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.

NEXT: South Texas