adjusts quickly, as long as I tell her it’s okay .
Hana spent much of the day wanting to be close to my side or in my arms. She is, though, better able to play independently, when we go up to her future room. She only comes to me there, when she is getting tired. She also “talked” a blue streak today, even looking at some small books and “reading” what she saw. This may work well, when it comes time for her to learn to read.
HANA’S NOTE- When we went outside, this afternoon, there were some kids kicking a ball, with two men helping them. One man was very loud and kept yelling. Papa said he was probably just excited.
EXPANDING CIRCLES:Maine- My paternal ancestors include members of the Penobscot Nation, on my grandmother’s side. This makes Maine as much a part of my ancestral homelands as Upstate New York or eastern Missouri. The Pine Tree State is home to several of my extended family. It was my home for two years, in the mid-1970s.. I have been back there, about 20 times, since moving westward, in 1978.
The Turf: The Mahoosuc Range and Appalachian Highlands cover Maine’s west central and north central regions, and are often considered the most difficult terrain along the Appalachian Trail, whose traditional northern terminus is atop Mt. Katahdin. As elsewhere in Maine, the western mountains are the result of intense glacial activity, during the last Ice Age. So, too, with the Central Uplands, which feature two of Maine’s larger lakes, Moosehead and Chamberlain. Several isolated mountains, or monadnocks, are found throughout the Central Uplands. At the southern end of the Uplands are several smaller lakes, such as Sebago, Kezar and the Belgrades. North of the Uplands lies the Aroostook Plain, a flat and very fertile area, which is well-suited for growing potatoes and bets. The Coast features sandy beaches in the southern area of York County, granite headlands and islands along the Midcoast, from Portland to Ellsworth. Islands like Mount Desert, Matinicus and Beals are the remnants of mountains, which were weighted down by the Laurentian Shield and submerged when the glaciers retreated and the Atlantic Ocean surged inland. Mount Desert Island has an actual fjord: Somes Sound. Maine is drained by the Piscataqua, Androscoggin, Kennebec, St. Croix, St.John, Aroostook, Machias, Narraguagus, Penobscot, Piscataquis, St.George, Presumpscot, and Saco Rivers, as well as by their tributaries.
First Nations: Maine is the ancestral home of the Mi’kmaq, Abenaki, Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy), Maliseet, Pequawket, Pennacook and Panawahpskek(Penobscot) peoples. The Abenaki were allied with the French and with the forces of Metacomet (King Philip) during the French and Indian Wars, from 1670-1763. Much of their animosity stemmed from the English practice of kidnapping Abenaki men and selling them into slavery, in Spain. Decimation of the populace, due to European-introduced diseases also contributed to the tension. Today, the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq and Maliseet have Federally-recognized reservations in Maine. In 1980, the State of Maine also recognized the four nations, though it also secured control over natural resources on tribal lands. This has dampened the economies of the First Nations of Maine, making them more dependent on the State.
Where I feel most at home: Boothbay Harbor, York, Eliot, Dexter, Kingfield, Bangor, Jonesboro
Where I feel most at peace: Castine, Boothbay Harbor, Cadillac Mountain, Jonesboro.
NEXT:The Pine Tree State is the last of the states about which I am writing in this series, Going forward, I will write about the places from which Hana’s forebears came to the United States, starting with Canada. Korea will follow, then all the European nations from which Penny’s and my ancestors came. I will start with New Brunswick.
