Tag Archives: developmental skills

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 1

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September 22, 2026- Hana got a thumbs-up from her pediatrician today, at her 9-month visit. Doc even referred to Hana as “The Boss”, for her outspoken babbling, that had a tome of authority. Most importantly, the little girl is hitting all the markers, which I have described over the past few days. She even took three steps without support, earlier today.

Hana is also showing a sense of humour about herself. When her father mimicked a few sounds she was making, she looked at him and burst into laughter. She does get cranky when she’s tired, but otherwise, my granddaughter is in some ways a mirror of my mother, and she can give it back, albeit in the babbling of a nine-month old.

So, she enters the last quarter of her first year, as our hemisphere begins autumn. The next three months will bring four lateral incisors, a growing sense of individuality and the first meaningful steps.

HANA’S NOTE- I wore a dress to my doctor’s office. It made me look special, Mommy said.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Louisiana- The Pelican State is said to be floating on borrowed time. A friend from Slidell recently told me that the biggest mistake people have made there was not providing means for irrigation, as the levees, while protecting low-lying areas, were also drying out the soil in those areas.

Louisiana is Texas’s neighbour to the east. The Turf- Most of the state is of fairly low elevation, with the area around the mouths of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers being below sea level. This has been borne out most vividly, and tragically, in extreme weather events like Hurricanes Camille, in 1969, Katrina and Rita, in 2005 and Laura, in 2020.

First Nations- Louisiana is the ancestral home of the Atakapa, Caddo, Chitimacha, Choctaw, Houma, Natchez and Tunica peoples. After European settlement, the Alabama, Biloxi, Coushatta and Ofo people were pushed into the area. Today, the Chitimacha, Coushatta, Houma and Tunica-Biloxi Nations, as well as Jena Band of the Choctaw Nation, have reservations in the state. The Choctaw were largely among the displaced who were forced to go northwest to Oklahoma, in the dead of winter, during Andrew Jackson’s forced relocation of the Five Civilized Tribes. The Jena Band were those who escaped into the piny woods and bayous. Poverty Point, Watson Brake and Campus Mounds are sites of burial mounds of the Caddo and even earlier peoples.

I have been to New Orleans, three times; once was specifically for Mardi Gras (2015). The other visits were briefer, due to transit needs. Baton Rouge and Alexandria were the sites of a longer visit, at the time of Hurricane Laura (2020). On that occasion, I was volunteering with the Red Cross, at a storm shelter. Lake Charles, Vidalia, Monroe and Shreveport are other communities in which I’ve stopped. Each of these would be worth a visit with Hana, especially the Mounds, the area around Lake Pontchartrain and the Garden District of New Orleans. I would also like to spend a few days in Lafayette, absorbing the Zydeco and Cajun sounds. Preservation Hall, in New Orleans would be a destination, as well.

Where I feel most at home: Alexandria, Lake Charles, the Garden District and French Quarter, south side of Baton Rouge, Vidalia.

NEXT: New Mexico

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 31

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Entertainment, Family, Historical, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 21, 2026- Hana does not hold back, when it is time to express her opinion. She was not happy about being left out of ice cream for dessert. (We have a rule that there will be no sugary foods until she’s at least a year old, and maybe not until her “two-year” molars come in.). She didn’t throw a tantrum, but she did voice her objection, along with three strong taps of her hand on the playpen fence. Then it was over, as we acknowledged her feelings, and she went back to playing.

This afternoon, when I set her down in the crib, for her second nap, she was sleeping happily for about forty minutes. Then the afternoon sun came shining brightly, even through the fairly thick shades, She got up and called for me, then slept on my shoulder, in the recliner, for another hour. The girl is not shy about expressing her needs, and I want to keep it that way.

Today is the last day of summer. It’s been a season of loss- my friends Annie Lovell, Carole Hitti and Eva Kahn left this world, much as Randy Smith and Betty Cooper Ritchey did in the spring. Another, very dear, friend is deathly ill. Suffering and pain are widespread, both due to mismanagement and to climatic cycles.

