Tag Archives: childcare

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 18

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

November 8, 2026- Hana and I worked on puzzles, this afternoon. They were a farm animal puzzle and a dinosaur puzzle. I put the pieces in the puzzle and she took them back out again. She especially liked to hold a sheep and a horse. When I told her the sounds these animals make, she copied my sounds.

Hana’s day with her parents was also very vocal. She “makes a case” for us letting her eat chocolate and sip coffee. Neither is going to happen, any time soon, but I give her credit for trying. She enjoyed playing with Yunhee, in her future bedroom.

A small group of kids, who were visiting our downstreet neighbour, were playing kickball, in the cul-de-sac. It does my heart good to see this. When I was a child, the street and all the nearby yards and fields were ours to roam. To the greatest extent possible, I want to see that again.

HANA’S NOTE- I am starting to recognize the animals that Papa shows me in books and on the puzzles. I like to make groups of animals that look the same.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: New Hampshire- The Granite State was our vacation spot, along with Cape Cod, for the first seventeen years of my life. There was a comfort of sorts, in knowing we would have three or four days in the White Mountains or somewhere in the vicinity of Lake Winnepesaukee. I loved The Flume and Old Man of the Mountain, a granite outcropping, that sadly collapsed, about ten years ago. My first overnight camping trip was on Mount Chocorua and I have been to the top of Mt. Washington, three times. The beaches also bring fond memories: Kingston and Hampton, especially. Several extended family members live in various parts of New Hampshire.

The Turf: The southwest of the state is covered by rolling hills and a rough plain, from which rises Mount Monadnock. The central part of the state is covered by lakes, the largest of which are Winnepesaukee, Umbagog and Sunapee.. The southeast is a riparian plain, with a short seacoast in the very east. The White Mountains lie to the north of the Lakes Region, and are an extension of the Appalachian Mountains, entering from Vermont and continuing on into Maine. Far northern New Hampshire is thick forest-even using the moniker, Great North Woods. New Hampshire is drained by the Connecticut River, (which rises out of the Connecticut Lakes, near Pittsburg.), as well as by the Merrimack, Piscataqua and Salmon Falls Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations-New Hampshire is the ancestral home of the Abenaki and Pennacook peoples. The people suffered mainly from disease, when coming into contact with Europeans, in the Seventeenth Century. The tribespeople largely moved away from New Hampshire, or intermingled with the Europeans. Clashes between the two groups were not as common, or as severe, as conflicts in Massachusetts or New York. There are no First Nations communities in New Hampshire, in the present day.

Where I feel most at home: Portsmouth, Kingston, Hampton, Manchester, North Conway, Franconia, Mount Washington.

Where I feel most at peace: Franconia, Alton Bay, Kankamagus Highway

NEXT: Maine

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 9, Day 15

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

October 6, 2026- At the midpoint of her ninth month, Hana walked with me, around the first floor, three times. She had very little need for napping today, taking a 30-minute rest, this morning, and wanting to stay on the move, the rest of the day. She expressed a momentary interest in trying to go upstairs. I vetoed that one. It will, at minimum, require her ability to walk around the house unassisted, over at least a two-week period. Her parents, of course, also need to be on board with it.

My granddaughter also mimicked someone-not sure who, that she thinks yaks too much. I don’t say all that much, so I will leave that one to the Universe to decipher. She loves my prayers, and comes over to put her hand on the prayer book, while I am reciting. In the middle of the devotional, this morning, she called out “Baha’u’llah!” I have used His name in her presence, maybe twice. Something is at work in her little mind.

HANA’S NOTE- I don’t want to be held anymore, when I am drinking from a bottle. I drink it better when I am standing up.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Montana- I have been in Big Sky Country three times: 1972, between Babb and Monida, by way of Great Falls and Butte; 1982, from Monida to Cut Bank and then on up through the Blackfeet Reservation to Cardston and Stand Off, Alberta and over to Bozeman, on the return trip; 1987, crossing the state by bus, from St. Regis to Wibaux. It is one of two states that I have not re-visited since 1987 (the other being North Dakota). I would love to come up with a reason to fix that, in the next several years.

