Post Hurricane Willa Update

Well, we missed another one.  Hurricane Willa went well north of us and we are thankful.  It rained for the better part of two days and Tropical Storm Vicente stayed to the south and we never saw the rain it may have brought.  The surf was big and waves ran up to the beach and to the beachfront walls of homes and businesses.  The north end beach did get reshaped quite a bit especially from about where Las Sirenas Beach Club is(was) towards the river mouth.  Las Sirenas Beach Club was a casualty of the the storm but I am sure our friend, Meg, will rebuild and be back in business just like always.

North beach.  Photo by Sayulita Life

Las Sirenas Beach Club.  North beach. Photo by Courtney

Main surf break. Photo by Sayulita Life.

Post Storm Pics.

Shot taken in front of El Break looking north

Standing in front of El Break looking towards the fishermen beach.

Standing in front of Captain Pablos looking toward river mouth.

Standing at river mouth looking back toward main beach

Communities in northern Nayarit were not so lucky.  It is very hard still to get information about the extent of the devastation that has occurred.  Reports are that over 100,000 people were effected just up the coast a few hours.  Transportation routes have been destroyed, houses are filled with flood debris or just gone.  People lost everything and very quickly from what I am understanding.  Very sad to see and hear about our neighbors to the north since it could have very easily been us.  Relief efforts have been organized all week here in town bringing truck loads of clothes and food to those in need in that area.

Photo by Infamador.mx

Photo by Infamador.mx

Alex Horsin' Around

Alex is riding and jumping horses again this year.  Once we landed back in Sayulita in August she could not wait to get back to the ranch and back on a horse.  The problem was that the ranch would be closed for another couple weeks so she had to wait.  She waited patiently and has been riding 3x a week for a couple months.  She is currently preparing for a competition later in November.

Her favorite horse is "Pegasus" aka "Peggy" seen in the photos below.  He was not in good shape when she started riding again.  She said he wasn't being cared for as he should have been and it upset Alex so much to see him neglected. Week by week she made sure he was exercised, washed and brushed as he should be.  Now he looks great even after a bought of colic that created a brief emergency at the ranch during one of their sessions.  Now that he is looking and feeling better she is very happy to show off photos of him that she has taken.  She says she is very proud of him.

Pegasus is not an easy horse and is a bit of a project that no one wants to take on other than Alex. Pegasus and most of the horses at the ranch are rescue horses. She loves that horse and understands his personality and quirks.  I think he likes her too actually.  The whole team will do great later in November.

Alex and Pegasus

Sayulita JR SUP Team - Pacific Paddle Games 2018 - Part 1

Once again members the Sayulita JR SUP Team traveled north to the 2018 Pacific Paddle Games.  This is the second year the JR SUP Team has represented Sayulita at the biggest SUP racing competition of the year.  One year older, one year more experienced and one year stronger.  10 racers between the ages of 9 and 16 years old competed from our program from the Super Grom division up to the JR Pros division.  Last year, the team's participation was a last minute scramble to sign up and get to Dana Point California to compete.  This year the dates were on the calendar months ahead of time so the kids were focused, ready and determined to improve on last year's results.

Waiting with other Team parents, the Cawrses, for our flights in the PVR airport

We flew into LAX to stay the night before driving south to Dana Point.  We were also waiting for our friends, the Cawrses, to arrive who we were sharing a car and house with.  Just a few days prior to our departure we found out that the house that we reserved had actually been double booked and we had to scramble to find another house to rent.  That bump in the road averted we were ready to drive south on Thursday morning.  Well, not so fast. We had a large SUV rented through Turo that was big enough to haul the kid's borrowed 12'6" race boards and still carry two families and gear to and from the beach for four days.  The first car fell through so we tracked down another.  That one also fell through and we thought we might not even get to Dana Point to practice with the team later that day.  After securing a car with Turo on our 3rd attempt we had our minivan and made our way south to check into the 2nd rental house and meet up with the team in our 3rd car rental.  Whew! No worries, if there is one thing living in Mexico has taught us is to roll with the situation and make the best of it.  Ok.  Honestly, I was not all that calm about it but it all worked out in the end.  Hated to see the kids stress too.  They had more important things to be paying attention to than transportation and lodging logistics that were falling apart.

