My friend, Marie, and I walk together twice a month. Recently she said, “I just broke my favorite coffee cup,” and her hands folded together, ever so slightly. “You know,” she added, “there …

My pre-teen grandkids came to visit, after a four-month lapse. They’ve leaped into adolescence, speaking of slow dances, a boy’s glance across the room, overnights with girlfriends, and lots of Taylor Swift and Rihanna. Spring has arrived in their DNA.

Walking through Aquetong Spring Park in winter is like being in a living library; there’s a series of pleasant, slightly hushed rooms, brimming with history and life. Here is a landscape that looks …