The turf- Western Montana is covered by the Rocky Mountains. The central and the eastern areas are riparian and high plains. It is the latter region that gives Montana its moniker: Big Sky Country. The state is drained by the Kootenai, Flathead, Bitterroot, Marias, Missouri, Blackfoot, Beaverhead, Musselshell, Yellowstone, and Milk Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations- Montana is the ancestral home of the Assiniboine, Blackfeet (Piegan)., Little Shell Chippewa, Cree, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kootenai, Northern Cheyenne, Pend d’Oreille (Kalispel), Salish and Sioux.

Seven battles between First Nations and the U. S. Army figure strongly in Montana history. The most famous is 1. the Battle of Little Big Horn, June 25-6, 1876, between the U.S. Army 7th Cavalry and forces of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations. The First Nations won this battle, which was sparked by a Cavalry raid on a Lakota and Cheyenne village. This is the battle which resulted in the deaths of 268 U.S. soldiers. including General George A. Custer. 2.Baker’s Massacre (1870) was intended to “teach good manners” to the Blackfeet (Piegan), as Gen. Baker’s mission was to punish a chief who was thought to be harbouring the killers of a prominent rancher. Baker attacked the wrong village, resulting in the deaths of 90 women, 50 children and 37 men. 3. Battle of the Rosebud, occurring the week before Little Big Horn. The forces of General George Crook fought to a draw with the Cheyenne and Sioux.4. Two Medicine fight(1806) Piegan warriors fought with a unit of the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis. Two Piegan were killed. This resulted in the Piegan closing their territory to fur traders. 5. The Hayfield Fight(1867) was one of the last skirmishes of Red Cloud’s War. Chief Red Cloud won commitments from the U.S. Government that the Powder River area would be “unceded Indian territory”. Of course, that “commitment” was soon forgotten. 6. Battle of Bearpaw (1877) was the last battle of the Nez Perce War (October 5). It was upon this defeat that Chief Joseph delivered his surrender speech: “From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.” 7. Battle of Big Hole (1877)- This battle, in July, deepened the distrust which the Nez Perce had towards the U.S. military. General John Gibbon’s forces killed between 70-90 Nez Perce, mostly women and children. 29 soldiers were killed.

Where I feel most at home: Babb (I was welcomed by a Piegan family, upon crossing the Canadian border, in 1872), Bozeman, Choteau, Butte.

Where I feel most at peace- Babb, Flathead Lake

Future Five: Glacier National Park, Bob Marshall Wilderness, Little Big Horn National Historical Site, Helena, Missouri Breaks.

NEXT: We go to the Great Plains, and North Dakota.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 14

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Posted by on in children, Hiking and Nature, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 5, 2026- Hana took her first, and second, single steps this afternoon. She dropped down, after each one, but the process has started. We will continue assisted walking and encouraging her scooting, until she builds her gait.

The other good news is about Papa. My semi-annual physical showed that I am 75 going on 55. All markers are excellent. I will next go for a check-up in nine months, instead of six. I credit the little girl keeping me busy, and the steady diet that we have here-lots of salad greens and organic meat, vegetables and fruits.

HANA’S NOTE– I’m a little scared to walk too much by myself. Papa will stay with me until I can.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Wyoming- I have been in the Cowboy State five times also- to the Cheyenne Frontier Days, in 1972; with Penny and some Baha’i friends, in 1982 and 1984; twice solo, in 2013. Each time, the visits have presented challenges and each time, I’ve come out stronger. Wyoming has a hard, but bracing beauty.

