This Month's Features

As the years passed, he would see it again in other family members, including a horribly forgetful aunt, who put ice trays into the stove instead of the freezer.

Several years ago, when construction began on a housing development overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, an eagle’s nest with eggs was discovered in the forest that was about to be razed. Today, the aptly named Sanctuary community surrounds an island of trees that was preserved so the birds’ habitat would not be destroyed.

Sitting on a beach in Aruba with a coworker as part of a promotional trip, the answer hit him. “Out of nowhere, I just said, ‘I wish I could paint the green water and rocks that surrounded us.’ ” It turned out his cohort was a watercolor painter, but hadn’t brought his paints with him.

Steering our canoe around a turn in the river, my wife Fyllis and I suddenly were face-to-face — or, more accurately, face-to-knees — with a massive creature. Lifting its head, shoots of river greens cascading from its mouth, the huge moose stared at us as we stared back, then continued its meal.

Old San Juan echoes with centuries of history, dating back to the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the island in 1493 and the massive 16th-century Spanish forts overlooking the sea.

After her son moved away and a kitchen radiator accident reminded her how easily a lifetime of photos could have been lost, Barbara Despres of Hardwick wanted to ensure her family artifacts were preserved.

The three sets of grandparents who turned out on a January evening while the region prepared for a blizzard were already experts in thawing out chilly conditions.

The setting resembled a stunning picture postcard come to life. Soaring, snow-capped mountains provided a backdrop for green-clad terraces carved out of steep hillsides. In fields below, men and women wearing a rainbow of colorful clothing bent low to pick golden shoots and tie them into huge bundles, which they carried to a rickety wooden wagon pulled by a pair of water buffalo.

Baby boomer “tsunami” catches state by surprise.

By Brian Goslow Boston residents rank 10th in re-tirement readiness, according to a study of the country’s 30 biggest metropolitan areas by Ameriprise Financial Services,...