The "LDub's Tiki Bar" Story

It was an ordinary day. Carol and I were cleaning the Tiki Bar for a party. Since we aren' big party people, it only gets cleaned a few times each summer. Actually we probably wouldn't have a Tiki Bar if the guy we bought it from hadn't drastically reduced the price of it. Story goes that we went to Wicker Imports to look for dining room furniture after we had given our 25 year old dining room suite to our daughter. The old suite was in great shape and opened to 10 feet, but it wasn't "beachie" or contemporary enough for our beach house. So we passed it along the family chain and went to look for new furniture. Saw a great hutch and table with glass top and both were made in dark wicker so we decided to buy them. While in the store we saw this Tiki Bar which was made from PVC pipe, but looked like bamboo. Pretty neat, really. We asked the owner what the price was for the item. He told us he bought 6 of them about 5 years ago and they didn't sell. We were looking at the last one and he really wanted to move it. He gave us a price of $300 and I told him I would let him know. We got home and Carol said she really liked the Tiki Bar and it would look great on our deck. So the next day I called the owner back and asked him how bad he wanted to get rid of the Tiki Bar. "How much will you give me for it?" he said. "I'll give you $100 for it, I replied. "It's yours," was the quick answer. I realized after I hung up I should have said $50! Well the bar does look great and I covered the whole bottom of it with license plates from as many of the locations that we have traveled to that I could get a plate. States such as PA, NJ, FL, and HI are on it. My PA plate is the one with our initials on it that we ordered when we had our Vette. A copy of it hangs in a restaurant on Orient Beach in St. Martin. I am trying to get a plate from MD that has the marshes and a heron in the corner, but they are hard to get, legally. I have one from Alabama, but have never been there. Just had to have it when I saw it and it has "Stars Fell On Alabama" on it. One of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs. I had to get on eBay to buy it and when it came there was one from Guam that was with it, even though I didn't pay or bid on it. Have one from Belize that I know the guy went behind the store and took off a car. Have one from Jamaica, but it isn't the traditional size and it doesn't say Jamaica on it. Fellow who got it for me said only the Government plates have Jamaica on them and I couldn't get out of the country with one. I have one from Barbados that doesn't have any identifying name on it. I have 6 plates from St. Martin/Sint Maarten. It seems they have a different one every year so they can sell the old ones to tourists. And it works!! I also have one from Antigua and Barbuda that our cab driver, GG, got for me last year, but it looks so bad I can't hang it up and ruin the look of our great Tiki Bar. Guests will be here later tonight so I better finish my job and start to mix some drinks to serve at the Tiki Bar. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from top are Tiki Bar on our deck, plates from Alabama, Belize, Jamaica, Barbados, St. Maarten, and Antigua/Barbuda.