In 1943, when I was 4, my parents moved from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to Fairbanks, Alaska, where adventure was never very far away.

    We arrived in the summer, just in time to enjoy the midnight sun. All that sunlight was fantastic for Mum's vegetable garden. Working in the garden at midnight tended to throw her timing off, so she didn't care much about my bedtime.

    Dad was a Railway Express agent and Mum was his clerk. That left me in a mess. I usually managed to find some trouble to get into. Once I had a little fire going in the dirt basement of a hotel. I had tried to light a barrel(桶) of paint but couldn't really get a good fire going. The smoke got pretty bad, though, and when I made my exit, a crowd and the police were there to greet me. The policemen took my matches and drove me home.

    Mum and Dad were occupied in the garden and Dad told the police to keep me, and they did! I had a tour of the prison before Mum rescued me. I hadn't turned 5 yet.

    As I entered kindergarten, the serious cold began to set in. Would it surprise you to know that I soon left part of my tongue on a metal handrail at school?

    As for Leonhard Seppala, famous as a dog sledder(驾雪橇者), I think I knew him well because I was taken for a ride with his white dog team one Sunday. At the time I didn't realize what a superstar he was, but I do remember the ride well. I was wrapped(包裹) heavily and well sheltered from the freezing and blowing weather.

    In 1950, we moved back to Coeur d'Alene, but we got one more Alaskan adventure when Leonhard invited us eight years later by paying a visit to Idaho to attend a gathering of former neighbors of Alaska.

    North America tours

    Tour North America and discover how the New World became the culturally diverse civilization it is today: the world's greatest melting pot is in your own backyard.

Boston: Colonial History

    Days: 4

    Get your walking shoes ready to follow the footsteps of the American Founding Fathers in Boston. Journey through the landmarks of the American Revolution in this historical city by walking down the Freedom Trail with a Colonial tour guide. Get out of the city with detours to Salem. Lexington, Concord and Plymouth, where you will see where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired.

Civil Rights in the South

    Days: 5

    Journey back to a time of revolution and brotherhood in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. Follow the path of the marches through Atlanta, Montgomery and Birmingham, as well as the town of Selma, where a peace l protest erupted into what is now called" Bloody Sunday. "Pay respect to the key contributors to civil rights by visiting the Rosa Parks Museum and the home and church of the most famous civil rights activist of them all. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

    IL MUNC in Philadelphia

    Days: 4

    The Ivy League Model UN Conference (ILMUNC) is known as a unique educational experience for its focus on international affairs and networking. Students from across the continent will come together to debate and discuss pressing global issues as UN delegates. You can also explore some of downtown Philadelphia's finest attractions including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Liberty Bell. Independence Hall before or after the conference.

    Quebec City &Montreal Four Day Spring Tour

    Days: 4

    Montreal and Quebec City are two of the most diverse, beautiful and exciting travel destinations in Canada. Your tour through Quebec's Upper Town includes the beautifully lit National Assembly, Dufferin Terrace, and Chateau Frontenac. Walk along the 17^th-century cobblestone streets of Lower Town, then continue on to Montreal for a visit to Mont Royal, which boasts breathtaking views from the highest point in the cit.

    Summer Science Class registration begins on March 8 ! If you are interested in science，the environment，or conservation and you are in grades 7 －12 ，sign up soon for Black Rock Forest Consortium's Summer Science Class program. You can download the Summer Science Classes 2013 brochure here. It is easy to register；just call 845-534-4517 or click here.

    Twelve-week-long courses in the natural sciences and the arts are offered at Black Rock Forest in Cornwall from July 15 through August 9.Two more classes are offered with site partners，including “The Art of Scientific Observation，” hosted jointly by Black Rock Forest Consortium and Storm King Art Center ，one of the world's leading sculpture parks ，and “A Nautical   Expedition” hosted jointly by the Consortium and the Constitution Marsh Audubon Center.

    We are delighted to announce two special “away” classes that are part of the Summer Science Class program this year: an“Adirondack Eco-Adventure” beginning August 11，and “Conservation Biology in Florida，” beginning June 23 and featuring field work on the Gulf Coast in cooperation with the University of Florida's Seahorse Key Marine Biological Laboratory. For more information on the Summer Science Class program，please read our press release. Black Rock Forest Consortium is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to advance scientific understanding of the natural world through research，education and conservation programs.

