Tag Archives: Hoblitzelle Park

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 13

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Family, Hiking and Nature, Personal Values, service, Social, Striving

June3,2026- My granddaughter, Han, was born on December 22, 2025. I have been keeping people I care about informed of her milestones and growth, for the past many months-and since those milestones are my central concerns, I am recasting the title of this series of posts to reflect that.

We took our first grandfather and granddaughter solo walk, this afternoon. I put her securely in her stroller, with canopy and bug net firmly in place. We then went to the grounds of the nearby, out-of-session middle school and to a section of Hoblitzelle Park that lies nearby. We saw prairie cone flowers and standing cypress flowers by the yardful. There were also introduced columbines, in a yard along the way. We encountered a mother and baby, in a similar stroller near the park bench where I stopped and enjoyed a can of mineral water. Hana was nonplussed. She was taking in the fresh air and scenery, but was not as sociable as she usually is.

Back at the house, after our walk, we watched through the window, as city workers poured concrete on a reinforcement of a section of our cul-de-sac. I decided to read her a selection from a book of “Girl Power” stories. When I went to put her in her bouncy chair, she resisted a bit, arching her back and saying “No”-but in a quiet voice. When I explained to her that this was “Girl Power” story time, she relaxed and let me secure her in her seat. The story was about Moana, the Disney character, as a teenager. She liked the tale-and the pictures.

What she enjoys most, though, about our days together, is my being with her-holding her and rocking her when it meets her need for comfort, getting on hands and knees in the play pen, reading different stories and knowing just when she needs a diaper change. When is getting tired and frustrated, Papa is there to get her to the crib or even rock her to sleep and let her sleep on my shoulder..

I can’t think of a finer way to spend a day.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 6

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

May 27,2026- I took a walk this evening. It was the first real solo walk that I’ve taken in months. I’ve been on short jaunts to Hoblitzelle Park with my family. yet these were done according to someone else’s schedule and at a pace set by others. My most satisfying steps have always been taken at my own pace-neither halting nor frenetic, but steady. That was true of hikes in Arizona and elsewhere. It’s true here in Plano, and thereabouts. It is what will keep me alive and well.

When I moved from Phoenix to Prescott, the door to regeneration had blown wide open. So, I took in nearly every natural space in the Prescott area, gradually widening my circle. There was someone whose point of view was that hikes don’t count, if one has to drive to the trailhead. I chose to ignore that particular admonition. My regeneration, after eleven years of caretaking, of watching the love of my life fade away, could stand no boundaries. I was a veritable Waldo, for a few years-sans the red-striped shirt and stocking cap. Fifty eight hiking trails, forty-eight states and twenty other countries later, that part of my resilience was well-established.

There was one part of me that waited: Who will be walking in my place, thirty, forty, fifty years from now? That question was answered, at least in part, in 1988, with the birth of my son, and was underscored in December of last year, when my first grandchild burst on scene.

For five months, though I have made forays around Plano and to surrounding towns in my car, most of my time has been spent cocooning, keeping my focus on Hana. That aspect of life will be even more pre-eminent, starting next week, when her mother starts a new job that will take her out of the house, five days a week. I will be Hana’s sole adult presence during the workweek.

This, however, brings about the need for an uptick in her daily routine-and walks in the stroller will be the first adjustment. I will be getting a car seat installed in Sportage, and short hops to the Public Library, for puppet shows and story time, will happen as the months roll by. Hana’s world continues to evolve and for me, there is a fifth regeneration.

Hana Goes to A Park

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

February 15, 2026- The fresh air agreed with my granddaughter, and the stroller is a very smooth ride on Plano’s sidewalks and crosswalks. So, Hana let the pacifier drop from her mouth, after about three minutes, and enjoyed the Springlike afternoon-variously looking at the trees and at her parents, as they took turns pushing the stroller.

We went to Hoblitzelle Park, as it is just down the street from the cul de sac. It was her first time outside, other than the medical appointments that don’t really count, as she goes from house to car to office in a car seat. She was very happy, even though she never left the stroller. One step at a time; there will be opportunities to explore the neighbourhood that is her wider world, as she keeps growing over the next year. It was enough that she passed by other little ones in their strollers, getting a slight awareness of her peers. It was also good that the family of three had their photos taken at a bench, in the south playground of “the Hob”. It won’t be all that long before our growing girl is in a basket swing, followed in a few years by the whole range of swings, slides and bars.

She’s nine weeks old now, and sleeps longer through the night, not so much interested in feeding as frequently between Midnight and 5 a.m. That gives her hard-working parents a bit of a break, and I don’t feel as bad about getting my sleep, in preparation for the next day’s activities, which start at 5.She also loves “Stand Up and Sit Down”, as I’ve mentioned, being very proud of standing up straight, with Grandpa’s hands under her arms for support. She certainly coos her appreciation, while looking at me adoringly. All these things add up to a happy, well-adjusted little girl.

Support your adult children. The gratitude will filter down to the grandbabies.