I'm
Pretty Sure It's Not Poison Ivy
Cabbage Key, Florida - February 2005
DAY
1 & 2
The whole point of Cabbage Key was to study Botany and do nothing. That’s
what we did for seven days. Cabbage Key is directly across from marker
60 on the Florida Intercoastal Waterway. That’s due west form
Pine Island, Florida, USA. . Sanibel and Captiva islands are 8 miles
to the south. The high point of this morning so far was watching Chip
the dockmaster at Cabbage Key replace the Channel Mark signs stolen
away by hurricane Charley. This high point however was soon replaced
by our sighting a lone dolphin scoot by the dock.
We debated if reading "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
is considered doing nothing. But we decided reading was an activity,
especially when it’s Hemingway, so we went back to watching the
dolphins and the Osprey. My student was learning that it was very difficult
to do nothing.
Our “school days” on Cabbage key begin on our dock reading.
Along with studying Botany, we’re finishing "A Farewell to
Arms" and “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaarder.
When you travel to an Island that you can only get to by boat you choose
your school materials carefully. We thought Botany, Philosophy and Hemingway
made an interesting accompaniment to learning the art of doing nothing.
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