The turf- Most of western Wyoming is covered by the Rocky Mountains. There is a small arid region in the far southwest. Eastern Wyoming is mostly high plains. The state is drained by the Gallatin, Madison, Yellowstone, Wind/ Bighorn,Tongue, Powder, Little Missouri, Niobrara,North Platte, Laramie, Green, Snake, and Bear Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations-Wyoming is the ancestral home of the Shoshoni, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow and Ute peoples. In addition,. Bannock, Comanche(Numunuu), Dakota, Kiowa, Kiowa Apache and Pawnee passed through the state, in the course of hunting. Only the Arapaho and Shoshoni remain in Wyoming, residing on and around Wind River Reservation. Wyoming’s people largely escaped the conflicts that raged between Native Americans and settlers in Idaho and Montana, There was a brief skirmish Jackson’s Hole, in 1895, sparked by a decline in the elk population. Elk were a major food source for the Bannock people who lived there. They were also lucrative for big game hunters from elsewhere, whose visits were a source of income for settlers. Rumour mongers claimed that the Bannocks had killed all the white settlers in Jackson, which was false. In fact, a blind Bannock elder was the only person known to have been killed. One white infant was separated from mother , and never found. The U.S. Army restored order in the area. The Bannocks returned to their reservation, with only one of their members being arrested for poaching. He was posthumously exonerated by the Supreme Court in 2019.

Where I most feel at home: Afton, Jackson, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Ranchester, Spirit (“Devils”) Tower, Medicine Wheel.

Where I most feel at peace: Snake River, Spirit Tower, Medicine Wheel

NEXT: Montana

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 9

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

September 30, 2026- Hana is a true composite of several people, on both sides of the family. She has Yunhee’s eyelids and nose, my mother’s facial shape and eyes, Penny’s ears and mouth and Aram’s curly hair. Personality-wise, though, she is unique. Given sliced blueberry pieces, she has to roll them back and forth on her place mat, before eating them. This is the only food with which she does that.She also will stand still, smiling, when I say my prayer for her, each day. When she is tired, during the day, she will come to me and put her head on my chest. That is the cue that she wants to be put in the crib for a nap.

My granddaughter likes it best, when she has all three of us in the same room. Thus, dinner seems to be her favourite meal. We also all take a role in her bathing. I hold the bath towel that “catches’ her, after the bath is finished,and make sure she is wrapped, before handing her of to her father. I imagine, once she is able to walk completely unassisted, that I will just hand her the towel and help her wrap around. As we use a walk-in shower for her, this should be easy to effect.

HANA’S NOTE– Papa went off for a long time, this afternoon, and came back with a wrap on his arm, like I have when I get a blood draw. Did he get a blood draw? Why?

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Hawai’i- The Aloha State was the forty-ninth that I visited. The occasion was Aram’s ship having a Tiger Cruise, in October, 2014, on which I was invited to sail with them from Honolulu to San Diego. This gave me a look at some parts of the Hawaiian capital.

The Turf- Hawai’is major islands are all the result of volcanic activity. The largest, Hawai’i, has two active volcanoes, on its eastern side. The east also gets more rain than the leeward side, which is called the Kona Coast.. Kauai, Maui, Molokai and O’ahu all have volcanoes, which are dormant at present. O’ahu’s symbol, Diamond Head, was formed by an interaction between lava, ocean water and coral reef. On Kauai, Waimea Canyon, the island chain’s largest and deepest, is 10 miles long and 3000 feet deep.

First Nations- Kanaka Maoli (Hawaiians) appear to have settled the islands in two waves-the first, coming from Marquesas, in the Third Century, AD/CE and the second, from Tahiti around 1300. Legends of pre-Polynesian residents: Small humans, called Menehune, have not been independently verified. These people, if they did exist in Hawai’i, would probably have resembled the Denisovans of Indonesia and the southern Philippines. Kanaka Maoli today have exclusive rights to the islands of Kaho’olawe and Ni’ihau. They have led a revival of the Hawai’ian language and culture, since the 1970s.

Where I most feel at home: Iolani Palace, Helumoa,

Where I most feel at peace- Helumoa, the Wizard Stones

Where I’d like to visit- Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor Memorial, North Shore of O’ahu, Island of Hawai’i, Maui, Molokai, Kauai.

