At this point in time you will notice we are at approximately a 35 on the scale or 35% of the way there. We estimate an increase of more or less about 5% per month on this meter. We thought this might be a fun way for those of you out in Internet-land to watch the progress we are making as we close the gap to moving and living in Rincon. We will be down visiting Rincon in just a few short weeks, so watch the blog soon for updates straight from there.

Cassie Using the Computer at the new coffee shop Blue Mug in Greeley

Last weekend we went out to see the Rum Diary in the theater.  It is  based on a Hunter Thompson creation and takes place in Puerto Rico in the early 60′s.   It stars Johnny Depp too so we figured it was worth checking out. Cassie had read the book a few years ago and even then they were planning on making a movie.  It turned out pretty good.

But of course we are biased since it is a PR story! A lot of the scenes we knew exactly where they were filmed! I thought it did a good job of showing both the poverty and wealth of the island through the eyes of an outsider who attempts to uncover some of the news stories on the island in between Depp’s character’s drunken romps. It even went a little into the history of the US military bombing ranges on Vieques and Culebra and rampant corruption.

Depp’s character gets to drive a sweet 53 Corvette.

I’ve always thought it would be fun to take my Corvette down to PR but it’s not as cool as this 53 and it would be pretty expensive to ship it.   That and the sea air would most likely destroy the frame!

In other sort of related news, the offer we put in on the other house didn’t go thru otherwise we would most likely be working on weekends and nights.  It’s nice to have some downtime although it’s going to get really boring over the next few winter months until we get down to our place in Rincon. We are thinking January or early February depending on my work on-call schedule. With all of these ‘vacation weekends’ we are really geared up to get down there and get some work done on our house and property. But we’ll probably still take a few breaks at the Banana Dang and see a movie or two at Caribe Cinema for good measure.

And, if you haven’t already, you can check out my latest post on the site about buying a house in Puerto Rico and some of the similarities and differences between buying property in the states versus Colorado. Or if you would prefer, I have pasted it here. Can you think of any other similarities and differences when buying in Puerto Rico? 

REPOSTED FROM RINCON LIFE
Buying Property in Rincon, Puerto Rico

Hi all, it’s Cassie from Lifetransplanet  here! I am so excited to be a part of the Rincon Life community! I suppose currently my role in the Rincon community is just about to start because we only recently purchased our fixer-upper property in May. That being said, we know quite a bit about buying (or trying to buy) property in Puerto Rico.

In 2008 we attempted to purchase a property -a finca- in Lares, in the central part of Puerto Rico. It is from that experience and our current experience buying our house in Rincon that we’ve learned that buying property in Puerto Rico is not exactly what you might expect stateside. We own five properties in Colorado as well (rentals and our house) so we do know about that process as well. In some ways buying a property in Puerto Rico is quite similar to in the states, and in others, it is very different. Here are some of those similarities and differences:

Similarities:

• Puerto Rico is part of the United States and so Federal regulations do apply to housing.

• Most banks/mortgage lenders require the same paperwork: application, appraisal, survey, etc

• You need a contract to buy/sell

• The deed/title proves you own it. In Puerto Rico you own property basically just as in the states.

• You will have a closing and they will give you the keys. It is very informal with less paperwork compared to the states

• You can work with a real estate agent or with the seller in “for sale by owner”

• Closing with “cash” instead of a mortgage is less hassle

Differences:

• Puerto Rico does it DIFFERENT. Puerto Rico has its own government and housing stimulus packages and requirements that differ
• You can’t use a mortgage lender in the states. It must be a Puerto Rican lender.
• The paperwork may be in Spanish (or it may be in English)

• There is no MLS -Multiple Listing Service. This makes it very hard to search for a property in Puerto Rico.

• Because there are so many people who sell “by owner” and because there is no MLS, you will be doing a lot of calling and setting up appointments to see houses instead of doing them all at once

• Puerto Rico’s title laws do NOT guarantee a spouse (especially a woman) will inherit the property if the other spouse (the man) dies so this must be considered or explicitly stated in a will or other legal document

• Notaries in Puerto Rico MUST be a lawyer. Basically you will need a lawyer at some point in the process if you are planning to buy a house in PR

• The negotiation is generally not written out. In the states all offers need to be written. In PR, in our experience, only the contract and final paperwork was written out

• Many houses, especially outside of San Juan or out of a subdivision are “non-conforming” in one way or another. This may make it difficult to buy a house with a mortgage. In our attempt to purchase the Lares property they found that the access road to the house was non-conforming as it went over a river. Other things could be if the septic tank is not accessible or even if the house is made out of wood like ours in Rincon. There are “non-conforming” houses in the states as well, but there seem to be a lot more in PR.