Thursday afternoon practice at Doheny Beach in small surf.

Having made it to the beach and meeting up with the team the kids were anxious to get on their borrowed boards from the local SUP race program, The Paddle Academy.  Our team trains on tired 11' race SUPs.  The boards accommodate a variety of ages and abilities.  During the race, however, the boards they would be using were 12' 6" which is a common race class size..  The kids handled the size increase very well last year but this year there was an unexpected twist.  Waves.  A storm that was well out to sea was pushing in massive surf into the California coast.  10'+ just days before we arrived.  So, the kids not only needed to paddle a much larger board they had little familiarity with but also be expected to navigate big wave conditions, surf these boards to and from the beach, around buoys and against competition.  No joke!

Coach Bicho and Trace discuss waves while Ashley and Coach Shelby talk about other things.

Practice was great with lots of energy and I think the kids and the parents finally relaxed a bit. Last year there was a bit of "smack talking" out in the water with the local Paddle Academy kids SUP race program protecting their turf but this year the kids were practicing at different points on the beach so our team moved about with few concerns like that and mixed in with some pros like Olivia Piana,  Sey Chelle and even cornered a few pros out of the water for a quick photo like Danny Ching and Candice Appleby.

Trace and his good buddies hanging out with one of SUPs best, Danny Ching.

The team with the legend, Candice Appleby.

After a busy day the practice wrapped up and kids were relaxed and stoked to have had a board on the water for an hour or so.  This particular group of kids gets along pretty well so it was great to see the oldest and youngest members of the group able to hang out and support each other.  

Coaches Bicho and Shelby and the Team.

Thursday evening was time for the pre-event parties.  The team was invited to two parties the first night.  One invite came from the coach of the local SUP race program, The Paddle Academy.  It was a cookout in the park just steps away from where the kids practiced.  The other a event was hosted by Brawner Boards, a local California custom surf board manufacturer who has taken an interest in talent from Mexico.  Damien, the owner, actually attended our practice on Thursday and visits Sayulita occasionally and is a familiar face.  He was also responsible for supplying us boards last year at the same event.

The other dad we traveled with, John, and I took our kids to make a showing at both events while the moms, Ashley and Amy, decided to cocktail back at the house.  The Paddle Academy event was already winding down when we arrived so we thanked our host, Coach Mike Eishert, for the invitation and went down the beach a ways to a local restaurant to attend the Brawner Boards event.  Before we left Alex made introductions with a girl member of the The Paddle Academy who she met through Instagram.  The meeting was brief since she was on her way home but it was great for Alex to break the ice with another teen girl who had a similar interest who she would see on the starting line during the weekend.  

                                     

We arrived at the Brawner party and the place was packed with locals, pros and all kinds of folks stoked for the weekend competition.  There was a large buffet and Damien made sure we headed that way once he saw us arrive.  Part of the team was already there and to my surprise they were chatting it up with one of the most promising teen paddlers in the US. Local 16 year old SUP athlete, Jade Howson.  Jade represented the USA at the ISA SUP World Championships in 2017 and will again this year in China.  Pretty cool to see kids being kids just hanging out together.  I forget that some of these World Class athletes are really only a couple years older than our kids plus I think she found our team fun to hang out with.

Trace exchanging Instagram account information with Jade Howson. 

The next practice day was Friday and the big waves arrived.  Big enough to make some of the kids decide that practicing that day just was not going to happen.  Where some of our kids saw something scary, others saw some FUN to be had.  Some competitors do not or are not able to train in an ocean environment.  Our kids are ocean kids and their skills in the waves were apparent as soon as they paddled out to test the water that day.  A couple of kids stayed on the beach and a couple did not even get out past the break but Alex and Trace charged out determined to get out and ride one of these monsters back in.  I was very impressed with Alex.  She desired the challenge, went after it and did great.  Trace loves waves and surfing so him paddling out with his teammates to grab a wave was predictable.  Super tough conditions for everyone out there..