Still and all, it has been a good summer. Hana has begun standing up, both with and without support. She feeds herself, at least 60% of each meal and has “told’ us that she wants the hot food before the hand-held cold items. She likes the little standing shower device that lets her parents bathe her, while she experiences something very close to a ‘grown-up” shower. Toilet training is right around the corner-and it is something she seems to want.

HANA’S NOTE- I just want a spoonful of ice cream-or maybe three or four.

EXPANDING CIRCLES– Arkansas- It would be very sweet to visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park, near Murfreesboro, with my family, and devote 2-3 hours to digging and sifting. That is just one of the reasons to stop in Arkansas, which borders Texas on the northeast.

The turf- Arkansas is largely rolling hills and small mountains, in its western two thirds, and flat riparian plain, “the Delta”, in its eastern third. The Natural State is drained by the Mississippi, into which flow the White, the Ouachita and of course, the Arkansas River.

First Nations- Arkansas is the ancestral home of the Caddo, Chickasaw, Osage, Quapaw and Tunica peoples. The Nations, as entities, have moved to Oklahoma and Louisiana, but Arkansas is still their hearts’ home. Ceremonial mounds abounded in the state, with Toltec Mounds State Park being the largest preserved collection of mounds in the area.

I have visited the State Capitol and the Clinton Presidential Library, during visits to Little Rock, in the 2010s. The western Arkansas “twin cities” of Fort Smith and Van Buren are worth a day or two, especially the riverside Fort Smith National Historic Site. A favourite of my son and daughter-in-law is Hot Springs, for obvious reasons. The Ouachita and Boston Mountains extend into Arkansas, from Oklahoma and the Ozarks dominate the northern region. There is a lot to be said for stopovers in the Natural State.

Where I feel most at home: De Queen, downtown Van Buren, Little Rock Fitness Park

NEXT- Louisiana

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 29

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

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.

Where I feel most at home: Amarillo Fun Zone, Chillicothe, Memphis, Palo Duro Canyon, Shamrock

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

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 28

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

September 18, 2026-Bruceville, TX- Hana continued her singing and dancing, this morning, with a song that seemed to be about “Mama”. Yunhee was thrilled. My granddaughter is not all that happy with her time standing without assistance. We assure her that it’s all okay; she has lots of time to build her developmental skills. She has a very strong drive to succeed, not unlike her late grandmother.

I am at a Regional Baha’i School, in a lovely area of rolling hills, south of Waco. This is my first time outside of Dallaa Metroplex since January. A weekend away from the family is bittersweet, but there are so many families and wonderful people of my Faith here. I would leave earlier in the day, next time, though. Friday at 3:30 is already too late to miss rush hour!

HANA’S NOTE- Papa will be away for two days. That seems like a long time.

WIDENING CIRCLES– West Texas- This area is, among other things, one of the reasons people find a road trip across the Lone Star State daunting. A drive from El Paso to San Antonio takes the better part of a day-10 hours on I-10, to be exact. The Turf- Most of west Texas is in the Chihuahuan Desert. The southernmost of the Rocky Mountains meet the Chihuahuan, in El Paso. There are two subranges of the Rockies, east of El Paso: The Guadalupe Mountains and the Chisos Range, which form the turf of Big Bend National Park. The northern area of West Texas is part of Llano Estacado, the arid plains that extend into the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico.

FIRST NATIONS- West Texas is the ancestral home of Jumano, Apache, Comanche and Ysleta Pueblo people.

I have visited friends in El Paso, a few times over the years. My favourite towns in the region are Marfa, where several people have reported UFO sightings and Alpine, the home of Sul Ross State University. I like the arts community in those towns. I would like to visit McDonald Observatory, near Fort Davis, as well as Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountain. Thus, I hold out hope that Hana will be an avid hiker, like her father.