    Boomerang children who return to live with their parents after university can be good for families, leading to closer, more supportive relationships and increased contact between the generations, a study has found.

    The findings contradict research published earlier this year showing that returning adult children trigger a significant decline in their parents' quality of life and wellbeing.

    The young adults taking part in the study were “more positive than might have been expected” about moving back home – the shame is reduced as so many of their peers are in the same position, and they acknowledged the benefits of their parents' financial and emotional support. Daughters were happier than sons, often slipping back easily into teenage patterns of behaviour, the study found.

    Parents on the whole were more uncertain, expressing concern about the likely duration of the arrangement and how to manage it. But they acknowledged that things were different for graduates today, who leave university with huge debts and fewer job opportunities.

    The families featured in the study were middle-class and tended to view the achievement of adult independence for their children as a “family project”. Parents accepted that their children required support as university students and then as graduates returning home, as they tried to find jobs paying enough to enable them to move out and get on the housing ladder.

    “However,” the study says, “day-to-day tensions about the prospects of achieving different dimensions of independence, which in a few extreme cases came close to conflict, characterised the experience of a majority of parents and a little over half the graduates”.

    Areas of disagreement included chores, money and social life. While parents were keen to help, they also wanted different relationships from those they had with their own parents, and continuing to support their adult children allowed them to remain close.

    A while back I caught a news report on something called -couch surfing‖ and the network of trusting souls who make this phenomenon possible. They offer to put up travelers free of charge and help them on their ways. At first, it sounded unbelievable. I mean, inviting strangers into one's home for one or two nights? Give me a break.

    However, I was intrigued. I decided to investigate. The only way to truly learn about this phenomenon was to dive in. So I planned a trip to Finland, a country I've always wanted to explore. I would couch surf at every stop there.

    If ever any anxiety existed when stepping into the unknown, it disappeared when my first host met me at the train station. Ari looked like my idea of a typical Finn: tall and blue-eyed. Finns were also supposed to be famously reserved (寡言少语的). Ari was anything but. He was a live wire, giving me an enthusiastic welcome and hiking with me to his apartment, where he showed me the sleeper sofa, served me tea, and engaged me in warm conversations. He also handed me a key to come and go as I pleased.

    If this was what couch surfing was all about－trust and friendship－then I had gotten off to a good start. As I boarded my next train to continue my journey, I began to think about this couch-surfing idea. What urged these people to open their homes to strangers? I concluded that there was a desire to lend a hand to like-minded folks who might enrich their own lives.

    Seven cities in 14 days. Seven hosts. Seven new friends. If couch surfing taught me anything, it's this: Most people are good and generous. Where will couch surfing take me next? Who knows? But I can't wait to find out.

    If you're a design enthusiast, you're sure to feel dizzy over these jaw-dropping pools.

    Sky Park Infinity Pool, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

    Located on the Sky Park above Singapore's most famous hotel, Marina Bay Sands this is the world's largest rooftop pool. Offering amazing views of the city's skyline, the pool is at least three times the length of an Olympic swimming pool. As visitors swim toward the edge, they face an illusion that they'll float into the sky-line. It's quite a heart-beaten rush!

    The Red Pool, The Library Koh Samui. Thailand

    This blood-red pool is perhaps one of the most special hotel pools on the list. Set against the backdrop of Koh Samui's Chaweng Beach, the fascinating colour isn't the result of using artificial dye. Rather, the mosaic tiles(马赛克瓷砖) of orange, yellow and red make the brilliant sight that is set among trees and an open-air library.

    San Alfonso del Mar Resort Pool. Region de valparaiso, Chile

    The world's largest outdoor swimming pool gets its water directly from the sea. The pool uses a computer-controlled pump and filtration system. Located at Chile's San Alfonso del Mar Resort, this huge man-made pool is larger than 20 Olympic-size pools and holds approximately 250 million litres of water. It also holds the Guinness World Record for being the world's deepest (115 feet)pool.

    Y-40 Deep Joy, Hotel Millepini Terme in Montegrotto Terme, Italy

    The deepest hotel swimming pool in the world will make you feel like you're jumping into the sea! The Y-40 Deep Joy is a round-shaped pool that reaches a depth of an impressive 130 feet. The pool, which has special caves， ledges(壁架) and underwater viewing glass, was designed by well-known- architect Emanuele Boaretto. It's meant for leisure dives, dive training and photo shoots.