On Thursday, September 1st, I flew from San Francisco International Airport to Fayetteville, North Carolina to visit my friend Doug, who is stationed there. After a full day of travel, Doug dropped me off at his friends’ house. They are a young, married couple living on base. I couldn’t stay at Doug’s place because he lives in the barracks and they are not allowed to have overnight guests. Furthermore, he doesn’t really have room for a guest bed. The friends were very friendly, and we talked about all sorts of things before going to bed.
The following morning, the 6:30am reveille woke me, along with the barking dog downstairs. Eventually Doug came by and picked me up. We went to the grocery store across from his barracks to pick up deodorant, which I had forgotten, and breakfast sandwiches. We were going to head to the coast but because of the hurricane, we decided to wait until Saturday. We wound up going in the opposite direction, to Seagrove which is known for its pottery. There were dozens of pottery studios and galleries lining the main road between Fort Bragg and the center of Seagrove. Unfortunately, many of the galleries did not have a web presence, so knowing their hours or even that they existed before hand was sort of a crap shoot. Because we were on a tight schedule, we only stopped at places that I had been able to vet ahead of time. To add to the frustration through, many of the locations that did have hours posted online, were in fact closed when we showed up. A few were open, so we were able to see pottery in those. I purchased a little mug with a bear on it! We stopped in a pub in a little town called Pinehurst for dinner
and then drove back to Fort Bragg in the rain. Doug’s friends, Doug and I then stayed up late talking about government and politics. Although they are conservative and I am a liberal, we seemed to find a lot of common ground.
We started Saturday morning a little earlier for our three hour trip to the North Carolina Coast. After getting ready, we stopped at the gas station for gas, snacks, and pre-made sandwiches for the road. The drive was long but enjoyable, and we talked about a variety of subjects, most of which I can’t remember now. At some point, we decided it was necessary to figure out what all the corps in the nearby farms were, so we looked them 
up. There was a lot of tobacco, cotton, and peanuts in those fields. After checking into our hotel in Morehead, NC, we headed out to town to check out a few shops. We ended up spending a lot of time in an adorable second hand shop with the friendly owners. Afterward, we went to Fort Macon and walk the grounds of the Civil war fort. Afterward, we walked on the beach where I collected shells. We had a disappointing dinner in Atlantic beach.
Sunday morning, we went to the Beaufort downtown area. Many of the shops were closed, including coffee shops and breakfast places. Fortunately, we had eaten at the surprisingly tasty continental breakfast at the hotel. After getting some coffee, we walked around town, popping into local shops and generally taking the day slow. There was a little craft fair on the green, lots of art galleries, and shops with home goods and t-shirts. after lunch, we went on a boat ride around the rachel Carson Reserve, where we got to see wild horses and luxury vacation homes. We stopped on the island and walked around for a little while. The smell of the island was that of wild flowers and ocean. It reminded me of my tip to Star Island in New Hampshire a little while back.
After that excursion on the boat tour, we drove over to Harkers Island to take a ferry out to Cape lookout. Cape Lookout is a small island on the outer coast of North Carolina. It is know for it great sea shells and historic lighthouse. The lighthouse museum had a lot of interesting facts about the lighthouse and its keepers. We walked around the islands boardwalks and beaches for a few hours, enjoying the serene island. Doug sat down on the beach and took a nap while I walked along the beach, collecting some of the most beautiful shells I’d ever seen. We caught the last ferry off the island and had dinner at a little Mexican place in Beaufort before heading back to Fort Bragg.
Monday, September 5th was a slow day. Doug needed to do laundry, and the machines did work correctly, meaning we were stuck hanging around for a long time. I sorted seashells and work on schoolwork in the meantime. After lunch, we went to a barber so doug could get a haircut, to a used bookstore, and then to Panera Bread for an early dinner. Doug dropped me off at the airport, and we said our goodbyes. I felt strange while standing in line for security; most of the other people at the tiny Fayetteville airport were either crying young woman, or serious looking men. Seeing how this airport serves the nation’s largest army base, I knew that it was a place of difficult goodbyes and serious beginnings, but mine was neither. I was just a friend, visiting a friend. No lovers torn by geography, no young person going off to a far away land. Just a friend, visiting a friend, and being the only happy person in that line was surreal.
Dayana's Days 