She lives happily in woods of Jefferson these days, in a small, charming house she helped her husband build, but there was a time when Paula Schuster couldn’t imagine living in the country. Born and raised outside Chicago, Ill., Schuster was used to the hustle and hum of a big city.

He appreciates the thoughts and kind words he’s received in the last week or so, but Richard “Dick” Spear would like everyone to know there little cause for immediate concern.

Erica Qualey didn’t know didn’t know how lucky she was when she and her husband, Jason Bigonia, first landed in South Bristol.

Paul Kelsey Sr. said he first noticed the problem when he began having trouble getting into his truck sometime around 2015. A strong, active man who liked to hunt and fish and drilled wells for living, the South Bristol native was surprised when his feet started ignoring the signals from his brain.

The windows in the living room of Aidan Fraser’s downtown Damariscotta apartment face south, looking down the Damariscotta River. The scenic view takes in the town’s municipal parking lot and the small harbor where the Pumpkinfest Regatta rages every October.

For most of the past year, Damariscotta resident Ellie Busby has made it a point to say yes to opportunities she might otherwise pass on. Taking stock as the year winds down, Busby said she may scale back the volume of commitments she agrees to in the future, but she would absolutely do it all over again.

If somebody asked David Trahan to draw up his ideal life on paper, it is entirely possible he would have come up with something similar to the life he is actually living.

According to Lisa Miller, one of the best ways to enjoy the beauty of the United States is by rail. Slower and more expensive than an airplane flight, but with more comfort and amenities than a car ride, long distance travel by rail is an underrated pleasure, Miller said.