Visiting Key West, Florida/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Key West, Florida/Carlos Pueblo

Overnight the ship reached Key West, Florida, the most southeastern

tip of the United States. I am very happy for myself by completing the

four extreme points of the North American territory, St. John’s, Newfound

land, Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia on the Northeast by cruises; Cape

Flatttery, Washington on the Northwest by car; entering Tijuana, Mexico

by car and Key West on the Southeastern tip of Florida by cruise.

Truman Little White House in the Truman Annex is one of the most unique

subdivision in the U.S. It was built in 1823 and kept in mint condition through

out almost 200 years. It was a Naval Station for protection of pirates from the

Caribbean and housing the officers and soldiers. Harry Truman picked up one

of them as his retreat and passed it on to his successors until Bill Clinton. Now,

the Little White House is managed by the State of Florida in a very good shape

as a museum open to the public.  I was asking almost everyone on the street for

the information of ownership of these gorgeous frame mansions. The front yards

of every house arranged like a garden in Hawaii with tropical flowers, palms, and

orchid on tree trunks, etc.

There are typical tourists town with a very organized management of a city, stores

and streets full of visitors. I can feel a taste of Cuban culture at least some of cigar

shops and beautiful roosters rooming around at store front and street corners like

the old town Miami. I found the Hemingway’s old house and some visitors went

inside to view his old mansion. He is a Nobel Laureate for his novel, the old man

and the sea. He went to the Spanish Civil War. My fellow passenger told me that

this house was his second wife’s and the first wife owned the one in Havana, Cuba.

She read a book of his third wife about their marriage with a sad name that I couldn’t

Remember. Obviously, he was doing very well at his time as a writer. That famous

novel is about an old man trying to cat a fish in the water between Florida and Cuba.

As a matter of fact, there was a fishing contest of $80,000 award for fisherman

Interested when I visited.

I attempted to locate the famous Key Lime pie mentioned to me by my graduate

school professor’s wife, Mrs. Jean Baker, a Florida native. Finally, I found one in

an ice box with a price tag $5.99, of course plus tax. I kept on going toward the ship

after 4 hours walk. I found an art gallery to rest my body. Interestingly, it is also a

furniture store with products made of coconut trees from the Fiji Islands. It is very

heavy and looks luxury. I thought that the owner is an Asian Indian yet he is an

Australian who found the idea and with the skill to make it as an art product.