Where I feel most at home: Marfa, Alpine, Ysleta, Kern Village

NEXT: Northwest Texas

CAVEAT- As this is a public site, I realize that some of my content may not be to the liking of some readers. There are those who don’t like certain areas I write about. That will not change the content of my blog, as the travel posts are meant for my family, especially for my grandchild(ren), later on. I appreciate any commentary, but will draw the line at criticism of my family and my chosen lifestyle.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 26

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

September 16, 2026- Hana kept at her self-imposed regimen today, working up to 25 seconds on her feet, without support. Being a week shy of the 9-month mark, I think she’s on a roll. She also kept singing and telling me stories, the plots of which are clear only to herself. Clear language will find its way out of her mouth, soon enough.. The top lateral incisors are about poked through, and the bottom ones will follow, a month or so from now.

I had a Zoom call this afternoon, with some friends in far off places. Hana woke from her second nap early, so rather than drag her, and the small high chair upstairs to my office space, I brought the laptop and accessories downstairs, letting her stay in the playpen. She interrupted me twice, first for a bottle feeding and second for a diaper change. Otherwise, my granddaughter contented herself with her toys and practicing standing on her own. It was during this time that she reached 25 seconds.

HANA’S NOTE– I wanted to show Papa that I could stand up when he is not close by, so I did.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Central Texas – This is the Heart of Texas. San Antonio, Austin, Johnson Country and the Hills. The Turf- Rolling hills abound, from Waco down to College Station. then to Pleasanton, Kerrville and San Saba, in an oblong manner. The Balcones Escarpment and Edwards Plateau, better known, collectively, as Texas Hill Country, and the Brazos, Llano, Pedernales and San Antonio Rivers create a fair wilderness, in and around the two metropolises of Austin and “San Antone”.

First Nations- This is the ancestral home of the Tonkawa people, with Comanches or Numunuu, entering the area, in the mid-18th Century.

I would want Hana to see the Bat Bridge, in Austin, as well as the Music Section of the Bullock Museum and the State Capitol, of course. In San Antonio, my favourite areas are the Riverwalk and the outlying Missions. The Alamo, to me, is a place to visit with reverence-not because the men who died there were saints, but because they stood their ground against a far more powerful force. The Falls of the Pedernales, and Luckenbach, are also places in my heart. We have family friends in West, TX who would be fun to visit. I’d like to check out Waco,(Mammoth National Monument) Bastrop (historic downtown) and Fredericksburg (Enchanted Rock and Cross Mountain) , to boot.

Where I feel most at home: The Riverwalk, downtown Austin, West,TX, Luckenbach, Falls of the Pedernales

NEXT: South Texas

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 25

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

September 15, 2026- The practice continued today, for two stretches of 2 hours each. Hana would call out “Hah!”, when she was ready to have me keep time while she stood without support. She worked very hard at it-with several sets of 5-6 seconds without falling and the longest stretch being 16 seconds. I am following her lead on this. She has the routine down. In between, she either scooted along the playpen fence or played with her toys, while I watched. After each session, she napped soundly.

Hana is also feeding herself, more and more. She did so at breakfast and dinner today. Of course, it’s a messy affair, but as I told her, I am glad to clean up after her, the way someone cleaned up for me, back in the day. I was mostly a Gerber baby. She has food prepared from scratch by her mother.

HANA’S NOTE- I am getting closer to walking. I made my own game for standing up.

EXPANDING CIRCLES- Houston and the Texas Bayous The turf: The area between Big Thicket and the Brazos River has become home to the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country. Houston and its suburbs weather fairly regular tropical storms and have seen some rising tides. The area is low-lying coastal plain, with several bayous in and around the city. Buffalo Bayou is the best known of these. The region fronts on the Gulf of Mexico, with Galveston Bay and Trinity Bay as the Gulf’s main inlets. The Sabine, Neches and Brazos Rivers are the Bayou Region’s major drainage.

First Nations- The Texas Bayou region is the ancestral home of the Atakapa people. The Bidai, Akokisa and Karankawa people also lived in the area. They were either killed off or intermarried with surrounding nations.

I have been in the Houston area four times. I haven’t familiarized myself with the city, as most of the time was spent meeting up with friends in small city parks or staying with other friends in the comunity of Spring, a northwestern suburb. If I did visit with Hana and her parents, I’d focus on the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, and take in the Museum and Theater Districts. Then Buffalo Bayou and Hermann Parks would also be high on my list.

