We are still planning on going to the Bahamas and needed to get a Local Boaters Option clearance card which will expedite our return back to the US. Key West is the closest Customs office so we were “forced” to go back there. After a few hours of complying with government rigmarole, we passed so we were free for a day of fun.
We met Wayne and Jill at Margaritaville for lunch. They have moved their RV down here to Boyd’s in Key West. They are eagerly awaiting the return of warmer weather as their pool aqua aerobics class was cancelled for the past week as the morning temps were below 60. We all had the “Cheeseburger in Paradise” which was good and very filling.
We whiled away the afternoon touring the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. “The Old Man and the Sea” is one of my favorite books and it was a thrill to visit his home and breathe that rarified air and see pictures of his boat “Pilar” and his friend and captain, Gregorio Fuentes, who is said to be the model for his Old Man character, Santiago. Fuentes lived until 104 and started the day with rum and a cigar, a practice that Hemingway adopted also.
Our tour guide, Loren, is to the left of Bob in the house picture—he looks like a statue there, but on tour, he channels Hemingway himself complete with a flask and stories…so many stories. Hemingway the man was larger than life and more complicated than any of his characters largely due to his bipolar disorder. He had 4 wives and had a very tempestuous relationship in this home with wife #2, Pauline. She got wind that he was having another affair, and while he was away on an extended assignment, she had a $20,000 pool installed. Ernest was enraged at this as his finances were depleted and threw his “last penny” at her. Pauline, never one to miss a chance for drama, had the penny encased in a stone walkway by the pool and told everyone, “Of the 4 Hemingway wives, I was the only one to get his last red cent.” Hemingway retaliated by bringing home the urinal from his favorite bar, Sloppy Joe’s, and installing it in the garden area adjoining the pool hoping to embarrass her with her friends. Not to be outdone, Pauline added a beautiful stone urn fountain that emptied into the urinal so it became art.
Did I mention that this is a cat house? Hemingway loved cats especially the six-toed variety. There are 44 cats now on the property, and if I get to be reincarnated, I want to come back here as a cat. Notice in the master bedroom, the bed is cordoned off for humans but the cat gets to lie down. What a life!
We finished up the day with another sunset at Mallory Square and on our way back to Marathon, stopped at Mangrove Mama’s (Milepost 20) for key lime pie. Jill and friends have tasted their way through many versions but this is their #1 taste pick and I have to agree. Yum…..
We met Wayne and Jill at Margaritaville for lunch. They have moved their RV down here to Boyd’s in Key West. They are eagerly awaiting the return of warmer weather as their pool aqua aerobics class was cancelled for the past week as the morning temps were below 60. We all had the “Cheeseburger in Paradise” which was good and very filling.
We whiled away the afternoon touring the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. “The Old Man and the Sea” is one of my favorite books and it was a thrill to visit his home and breathe that rarified air and see pictures of his boat “Pilar” and his friend and captain, Gregorio Fuentes, who is said to be the model for his Old Man character, Santiago. Fuentes lived until 104 and started the day with rum and a cigar, a practice that Hemingway adopted also.
Our tour guide, Loren, is to the left of Bob in the house picture—he looks like a statue there, but on tour, he channels Hemingway himself complete with a flask and stories…so many stories. Hemingway the man was larger than life and more complicated than any of his characters largely due to his bipolar disorder. He had 4 wives and had a very tempestuous relationship in this home with wife #2, Pauline. She got wind that he was having another affair, and while he was away on an extended assignment, she had a $20,000 pool installed. Ernest was enraged at this as his finances were depleted and threw his “last penny” at her. Pauline, never one to miss a chance for drama, had the penny encased in a stone walkway by the pool and told everyone, “Of the 4 Hemingway wives, I was the only one to get his last red cent.” Hemingway retaliated by bringing home the urinal from his favorite bar, Sloppy Joe’s, and installing it in the garden area adjoining the pool hoping to embarrass her with her friends. Not to be outdone, Pauline added a beautiful stone urn fountain that emptied into the urinal so it became art.
Did I mention that this is a cat house? Hemingway loved cats especially the six-toed variety. There are 44 cats now on the property, and if I get to be reincarnated, I want to come back here as a cat. Notice in the master bedroom, the bed is cordoned off for humans but the cat gets to lie down. What a life!
We finished up the day with another sunset at Mallory Square and on our way back to Marathon, stopped at Mangrove Mama’s (Milepost 20) for key lime pie. Jill and friends have tasted their way through many versions but this is their #1 taste pick and I have to agree. Yum…..
