Christine Johnson here today, and I’d like to offer everyone
suffering through the spate of winter storms a glimpse of summer. Some of my non-LIH
books are set in 1850s Key West. There’s nothing like the beauty of the tropics
to give us a boost on those gloomy days.
This is one of the older homes in Key West. It was actually
built in the Bahamas, disassembled and brought to Key West after the 1846
hurricane! Having suffered through Hurricane Irma, I can see why the owner
resorted to this tactic. We have building supply stores and a road to the
mainland. Key West had neither of those in 1846. They relied on ships to bring
supplies. It could be a long wait.
Speaking of ships and remote destinations, you can still
visit one of the United State’s most remote National Parks, Dry Tortugas
National Park, where Fort Jefferson is located. It’s a couple hour ferry ride
or a seaplane ride from Key West to get there. The fort takes up nearly the
entire island. https://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm
Key West has its own fort, named Fort Zachary Taylor, which
was originally built offshore with a sand spit connecting it to the land. Now
it’s completely landlocked. The storms and flow of the sea are constantly
changing the shape of every key (island) in the chain. Hurricanes birth new
islands and remove others.
But I love the colors the best. The waters have a wide range
of blues and turquoises, and then there are the flowers. Many have been brought
to the island from other locations, but they are still beautiful.
My Keys of Promise
series is set in this area in the 1850s, when Key West looked very different
from today. In March, April and May, I will be hosting book club discussions on
each of the three books at the free Women’s Bible Café Book Club online.
Our March
discussion of Love’s Rescue has
begun, but you are certainly welcome to join in. See https://womensbiblecafe.org/2018/03/loves-rescue/
Thank you for sharing this walk through one of my favorite
places.
Christine Johnson
Would-Be Mistletoe
Wife (December 2017, LIH)
Freedom’s Price
(Revell, June 2017)
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