Galveston and Beaumont are other cities which I’ve visited in the area. Galveston, which I visited with Hana’s grandmother, in 1984, is a seaside town, famous for its having been hit by a major hurricane (1900), and before that, as the place which inspired Juneteenth. It was here that General Gordon Granger, of the Union Army, informed enslaved people that they were now free, by Proclamation of President Lincoln, This was on June 19, 1865, two months after the War had ended and three years after the Proclamation had been issued. I would focus on both elements of Galveston’s history, if I returned here. My visits to Beaumont have been Red Cross-related. I would like to check out Old Town, and the area along the Neches, if we come by here. Sabine Lake and Pass, near Port Arthur, would also be of interest.

Where I feel most at home- Arts District Houston, East End, Buffalo Bayou, Galveston

NEXT: Central Texas

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 23

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

September 13, 2026- Hana interacted with other children, this morning, as her grownups enjoyed a fine breakfast at Fairview Farmers, which is Collin County’s equivalent of Zeke’s Eatin’ Place, with a Swedish twist. She smiled and called out to a couple of girls, one of whom gave up her doll’s high chair, so that Hana could have a place to sit. Yes, to a three-year-old, Dolly needs to feel included. The little girl “explained”to her doll that “they could share a spot on the bench, so the baby could have seat”. Hana had a harder time, when a man about her Dad’s age smiled at her, from another table. At first, she was scared, but studied him carefully for a bit, and felt okay afterward.

She is continuously practicing taking steps, either by scooting or by taking my hands and following me, almost as if we are dancing. She is also able to stand up on her own, for slightly longer periods of time. Her “talking” also has more context and is accompanied by clear body language. She also understands when her parents correct her and does not seem at all sensitive at being admonished. The love we have given her has been a good foundation.

HANA’S NOTE– I made my way halfway around the play pen, just holding onto the fence. I will be walking soon.

EXPANDING CIRCLES- Texas is the second largest state, in area, and second largest, in population. So, besides being Hana’s home state, it has the pride of place in certain areas. “Texas-sized” has come to mean huge. There is a 64-ounce steak, with trimmings, on offer, in at least one establishment in Amarillo. I have been to all parts of Texas, so let’s take the regions, as they might unfold for my granddaughter.

North Texas- The Turf: Hana’s home region is watered by the Red and Trinity Rivers, with several large reservoirs that double as recreation sites. This is prairie, with some rolling hills and numerous small deciduous forests. Ranches and nut farms used to dominate the region, and still may be found, here and there-primarily in the western part of North Texas.

First Nation- North Texas is the ancestral home of the Wichita people.

Hana’s world, so far, is mostly Plano, with Frisco, Prospect, Carrollton, Grapevine, Coppell, Allen and Richardson rounding out the mix-mostly for medical appointments, and a few family meals. Her only visits to Dallas and Fort Worth have been for doctors’ appointments.

Fort Worth was my first large North Texas city (2012). Log Cabin Village was most interesting to me, as a history buff. I met the Winters family, at Log Cabin Village. Their younger daughter was fascinated by the preserved heritage of LCV. Perhaps my granddaughter will be, too. She is certainly interested in how things are put together. Interesting, too, were The Stockyards, from a cultural point of view. The Botanical Garden is likely the first place I would want to take Hana, as a place of natural beauty, and the most impactful spot in town.

Dallas was a focus, a couple of years later. Pioneer Park, with its cattle and cowboy sculptures, was the most interesting place I went, and is the first place I’d bring Hana, I would also take in Dallas’ Botanical Garden, and we’d want to go to the zoo. Dealy Plaza gave me pause, being the site of the first great tragedy of my youth: The assassination of John F. Kennedy. The iconic red sandstone Courthouse, aka “The Red Museum” is still a place I’d like to spend time.

Cleburne, south of DFW, and Sherman, north of us, are smaller cities that I found interesting for their local history. Sherman figures in the gradual unfolding of the Civil Rights of Black Americans. Denison, on the Oklahoma border, has the boyhood home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. That was interesting to me. We’ll have to see whether Hana is a history buff.

