By November 1946, U.S. President Harry S. Truman had served 19 gruelling months in office.

He had faced the momentous decision to drop the atomic bomb and it had taken a toll on the chief executive's health.

Truman's doctor ordered a vacation in the sun and someone suggested the commandant's house at the Key West naval station. It was a location that offered maximum security and complete privacy. It was also the right cure for Truman.

What does this have to do with me? I've also had a gruelling time. I've written a medical column 52 weeks of the year for 29 years without missing a week. It was easy to convince myself I was brain weary, needed a holiday in the sun, and why not the Florida Keys? It was also the right cure for me.

My wife and I took the easy way to the Keys. A flight from Toronto to Miami and then a short hop to Key West.

We find the Keys more laid back than the rest of Florida. The architecture reminds us of the French section of New Orleans. And how could it not be cozy when it's only 6 km long and 2.5 km wide?

What memories did we bring home? Who wouldn't enjoy the sun, the beaches, shrimp and moonlight cruises after a long winter? But there were others.

One is Truman's Little White House in Key West. I've always admired Harry Truman's style of shooting from the hip. He often said, "I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell!"

After becoming president he remarked, "My early choice in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!"

The Little White House is also a major attraction in Key West.

And when asked about President Richard Nixon, he said, "He's a shifty-eyed goddamn liar. He's one of the few people in the history of this country to run for high office who can talk out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and lying out of both sides."

Truman loved The Little White House in Key West. Soon after he arrived he wrote to his wife, Bess, "This place is what I hoped it would be and what I was certain it would not be. I've just returned from the beach and my cough and cold are nearly gone."

Afternoon naps

A tour through The Little White House tells you a lot about Truman's down-to-earth background.

Here was a man who had the power to order the use of the atomic bomb, but he also listened to his mother and took afternoon naps. Staff meetings were held in the living room where a small desk holds Truman's famous sign: "The Buck Stops Here."

The poker room is another feature of The Little White House. Truman spent many evenings there playing cards with his staff. And since the president liked his whiskey, the navy built a bar at the end of the room.

Bess was not amused. She always referred to the room as "that smelly little tavern." She could have added "Harry, it's also not good for your health."

Hemingway's house in Key West is another major attraction. It remains much the same as when "Papa" lived there.

His life is legendary. He drank hard and spent much of his time in Sloppy Joe's Bar where liquor was cheap and fights were common. Since he had four wives there must have been other altercations.

While in Key West Hemingway wrote The Snows Of Kilimanjaro, Death In The Afternoon and The Green Hills Of Africa. The writer, who suffered from depression, later ended his life with a shotgun in Idaho in 1961.

I did go to Sloppy Joe's, briefly. The crowd and noise drove me out.

Key West, because of its size, is a great town for walking and contains several interesting areas. As a former ship's surgeon I enjoyed seeing the cruise ships come into port each day, only a few feet from our balcony at the Ocean Key Resort. It's a great spot where everyone comes to see the sunset.

Before leaving for the Keys our children had given us an assignment -- find a resort that's great for children. So after leaving Key West we toured the keys from one end to the other and couldn't find a better one than Hawk's Cay at Duck Key. An excellent beach, porpoises and lots of action keep children amused.

The first night there we also discovered Truman's Bar, named after his visit to Duck Key in 1964.

We wonder now how we managed to travel to Florida several times without having visited the Keys. Truman returned to Key West 11 times. I won't beat that record but I intend to return.

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