NEXT: Alaska

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 8

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

September 29, 2026- Hana has made it a practice to scoop up every bit of food that falls into the catchment on her bib, and woe to anyone who tries to dump those scraps onto the high chair table! Her meals, her rules. Our outspoken little girl is going to make her mark early, I think.

I made a birthday call to my sister, with Hana listening in. She was very happy to hear her grand-aunt’s voice and smiled the whole time. For good measure, I sent a birthday greeting, “from Hana”. In time, these sorts of remembrances will be an integral part of her life.

Aram is “Daddy”, Yunhee is “Mama”. I am, alternately, “Papa” and “Dada”. Our girl is very definite about the main people in her life. She loves us and gets loved right back. As long as someone is there to help her practice walking, all is well with the world.

HANA’S NOTE: I like standing at the window and seeing the funny animals running and jumping. Papa said they are squirrels.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Northern California- The “upper” half of the Golden State has also figured in my life, since 1972, when I landed at Oakland, on my return from Viet Nam. San Francisco welcomed me for several conferences, over the years and I had the pleasure of seeing the Lunar New Year parade, in Chinatown, in 1995. I toured both cities more extensively in 2012. Santa Cruz, and the nearby Bosch Baha’i School, were the destination of a few family vacations, as well.

The Turf: The Coast Ranges hug the shore more consistently, as one goes north, from San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria. Then the low lying Central Valley occupies a huge swath, and is one of the great “breadbaskets” of North America. Mountains rise again, to the east: Sierra Nevada, followed further north by the southern Cascades. In northeast California, the westernmost segment of the Great Basin is called the Modoc Desert. Northern California is drained by the Smith, Klamath, Trinity, Salmon, Mad, Eel, Russian, Petaluma, Napa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Feather, American, Yuba, Pit, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Meced, Mokulumne, Calaveras, Kings, Kern, Kaweah,Salinas, Santa Maria and Truckee Rivers. The San Joaquin forms a delta, which drains into San Francisco Bay.

First Nations- Northern California is the ancestral home of the Hupa, Pomo, Yurok, Washoe, Mono, Yokuts, Karuk and Northern Paiute people. Rancherias and reservations are found across the region, for each of the extant nations and those related to them, linguistically. Native Americans suffered greatly in the Gold Rush and its aftermath, facing discrimination and pressure to “assimilate” that was equal to any similar efforts in other states and territories. The Pomo people were subjected to enslavement and harsh living conditions, by two white settlers with connections to the United States Army. These settlers, Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone, were killed by rebellious Pomo, who were in turn slaughtered by troops under the command of the settlers’ associate, Captain Nathaniel Lyon (1850). He also orchestrated a forced relocation of Pomo people to Round Valley (1856). (Lyon was subsequently killed in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, in southwest Missouri, during the Civil War.)

Where I feel most at home: Santa Cruz, Aptos, Truckee, Susanville, Mount Shasta, Weed, Eureka, Orland, Mendocino

Where I feel most at peace: Lassen Volcanic National Park, Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area, Mount Shasta

NEXT: Hawai’i

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 7

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 28, 2026- Hana talked a blue streak today. She seemed to be excited about her vast gains in scooting and standing up. She is now able to stand, unsupported, for nearly two minutes. She walked, with my help, the length of the master bedroom, from her crib to the door. These achievements made her beam with delight.

I, too, beam with delight, when she listens to me and sits down in her high chair. She wanted to show off by standing up, proud as you please. My reaction was: “If you want more breakfast, then sit down.” She sat down, and finished her breakfast. Better that, than Bravado Girl taking a tumble. (We strapped her in, for lunch and dinner.)

HANA’S NOTE: I am happy when I am standing and walking, while holding on to the playpen. I REALLY want to take steps without help.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Southern California- We now leave the Southwest and focus on the Pacific Coast and Basin. It could be argued that southern California is part of the Southwest, as the area (from Coalinga- Visalia- Mount Whitney on to the Mexican border) has an identity somewhat closer to Arizona and southern Nevada than to the northern part of the Golden State. It also has a unique tie to the Pacific Ocean.

