Every summer Meggie went with her family to the beach on Saturdays.  There were lots of beaches to choose from, and if they left early enough they could drive all the way to New Hampshire or Maine.  Meggie thought the water was cold in Maine, even in August.  But she always brought a pail and shovel so she could either build a sand castle or collect shells to take home.  She had a large collection of broken shells, but she did sometimes find clam shells that were in one piece.  Some of her favorites were shiny and orange, and she kept them in a small glass jar on her dresser.

She also liked swimming in the ocean, but she always stayed close to her family.  For lunch her Mom would bring baked chicken, potato chips and carrot sticks.  Meggie was always hungry and enjoyed the food, although everything had sand in it.  Right after she was done eating Meggie said “I’m going in the water.” But her Mom insisted that Meggie wait an hour before going swimming “so she wouldn’t get cramps”.  Meggie was sad about having to wait but she ended up getting her pail and collecting seashells for the next hour.

When it was late afternoon Meggie’s family would gather everything up and head back to their station wagon to go home.  Meggie clutched her pail full of cheery seashells to keep as souvenirs.  Although it had been an exciting day, she always fell asleep in the car and was surprised to find herself home so quickly.  It had been a wonderful adventure.