Meggie’s family used to take weekend trips to Maine to go to the beach. When they got close to the water she always rolled down her car window to smell the crisp and salty ocean air. This was one of Meggie’s favorite childhood memories, along with collecting shells in her pail and building castles (with moats). These pictures from the coast of Maine are reminders of the excitement of that first scent of the ocean.
It started with reading books about places near and far. It didn’t matter where it was – Meggie wanted to go there! She had a little suitcase that had belonged to her older sister and she was always ready for adventure. Whether it was a visit in the family car to see her grandmother in Pennsylvania or a day trip to the beach, she was the first one in the car saying “Are we there yet?” After she read Alice in Wonderland she wanted to go to England and see hedgehogs. When she was nine her family moved from Massachusetts to California and they traveled on Route 66. Meggie liked seeing the mountains, the desert and the interesting places to stop along the way. And after all these adventures she still likes to travel!
Meggie always thought that one of the most enjoyable things about going on family car trips was collecting souvenirs. She saved placemats from restaurants that had puzzles to solve and mazes to navigate. She also liked shells (mostly unbroken) from the beach as well as maps from museums. But the postcards she collected became some of her favorite souvenirs. One time Meggie bought an album of postcards that she could look at like a book.
This was another exciting place to visit!
Today she has a drawer full of postcards from places she has been. They are still wonderful souvenirs and they bring back delightful memories.
Every fall Meggie and her family would take a weekend to see the autumn leaves. Sometimes they would drive all over New England to see the beautiful foliage. During the winter they would talk about the prettiest trees they saw and how colorful the leaves were in the sunshine. Each year there would be at least one perfect day that everyone remembered.
Autumn is still a time when Meg loves to see the changing colors of the leaves!
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.
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.
Meggie's Adventures 