The turf- The coast is defined by tits beach towns, the energy and drive of Los Angeles, San Diego and their seemingly endless suburbs (and traffic). The Coast Ranges separate the metropolises from the Colorado and Mohave Deserts-somewhat. Orange groves, which were once ubiquitous, are mainly now on the eastern slopes of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains-and in northern San Diego County. The San Andreas Fault, and other tectonic plates, run north to south, through the Transverse Ranges-which themselves run east to west, from San Bernardino to Santa Barbara. The Colorado River, along the borders with Nevada and Arizona, is the major draining flow of southern California. Shorter rivers, such as San Diego, San Gabriel, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, and Santa Ynez, drain from the Coast and Transverse Mountains, to the Pacific Ocean. Salton Sea is a shrinking body of salt water, in the southern reaches of the Colorado Desert.

First Nations- Southern California is the ancestral home of the Diegueno, Luiseno,Juaneno, Gabrieleno, Quechan, Cahuilla, Serrano, Soboba, Tataviam and Chumash peoples. The Diegueno are also called Kumeyaay, or Tipai/Ipai. Most of the people were brought into the life of Mission Communities, either by enticement or by force. Today, the communities are more independent of the Church and are organized in rancherias, or small reservations. A revival of indigenous languages, especially Kumeyaay and Chumash, is being slowly nurtured.

Southern California, particularly San Diego, has been very important to my family, over the years. My relationship with Penny was nurtured in Vista and in Julian. We were married in San Diego. We took our vacations from Arizona in San Diego, Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, Aram was stationed in San Diego, for nearly six years.Much of my time was also spent around southern California, especially in the beach towns, from 2012-2025.

Where I most feel at home: Ocean Beach, Torrey Pines, La Jolla, Banning, Julian, Crystal Cove, Dana Point, Ojai, Lomita, San Gabriel, Joshua Tree National Park

Where I most feel at peace: Ocean Beach, Torrey Pines, Joshua Tree

NEXT: Northern California

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 6

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 27,2026– Hana now has a pegboard, with thing like a timer, a zipper, an abacus, a gear board and some coloured fruits. She has taken happily to it and posed for a picture, while playing with the gears. When I left for Baha’i Feast, this evening, she was still busily at work, sorting things out in the large toy basket.

Earlier this afternoon, we went on a walk, for the first time in P.M., since June. I took her by a yard that already has a full Halloween display, mostly various skeletons, from an armadillo to a 20-foot human, along with Elphaba, from the “Wizard of Oz” and a few little goblins. She regarded them mildly, then went back into her own thoughts.

HANA’S NOTE– I am so happy with my new toys, that are on a board with holes in it. I especially like the wheels that fit into each other.

EXPANDING CIRCLES- Nevada The Silver State has often been called “The Big Empty”, but not so much in the last 15-20 years. Las Vegas is now a major metropolitan area. Reno- Sparks-Carson City and Lake Tahoe are becoming a second major metro. The area in between is no longer “The Loneliest Road in America”. I would not be surprised if places like Beatty and Tonopah start to fill in and grow,

The Turf- Nevada has regions that are close to sea level, not far from mountains that rise to over 13,000 feet. The bulk of the state is in the Great Basin, but there are small mountain ranges: Toiyabe, Ruby and Panamint. The Sierra Nevada edge into their namesake state, near Lake Tahoe, which, along with Pyramid Lake and Lake Lahontan, is a fresh water remnant of glaciation. Lake Mead, on the other hand, is the result of the damming of the Colorado River. That river, with its tributaries, the White and Virgin Rivers, drains the south of Nevada. The Truckee, Carson, Owyhee, Humboldt, Reese and Marys Rivers irrigate the north,

First Nations- Nevada is the ancestral home of the Northern and Southern Paiute, Goshute, Mohave, Chemehuevi, Mono, Washoe, Shoshone, Pahvant, Tsaiduka and Kuyatikka peoples, along with a dozen smaller groups. As in many other areas, Nevada’s indigenous people have had reason to regard people of European descent with suspicion. I have been received with varying degrees of guardedness, by people in First Nations areas near Las Vegas and Carson City. It is always best to show kindness and patience there, as anywhere.

