Getting away from it all!

Last weekend my parents came down to Florida to visit. I haven’t seen my family since we moved down last August, so it was really nice to spend some time together. Guests are always a great excuse to get out and explore someplace you’ve never been before. We have heard about Cabbage Key and thought this might be the perfect adventure all of us would enjoy.

Cabbage Key is accessible only by boat, so we headed down to Pine Island to take the ferry over. Since all of us had skipped breakfast, we were ready for a bite to eat in the famous Dollar Bill Bar. After a delicious meal, we checked out the room with all the dollar bills, learned the story behind why dollar bills are taped to the walls (fishermen would tape an autographed bill guaranteeing an ongoing bar tab), then headed out to explore the rest of the island. I climbed the water tower and took in the spectacular view. We walked the trail counting all the gopher tortoises we saw - I believe the final number was 8. I kept my eye out for sea otters, but had no luck spotting one.

We did however get get to say hello to two manatees! I have always loved these sea cows and was thrilled to finally see some in the wild.I visited Blue Springs years ago, the only time I have ever seen manatees in the wild. After checking out the gift shop and waving bye to the manatees, it was time to get back on the boat.

Stops to North Captiva resulted in watching dolphins swimming close by. They hung around for a bit before swimming away, but it was delightful to watch these seemingly happy creatures enjoy themselves. When we arrived at the dock, a gentleman and his golden retriever came over to greet his family who had arrived for a visit. My husband and I shouted “We Are” and received the correct response - “Penn State!”. As you already know, I’m a sucker for golden retrievers, the fact that this one’s owner was a Penn State fan made me love her even more! We fussed over Cheyenne (the dog), and chatted about Penn State, Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania. It’s always fun to meet new people and talk about home and our favorite college football team, the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Our next stop brought a family with a yellow lab on board. A young pup, she was part of a family with 4 children. I have no doubt this girl is living a dog’s dream life! Cuddling two dogs - I definitely got my dog fix on this adventure! We arrived safely back on land and went in search of ice cream - my all time favorite treat!

It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday - with family, wildlife, nature, a quaint island and view that simply can’t be described as anything but paradise! I understand now why so many folks rave about what a gem Cabbage Key is. While we chose to only spend the afternoon there, you can rent cottages or stay at the local inn. While there are television, there is no cable, satellite or DVD players. Cell phone reception is spotty and no landline phones are provided in any of the rooms. It really is a quiet and tranquil. Sometimes the simple things are the best experiences!

Here are a few of my cell phone shots I captured from this wonderful day!

Thanks for reading!