Tag Archives: Mississippi River,

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 27

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

October 18, 2026- Hana is starting to mimic sounds. When her mother made a mooing sound, after putting a pair of cow-print pants on her, Hana made her own mooing sound. This afternoon, on our neighbourhood walk to find Halloween displays, we passed a front yard with six witch figures. I let out a cackle and Hana made her own cackling sound. She laughs heartily, when someone mimics her babbling.

My granddaughter continues to show interest in the framed photos in my common area. She was delighted to see one of her parents at their civil wedding of November, 2018. That ceremony, in Guam, was what made it easier for Yunhee to get her Green Card, as it was performed on U.S. soil. Hana is thankfully very careful, when handling the pictures.

HANA’S NOTE- Papa takes me on some pretty long walks in the stroller. We are finding new connections between our neighbourhood and some others that seem far away. I usually fall asleep on the way back.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Mississippi- The Magnolia State shares its namesake’s final course towards the Gulf of Mexico, with Louisiana, until their border takes a sharp right-hand turn, just south of Point Breeze. Louisiana then has the Father of Waters all to itself, the rest of the way.

I have made seven visits to “the Sip”, as the home folks sometimes call it. I first passed through in 1987, on a bus between Atlanta and New Orleans. Our stops at Meridian, Jackson, Hattiesburg and Biloxi were fairly short. In 2000, Aram and I stopped for lunch in Jackson, and toured Vicksburg National Military Park. My solo road trips took me along the coast in 2015 and 2022, and to various spots in the interior on other cross country jaunts. I’ve found nothing but heartfelt hospitality here, from both Black and White folks. Paying homage to Emmitt Till, Fannie Lou Hamer and the three Civil Rights workers who were killed in Philadelphia, MS (1964) did not make me suspicious to anyone. People mostly are trying to rise above the limitations of the past.

The turf- Most of the Magnolia State is flat riparian plain. The northeast is a region of rolling hills, and piney woods. Mississippi is drained by the Mississippi, Pearl, Tombigbee, Pascagoula, Leaf, Tallahatchee and Yazoo Rivers, as well as their tributaries.

First Nations- Mississippi is the ancestral home of the Choctaw, Quapaw, Chickasaw, Natchez, Houma, Tunica, Biloxi and Ofo peoples. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw, descended from those who refused to leave their homeland during the Trail of Tears, in 1830-32, is the only Federally-recognized Native American entity in the state. All others were relocated, in the Jacksonian Era. (Prior to Andrew Jackson’s campaign of relocation, the Choctaw sold 4.5 million acres of land to the U. S. Government, under the terms of the Treaty of Mount Dexter {1805}.) The Natchez have returned since, and have a significant community at Grand Village.

Where I most feel at home- Ocean Springs, Waveland, Tupelo, Ruleville, Vicksburg, Corinth

Where I most feel at peace- Corinth, Ruleville, Natchez Trace

NEXT: We head back up to the states of the Central Great Lakes region- starting with Indiana.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 25

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

October 16, 2026- Hana decided she would help me this afternoon. When I had several items to carry upstairs, she wanted to go with me. So, I supported her, while holding two envelopes. She carried a third envelope. She was very proud of herself for not dropping the envelope-and I thanked her for being a helper.

Yunhee put a pair of pants, with a black and white cow on her, then made a mooing sound. Hana then made her own mooing sound and started giggling. Her intentional babbling has really taken off this week. She is mostly out of the playpen and walking with one of us, then playing quietly in whatever room suits her fancy.

HANA’S NOTE– I wanted to help Papa, so I took one of the envelopes and tried to hold onto a plastic bottle, but I dropped it. Papa just tossed the bottle upstairs.

EXPANDING CIRCLES:Kentucky- The Bluegrass State is one of two that stretch from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. The other is Tennessee. Kentucky has the shortest Mississippi shoreline of any state in the valley:60 miles, including the Kentucky Bend enclave, that is surrounded by the river-and Tennessee. I have been to Kentucky three times, in 1979, 2011and 2017. My focuses were on the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, the state capital, a large cavern , some friends from my Xanga days and extended family in the Louisville area, albeit across the river in southern Indiana. Family friends have moved back to Kentucky, from southern California. It’d be nice to visit them there some day.

The turf- Western Kentucky, an area known as Jackson Purchase, is the state’s lowland, lying along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, near their confluence, which is in a nearby area of Illinois. The rest of the state is upland or rolling hills: Cumberland Plateau, including foothills of the Appalachian Mountains; the Bluegrass Region and the Mississippi Plateau occupy the northern and central parts of Kentucky, respectively. Kentucky is drained by the Mississippi, Ohio, Big Sandy, Kentucky, Tennessee, Cumberland, Green and Licking Rivers, along with their tributaries. The Tennessee River has been dammed to establish two large reservoirs: Lake Cumberland and Kentucky Lake. Land Between the Lakes is a popular National Recreation Area.

