A charming feature of our local beach is the wreck of the schooner Howard W. Middleton. Carrying coal from Philadelphia to Portland, it wrecked off Scarborough, Maine in August of 1897. How much of the wreck is exposed varies from year to year, depending on the shifting sands in winter storms. One of the first things I do when we return to our summer home is to check out the condition of the wreck. For children of all ages, it conjures images of pirates, explorers, and life on the high seas.