Out and About: Princess Caroline of Monaco...

Out and About: Princess Caroline of Monaco is back in the social whirl for the first time since the death of her husband, Stefano Casiraghi, in a boating accident last year. Flanked by her father, Prince Rainier, and her siblings, Princess Stephanie and Prince Albert, the princess attended a charity benefit Tuesday at the Louvre in Paris.

* A Real (Estate) Deal: If you’ve got $250 for an entry fee and can spell, George and Reina Phillips of Lewiston, Me., may have a house and a store for you. After years of trying to sell their variety store and three-bedroom house, they’re giving them away--to the person who writes the best, error-free essay entitled: “Why would I like to own a single-family home with in-ground pool and attached garage and a Mom & Pop variety store in Lewiston, Me?” George Phillips says they came up with the idea after state officials nixed their lottery proposal.

* No Mystery: The name’s the same as the intrepid teen-age detective, but the real Nancy Drew is a 43-year-old artist and mother of three. Drew, the real one, lives near Niles, Mich., and owns six The Real Nancy Drew stores that stock her paintings, sculptures, clothing, furniture and greeting cards. She also does a weekly cartoon “A Fine Line” and published a coloring book. “I don’t have much of a social life,” Drew says, “so this is the way I communicate with everyone.”

* Ouch!: At the end of a 16-month motivational course, supervisors at the Washington state Department of Ecology in Olympia got the satisfaction of smashing a nearly 1-inch-thick board with their hands. All except Curt Eschels, who broke his right arm in two places, and Gary Hanson, who broke his wrist. “It sounded like a neat exercise, but two guys getting hurt is too high a price to pay,” said Eschels. Trainer Terry Schmidt said the symbolic exercise was intended for those who attended all the sessions, which Eschels had not, or for those who had never broken an arm or wrist. Hanson participated although he previously had broken an arm.