Tag Archives: developmental skills

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 30

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

October 21, 2026- Hana is tiring of being called “baby”. She groaned a couple of times, when I was rocking her this afternoon and used the word. I’m not sure how she sees herself, but I sense she wants to be given credit for not being totally helpless. Yet, until she can walk under her own power, accepting our help, most of the time, is obviously necessary.

All the same, she was grateful, this evening, when her parents were out shopping, it was pitch black in the bedroom, and she was a bit scared. I went in and stayed with her for a while, until she finally decided to lie down and try to sleep. When Aram came home and checked, she was sprawled out on her back, thoroughly content.

HANA’S NOTE– I like the routes that Papa picks for our morning and afternoon walks. There is always Halloween stuff, in at least one yard. Today we saw a whole bunch of skeletons and zombies doing different things. Some of them even had clothes on. I think zombies are funny looking.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Ohio- I have criss-crossed the Buckeye State about twenty times. The first was in 1972, and I spent a night at Ohio State University, on my way back from Colorado and Kansas City. I visited my brother and sister-in-law four times, when they lived in the Cleveland area, in different suburbs. Toledo, Lima, Van Wert, Springfield, Bellefontaine, Mansfield, Columbus, Zanesville, Youngstown, Canton, Chillicothe and East Palestine have all rolled out the welcome mat at different times. Cincinnati has always been off the track, for no reason other than I was ever headed either too far north or too far south. It remains on my radar screen.

The turf- Most of western and central Ohio is flat, with considerable tree cover, aside from areas of heavy agricultural use. The Ohio River Valley and the eastern 1/3 of the state is rather rugged mountains and ravines. The Hocking Hills are foothills of the Appalachians, and cover the southeast quadrant of Ohio. The state is drained by the Ohio, Maumee, Ottawa, Auglaize, Little Auglaize, Toussaint, Portage, Sandusky, Huron, Vermillion, Black, Cuyahoga, Grand, Great Miami, Scioto, Tuscarawas, and Mahoning Rivers, as well as their tributaries. Ohio has 293 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie, thus giving the Buckeye State the longest shore along that Great Lake, outside of Ontario.

Ohio has a statewide hiking and biking trail, the Buckeye Trail, which encircles from the Cleveland area, south to Marietta, then west to Chillicothe and Cincinnati, before heading north through Springfield and Dayton, heading back to the east at Defiance, and ending at Painesville, northeast of Cleveland.

First Nations-Ohio is the ancestral home of the Shawnee, Kickapoo, Erie, Ottawa, Seneca, Wyandot, Miami and Lenape peoples. The ancestors of some of these nations built an extensive system of mounds, throughout southern and central Ohio, The most prominent of these are found in the Chillicothe area. The largest is Serpent Mound, a National Historical Site., as is Hopewell. Miamisburg and Alligator Mounds are also well-preserved.

In the Nineteenth Century, European settlers began arriving in Ohio, in earnest. Flawed treaties, such as the Treaty of Greenville(1814), resulted in the removal of the Erie (who blended in with other tribes), Wyandot and Miami. The Shawnee, largest of the First Nations in Ohio, were largely forced to move to what is now Oklahoma. The last Wyandots were removed to Kansas, in 1843. Today, there are no Federally or state-recognized First Nations groups in Ohio.

Where I most feel at home- Mansfield, Zanesville, Euclid, Conneaut, Toledo,

Where I most feel at peace- Hopewell National Historic Site, Van Wert

NEXT: We head back to the Southeast, and Alabama.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 26

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

October 17, 2026- Hana and I went on a long walk this afternoon, as her Mom was taking an hour or so for herself, and it was a beautiful day. Hana enjoyed the walk, but after a while, she wanted to get out of the stroller and stretch. It will be a grand thing, when she can wear socks and shoes, and balance being in a stroller with walking around.

Hana is noticing what other children are doing. She was delighted by a girl of about five, who was walking her much larger dog, and pretty much making it mind. I think my granddaughter will be a rather authoritative pet minder, one of these days. She certainly communicates her feelings quite forcefully.

HANA’S NOTE- I had a huge breakfast today. I didn’t have much room at lunch time, but by dinner, I was very hungry again. So that was another big meal.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Tennessee-The Volunteer State, along with Kentucky, extends from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. I have been to all parts of Tennessee, visiting about a dozen times. The first time was in 1979, spending an unusually snowy, blustery nigh, in Memphis, sitting by a fireplace and thoroughly enjoying catfish and hush puppies, at an “all-you -can-eat” hotel restaurant. A dear friend lives in Crossville, halfway between Nashville and Knoxville. Other good friends live in each of those cities, and an extended family member lived for a time in Chattanooga. I’ve always enjoyed my visits to the Volunteer State.