"Overhead" conditions at Doheny Beach

In the first video below you can see Trace who is the second kid to the beach.  The video below that shows Alex.  Keep in mind that the boards the kids are on and that you see flying around behind them from fallen riders are 12'6" to 14' long.  It can give you a bit more perspective on just how big the surf is.  Yes, they were practicing with helmets on since they were required for youth competitors for the technical race.  The kid's timing and wave selection was good so they did not get the biggest set waves to try and ride.

The day's practice was short since the coaches did not want the kids burned up in the challenging conditions.  Tomorrow was game time.  But first, another party.  Coach Shelby told us the team had been invited to a party given by one of the parents of The Paddle Academy.  The dad of this family also has some ties to the SIC surf brand.  When we walked in it was obvious that we WERE the party.  Were we early?  There was really no one else there so the team made itself at home in a strange but lovely(and we were sure expensive) house.  Slowly some people did filter in wondering who the pack of kids was on the back patio having a good time all by themselves.  During the party we met parents from a SUP JR race program from North Carolina that we knew a little bit about.  The Wrightsville Beach Jr Elite SUP Team.  They brought 2 or 3 racers with them this year. Friendly folks and it was nice to meet other parents who were also far from home.

A dinner buffet was set out with lots of pizza and pasta as more and more people arrived so we started to blend in a bit more.  The team met up again with their newly adopted member, Jade Howson.  She sat down and happily joined the group.  Our team get along well, likes to laugh, has positive energy and obviously likes to have a good time.  I honestly think she really liked having a different group to hang out with and was drawn to that.  She took some photos with the team, played whatever game the kids were playing and soon it was time to head home.  Again,  we thanked our hosts and went home for the night.  The next morning was registration and the long distance event.

Hurricane Willa Is Coming!

'Tis the season for hurricanes for us and Hurricane Willa is headed in our general direction.  Puerto Vallarta is in the "red zone" for potential landfall and Sayulita is even more north of the city.  So, we prepare and we wait to see just where this storm is really headed.  We have been in the cross hairs for landfall before and we only saw a bit of drizzle so we know things can change quickly...for better or worse.  The time is now to prepare.  Food, water, propane, money, gas for the car and close up the house as best as we can.

This will be the first storm like this since our house went up.  I am interested to see just how it handles something like this with the wind and heavy rain.  Fortunately, we sit a bit protected on all 4 sides.  Down and out of the high wind zone unlike where we were in the first place we lived here when we had 270 degree exposure to the storms over the ocean.  At this time the storm is expected to hit the coast sometime Tuesday or Tuesday night.  It is always changing.  We will be ready.

Then, just for kicks, Tropical Storm Vicente is right behind it.

Sale Pending!!

We have received and accepted an offer on the Park City house.  Now we wait, cross our fingers that nothing gets in the way or goes wrong and we close on schedule in November.  Needless to say we are VERY happy to have an offer come in!

Happy Anniversary To Us! 7 Years In The Jungle.

To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea where the last year went.  The never ending time, money and energy suck called "house construction" totally took over this last year.  I cannot say it has gone super smoothly but we feel that we will have a great home for our family once it is all over.  This time next year we hope to be looking back on the process and be able to say "remember when..." knowing that it is just a distant memory.

The other big event for us this last year is finally deciding to give up our house in Park City.  It is currently for sale though it has not sold yet.  We are hopeful that a buyer will come forward soon.  We decided that though Park City is great, it is just not "home" any longer and it is time to move on.

Casa Pōno Sayulita still under construction.

 Our immediate goal for the beginning of year 8 is to get everything in our world to get cleaned up with finishing a new house and selling an old one.  Once that is done we will be able to look ahead once again with wide eyes and maybe, yes maybe, be able to sit and just do nothing for a while and enjoy sitting still for a change.  Here is looking forward to year 8!

Aspen Lane House - Looking for a new owner.

Sayulita Scenes - Highway 200

Highway 200 is the two lane jungle road connects Sayulita to towns to the north and south along the coast.  Most importantly it connects us to Puerto Vallarta and the airport.  It could take you 10-12 minutes to emerge from the jungle or 2-3 hours depending traffic, accidents, construction, congestion, idiocy or just bad luck.  Beautiful though this time of year.

