So Near So Far

Description

So Near So Far, that must be the feeling of all Cubans who have wished to escape and all Americans who have wished they could visit the nearby island paradise.

On the right is the Cuban Malecon Seawall where Cubans stroll and fish for their dinner.  The 3 star hotel Kohly is actually located just west of Havana in an area called Reparto Kohly which is on land once owned by my family.  At the entrance to the harbor is the Moro Castle which was built in 1598. The 60 foot statue of Christ was finished in 1959 just before the communists took over.  The buildings behind it are not in their actual locations but I took artistic license to fit them in.  

In key west side is the red, black and gold southernmost point marker which states “90 miles to cuba”.  Sloppy Joe’s, one of Hemingway’s watering holes, is shown with a banner saying happy birthday 120 which would have been in 2019. On Mallory Square the daily show has a tightrope walker, fire breather and other performers.  At the end of Duval Street is the Truman Anex (formerly the “Little White House”). Past that is the southernmost point marker and the Key West lighthouse.  Behind Duval Street are South Beach art deco buildings and behind that is the famous Freedom Tower in downtown Miami.

In the straits of Florida is Hemingway fishing on his yacht “Pilar”and I am sitting on a raft floating away. It should be noted that it is estimated that hundreds of thousands maybe a million rafters did not make it.  I have a friend that was on an inner tube for 9 days with only 1 gallon of water between 2 men. He was found floating north of Ft. Lauderdale. Hemingway had homes in Key West and in Havana and in both cities his home has been preserved and is on many guided tours. His boat “Pilar” is preserved in havana.

We can only hope that someday soon Cubans and Americans can embrace and travel freely each way. We are so near but yet so far.