Weekend Music Update

No I didn’t make it to the full moon reggae party at the Sandbar, but I heard the place was hopping. Music started around 10 pm and lasted until 1 am. The joint was full. People were partying everywhere, inside, outside, front and back. Sad I missed it. But the good news is that the Sandbar will be having reggae every Friday night. I think I will have to rearrange my schedule.

Just like Alice, the faster I go the further behind I get. We are into production of the next issue of El Calendario, so blog time will be limited. I’ll do my best.

Brad Baer is Back!

You all know Brad. He was the energy behind Santanas Restaurant and the Baja Reggae Festival. Well he’s back in action. This friday, October 26, he is putting on a full moon reggae party at the Sandbar with Acero Caliente supplying the reggae. Sadly, I will be unable to attend. And then on October 31, he will have a “pimp n ho” Halloween costume party at the Sandbar. Just be careful driving back to your homes, especially after downing a few drinks. The road from Pescadero to Todos Santos can be quite dangerous at times.

El Grito Parade

Here are a few photos to give a small taste for the feel of the parade. Remember, most of the town partied very late the night before.

September 15 – El Grito de Dolores

Finally catching up to “el grito” – this is the celebration commemorating Padre Miguel Hidalgo’s call for revolution in 1810. Over a decade later, Mexico achieved independence from Spain. For more on “el grito” see Wikipedia’s “Grito de Dolores” link. In Todos Santos, there is a large gathering in the town square. First some entertainment, usually music. Then the mayor rings the bell and yells “el grito” while fireworks are set off. After things settle back down, a dance band performs and townspeople dance until the wee hours of the morning. The next day, school kid’s march in a parade from the cultural center to the baseball stadium. This parade isn’t nearly as ornate as the November 20th one, but it’s still fun to watch. Only problem is the parade is early the next morning around 9 am. If you played hard the night before in the zocalo, it’s not so easy to be on time.

Viva México!

Last year’s queen and this year’s candidates.

Pre-grito entertainment. Local singers backed by Mariachis from La Paz.

Our own, Heriberto Parra Hake. Nice outfit!

More local singing talent.

The honor guard to present the flag before the acutal grito.

El grito!

Our new queen!

Want to know a secret?

How about some foam to throw on that photographer?

And the band played on and on and on.

Happy Surfers!

Lots of smiling faces on the beaches this weekend. Even with the threat of a tropical storm to the south, we were the grateful recipients of a northwest swell with some power. Lots of waves for everyone. I made it to the beach today, Sunday, but missed yesterday. I hear that yesterday was smaller but better surf. Last year was not a good year for surf around Todos Santos. The first decent northwest swell didn’t arrive until early December. This could be a good omen. Let’s hope so.

That’s Diego trying to work out the rust and good summer eating.

Mario’s looking good but he did not get the barrel.

I don’t know this fellow but he made the only barrel while I was there.

Pretty sure that’s Carsten. I know he was in the water.

Diego again. He’s so good he’s in lots of photos.

Ahhhhhhh!

Oscar going left. The waves were peaky with plenty of chances to go in both directions.

That would be Carsten again.

Ninja Keenan!

Diego carving with a big smile.

Kiko A No Show?

Well it sure seems that way. Not only is his projected path further to the south, but he is self-destructing as we watch. It is unlikely he will reach hurricane status before falling completely apart. As always, things could change but it really doesn’t look like we in southern Baja are in much if any danger.

Aye Kiko!

Yep, Kiko is still there and still threatening Baja Sur. The latest imagery and computer models suggest that he will veer south of Cabo San Lucas and head west out to sea. If this holds true, we may see some moderate winds and maybe some rain. The next 24 hours should tell us where Kiko will go as other weather patterns emerge and influence his options.

Kiko Keeps Coming

See for yourself – Kiko really appears to want to affect Baja in some way. Forecasts are still sketchy after 48 hours but the best guess right now is he will pass near Cabo San Lucas and then head west. It’s hard to say how much we will be affected in Todos Santos if this course holds true. It all depends on the strength and physical size of Kiko.

Kiko -Where Fore Art Thou?

The hurricane guys had trouble locating Kiko’s true position but now think they have it pat. He is way east of previous estimates. Will he mess with us? Vamos a ver but let’s at least hope for some rain.

Pesky Old Kiko!

Seems that Kiko is determined to make our late October tropical weather uncertain. It’s hard to believe he can keep his act together but once again it is Tropical Storm Kiko and even though the computer models are all over the place (some have him going west, others north and one has him hitting mainland Mexico) there is a chance Kiko will make it to Baja. Best to keep an eye on this one…