Farley Dunn

Trip to the Outer Banks

My wife and I have a Valentine's weekend trip to the Outer Banks planned to meet up with some old friends from Fort Worth, Texas.

We were in the choir together at Bethesda Community Church. David (our friend) is now in Florida and plans to be in Hatteras with his fiancee for the day. It was a great chance for my wife and I to reserve two nights in a beachfront hotel in Nag's Head and take in the scenery with zero crowds. 

Two years ago we did the lighthouse tour on the island, taking in the three big ones on the way down to catch the Cedar Island Ferry (2.5 hours on the water from Ocracoke Island to Cedar Island). Last year I treated my 87-year-old mother to a couple of nights on the island and also wrote "The Ferry," a short story about a man riding a ferry while writing a story about a man riding a ferry. Yep, you read that right. In the story, he gets on a ferry and decides to write about a man on a ferry.

Here's the fun part. I was writing a story about a man riding a ferry while my character was writing a story about a man riding a ferry . . . and I wrote it while I was riding a ferry!

It was an opportunity too good to pass up.

This year I plan to research info for a new novel while on the islands but enjoy the scenery from the ferry's lounge (and leave my computer at home). I don't want to miss a single thing while on the water.

Farley Dunn