Festival Sayulita 2018

Festival Sayulita 2018 has come and gone already.  Always a great party for town with movies, activities and of course the big concert closing the Festival on the last evening of the event.  We always go to the opening in the Plaza the first night and hit a movie or two on the beach for kid's night.  This year it was "Paranorman" and the director was there during the showing.  Always fun to see a drive-in sized screen sitting on the sand in beach chairs watching a flick with the surf breaking behind you.

Ostrowskis with Dirty Heads!!  So stoked to meet these guys!

For a second time, Dirty Heads was headlining the concert line up.  We have become Dirty Heads fans the past few years and when they played two years ago I did not take the kids since tickets were a bit pricey and they were a bit younger so I went by myself.  VERY unpopular decision on my part not to take them so this time we made the concert a family event.  Kids 12 and under were able to attend the concert free.  Security at the entrance did not believe that Alex was only 12 years old and even brought out a supervisor to check her ID.  Yep, Alex was carded at the show since she was believed to be too old to enter for free.

Nortec Collective.  Yes, that is a tuba.  So freaking good!

The kids have seen some larger concerts in Sayulita on the beach but not one that has a stage set up like a Festival Sayulita concert.  There is more room for the show out on a nearby ranch and the music line up is a tier or two higher than those we have seen previously so the expectation for sound, stage and lights is higher as well.

Alex in front of the VIP section.

We walked in and the warm up bands were already playing and Ashley and I hit the beer tent.  We walked around the venue and we could tell that Trace was already uncomfortable with the level of noise, light and size of things.  He eventually got more comfortable and we heard over the sound system that our favorite band, Dirty Heads, would be holding a meet and greet in 5 minutes in a tent just behind us.  One of our friends was in charge of the tent and we were first in line to meet the band.

Trace in the front row.

Trace digging the show.

We were told we had two minutes and we stumbled in to say hello.  The lead singer, "Dirty Jay", looked so amused to see this mostly blonde gringo family in Mexico walk in and he just smiled appearing bewildered...or maybe just stoned.  Such a funny look.  They do this kind of thing everywhere so it was business as usual for them but for us it was pretty damn cool.  Fortunately, our friend Michelle was nearby and was able to take a great photo of us with the band.

We left the band all pumped up from our introductions and the Nortec Collective took the stage complete with trumpet, tuba, video gear, accordion and mixing boards.  They are a very popular Mexican techno band and they were absolutely amazing!!  Even Trace and Alex were dancing the whole time.  They really could have headlined considering the show was in Mexico and they had the crowd on their feet for their set.  I never thought a tuba could be so cool!

Dirty Heads came on and the crowd thinned a bit as it got closer to midnight.  Trace and I made our way up to the very front against the crowd control railing with Alex and Ashley just behind us.  The great part of this show was that the kids got a front row seat and knew about 90% of the songs they played.  The songs we did not know are now in our usual Dirty Heads music rotation.

Yes, Ozzy and Ashley had some fun too!

That about sums up Festival Sayulita 2018.  We will look forward to what the organizers have planned for Festival Sayulita 2019.

Adventures In Our Own Backyard - Monkey Mountain, Wibit And Star Wars!

Yes, a bit dated but here it goes.

It was Christmas school vacation time and the kids had a break for about three weeks.  Seriously?  Three weeks?  Yep, that is how the school calendar is set up for this time of year so we had to have some things to do since the house was not in any condition to move into just yet.

Mom was home for Christmas(yea!) so for once she had some chill time during the holidays.  While she was here she motivated us to head off to a local hike that I have been wanting to do for a long time.  Monkey Mountain.

Literally beginning just 5 minutes up the road the trail summits at a prominent peak between Sayulita and Higuera Blanca.  It was great to be in the woods and on a trail again.  So much of our outdoor lives back in Park City was spent in places like this during the summer and winter.  Not so much here since the water and beach is our preferred destination for getting out and getting after it.

"Monkey" profile?

The peak provides views of Sayulita to the north and Higuera Blanca and Punta Mita to the south.  Provided one does not take a wrong turn(which we did), a round trip is less than half a day so it is perfect for a late afternoon or early morning adventure with not a lot of time.  Sayulita based "Mexitreks" takes guided trips as well and is how Ashley knew the route for our hike.