The Turf- Tennessee’s western third is riparian plain, part of the Mississippi Delta. The central part of the state is rim country nearly surrounding Nashville, which itself sits in a low-lying Basin. The Cumberland Plateau rises to the east of the Highland Rim. The peaks and valleys of the Appalachian region. including the Blue Ridge, borders the Cumberland, to the east. Tennessee is drained by the Mississippi, Tennessee,Clinch, Cumberland, Buffalo and Holston Rivers, as well as their tributaries.

First Nations- Tennessee is the ancestral home of the Cherokee, Shawnee, Chickasaw, Quapaw and Yuchi peoples. Other tribes found homes among the Cherokee, at different periods of the adjustment to the coming of Europeans to the middle part of North America. Mound builders pre-dated those nations, leaving their earthworks behind, most prominently at Pinson Mounds, Mound Bottom, Toqua, Citico and Old Stone Fort.

With European, and then American, expansion, came pressure on the nations which lived east of Cumberland Gap, such as the Cherokee. These tribes then move in on their neighbours, the Yuchi and Shawnee, pushing them west and south. The Cherokee, and later the Chickasaw, were moved out of Tennessee in the 1830s, as part of the forced relocation to what is now Oklahoma. Today, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw have a small community in Lauderdale County, west Tennessee. Native people have re-settled in Nashville and Knoxville. There are, however, no other organized First Nations communities in the state.

Where I most feel at home- Crossville, Wildersville, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Shiloh

Where I most feel at peace- Fall Creek Falls, Natchez Trace, Nashville’s Parthenon, Crossville,

NEXT: Mississippi

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 23

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Posted by on in children, Community, Education, Family, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

October 14, 2026- Hana passed another mini-milestone today. She decided to walk up the stairs. She did so, twice: Up to the mezzanine and back down, with me providing support and control; all the way up, with her father doing the honours. The second time, she drawled into my bedroom, looked around and went back out. We still won’t need a gate, until she is actually walking on her own. That, however, looks to be a matter of weeks-not months. Good thing we already have the gates on hand.

She is sleeping more independently and no longer wants to be rocked to sleep. When she is tired and in need of a nap, she will come up to whoever is minding her and put her head against their chest. She is then carried to the crib and will curl up to sleep.

This evening at dinner, Hana talked a lot, in between bites of food and “bantered” with her father. We can pretty much decipher what she’s saying by watching her body language. She also points at the object of her attention, usually so we can explain its use.

HANA’S NOTE- I am curious about a little box that is plugged in. Papa says it measures something called carbon monoxide, which he says can hurt of kill someone. I guess I won’t be touching that box.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Illinois- I have sauntered back and forth through the Land of Lincoln about 25 times-first in a van going from St. Louis to Columbus, in 1972, and just about every time I’ve since traveled between Arizona and Massachusetts. Chicago has been a a major point on many of those journeys, especially when I’ve stopped in at the Baha’i House of Worship, in Wilmette, about forty minutes’ drive from the Loop.

The turf- Illinois figures prominently as a part of the Mississippi River Valley, from Galena in the far north to Cairo, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The state is mostly prairie in the northern and central regions. Southern Illinois has some uplands and is more forested. Illinois is drained by the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois, Rock, Des Plaines, Kankakee, Kaskaskia, Sangamon and Wabash Rivers, along with their tributaries. Lake Michigan forms Illinois’ northeastern boundary.

First Nations- Illinois is the ancestral home of the Illini, Ojibwe, Sauk & Fox, Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Kaskaskia, Miami, Shawnee and Iroquois people. The Mound Builders culture was prominent in Illinois, from 1700 BC to about 1200 AD/CE. The preserved mounds at Cahokia are the largest and most prominent burial mounds of the Mississippian Culture. Other preserved mounds may be found at Rockford, Galena, Albany, East Dubuque,and Quincy.

Conflicts between Native peoples and white settlers/U.S. Army occurred in Illinois from about 1802 until 1832, when Black Hawk’s War concluded with the Battle of Bad Axe, at the junction of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, then all considered the Northwest Territory. Illinois provided militia men for the Army during this conflict. One of them was a young Abraham Lincoln, whose attitude towards First Nations people was not helped by his experience in the war. Today, the Prairie Band of the Potawatomi Nation has a reservation near the town of Kansas, Il. Many Native peoples also live in Chicago as well.

Where I most feel at home- Wilmette, Chicago (Wrigleyville) , Normal, Lake Forest, Effingham, Vandalia, Dixon, Cairo

Where I most feel at peace- Wilmette, Cahokia, Ferne Clyffe, New Salem

NEXT- Missouri

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 22

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

October 13, 2026- Today was Yunhee’s birthday, so Aram and I sang “Happy Birthday”, first thing this morning, while Hana smiled and danced, in the playpen. She talked to her mother, quite a bit this afternoon. seemingly about the food she was given for dinner. (She ate almost all of it.) Her speech cadence is quite impressive, with the intonation of her babbling quite measured and emphatic when it would seem to be appropriate. She answers “yeah” and “no”, in response to opinion questions.

