Hello from Key West

Hello, hope everyone is in good spirits today.  The weather is beautiful today. Light breezes, moderate temps and no clouds.  This is the kind of weather that make people from up north want to come down to get away from the cold, especially this year.  I gave you a short history of Key West sometime back, so here is a little more.

The weather isn't the only thing that bring people to this little island.  There are a few good points of interest to visit.  Oh, you can do the "tourist" thing and stay on Duval Street but there are other things to do here.  Ernest Hemingway lived here from 1931 to 1939 but he still owned the home until his death in 1961.  It is known as the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum and was designated as a    U. S. Historical landmark in 1968.

The house was originally built in 1851 by Asa Tift, who was a marine architect and salvage wrecker. It was built in a Spanish colonial estate style.  The construction is testament because it has survived many hurricanes.  It sits 16 feet above sea level and is the second-highest site on the island.

Part of its history is that it was the first house on Key West to have running water and an indoor bathroom. The water came from a rain cistern on the roof.  An interesting concept for that time. It seems that given the problems of today, rain water is being captured and used for many eco-friendly homes across the country.

During the time Hemingway lived here, the grounds were sparse and dry because of the lack of rain. The water came later with the Navy and the installation of a water line piped down from the mainland. The gardens today flourish as there are many tropical plants around it. Hemingway converted a urinal he obtained from the renovation of Sloppy Joe's bar. He converted it into a water fountain, where it remains as a prominent feature on the grounds of the home.  It serves as water resource for the many cats that reside there and are descendants of the 6-toed cats that lived there.

A prominent feature in the dining room is a Murano glass chandelier. The upstairs has a book display owned by Hemingway while he lived here. His writing studio is on the second floor of a free-standing carriage house and was once attached by a second-story walkway to the master bedroom.

There is a garage on the property, with an apartment on the second floor, built to house Hemingway's Buick automobile.

There is also a deep well-fed pool on the grounds.  Hemingway paid $20,000 to have the pool installed while he was away as a Spanish War correspondent in 1938. Upon returning home, he was said to be unpleasantly surprised by the cost and exclaimed:  "Well, you might as well have my last cent." The penny is embedded in concrete today near the pool.

Although this is a private, for profit landmark, it is a great place to start your tour of the island. It is located at 907 Whitehead St., across the street from the Key West lighthouse. Come for a visit, you will fall in love with Key West.

Hello from Key West!

Well, it's raining here today.  This is OUR cold front. Overcast, rainy and dreary.  The cold front brought temps to 75 degrees today. Brrrr.  The humidity is 80%. Well, I guess we have to have dreary weather from time to time.  My friends in the Northern states are fighting with the snow and ice. They are about ready to snuff out the groundhog.

When the weather turns better, everyone will be complaining about how hot it is.  No one is ever happy with the weather.  Down here, the weather gets the hottest during the summer months, July, August and September.  No breeze to speak of, and when it does rain, it either rains just enough to  mess up your car or it floods. Some days it is so hot that you walk out your door and get hit in the face with high humidity.  That's the cost of living in paradise, you take the good with the bad.

Living on an island is, for the most part, a good thing.  The locals here are as laid back as anyone can be and if something needs to be done, it will get done...in time.  The road work on the Boulevard is slowly but surely getting done.  On rainy days, work stops, and the vehicles get a wash, settles the dust.

I wish everyone I know in the Northern states could come down here for at least a week to get warm.  I traveled to Kentucky back in December.  When I left Key West the temp was between 60-70 degrees.  By the time I got to Tampa, I was digging out my jeans and sweatshirt, It was 50 degrees there, bone chilling for the state of Florida.  I woke up in Kentucky with a frost on my windshield and a temp of 35.  By the end of my week there, the temp was 60 and people were walking around in shorts and t-shirts. 

The weather has been acting strange the last few years. Snow in places that normally don't see it and warm weather where it is usually cold. The Winter Olympics are in what is supposed to be the coldest area of Russia.  They are having problems with Spring-like weather, melting snow on the ski slopes making it dangerous for the athletes.  Mother Nature is definitely going through the change of life, menopause, if you will.  She must be pretty ticked off.

Oh well, I guess we HAVE to take the good with the bad.  I am anxious to see what the weather has in store for all of us during this next year...Cuba may get snow in July.