la Playa

Trace's Surprise

We have been wanting to get the family a soft top longboard for a while now and Costco, of all places, had just what we were looking for. The truth is we thought Alex would grab this thing and within a few short months be ready for the professional surf circuit. Well, Alex gave it a test drive after soccer practice one day but then quickly turned her attention to playing with a friend on the beach. Trace saw his opportunity and had me put the board in the water for him so he could easily push and turn the board into some "white water" coming onto the beach. He rode it like a boogie board at first, on his belly, but started standing up and gently rode a few waves. We were blown away and Ashley quickly grabbed the camera to take these shots.

The little guy basically told me to "back off" as he did just about everything for himself to get the 8 foot long surfboard ready to go. Needless to say, we were sooo impressed by Trace's effort and desire. Problem is we will have to find another surfboard for him to use now. Sharing will not be an option I'm afraid. After all, real surfers don't wait for their sister to finish using the "tabla" when gnarly sets are rolling in!

Remembering the "Tipping Point"

We meet and have met lots of people in the last seven months. People come and and people go and some have even left and returned since we met them. Everyone has their story about how they heard of Sayulita or why they came. Vacation, wedding, reunion, word of mouth, surfing, got lost, day trip from Vallarta, needed a change etc. I am always asked what was it that made you decide that it was time for picking up your family and life and move here. I had to go back a little ways in the blog archives to pull this one back out but it's the very first post of this blog written on January 16, 2010. The post briefly tells about the last straw, the kick in the ass, the change in perspective that started this "Adventure" for me.

The Tipping Point

It may not have started here, the desire to move to Sayulita, but I believe it was certainly the tipping point that made the decision a relatively easy one for me. The first 10 minutes of the animated movie "Up" tells of a couple who met as children, grew up, married and hoped to have a lifetime of adventures together. One thing or another got in the way and they never got around to it and in old age the wife falls ill, passes away leaving the husband alone. Before she does she encourages the husband to go and experience the adventures they never went on.

Before you know it, opportunities for "adventures" will be gone. A wake up call in an unlikely place or just in the right place with the right DVD? The kids, Alex and Trace, will adapt and Ash was relatively easy to convince since she can commute and alter her schedule with Delta Airlines. My construction job ends late summer/early fall and the timing of that makes fall 2010 the departure date for our family's first real "Adventure".


Ashley's reason will likely be a bit different so you might have to ask her yourself about why she wanted to go on this "Adventure". It's good for one to occasionally revisit, but not dwell on, the past so you can remember why we ended up on this path in the first place. It's been a good ride so far.

(The crazy and scary thing is that we have been told that a retelling of this "Tipping Point" story actually spurred others on to take "Adventures" as well)

Soccer practice

Alex and Trace love soccer. It is really cute to watch. Their coach, Martin (Marteen) is great. He encourages the kids, builds self esteem and makes sure they complete the drills in their entirety. They have practice two days a week for one hour. It was just moved to the beach for both practices, the dirt field was getting a little hot for the kids. Not a bad place to learn soccer. When they are done they just walk a few feet and get in their surfing fix. Dillion loves it as well:)

Tacos y Cervezas

Semana Santa

Semana Santa has arrived in Mexico! The two weeks surrounding Easter Sunday are THE time for families and young people to head to the coast and enjoy the sun and sand. Mostly from inland, the visitors arrive by the bus load, car load or just plain bum a ride here. Armed with umbrellas, coolers, tents, shade shelters, sand toys, sleeping bags, food and lots of beer the folks fill the camp grounds, empty lots, virtually all the lodging in town and just plain have a good time.

Part Woodstock, part Daytona beach Spring Break and part family reunion. Many of the people we know and shop owners made plans to leave town for most of this holiday break. A few of us have stuck around and made sure we were well supplied so we didn't have to go into town for food etc if we didn't need to. I thought Christmas was busy but this seems like twice the crowd. The biggest line I've seen is for a cash machine that extended outside the OXXO or Mexico's 7-11. Most, if not all, of the cash machines have been totally drained and they are not always refilled regularly.

The photos posted here don't do the crowds justice. The day after Easter saw the crowds dissipate by about 75%. Reminded me oh so much of The Sundance Film Festival time of the year back in Park City except the PIBs(people in black) at the Festival didn't walk around with 40 ounce Pacificos.

Just one of those times where if you can't join 'em and enjoy what is happening around you then you might plan to spend a few days off doing something else. We had a good first Semana Santa experience but next year we might consider an out of town trip for a few days.

The Things That Trace Says...

When asked recently if he could swim yet, Trace thoughtfully replied...

"I can swim. I just can't float yet."

We knew he was the smart one in the family.

2012 Punta Sayulita Longboard & SUP Surf Classic - Event Re-Cap

A fantastic event and a great time to be in Sayulita.  If you look closely at about the 1 minute 3 second mark you will see Ozzy on the beach.  Back to the camera, no shirt and curls sticking out from under a ball cap.  Yes, curls!

Family Day At la Lancha

We recently had some of the grandparents visit from the States. We decided after a crowded Saturday on the Sayulita beach that we would go to la Lancha, a beach a 25 minutes drive and a grueling, scorpion infested hike from here. One of our favorite places to go when we want to stay close to home but still get out of town. The kids were excited, especially Trace, to show the grandparents around the beach and where they might see fish in a small river that meets the ocean close by.

The surfing was just "ok" for our skill level but we went out away from the main break and tried not to interfere with a surf lesson that was going on. While I was out in the water I recognized one of Alex' volunteer surf instructors from the Wahine Project. The instructors' name is Risa and after I said "hola" and told her Alex was on the beach she said she would like to take Alex out for a surf later in the afternoon. Needless to say that when I told Alex she was going surfing and Risa was going to take her she was pretty excited.

While Risa's group was taking a break on the beach, she came over to get Alex with a big smile and headed out into the water while Ashley, the grandparents and I watched. As we watched them go out, cringing as Alex flew over incoming waves, we had that "classic moment" as parents when sending the kids off to learn something new. "Is this safe"?, "Does the instructor know what she is doing"?, "Isn't it a bit rough out there for our daughter"?, "Is this a good idea right now, right here"? "Maybe we should go with her"?

Risa is a ISA certified pro and had things well under control, reading the waves and holding Alex until she let her go on a wave that was just right to teach on and be successful. Each time Alex surfs, it's obvious she just just loves this sport and she had a great time with Risa. A great and unexpected show for the parents and grandparents. We think Risa has been great with Alex and the group on the beach that day also expressed how happy they were to have her as their instructor that week. If you want to look Risa up for group, private, kid, women, short board, long board or SUP lessons here and around Sayulita contact her at risamara@mac.com and her local cell is: 322 101 3864. Tell her we sent you.


risamara@mac.com and local cell is: 322 101 3864