by Larry Taylor, Fullerton, CA

The San Blas Islands, off the coast of Panama, are one of the last pristine, undeveloped areas of the world. These islands, with swaying coconut palms, soft sand beaches and colorful coral reefs surrounded by the turquoise Caribbean, are the epitome of a tropical paradise.

The name San Blas was only vaguely familiar to my wife and me when we read that Windjammer Barefoot Cruises (Miami Beach, FL; phone 800/327-2601 or visit www.windjammer.com) was...

by Jack C. Ogg, Houston, TX; part 1 of 3 on the Balkans

Slovenia, a small gem of a country set between Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, is a combination of Alpine beauty, majestic valleys and blue- and turquoise-colored lakes purified by their limestone surroundings. The population of nearly two million is neatly distributed over its 20,000 square kilometers, with the only near-metropolis being the capital city of Ljubljana (pronounced Lubliana), a city of only 275,000.

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by Yvonne Michie Horn, Santa Rosa, CA

“Did you put a little something in the box?” Lord Bigby asked.

He’d met us on the lawn in front of Minterne Manor, where first the Churchill family and then the Bigby family have lived for 350 years. Below lay Minterne Gardens, abundant in century-old rhododendrons and azaleas, ancient cedars, waterfalls and ponds.

Like others wrestling with the upkeep of grand houses and gardens, Lord Bigby counts on “a little something in the box...