Seagulls In Newport

I decided to spend my one and only Saturday in Newport. When I realized how early I would have to wake up in order to make it to the bus by 8:15, I had some second thoughts. Looking back, I’m really glad that I decided to go to Newport.

Kaylyn, Caroline, and I rode the bus together and pretty much stayed together for the rest of the trip. We all fell asleep during the bus ride, as there were enough free seats on our bus (the seventh in a large caravan of charter buses commissioned by Brown) for us to each stretch out on a row. Caroline slept so deeply that she had difficulty walking once we arrived because her legs had fallen asleep!

Once in Newport, we strolled along Thames Street, the main shopping avenue. Caroline and I were especially excited because Newport exactly suited our vision of a picturesque New England beach town. There were lots of sailboats, Adirondack chairs, and seagulls.

After we had toured the length of Thames Street, Kaylyn decided that we should go to the beach. After getting some directions, we walked about a mile to a beautiful beach. I was so excited because I had never seen the Atlantic Ocean before! We waded in the surf and looked for clamshells.

Caroline and I were astounded to see all of the seagulls there acting like seagulls. At our school, there are lots of seagulls but they only eat trash, not shellfish. On the beach, the seagulls pick through the surf and find clams. They fly into the air, carrying the clams in their beaks, and drop them onto the ground to crack them open.

Later, Kaylyn and I cracked open a clamshell and she gave me a little anatomy lesson. Kaylyn is so cool! She wants to be a marine biologist. After the lesson, we tossed the clam to a seagull. Hopefully it appreciated the meal and still remembers how to crack clams on its own.

Since last week we were unable to view the Water Fire, today we all walked down the hill to the river. It was amazing! The flames were mesmerizing and the reflection on the water looked beautiful. I had a wonderful night and I’m glad that we had a chance to go see a Providence trademark.