Just a Nice, Lazy Story

This blog isn't intended to be a travelogue, but I just can't help but write about the visit my wife and I made this past Saturday with another couple to Cabbage Key. It's a small, mostly undeveloped island in Pine Island Sound, not far from Sanibel, and it is only accessible by boat. It is home to the Cabbage Key Inn where, according to local legend, Jimmy Buffett was inspired to write "Cheeseburger in Paradise." I had a burger (though without the cheese) while we were there. It was quite good, if not inspiring!

We had a very pleasant trip over to the island on one of the local island-hopping tour boats. We were regaled along the way with a plethora of facts and figures related to our journey, including the tale of the Dollar Bill Bar.

The Dollar Bill Bar is located at the Inn, and is noteworthy for the thousands and thousands of dollar bills tacked to the walls and the ceilings. Each one has been signed by a tourist, a fisherman, or some other customer (including the aforementioned Jimmy Buffett--his warrants a frame!) Apparently back in the early days of the bar (which was opened in 1944) a fisherman signed a dollar bill and affixed it to the wall to make certain he had money for a drink when he returned. Today the owners estimate that as many as 70,000 bills adorn the bar. And each year, about 10,000 fall off the ceiling and the walls and are donated to charity.

When I heard that story, I said, "Now there's a sermon illustration!" And maybe it is. But then again, maybe not Maybe it's just a nice story. One that should be allowed to stand on its own. No real moral, no real point. Just a nice, lazy story about a nice, lazy island off Florida's Gulf Coast. How perfect! For as the gentle breezes washed over our faces on the boat ride back home, I realized we'd had a nice, lazy day.