Where I feel most at home: Plano, McKinney, Grapevine, Cleburne

NEXT UP: East Texas

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 21

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

September 11, 2026- Hana has no idea about the events of 25 years ago. Her parents were in Middle School, back then, I was making an effort to become fully employed. Her paternal grandmother was fully employed, and made a a concerted effort to explain the events to her Second Graders, before all were dismissed early.

I hope, against hope, that my granddaughter will not have to endure anything like what thousands of people experienced, on that turbulent day. She has had a safe and stable life, thus far. While I want to see her face challenges, and develop strengths, I also want these to be of her own choosing.

Hana has been more vocal and a bit feistier today, than heretofore. While I was feeding her oatmeal, this morning, she engaged me, just a bit, in a game of “keep away”, with her spoon. I pretended to be shocked and covered my eyes for a few seconds, then “pop”, I gently took the spoon back. This evening, while I was putting her high chair straps in place, she took one of the straps and began babbling about how she wanted it put over her shoulder, just so. I followed the “instructions”, to her delight.

HANA’S NOTE- I am almost ready to say words in Papa’s and Daddy’s language. I am also almost ready to start walking. Today, I scooted halfway around the play pen.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2025 This was another year of almost constant motion. I made it back to the Philippines, in February, and was actively contemplating moving there. I knew there was no guarantee that Kathy and I would be together in marriage, but I wanted to make the effort. Besides, the country and its people had made me that much more a part of a larger community.

I hosted a couple from Metro Manila, for a week or so, in April, taking in the South Rim of Grand Canyon, Seligman, Williams, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Verde Valley and Desert Rose Baha’i School, as well as Prescott. They got to experience the Farmers Market, Bearizona, Sno Cap, Bell Rock and Montezuma Well. I became more familiar with the Filipino communities in Las Vegas, where I met up with Babo and Thelma, and Phoenix, where I left them off.

For much of the year, I focused on acts of service. taking on a remote administrative position with the Red Cross, particularly focusing on the disastrous wildfire that destroyed the complex at the North Rim of Grand Canyon. I kept on with volunteering at Prescott Farmers Market and appeared at some Slow Food events as well. Social gatherings at the American Legion Post remained important.

In May, I drove back to the East Coast, with stops in Kansas, Wilmette, Mishawaka and northern Pennysylvania, before,visiting my parents’ and youngest brother’s graves, in Saugus,. I took in Mystery Hill, “America’s Stonehenge, in Salem, NH. The return included stops in Downingtown and Oley, in Harrisonburg and in Crossville. Grapevine was a weekend visit, and the question came forth. A baby was coming, in December. Would I be willing to move into a house that Aram and Yunhee planned to buy, for the sake of the child? In a few short minutes, my plans regarding the Philippines were, at the very least, put on hold. I had dreamed of a granddaughter, and this child was going to become a reality. Kathy, and other Baha’i friends, see this as a confirmation of my worth, not as a disappointment over the change in plans.

In 2014, I spent about a month in western Europe. For several years, I had promised myself and others that I would return to Europe and expand upon the earlier itinerary. This year, I was able to spend six weeks, spending quality time in eleven countries and transiting through three others. Iceland was the first stop, for four days in Reykjavik and the Reykjanes Peninsula. Sweden was next, with Stockholm, Gotland, and Nynashamn (the home of a delightful young family, who are my friends of several years) filling my days. In Denmark, the magical city of Helsingor, Copenhagen and Arhus won my heart. Germany focused on Berlin, Heidelberg and Frankfurt-am-Main. Austria, with sweet days in Vienna and Salzburg, was the midpoint of the journey. Poland presented the heritage of Krakow and the dark legacy of Auschwitz, with the town of Oswiecim as its gentle counterpoint. Croatia showcased bustling Zagreb and lively Split, where I met up with another online friend. Bosnia & Hercegovina presented the joy of Old Town Sarajevo and the grim heritage of Srebrenica, I transited through Czechia, Hungary and Slovenia, getting a brief taste of those beautiful countries. I returned to France, focusing on opposite ends of one of my ancestral homelands-Strasbourg and Metz, in the east; Le Havre and Dieppe, in the west, with a bus rid across Paris as the link. England was a revelation, at Portsmouth and Salisbury, the latter with its magnificent cathedral. Wales gave me a chance to connect with another online friend-at Fishguard. In Ireland, another ancestral homeland, I passed through Wexford, from where my maternal forbears are believed to have left for Germany, in the days of the Hanseatic League. I spent three days in Dublin, taking in the heritage of the waves of Celts, Vikings and English who built that grand city. Scotland, and a visit with another online friend, plus two happy days in Edinburgh, capped the journey. I was able to connect, albeit fleetingly, with Baha’is in Iceland, Germany, Austria and Ireland, the last being for the Twin Birthdays of al-Bab and Baha’u’llah.

