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Terry R.
The Florida Keys
Key West is rich in history and abounds with many interesting places to see.
Tour guides delight regaling tourist with fascinating anecdotes as well as the facts associated with these sites.
One of my favorite tours on my recent visit to this tropical island was to the Ernest Hemingway House. Our guide was a blonde 30ish lady with smiling eyes whom animatedly related the house's history.
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The day was typically hot and humid, and our guide brought us through the house as expeditiously as possible to minimize our discomfort from the heat. For you see, there were absolutely no ceiling fans or air conditioners in the house. Ernest Hemingway lived in this house with his second wife, Pauline. Pauline loved chandeliers and she had removed all the ceiling fans and replaced them with beautiful crystal chandeliers-- beautiful-- but not practical.
As we were going through the rooms and the grounds, there were many different cats to accompany us. Signs cautioned us against picking any of them up. There were 55 in all, and we were told everyone was a descendant of Ernest Hemingway's original 60 cats. The cats were pterodactyls, which are six toed. They all appeared to be wearing mittens. Hemingway loved cats and a sea captain friend of his gave him a one of these multi-toed cats as a gift. Sea Captains considered the mitten-pawed cats (which are found mainly around major seaports) as good luck. Hemingway was so enchanted by these cats that he bred them, and all the cats are descendants of this original cat.
Pablo Picasso was also aware of his friend's fondness for the felines and presented Hemingway with a cat sculpture. Many years later when the present owner originally acquired the house, this sculpture was found in a trash bag in the cellar (which is one of the few cellars on the island), with one of the legs broken. Knowing Hemingway's proclivity towards cats, she thought it would be nice to display it in the house, so she had the sculpture repaired. A few years later, a female relative of Hemingway's stopped by the house for a visit. When she saw the cat, she recognized it immediately and expressed her surprise at seeing it again, for she had assumed it was gone forever. Then she told the new owner of its creator.
The cat is displayed in the Hemingway Home to this day and has been assessed for well over a million dollars!
©1999 Terry R.
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