Places where I feel most at home- Carson City, most certainly, as that is where my heart family lives. Reno, Austin, Fallon, Tonopah, Beatty, Valley of Fire, Pioche and Panaca are all heart homes, as well.

Where I feel most at peace: Cathedral Gorge

NEXT: Southern California

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 5

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Posted by on in children, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 26, 2026- Hana continued to practice walking, mostly around the playpen, as our Roborock cleaner was working the floors and carpets. She continues to build on her receptive language, offering a few words of comprehension, or at least doing what her parents ask her to do.

She is now showing mastery of putting a ball in a small chute, putting detachable cloth vegetables and fruits back on a Velcro screen and is starting to put some toys back in their bins. We went to lunch at HMart Food Court, after I had finished my errands. Hana had several pieces of green grape, and ate most of them, while we adults had our lunch. (Hana had eaten at home, an hour earlier.)

HANA’S NOTE- I am not as scared of the Roborock as I used to be. I used to think it was going to eat me up!

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Arizona- It is odd to be thinking of the Grand Canyon State as an expansion goal, but it is for Hana. Much of my life, forty-one years, to be exact, was lived with an Arizona home address, working in an Arizona school or business. Aram’s formative years were spent in Arizona, and it was from there that he entered the Navy. It beckons to us to return someday, but Aram and Yunhee have to make their marks in Texas, first.

The Turf- Arizona is not all desert. There are rugged mountains in the central swath of the state-from Flagstaff in the north to Bisbee and the Coronado National Monument in the south; from Prescott in the west to Greer and Eagar in the east. There are sky islands, like the Hualapai Range, inland from the Colorado River and the three rims of the Grand Canyon. An 800-mile trail runs from the Mexican border to Utah, along the spines of several mountain ranges and through the Grand Canyon.

Low lying desert takes up much of the western third of the state, as well as the region between Tucson and the Mogollon Rim which begins east of Prescott. High desert terrain is found on the Colorado Plateau, along the Little Colorado River, from Page, at the Utah line, to Sanders, near the New Mexico border. The state is drained by the Colorado, Little Colorado, Salt, Gila, and San Pedro Rivers. The Salt and Gila have dry beds for a good portion of their course through the state. This, and the lower flow of the Colorado, are due to both their having been dammed and to the extended period of dryness across the West. Continued growth, especially in the corridor from Scottsdale and Peoria, through Phoenix and south to Sierra Vista, also contributes greatly to the depletion of water.

First Nations- Arizona is the ancestral home of the Yavapai, Hualapai, Havasupai, Kaibab Paiute, Dineh(Navajo),Hopi, Zuni, White Mountain Apache, San Carlos Apache, Tonto Apache, Chiricahua Apache, Akimel O’odham, Tohono O’odham, Maricopa, Cocopah, Mohave, Halchidhoma, Hia C-ed O’odham, Yuman (Quechan), Chemehuevi, San Juan Paiute and Pascua Yaqui peoples.

It was from Arizona that the Navajo people were forced onto the Long Walk, and to Arizona that many returned, in 1868. It was in southeast Arizona that the Chiricahua Apache, led first by Cochise, then by Geronimo, resisted both the Mexican and American authorities for several decades. It was to Arizona that the Tewa people fled from the Spanish re-conquest of their Rio Grande homelands, to be welcomed by the Hopi, at First Mesa. It is in Arizona that I feel most at home among First Nations people, especially on the Navajo Nation and in the Hopi villages.

Along those lines, I feel most at home in the Prescott area,, Flagstaff, Polacca, Second Mesa,Tuba City, Red Lake, Burntwater, Bisbee, Ajo, Superior, Cave Creek, Cornville, Jacob Lake and the Grand Canyon. Arizona, in general, will always have my heart.

Where I feel most at peace: Jacob Lake Inn

NEXT: Nevada