Once back in Prescott, a scant month separated time in Europe from an increased focus on my Texas family. I spent Thanksgiving, and my 75th birthday in Grapevine with Aram, Yunhee and soon-to-be born Hana. Christmas brought me back there, and the last several days of the year were focused on wrapping up thirty-four years of Arizona living. On December 30, with the Pensky moving van loaded and my apartment clean, I bid farewell to one Home Base, and headed towards another: Prescott to Plano.

One lifestyle drew to a close, and another began; but I’m still a Sagittarian Seeker.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 20

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

September 10,2026- My mother would have been 98, today. Aram said, this evening that he sees something of her in Hana. I definitely have seen the same for quite some time. It’s in the intensity of her gaze.

Hana has been quite effervescent, all day. When I turned on the lights in the dining room, this morning, her word was “Light”. She has been in a fun-loving mood, crawling on me and giving me hugs, She has also been very busy standing, a couple of times hands-free, and has been practicing walking, in the playpen, with my help. Daytime naps in the crib have been rather short, but today, when Yunhee came back from an errand, just as I had Hana ready to sleep, the little girl greeted her mother happily, then let Yunhee put her in the crib. She slept for nearly two hours. The top lateral incisors continue to poke through, a bit at a time,

HANA’S NOTE- I was just glad that my Papa was with me for much of the day, even though Mommy is also home.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2024- This was the year that my mother said goodbye- right in the midpoint of it all, June 30. She had lived an astonishing life, and was the last of nine siblings. She had the most profound influence of anyone on my life. I will be ever grateful to have been there for her, at the end of hers.

I was at her side three times, once in mid-Spring, en route to Newfoundland and once on the way back to Arizona. The third time, which had me sitting with her constantly, over a three-day period, came at end of watch. She would shake her head, at all my travels, over the years, but the last five days of her earthly life saw me travel solely between Bedford and Lynnfield. Ditto for the days up until her interment. Aram joined me for the time leading up to the funeral, and Independence Day, which followed.

The year was otherwise one of constant motion: San Diego and Orange County in February; Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, plus St. Pierre, by way of my usual route, in April and May; homage also paid to Emmett Till and to Fannie Lou Hamer, on the way back to Prescott; flying back to Mother’s side in late June and seeing her off on her timeless journey; northward to Vancouver Island and B.C’s Sunshine Coast, in July; the Philippines, including Baguio, Palawan and Dumaguete, in late September and much of October. My time with a lady I still very much treasure was the finest part of that last journey.

I ended the year pondering whether my Home Base would change, either to Texas or to Metro Manila. The answer would come within a year.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 15

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, impediments, Inner Struggles, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 5, 2026- Hana carefully observed two visitors today. One was a fast-talking salesman, trying to drum up business for his pest control company. She smiled wanly at him, but didn’t offer her customary “Hi”. The second, a plumber, was here to look at an area of our concern. She smiled a lot more at him, and said “Hi”. My grandchild already has a sense of people.

She again talked a lot, and was glad that I sat down with her, while Mom and Dad were fixing dinner. I told her that I was glad she was using her teething ring, and she showed me the toy. Her top lateral incisors (canines) are coming in, and so she is chewing on a lot of teething rings-and a few things that aren’t.