First Nations- Kentucky is the ancestral home of the Shawnee, Cherokee, Yuchi and Chickasaw people. The Cherokee maintain a homeland in the Henderson area. There was considerable conflict between the Native peoples of Kentucky and settlers who began arriving in the mid-18th Century. Battles ancillary to the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 resulted in defeat of the confederated tribes. The harshest defeats were at Fallen Timbers, in 1794 and further afield, at the Battle of the Thames, in Ontario, in 1813-which saw the death of Tecumseh, leader of the Confederated Tribes. There was a period of voluntary Native American removal, during the presidencies of James Monroe and John Quincy Adams (1821-1829). Under Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, forced removal of Cherokee people from North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as several tribes from Georgia, constituted the Trail of Tears. The expelled nations were forced into what is now Oklahoma. Some Cherokee returned to Kentucky, in time, and live in the above-mentioned community.

Where I most feel at home- Hodgenville, Mammoth Cave, Paducah, Louisville

Where I most feel at peace- Falls of the Ohio, Mammoth Cave

NEXT: Tennessee

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 20

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

October 11, 2026- Today was Hana’s first visit to someone else’s house. She went with her mother and visited one of Yunhee’s friends. They had a good time, with Hana sitting for a while in the lady’s left over high chair and practicing walking a bit. She didn’t want to leave, so the ride back was rather boisterous, according to her mother.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Aram was busily re-arranging the family room and living room. The playpen went into the old living room and the big chairs went into the old family room. I helped with the heavier furniture. When Yunhee got back, she switched her nursery table with the dining table, so we will eat in the kitchen and the old dining room table will serve as the nursing station. It will all be more intimate, which I know will make Hana feel happier.

We had Yunhee’s birthday dinner, two days early,. Her choice was Kura Rotating Sushi Bar, about 1.5 miles from the house. We sat in a booth, and took small plates of food, as we spotted items that appealed to us. Hana had already eaten, of course, but was happily interacting with the attendants and with people at a nearby table.

HANA’S NOTE- I like to go places, but I don’t like sitting by myself in the back seat. The restaurant was fun,because the machine brought water to Daddy and Papa. I also like seeing so many nice people.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Minnesota- The Mississippi River divides the United States, somewhat evenly, into east and west. Having looked at two of Texas’s neighbours- Arkansas and Louisiana, that are at the lower end of the great waterway’s course, it is time to look at the other states through which this mighty river passes.

Minnesota, where the Mississippi begins its journey, largely out of Lake Itasca, is also the northwesternmost state bordering the Great Lakes, It is partly a prairie state and partly covered by tree-lined lakes. The turf- Prairie and the Buffalo Ridge occupy the southwest and west central part of the state. Glacially-carved uplands take up the southeast, including the Twin Cities region. Bluffs line the Mississippi Valley, along the border with Wisconsin. Glaciers also left behind 11,.842 lakes with areas of 10 or more acres. The geologic activity that formed the Canadian Shield left Minnesota with a rugged upland, collectively called the Iron Range. It is this area that also contains many of the state’s larger lakes, including Lake of the Woods, which it shares with Ontario. Then, there is Minnesota’s long western shore of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes. Minnesota is drained by the Mississippi, Minnesota, Rainy, Pigeon, St. Louis, St. Croix Rivers and by the Red River of the North.

First Nations- Minnesota is the ancestral home of the Dakota, Ojibwe and Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) peoples. There are today 7 Federally-recognized Ojibwe tribes and 4 Federally-recognized Dakota (Sioux) tribes in the state. Historically, the Ojibwe and Sioux were at odds, over hunting and fishing rights. Clashes between the two nations were more frequent, as European settlers increased their presence, especially in the southern part of Minnesota. Treaties were signed between the Sioux and the United States, and broken by the latter. The Dakota War (1862) led to the execution of 38 Sioux warriors, who had been judged guilty of rape and other “war crimes”. The Dakota were largely moved out of Minnesota by 1866, with many settling in the Dakota Territory, especially in the Black Hills region. The Ojibwe were not expelled from Minnesota, but were forced to move onto reservations in the state, leading to the deaths of 400 people at Sandy Lake, in 1850. Most of the animosity between tribes was stoked by the British, and to a lesser degree by the French, as a lucrative fur trade arose in the Great Lakes region, from 1670 onward. American settlers aggravated the matter, with the pursuit of Manifest Destiny, as many neither understood the First Nations people nor saw much beyond their plans to establish new lives, under the Homestead Act,

Where I most feel at home- Certainly the St. Paul area, where I have extended family, Minneapolis, Pipestone, Luverne, Rochester.

Where I most feel at peace- Wakan Tipi, Wicahapi, Pipestone National Monument, Blue Mounds

Future Five- Duluth, Northwest Angle, Iron Range, North Shore of Lake Superior, Lake Itasca

NEXT: Wisconsin