• People buy houses with cash a lot more often than in the states. This is to avoid a lot of this red-tape.

• Property tax is very low and sometimes nothing at all in Puerto Rico, especially for people with only one property that they live in (as opposed to a vacation home).

These are just a few examples of differences in buying a house in Puerto Rico as compared with the states. As for us,the property deal in Lares fell through for a few of these reasons. We were attempting to purchase it with a mortgage, but it not only  had problems because it was non-conforming but also because the title was not filed correctly. With the Rincon property we determined that it would be best to get a personal loan from the states (a 401(k) loan) instead of getting a mortgage to avoid a lot of the hassle and since we knew we might be given some grief over one of the buildings being wooden. We did get a lawyer because 1) you have to for the paperwork and 2) to make sure everything was titled correctly.

Overall, buying a property in Puerto Rico can be somewhat of a challenge if you’re used to the way things are in the states, but it is really not too bad and in some ways it’s actually better/easier. In any case, we are so happy we did and we can’t wait to get back to our home in paradise. If you’d like to check out our property, here are some pictures and videos.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to being not only a member of this online Rincon Life community but also in “real life” Rincon as well. See ya on the beach! -Cassie

When I was eight years old I received my first journal and started writing in it. Mostly I wrote about all my pet animals including my pet duck, Beep Beep, my pet rabbit, Flash, my dog Ginger, and our pet rooster, Clem. I also wrote about my friends and later, boys. Occasionally, world news crept in such as the first war in the Middle East. It’s funny how much changes, and how much stays the same. (Click pictures to enlarge diary posts and photo)

Thinking about the future and chickens- not much has changed :-)

“And now I have a rooster” …”December 2, 1990 Sunday Did you ever notice that in the year 2000 I will be 20. I think that’s neat”

With my brother Justin and my dog Ginger around 1988

I hoped people would be interested in my journal -and still do with this one

“June 11, 1990 …I got a duck he’s only a week old and man he’s big! My thearoy is that when I get really old a scientist will read this and make me famous…”

Big changes, like moving and death, have always made me “Super Sad” -and still do

“Jan 14, 1991 Tomorrow’s war in Iraq which is so sad.”  “Jan 25, 1991 Flash died! Everyone’s sick in my class and war is terrible too….” “Feb 6, 1991 I’m trying to get over Flash but it’s hard. I haven’t been so sad. Everything around me is changing, America (war), my life (mom got a job), I met more friends, brother, starting school in Fall, moving, aging, changing schools…”

I still write a personal journal in addition to this blog. I write with a pen and paper. It helps me to try and figure things out. To vent. To put into words the mumbo jumbo of feelings that sometimes come over me. A lot of times after I write I am able to better deal with the world and see it from a different perspective.

It has also made it so that I am not afraid to write. I know that being a “perfect” writer won’t ever happen and only makes writing seem difficult, but that I can be a good writer.  To do that I have to actually write something! Being able to write without anyone correcting me has made it so that I am able to say whatever I think as grammatically and politically incorrect as I want to be. It is very freeing! I know not everyone likes to write, but for me, journaling is a great stress reliever and creates a historical document I can always look back on like this first one when I was a kid. Journaling is about the present, it creates history and it helps to look to the future. The ultimate time machine.

Three years journaling online. Three years of animals, activities, changes, super sadness and super happiness. I wonder what it will be like for future kids in the world of journaling their lives. I will be waiting and writing to find out.

Orchids and sunsets- some favorite blog topics

Which makes it all the more important that we now have Puerto Rico in our pockets ready to go. It’s something that is completely different from our usual routine. It is uncomfortable. We don’t know what to expect. We are excited. It is definitely not just rinse and repeat- at least not yet.