HANA’S NOTE- I like to be able to choose my own activities. Papa lets me do that, so it’s fun to have him in the playpen.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2019 The day after the family wedding, last June, Aram asked Yunhee to marry him and she said “Yes”. They had a civil wedding in November of last year, on the island of Guam. On March 10, they had a Baha’i wedding, in Kwangju, South Korea. I was there, a few days early. The journey from Phoenix to Los Angeles was a lesson in patience (United left Phoenix two hours behind schedule), and I arrived at LAX, 90 minutes late, the result being that I was the last passenger to get on the plane for Seoul.

The wedding itself was small, by Korean standards, yet it was dignified and happy. The reception hall was full afterwards, and why not? The food was plentiful and tasty. Our family had now officially spanned the Pacific. I joined a family outing to Cheonju, a city with an interesting historic district and went with Aram and Yunhee’s father to a men’s spa. Gender-separate bath houses are very common in Korea. A day or two later, I flew back to the U.S. and my Korean family continued their Naval life.

I had cut ties with the unsettled woman, last October, after she threatened to see that I lost my job.. She nonetheless parked her RV at the park across the road from our little Quad. She never directly tried to pester me, but I knew I was being watched. That aside, I was starting to be affected by mold in my workspace; all of us-staff and students, were. It was affecting my judgment and my energy level. In late March, I threw my left knee out, taking a step down on stairs I had walked down dozens of times. It was a mild sprain, but after treatment and two weeks of P/T, I was okay again. In mid-April, though, a misunderstanding with another staff member led to my deciding to leave the Autism Program. The day that I resigned, the RV lady drove off and I have not seen her since.

In summer, I set out again on a cross-country journey- starting with a visit to an old friend in Coal Mine, AZ, then camping at Canyon de Chelly, before taking the customary northern route, through Albuquerque, Amarillo and Oklahoma, visiting with Xanga friends there. This time, though, I drove across Arkansas and Tennessee, visiting my friends in Crossville, then stopping in Chattanooga and Knoxville. I had Elantra serviced in Knoxville, then headed over to Asheville, NC, taking in that city’s elegant downtown. The road then took me to Tryon, NC, a town that I had briefly considered as a Home Base, sight unseen, in 2011. I might have been happy there, had Prescott not captivated me.

South Carolina brought satisfying visits to Columbia, Aiken, Hilton Head Island and Charleston. I took in Fort Sumter, another spot on Penny’s 2007 virtual field trip itinerary that we had not fulfilled. Back in North Carolina, I visited a Baha’i friend in Salisbury and stopped in Raleigh, to do laundry and spend time in the Capitol District. Another visit with dear Xanga friend in Virginia Beach, was followed by a drive across Chesapeake Bay to Cape Charles and Virginia’s Eastern Shore. It was fascinating top watch the ponies at Assateague, frolicking in the surf. Then came a stop in Dover, DE-the compact and delightful capital of the First State. My Oley stop followed, then up through PA to New York, and a visit to West Point-the last of the three Service Academies I’ve visited. My Dad had always wanted to go there, so I fulfilled his wish for him. Popeye Doyle (“The French Connection”) never went to Poughkeepsie-the foil in one of his throwaway lines in that movie. I spent a day or so in the town and in nearby Newburgh. Lovely area, along the Hudson River, though both cities were a tad rundown.

Going north, I decided to drive through Massachusetts’ southwest corner, stopping in the southern Berkshires, at Egremont. In Saugus, for Independence Day, saw fireworks and had quality time with Mom and my siblings. I made a return visit to Amherst, and my alma mater-University of Massachusetts, then toured Mt. Holyoke, a women’s university, south of town. Across Connecticut, I sopped in Danbury and spent time with that city’s Revolutionary War sites. The next main stops were Pittsburgh, for a Baha’i Holy Day gathering, Mishawaka, Chicago-for a night in Wrigleyville, near the Cubs Stadium, Wilmette, Wapello, IA, Kansas City and a small town named Satanta,KS. I paid respects to the fallen at Silver Creek, CO, a solemn cap to my sojourn.

Fall brought me back into substitute teaching, with a more connected sense of mission. I chose my assignments more discerningly, going forward.