September 9, 2026- Hana has taken to joining us in tapping on a surface, when we pretend to drum. She is developing a sense of rhythm, and also tries to dance, while holding onto the wall of the playpen, if one of us sings a lively song. If she falls down, she gets right back up.

A friend of Aram’s came by today, and was very helpful with some of the home remodeling work that we are contemplating. Aram and Yunhee now have a game plan. Hana was a bit unnerved by the man’s presence, though she started to get used to him, after about an hour. He is not a rough, or loud man, and is clean shaven, so I guess it’s just one of those things that she will work out, with our encouragement.

HANA’S NOTE- I was scared because this man who visited us had a sweaty shirt on. My smelling and hearing are very sharp, and the sweat smelled. I guess the man is okay, though.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2023 My Hiking Buddy moved here, in December and I met her at The Raven. We took several hikes together, in Prescott and Sedona. She is a self-made person and still manages to produce perfumes made with essential oils, in quite a prolific manner. We would have many hikes and meals together, in the next few years.

It seemed I was constantly on the road this year, more so than usual. There were three visits to California-One to manage a Red Cross shelter in Watsonville, after a flood that was triggered by rapid snow melt. I had the bounty of being helped greatly by my day manager, an energetic and efficient logistics team and by our Partner Agency, the county Emergency Management team. It was a fast-paced two weeks, and I was gratified by getting a poster of gratitude from the sheltered clients, signed by many of them, including the children. The Job Director, in San Jose, was also very appreciative of our efforts.

I took a train trip to Sacramento, thence to Carson City. It was my first journey that focused on the California capital, which I found quite welcoming-especially the hostel, across the street from Sacramento City Hall. I lost a jacket on the way back. It contained a locket with a faded photo of Aram and Penny. I substituted a better photo of them back at my Home Base.

In July, I went back up through the Central Valley, using Sportage. This time, I continued on, after visiting Sacramento. I paid a call on friends in Ashland, OR., and later took in Oregon’s stately capital, Salem. Then it was on, through Washington, to Vancouver Island, where I spent three days in Nanaimo, punctuated by a visit with a disabled Baha’i friend, in Victoria. Prepared a salmon dinner for her, in her cozy apartment, visiting until it was time for her to attend to other business. The return trip took me to Vancouver, WA, then past Lassen Volcanic National Park, which was closed by wildfire and on to Carson City, where a little girl I have known since she was a baby was performing in “The Wizard of Oz”. She was a Munchkin, but to me, it was just as important as if she had been Dorothy. It was also the last time I would see her grandmother, a friend of 30 years. She would pass on, in 2024.

In September, I headed east, for my mother’s birthday, after taking in a Baha’i school outside Colorado Springs. The route also took in sights in Nebraska, paid respects to a slain police officer in West St. Paul, MN, visited Pilot Knob, and of course, the Baha’i House of Worship, in Wilmette, Il, before heading to Lynnfield, by way of Toledo, East Palestine(OH), Bedford, PA and Hartford. Mom turned 95, to a lunch of pizza and perked up a bit, hearing “Happy Birthday” sung to her. It would be the last time we would get that chance. On the way back, I visited Harrisburg and York, PA, after my Oley stopover, and my brother’s birthday, in Downingtown. Another Harrisonburg visit found Duke’s had been replaced by a nice coffee shop. I visited Chuck and Laureen, in what would be my last time seeing him. Rock City, outside Chattanooga, was a delightful change of pace. Mississippi brought stops in Philadelphia and Jackson, then it was on through Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, before heading homeward, via Amarillo and Moriarty.

October took me to the Philippines. My purpose was to visit a young man I had been sponsoring, and his mother, through the auspices of the charity which had cared for them. It was a fun visit, although brief. I left their section of Luzon, and spent several days in Manila, focusing on the Baha’i community there. Of a Sunday morning, I met several of the Baha’i friends. A spirited and friendly lady introduced herself and quickly took charge of making my visit as happy as possible. In the Filipina style, she and two other ladies took me on a tour of Old Manila, that afternoon. The next few days, we went to elegant shopping malls. I felt close to Kathy and came to regard her as yet another special soul in my life. I would be back to the “Phils” two more times, in the next two years.