Hello wonderful people,
Here's for you all to watch, “the behind-the-scenes” filming day 4. This day was also really special to us. Can you imagine being in Ernest Hemingway's home on your own playing music? Strumming your guitars in his lounge, and singing, "In the Key of West"…Unthinkable! But it really happened!
Key West and the Florida Keys; a place he loved so dearly. Indubitably, his passion for deep-sea fishing was one of the many reasons why he settled down here in the early 1930s. What an era to settle down in Key West, don't you agree?
He used to say, that Key West and the Florida Keys were unlike any other place he'd ever been, and, the greatest place in the world anytime, any day. It's now 2023, and we have traveled quite a lot around the world and indeed, we also think it is a very special place in the world. A place but also a community that deserves many tributes!
In late January 2023, as I was writing, Ric had just ended a call with the person responsible for the “Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum”, the wonderful, elegant, and very kind, Alexa Morgan. He said, with a big smile on his face, “Chris please stop a minute! I have incredible news! We have the authorization to go film in Hemigway's home! The Hemingway Home and Museum liked the song and our initiative to use our music as a vehicle to help children in difficult situations;
We will be in his house alone (with the cats) for two hours!"
Ric and I, both at the same time, cried with joy and hugged each other. It was such a surreal and happy moment. We felt so encouraged. We have so much respect for the writer and the person that Ernest Hemingway was.
Do you want to know a secret? ('Course you do! We all love secrets.). We have a beautiful picture of Hemingway with one of his cats in our lounge. But this is not the secret!
The secret is, every day waiting for the answer, I was secretly watching his picture in our lounge and talking to Hemingway as if he could hear me (You may think am crazy and it's ok): "Please Sir, let us go film a scene in your home", we love you so much and you are a legend of the Florida Keys, we know you loved people and artists, you helped so many down here on earth, and because of all the good that you did, you are mentioned in our song, please make it happen. It would be so supportive of you for our charity efforts".
It felt like Ernest Hemingway himself had answered the request made to him. Up to this day, we want to believe this encouragement came directly from him.
Two months later we arrived at his home at 7 am on a very hot and beautifully sunny Monday morning. We were excited like kids. Although, our excitement changed to a sudden very calm attitude when entering his home. We were received like royalty. It is so humbling when you think about what Hemingway had achieved throughout his life! All the team had cleaned the house for us. We were here for real now and ready to film! Only us… and the cats. We actually even had the chance to have one cat staying next to us during a take. It really was surreal all the way through. Like a dream. We are eternally grateful for these moments.
For some of you who have not yet visited the “Hemingway's Home and Museum” in Key West, we urge you to get there whenever you are in town. It's a fantastic place and you will love the stories the guide will share with you.
To finish this blog today we would love to share with you a very famous quote from Ernest Hemingway, which is in our opinion a very humbling one for us all:
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self”.
Thank you all for your continuous support and don't forget to please feel free to join our "little angels" family. If you have not done it already! Just click on the link below to buy the song:
https://lungmusic.com/album/790822/in-the-key-of-west-keys-strong
You will automatically be part of our efforts to help underprivileged children. We are grateful for your support with this initiative and for being part of the lung community!
And as always… much much love,
Chris x and Ric x