Living in Puerto Rico 1968 - 1970 (the swimsuit edition)

We had only been living in USA for about 6 months when Ray was asked if he would transfer to Puerto Rico. We were given a week in PR to see if we liked it? What's not to like hot sunny beaches, a week in a hotel on an expense account? So for the first of many times we sold our home and moved from New Hampshire to Cayey, PR.
I think they were two of the happiest years of my life, we had access to beach facilities and went there most weekends. Cayey is a small University town in the mountains. Halfway between San Juan and Ponce. I loved the museums and historic sites in Old San Juan. The social life was great too, we had friends from other states, and I had my first encounter with people from NC. Little did I know I would spend the biggest part of my life in this state.
I recently read an article on Southern women and how they can say just about anything to anyone and get away with it, as long as the remark is followed by, "Bless your heart." I remember walking along the narrow sidewalk in town, and Willie Mae walking behind me, said, "Oh! you have veins in your legs just like mine, bless your heart." Blessing my heart doesn't erase the embarrassment. The same lady also went to the pharmacy and asked if I bought hair color, because she couldn't believe my hair could be so black.

top left - My Mum on one of her visits. top right - Ray, Cher, friend's son, Karen, Steve and Kim. Love how my little girls already knew how to pose. Our favorite fruit stand on the way to San Juan.
Last but not least Cher and her horse.


My eldest daughter Cher who has always loved horses was able to have her own horse, and later Steve had one too. Steve's was part mule, but very smart. They lived in the field behind the factories where their Daddy worked. Steve's horse used go in to the drink machine and drain the bottles. He also used to untie Steve's shoe laces.
Kim and Karen were too little to have horses, and when Ray's company was embroiled in a Union strike, I made a placard for Kim and Karen and when Daddy came home, they picketed. "Steve has a horse, Cher has a horse, what will Kim and Karen get?" I wish I could find that picture. Like me, the photos have faded with age. We had some tough times too, we found out the hard way how difficult it was to get medical help. The nearest ER was down the mountain. Luckily we had a good MD in town.
I had some harrowing experiences driving down the mountain, the road was cut in a spiral. Sometimes the "drop" would be on one side, then round the next curve it would be on the other side. It was nothing to see a car being hauled up from down below. The biggest hazard was SeaLand truckers, who sometimes tried to overtake each other, that left very little room to make way for them. Well! I guess I better get out of here, next stop Conover, North Carolina.