Trace is king of the world..his world at least

The kids have never known "hiking" here.  They have essentially grown up ocean people and "flatlanders" but took to the adventure of a hike with not one single complaint.  They were always driven to see what was around the next corner or get to our goal, the summit.  Super fun!

At the summit

Wibit, yes Wibit, is in Bucerias and is a inflatable floating island attraction just off the beach.  If you have ever seen the TV show "Wipeout" then you know essentially what Wibit is.  Trampolines, rope swings, slides, climbing walls and floating walkways sit just a little ways into the ocean.

Photo from Wibit's website

We arrived with a couple other families just as the place opened for the day and we had the place to ourselves.  With the floating obstacles moving underneath you with incoming waves, the slippery inflated amusement park was a challenge for everyone.  The kids of course found the biggest challenges and happily splashed down into the water.  The adults quickly faded as muscles that have not been used in years suddenly were asked to perform climbing, swinging and just plain falling down into exhausted heaps.  An hour was totally enough for pretty much everyone as late morning Cielo Rojos waited on the beach.

Wibit Island

What would Christmas break be without some movie time.  We ventured into Puerto Vallarta to go see the latest Star Wars installment, The Last Jedi.  A new "VIP" theater has been built into a large pedestrian shopping plaza complete with recliners, waiters, food and liquor selections.  Sushi, a Modelo Negro and a Don Julio tequila was delivered to my recliner without me having to move or miss a single scene from the movie.  Considering our whole family went to the movies, had dinner and drinks the cost was ridiculously reasonable compared to the US.  Movies in Mexico have been an excellent value provided you can find the English movies with Spanish subtitles.

Ozzy, Ashley, Trace, Alex and Ava

We are just beginning the next school vacation during Semana Santa as I write this but wanted to catch up on some old post writing.  We will be looking for new adventures this vacation as well.

Mom Has Finally Completed Her Jedi Training!

The "Force" finally runs in the whole family!  One of our goals during the school break was to go see the new Star Wars movie, "Rogue One".  We figured we would go sometime after Ashley went north to go back to work.  Why would we wait until she left?  Well, Ashley was never trained in the ways of the Force when she was young.  She had never seen a single Star Wars movie...not one...and she did not want to???!!!

When we got an unplanned call from our friends, The Cawrses, to go see it, Ashley actually wanted to go!!!!  We were sooo stoked!  The movie stands by itself pretty well but with some brief information to bring her up to speed on who the bad guys were, who the good guys were and a few other details she came out having really enjoyed the movie.  So much so that she actually sat down and watched the original Star Wars movie I grew up on the next night.  Though the 70's camera work, haircuts and action were dated a bit she, again, really enjoyed it.  Imagine that!  Ozzy was right!  It happens.  Ok, the kids were right too.

The gang waiting for the beginning of Rogue One

Next up on Ashley's movie list is The Empire Strikes Back.  The Force, thankfully, runs through the entire family now.

Going To The Movies - "The Circle Is Now Complete"

It is 1978 in small town Vermont and my dad takes a very unwilling 8 year old to go see some movie called "Star Wars".  It is not a cartoon, Pippi Longstocking or a Disney movie so the idea of going to this movie is less than a popular one with me.  That I remember clearly.  Well, after returning to see the movie at least two or three more times the rest is history as they say.  It became part of my growing up and now Star Wars is part of my kid's life experience as well.

Over the Christmas break I took the kids to go see the the reboot of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  The kids have seen the previous 6 movies in the series so they knew the basic story line and many of the characters.  Like dad, they were eager to see something new as well.  As I sat in the theater in Mexico, far from where I was at age 8, I thought about the interesting significance of this moment.  It was my turn to take our kids to their first Star Wars movie who are now the same age as I was back in the 70s.  I realized things had now come full circle in a way and we will all eagerly await the next film in the series.  Ashley has not even seen one movie in the franchise so I fear the Force does not run deep in her part of the family.

Going to the theater here is very enjoyable.  The English language showings of films are few so they may be during off times and the seating is reserved at the time of your ticket purchase.  No reason to hurry or stress to get choice seats in the modern stadium seating available at the theater we can go to about a half hour away.  It has never been crowded and the damage for three people to go for a show like Star Wars....100 pesos.  Yep, about $5.50 USD for three tickets and popcorn.  Got to love that.  The kids have only been to a handful of movies so it is always a fun experience for them.

Darth Mexico