Highway 200.  Photo by others.

Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit Primed to Be the Next Big ‘It ’ Destination

This article found on Bloomberg.com gives a rundown on where the Riviera Nayarit has been and where it is heading in the next few years and some of the players involved.  The changes that are coming are significant capitalizing on the momentum this area has built the last decade.  It looks to be pretty spiffy and Sayulita is right in the middle of it.  We plan to be here to see what happens.

Read the article here.

A New Casa In 2018 - Construction Update - Early September

 We were away from Casa Pōno for 6 weeks and the contractor's pace slowed significantly as he pulled his crew off our job after a couple weeks to have them work elsewhere while we were gone.  Some things got done and lots of things did not. A few things that caused problems were the fact that we needed more electrical fixtures like recessed light, plugs and switches and the road construction on our street prevented any deliveries of materials for things like sand, gravel etc. Road construction also prevented an accurate finish level to be determined for the driveway so I guess it was good to hold off a bit.

Apartment bedroom minus air conditioning.  Lots of surfboards though.

Apartment kitchen minus some shelving and some lighting.

Apartment living area.  13 year old daughter not included in rental.

Apartment terrace.

Lots of finishes did get done like the finish surface for the front terrace and stairs.  The interior of the house looks like it got repainted and covered up all the grunge from finishing the floor and other construction items that happened before we left.  Our front door was installed as were the bodega doors, the floors got two coats of sealer, the exterior face of the house was painted and power got turned on in our living level.  The house was clean enough that we even began moving boxes upstairs!  This helped out our cramped living situation in the apartment and cleaned up the lower bodega a bunch so we could actually walk around in there.  The crew has mostly cleared up their gear and materials, it is quiet each morning.  We feel like the place is finally ours!!!

Standing at the front doorway.  Upstairs to living level.  Alex and Trace's bedrooms on this level.

Alex has been busy painting her room.  She has bee waiting so long to put this color on her walls.

Standing at top of stairs.

There are certainly some things to finish but they will be on hold until we can put some additional money together or hopefully sell the Park City house.  At the moment we are altering the kid's old bunk beds to build new bed frames to use in their new rooms.  Alex cannot wait!  Appliances are on the correct floors and await install.  Some exterior painting that was not included in the contract is happening as is figuring out the kitchen countertop and sink situation.  Not a dull moment especially after working on the house in Park City non-stop for 6 weeks.

Master bedroom on main living level.

Ocean view from master bedroom.

Standing at master bedroom door looking toward back of house and living/kitchen area. Yes mother, there will be a railing.

Standing in kitchen amongst the boxes, bags etc.  Interior courtyard lit up.

Standing in dining area.  Kitchen on left.

Standing at top of stairs looking at front entry.

I have a three page list of items that the contractor needs to come back and discuss.  Having worked in construction I am picky about details.  I do not need the details to be perfect but not ignored either.  The contractor had 6 weeks to come in and inspect and make his own observations, work through the list I generated for him before I left and obviously did not do that.  It feels as if that if I don't bring up short comings in his workmanship or other problems then it must be ok and he will not have to deal with it.  This is in contrast to making sure his client's house is up to higher standards treating as if it were his own house or better.  I know certain things he has ignored here would not be acceptable in his own house. A much different mentality and experience...in our situation at least.

The empty rooftop terrace.  Going to be a great spot.

Interior courtyard looking down to 3rd level.

Interior courtyard looking out rooftop terrace door and laundry door to left.

Our beautiful Papelillo tree canopy to the courtyard.

We have some front yard items to address at some point when we are able but the timing is good. The street is under construction so holding off on a finished driveway or painting garden wall can hold off for a bit as can any kind of landscaping or finishing of the grey water system.

The currently empty garden that will treat the house grey water.

Front stairs and front garden.

Unfinished driveway and Ozzy's shade shelter.

Well, we hope that things move quicker with the PC house and things loosen up a bit with funds so we can think about finishing some things as we move into early fall.  It would be nice to live upstairs and not on top of each other in the apartment.  I walk around upstairs and it is hard to conceive even living up there but we will get there eventually.