Of course coming home from Puerto Rico to our “normal” here in Greeley is nice. I love my warm showers with strong water pressure and the cool air when I walk out of the bathroom. I love how courteous Colorado drivers are. I love how long and straight and virtually traffic-less our roads are. I love how quiet it can be. I love the pastel more subtle beauty here. Especially in the summer when everything wakes up to life for a few months. I love speaking English and knowing exactly the nuance and slang of what someone else says to me. I even (sometimes) love our winter nights curled on the couch with our fireplace on watching a movie with a cup of hot cocoa or chili in my hands. The numbing comfort and sterility of it all…

But BAM! I want to experience life! And sometimes to really awaken to that, sometimes you have to do the exact opposite of what you are used to. You have to get a little dirty. You have to be a little uncomfortable at first. So I want to see what it’s like to take cool showers and walk into warm air! I want to see what it’s like to drive however you damn well please as if you were walking around a crowded mall. I want to hear the bugs and frogs and birds who are happy to be living outside year round. I want to see in-your-face, loud colors. All year round! I want to become so fluent at Spanish again that I dream in it. That I learn the Puerto Rican slang. I want to know what it’s like to never be cold.

I think it’s important that people get out there and try. Yah, you might fail. You might initially regret it. You might feel scared, insecure or not confident. But I think dreaming big (or even little) is part of what life is all about. Once you have your basic needs met -like food, water, shelter, love and companionship- I think dreams are just as important. They keep you going; they keep you striving to get better. If a tree didn’t seek new heights, was it a tree? And even if we fall, even in failure we learn! Maybe even more so! We learn every step of the way.

Sometimes I think my ideas and dreams are too big for my reality. Like when you are so hungry at an all-you-can-eat place that you fill your plate to the brim only to realize your stomach is just not big enough to hold it all. Britton and I are a good complement to each other in that way. Sometimes he is the brakes to my otherwise overfull plate of crazy “Lucy you have some ‘splainin to do” half cooked ideas, and other times he’s all in with me -as hungry for life as ever. He helps me moderate our risks, and I help him to be less afraid.

In the end, this is all a journey to writing our own story. The conflicts in the story are what makes it interesting! We have to remember that as we go along. It is never so bad that we can’t start again. Even in losing my dad I think I have gained a better understanding of this. Death is there to teach us how to live! To help us remember we are only in this form for so long. So if you feel a calling to something -to your dreams- however weird they are- go for it! It may change or evolve over time, but that’s just as well in a good story.

And of course we do need a little of the normalcy to balance us out just as I need Britton and he needs me.  And that is what these calm Colorado days are all about. Just remember to get a little dirty every now and then before you go back to rinse and repeat.

So since they live in Colorado Springs and we live here in Greeley, we decided to meet at a halfway point. I thought Cinzzetti’s in Northglenn would be perfect since it is right off I-25. It’s an Italian Buffet restaurant.

With George and Sandy at Cinzzetti’s

We had a lovely meal and time with George and his wife Sandy. They are trying to start a new business sort of like Avon where they sell supplements direct to customers. It sounded interesting and we told him about our connections with Awilda and the naturalists in Puerto Rico.

I don’t think we would probably sell the products ourselves, but you never know. It seems a bit too pricey, and I’m not much for sales. I read a little about glutathione (one of the major ingredients in these products) later on. It is an important nutrient and energy source in our bodies, but I was surprised and happy to see that milk thistle also makes glutathione more abundant in the body. Milk thistle is what we gave our dog Schnoodle when she was really sick and jaundiced with some sort of liver disease as I mentioned before. Milk thistle, unlike some of these supplements, is also dirt cheap and the weed grows all around here.

So anyhow, it was a fun adventure and another example of how our blog connects us to the world around us with people of similar interests. Thanks George and Sandy for the meal and a very nice time. We wish you luck on your journey and hope that our roads will perhaps intersect again in the future.

The article doesn’t attempt to explain the reasons for the warming and cooling and it really isn’t the point.

I thought it was relevant because we are trying to move from a climate that has extreme swings in temperature thru the seasons to one that is much more steady.  In the summer in Colorado it can get up to 110F degrees and in the winter it can get to -20F.   I’ve started to notice that with those swings I also experience a change.  In the summer things are growing, I have more energy and am generally way more productive.  In the winter things die, I have less energy and it’s more difficult to try and be productive.

I would think that not experiencing the extreme changes in seasons and temp would keep humans (and all life for that matter) just a bit more on the productive and energetic side.  It will be interesting to see what my own experience is like living closer to the equator.