Ernest Hemingway Home in Key West

Ernest Hemingway lived for several years in Key West with his second wife, Pauline. This is where they lived and fought before Ernest ran off to Cuba with number three.

To the chagrin of tour guides today, as soon as they moved into the house, Pauline had all the fans removed and replaced with crystal lights from Paris.

Their bed was made from a centuries-old hand carved wooden gate that Ernest found on his travels in Europe.

Medieval birthing stool.

The grounds were beautiful. Several of these shots were made while I was standing on the second floor balcony.

The tour guide was full of stories about Ernest and Pauline, but I spent most of my time trying to get some pictures of the cats that were everywhere.

While the Hemingways were living in Key West, a ship's captain gifted them with a polydactyl (6-toed) white cat. The 40-50 cats living there today are descendants of that cat. All the cats are named for famous people.

The Old Man and the Sea is my favorite Hemingway book, but I liked him a lot better before I learned about his personal life. Still, the house and grounds are worth a visit if you are in Key West.

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