We went on two walks today: The first was along our old route, in Hoblitzelle Park, near the middle school and then back to the house. As it was cloudy this morning, Hana’s sun shield could be retracted. In the afternoon, it was sunny again, so we went along a route that allowed full sun shield and saw a few Halloween displays, on various streets. Hana is, of course, too young to be taken around trick or treating, but she is noticing the different decorations. She wants to go up and touch some of them, so she is a bit disappointed that I don’t take her in the stroller, onto people’s lawns.

HANA’S NOTE- It was a happy birthday for Mommy. Of course, I wish she didn’t have to work during it.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Iowa- I have been through the Hawkeye State, end to end, only once. Parts of Iowa have been on my itinerary three other times. In 1997, we crossed from Davenport to Council Bluffs, in the midst of a tornado watch, but never encountered any twisters. My solo visits took in Des Moines, in 2013; Wapello and the Quad Cities, in 2019 and Sioux City, in 2022.

The turf- Iowa is largely covered by rolling hills, especially in the west (Loess Hills) and by bluffs along the Mississippi River, in the east and along the Missouri River, in the far west. The state is as affected by glacial activity as Wisconsin and Minnesota were, and has several small lakes in its midsection. Iowa is drained by the Mississippi, Missouri, Iowa, Skunk, Des Moines, Cedar, Wapsipinicon,Big Sioux, Little Sioux, Nodaway, Raccoon, Nishnabotna, Boyer and Thompson Rivers.

First Nations-Iowa is the ancestral home of the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk), Otoe, Iowa (Baxoje), Missouri, Kaw, Omaha, Osage and Ponca peoples. Dakota, Pawnee, Arikara, Potawatomi and Ojibwe peoples have had a presence in Iowa, especially in the 18th and 19th Centuries. The first settlement at Council Bluffs was made by a Potawatomi band. Today, only the Sac and Fox (Meskwaki) Nation has a reservation in Iowa, at Tama, which is named for a Nineteenth Century Meskwaki chief. Omaha people have a claim to an area called Blackbird Bend, near Onawa and Decatur.

Iowa has not experienced major conflicts between Native Americans and Whites, as neighbouring states have. I t has been more of a way station for above-mentioned tribes, either passing through, en route to Kansas and Oklahoma or briefly staying, to conduct bison and elk hunts.

Where I most feel at home- Council Bluffs, Des Moines.

Where I most feel at peace-Altoona, Council Bluffs

NEXT: Illinois

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 16

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

October 7, 2026- We used a new, higher-riding stroller for the first time, today. Hana sits facing me and thus can express herself more. She sings as we walk and lets me know more directly, if the sun is bothering her, so I pull the canopy down further. We took an old route through Hoblitzelle Park, that I had been avoiding for several months, as the rear-facing stroller had her heading into the sun, on that route.

Back at the house, we took a couple of walks around the first floor. She spent a fair amount of time at the bookshelf, as she was particularly interested in “Len Lion’s Wobbly Tooth”, which she thumbed through and looked at for several minutes. We then continued to the kitchen, where she managed to open the door to a cabinet. She wasn’t interested in the pots and pans that were inside. It was enough to be able to open the door.

HANA’S NOTE-Papa said I had a top knot after my shower tonight. It is something to do with how my hair looked after Mommy dried it with a towel.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: North Dakota- The Peace Garden State is the only one in which I have never driven, having made one visit, in 1987, whilst on a bus from Seattle to Chicago. It was February, there was a blizzard happening and the three stops-Dickinson, Bismarck and Fargo, were quite short. I’d gladly go back someday, for a more appropriate visit.

The Turf- Badlands cover the southwest fourth of the state. The area due north and east of the Badlands is Great Plains. In the center of the state, the Missouri Plateau, with the Turtle Mountains and Pembina Hills separating it from the Red River Valley, which occupies the eastern part of North Dakota. The state is drained by the Red River of the North,the Misouri and Souris Rivers, and their tributaries. As in other Great Plains and Prairie states, North Dakota has seen its share of floods, especially in Spring.

First Nations- North Dakota is the ancestral home of the Siouan(Dakota, Lakota and Nakota), Mandan, Arikara, Hidatsa, Chippewa(Ojibwe) and Oyate peoples. While there were no major skirmishes between Native peoples and settlers in North Dakota, per se, during the 19th Century, the Battles of Little Big Horn, in neighbouring Montana and Wounded Knee, in South Dakota affected the Siouan nations in the north, as large reservations were broken up across the Plains region. Conflict has taken place over an oil pipeline that passes through Standing Rock Reservation, home to many Siouan people. The demonstrations against the pipeline, in the 2010s, failed to stop its development. The events did, however, spur efforts to decrease reliance on oil and gas in First Nations communities, with several renewable energy initiatives being brought into being.

Where I most feel at home-Dickinson, Mandan

Where I most feel at peace-the Badlands

Future Five- International Peace Garden, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Bismarck, Standing Rock, Turtle Mountains

NEXT: South Dakota

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