BIMINI ON MY MIND

Ernest Hemingway in Bimini

Dearest Hem,

It has been months since I've written, and for that I apologize. I needed to unplug for a a bit - I know you can understand that urge - for you, the bull fights in Pamplona Spain, trips to Austria for winter sports and camping. Sometimes you just have to "step away" in order lend some perspective to the life you're immersed in.

You did inspire me, dear Hem, to step outside of my comfort zone and take a trip to Bimini. They still remember you there. Your name is written in the stories they tell on Bimini. On the Big Game Club Resort & Marina, where you used to deep sea fish out of. You lived there from 1935 to 1937, and, after going there I can see why it was a place you found escape.

I fell in love with Bimini the moment my feet touched it's sandy soil. The airport is sooo laid back. If you fly in on a commercial flight (a small plane), you land in one part of the the island (south Bimini) and then have to take a water ferry to the other part of the island (North Bimini) where there are limited accommodations. We rented a privately owned bungalow just off the beach. It was off season, which I highly recommend, and we ate local foods and snorkeled to our hearts content. 

I understand your love for this place. There is such a good-natured, happy feel about the island and its people. It's not over developed and overrun with outsiders and it still has that sleepy feel of an island fishing village. There are cars, but there's no need for one. Everything is within walking distance, and the walking is interesting as you get to see all of the locals going about their daily business.

Food is a challenge if you're looking for something other than local fair. But being from the mainland, local fair of sea food and rice and beans is plenty delicious when seasoned with curry and cummin and coconut. Locals we met would bring island offerings and leave them on our porch: two types of coconuts - one that is just good for the coconut water inside and the other the traditional coconut that you can eat the meat of and drink the coconut milk. 

I would be failing to do the island justice, regarding the food eaten there, if I didn't speak to the many recipes that feature conch. I tried the conch salad and the conch fritters. They were delicious. I did take the lead from a number of locals who pointed us to places to shop and eat that were more traditional and didn't cater heavily to tourists.

Thank you, Hem, for steering me towards Bimini. I loved it and I will be going back. Perhaps next time to try my hand at deep sea fishing. Though, I am a "catch and release" kind of fisherperson.


When last we connected you were in a dark place and Pauline was isolated in the states, at her parents home, and missing you terribly. If your travails in the world of love aren't something to drag you down, it's disheartening to hear that Samuel Roth, publisher of the American literary magazine Two Worlds is using your material, without permission, as well as Joyce's Ulysses, and he's lying through his teeth as he tells publishers he's doing it with your consent. How presumptuous! 

I was also pleased to read, in your letter to Hadley, dated 18 November, 1926 that the she was waving the need for the continued separation from Pauline and agreeing, and actually requesting that you start the divorce proceedings. In hindsight, I believe that Hadley knew you better than you knew yourself, but she also recognized that when you were embroiled in passion there was little she could do to steer you to calmer, more sustaining waters. Hadley wrote, "I am not responsible for your future welfare - it is in your hands and those of God (pretty good scout and a swell friend)." The divorce decree was final by the end of April, 1926.

So, dear Hem, begins the next chapter. This one off to a rocky start with several stumbling points but never shy of passion. I look forward to staying in touch and exploring "life according to Ernest Hemingway."

Wishing you all the best,
Betsy