How did I end up living in Puerto Rico?

Being from Chicago, where it is always cold, I wanted to live in a warm climate. But not Florida!

My husband, Russ, had roommates in college from Puerto Rico. When he was in his Junior Year at the University of Oklahoma he spent the summer in Santurce, a suburb of San Juan. This summer made a big impression on him. And he suggested we visit the Enchanted Island.

Russ worked for DePaul University. He was given a five week vacation during the Christmas break. Because we had this time we traveled to PR, as the natives call Puerto Rico. We always booked room Seventeen at Numero Uno, a hotel on the ocean in Ocean Park. But after five years of staying there it seemed to be getting tacky. As we were walking the beach I asked Russ if we could buy a condo. At this time the government was forgiving capital gains taxes so there was an abundance of properties for sale.

We contracted with Yvette, a realtor Russ’s friend and classmate, Jimmy from college had suggested. Yvette, understood our wish list: We wanted to live on the ocean!

Looking at only four buildings, we put a bid on a property in Condado. Solemar, was the name of the building. Sol, meaning Sun, and Mar, meaning ocean. Even the name pleased me.

However, purchasing the condo was our first taste of the confusion of the “Land of not quite right”.

We returned to Chicago, so happy with our purchase. We set a date to return to the Island to close on the property. When we returned, we were told the owner’s nephew had a car accident in Florida, and we could not close. We returned to Chicago with a new date. The second time we arrived we were told the Notary, (the Notaries do closing here) had a heart attack and we could not close. Finally, we gave our Realator power of attorney and she closed on the apartment for us.

We were super happy in this apartment. Solemar, is a small building with thirty apartments. We had one neighbor on our floor, and I believe only eight apartments in the building were occupied by full time residents. Because the majority of the residents just visited their apartments, they did not want to make any improvements. So the building started to look unkept. Russ, joined the board of the home owners association to try to organize regular maintenance, but the President, who did not live in the building, was cordial, but never did anything, until there was a crisis.

At this time we were going to Old San Juan often. I thought to myself, perhaps we should move to the old city. It seems to have a thriving community. We needed friends. Russ agreed and we started our search for a small one bedroom condo.

After looking for over two years, we found one. The building was three floors, one apartment per floor, with an open court yard. We purchased the first floor. Before we purchased the apartment I asked the broker about the other two apartments. Since, there was an open court yard I did not want to live with a family with children. I was told a man from New York, who was our age purchased the top floor, and he assured me no one with children would move on the second floor.

We were happy in the apartment. Russ started taking art classes at the Liga de Arte, and I enjoyed walking the streets of Old San Juan. We made a few friends, so we were busy. Then the unthinkable occurred. A family with two small children moved into the second floor. I realized we needed to sell.

When we were living at Solemar, we needed to redo our kitchen. This is when we meet Eduardo. He also worked on the apartment for us in Old San Juan. He heard the children screaming when he came to visit. And he felt it his mission to help me escape.

He found a ruin down the street for us. Now what is a ruin? Well, this one had very little roof and a lot of weeds. It was one floor, which was good because Russ had broken his knee in the old city and we realized at our age walking stairs was not in the cards.

We purchased the ruin and started working on the remodeling plans.We hired a local architect and contractor. But we were not lucky. Just as we were starting to get approval from the Institute of Culture, (this is a government program that inspects homes to make sure they honor the historical significance of the old city). Maria, the hurricane hit. Nothing was opened, the entire Island was devastated. Five months after Maria, the Island had a major earthquake. And to top it off once everything settled down, we were all locked up in our homes because of “Covid.”

It took four years from purchasing the ruin when we actually moved in. The Old San Juan house is terrific. We even had a huge terrace on the roof to grow vegetables. But, it turns out, vegetables don’t do well with too much sun and salt. Therefore, nothing grew.

Russ and I always wanted a farm. We went out to dinner with our friends and told them our next plan. The next day, Ken, our friend, called and told us he found our farm.

We made an appointment with the Realtor that same day. The next day we met Carmen and her husband at the farm. Spooky, was my only thought. The farm is located in Caguas, in a barrio called Cañaboncito, sector called Buena Vista. Now to describe the condition of the farm. There was a small concrete house, the two and half acres had grass growing taller than I am, and I am five foot four.

Carmen said. “Come this way and I will show you the boundaries of the farm.” Russ obediently followed her. I started to follow Russ but the terrain was too steep.

“Russ, this isn’t for me. I don’t feel safe. I am going back to the car.”

“Ok, but I am going with Carmen.” he responded

Carmen’s husband Jose said to me, “Come this way it’s easier.”

So I followed him up a steep incline. As I was walking up and huffing and puffing, I thought to myself, “This is crazy, I am seventy years old! If I fall I will be out of commission. I am going to the car.” But as I turned I saw the valley below. It looked captivating. I realized at that moment this was our farm.

Once again, it was a problem. Because of the inheritance laws in Puerto Rico.

The owner of the property’s wife had died. Therefore, according to Puerto Rico laws the husband and all the children, must share in the profit from the sale. Meaning everyone must agree to the selling of the property. One of Moe’s, the father of the children, didn’t want to sell. It took two months to get her to sign off. Nothing is easy.

Now I did not mention Tony or Antonio. He was an owner of a fantastic art gallery in Old San Juan. We purchased all our Island art from him. Tony, had to close the gallery, and we lost track of him. But one day there he was. He said he would help us with the ruin. Russ and I really don’t understand Spanish. Although, Russ is getting better. Having Tony made everything so much easier for us. Now Tony is a son to us. We don’t do anything without consulting him first.

The farm, four years later, is manicured. The property came with a 20 foot by 20 foot reinforced concrete house that was built between 1935 and 1942 when the federal government was giving land under a program of Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration to get agriculture going. Russ remodeled and updated the house where we now can spend time.

We have two chickens, RuPaul and Violet Tchotchke, who give us two eggs a day. But we still felt we needed something, A DOG! My girlfriends Carol and Karen, both adopted puppies, and after twenty years of not having a dog by my side I wanted one too. I got my courage together to ask Russ.

“Russ, please don’t get mad, but I want a dog.”

“Funny,” he said, ” I want one too.”

Now we have Quinn, she is a bernedoodle. Russ and I are enjoying her more than we ever thought. She make’s us laugh and we marvel at how she runs up and down the hills of the farm.

What to do now? We have Tony, a farm, chickens, Quinn: It’s time to build another house!

The farm is a mountain, at the top of the mountain the view of the valley is magical. The existing farm house is on the bottom of the mountain, and strangely the house does not take advantage of the view. So why not build a house with a view? Russ, who is an architect, drew up the plans. After, a lot of waiting we just broke ground.