Bill's older brother Bob and his wife, Betty, drove down from their home in Simpsonville, SC, to stay with us for a week. Our time with them was made more special when Bob's daughters -- Jeni Russ and Deanne Fitzpatrick -- joined us.
We had a blast. A tour of the Hemingway House was the highlight of the day we spent together in Key West.
The great man's writing room. According to our guide, Hemingway came here daily and stayed until he had written 700 words. At that point, he departed for his favorite watering hole to imbibe and recover from his exhausting ordeal.
This large pool, the first in Key West, was constructed by his second wife, Pauline, at a cost of $20,000. The site was previously occupied by Ernest's boxing ring. She removed that while he was on an extended trip that involved a tryst with his latest lover. Perhaps a soupcon of revenge on Pauline's part?
As unhappy as Hemingway was to discover his beloved boxing ring had been replaced by a hole in the ground filled with water, the salt in the wound was its extragagent cost. Rumor has it he told Pauline if she was going to spend his money like that she might as well take his last red cent and ended his declaration by tossing a penny on the ground. Said penny is now embedded in the concrete near the pool.
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| Many cats, some with six toes, roam the house and grounds. This one is named Bogie |
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| Cats are a major theme, even appearing in the curtains hung at the upstairs windows. |
Then there's the urinal Hemingway liberated from a local bar and installed on the grounds as a watering dish for the cats. It fell short of Pauline's design standards so she added a large urn in an effort at disguise, or at least deflection.
Ernest Hemingway married four times. His wives are pictured below in the order in which they exchanged vows.
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A bit of a non sequiter but I found it interesting -- an antique birthing stool used as part of the bedroom decor.
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Our tour guide -- she did an excellent job. Great voice and very knowledgeable.
I will close by intoducing you to three outstanding women: Jeni Bowles Russ, Betty Holloway Bowles, and Deanne Bowles Fitzpatrick. Bob Bowles is a fortunate man!
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