This photo was taken on Monday December 2nd, 2019. I had just left the boys out surfing in the semi protected corner from the howling Northeast winds here in Hampton. I was under-dressed and miserably cold. It was the 2nd day of snow. It started snowing on Sunday December 1st and didn't stop until late Tuesday December 3rd. I can't remember a time when it has snowed that much and that early. I'm sure it's happened before, but for the life of me I can't recall when. And although it was fore casted by all the TV networks, it still seemed to catch us all by surprise.
And I was one of them. And I feel silly admitting this. But it's true.
Maybe I just didn't want to believe it. I mean the day before the snow came I was actually looking at the leaves on the ground and wondering if I should take the lawnmower out and just cut them up. I ended up raking all of the leaves in the backyard and just piling them up. Once the snow started it was all a moot point. The snow started Sunday afternoon and it didn't stop until Tuesday afternoon. Winter just showed up in one day. I mean it was here. With all the bells and whistles. Snow plows, no school, ice and snow as far as the eye could see. And it was like the old "light dawns on Marblehead" cliche for me. For I could fully understand now, how so many older folks take off for the warmer climates every winter.
Because my friends "The older you get-the colder you get."
And I felt both. Old and cold. In fact, I came down with a terrible cold while out shooting the surf on Monday and Tuesday. I was under-dressed both days and caught a terrible head cold. I just recently got a Shingles prevention shot
and wanted to get a Flu shot as well, but the guy at the pharmacy said he couldn't do both at the same time. Ugh. So here I sit just miserable since Monday. I'm so sick that I'm going to miss the annual Christmas Parade here in Hampton. I can't remember the last time I missed the parade. We usually have the grandkids with us, but we don't have them this year. If we did? I'd suck it up and go to the parade. Even though it's supposed to be a whopping 31 degrees out there. That's not really conducive to getting better. Now is it?
And I was actually considering marching with my fellow veterans this year as well. My Post is leading the parade off this year. I really should be with them. But again, hours in the cold sounds miserable to me. Hell everything sounds miserable to me. I'm sick. "Tis The Season!
Here's a "Feel Good" pic if there ever was one.
This is Pev and Kyle with Markey J in the middle. Pev and Kyle helped Markey J out of the water the day he got hit in the head with his board. They drove him to the hospital and stayed with him until he was released. Another notable hero of the day was Todd Preble. Todd is a local Firefighter EMT who took the bull by the horns and got Markey set up in the ER that day. So Pev, Kyle, and Todd are the unsung heroes of that day. Say what you want about surfers, but when the shit hits the fan, most of them will stop what they're doing to help a brother out. And that's what Todd, Pev, and Kyle did. I wish them all the best this Holiday season.
Now this is I believe a first in this Blog. I'm not sure if I've ever posted a sequence in the actual Blog section before. But, this is worthy of such a feature. The images below are from the video BLACK FRIDAY. It's in the video section of the Blog and you can see it in it's entirety. What really cool is this is 63 year old Kevin Grondin pulling into a super hollow barrel on BLACK FRIDAY on November 29th, 2019. It's a five shot sequence of video frame grabs from the 4K video. I wasn't sure I even captured this clip of him because I didn't know it was him until we talked on the beach directly after I shot it.
Truth be told, I thought it was Kainalu Nichols. I had no idea it was Kevin.
The truth is I have been shooting Kevin longer that any other surfer I know.
I have footage of Kevin from the early 70's surfing hollow waves like this. I mean, it's almost unheard of that he's still out there charging in waves of this significance. Might I remind you all that these are winter like conditions up here in Northern New England. Kevin is one of a handful of the 60 plus crowd who still paddle out on the bigger days and surf with conviction and talent.
I have always been impressed with his barrel skills. For over 5 decades I've been shooting Kevin it's his barrel riding that has always stood out from the crowds. And look, it's not just me saying this. It's the younger surfers too. They know of which I speak. Kevin is the Best Oldest Tube Hound we have.
And this sequence is proof of that. His total commitment is obvious as he sets his rail and goes, is evident in every barrel he pulls into.
Nobody has pulled into more barrels over the years than Kevin. Nobody.
This last shot is telling. You can't see him, but you know he's still locked in and driving for the opening. Did me make this you're asking? Well, you'll have to watch the video to get the answer to that question. But one thing's for sure, he is always going to be that older guy out there that will pull into any barrel that comes his way. Whether or not he makes them is irrelevant. It's that feeling of being inside those spinning tubes that keep him going back for more. Swell after swell. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. Decade after decade. And as long as he keeps pulling into these gaping barrels, I'll be there capturing it all for your viewing pleasure. Hell yeah Doc you Rock!
I am running The DOVE ad for our dear friend Nancy Winslow again. This shop is one of the coolest Christmas Shops on Cape Ann. Nancy and David have done a wonderful job making this little Gift Boutique a "must see and shop stop" in Rockport, MA. Stop by and say hello to Nancy and pick up something unique for the Holidays this 2019 season.
Each winter I run these promos form our friends in the mountains. LOON, CRANMORE, and PAT'S PEAK. Just click on these logos below to see what's happening up north. I have to say, it's gotta be booming up there with all this early snow. I plan on doing some snowboarding myself at these three cool mountains. Hey when in Rome...
New England's Most Accessible Resort
EXIT 32 off of 1-93
North Conway's Family Mountain
Located in North Conway, NH
Voted # 1 Ski Town in the country by USA Today
Southern New Hampshire's Family Friendly Mountain
Close To Home!
"Surfing, Skiing, and Snowboarding Heals Wounds."
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This is yours truly surfing a popular break here in NH back in 2013. The cool story behind this image is I shared these waves with one other person. And that person is pictured below.
This is Pev. It was just he and I out there surfing perfect waves.
There's a back story to these images as well. But for now, I'll just leave you with these two cool pics from a memorable session.
Thank you Ed for this warm memory. Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click the photo above to see a larger version of Ed's Pic.
Now for Some Local, National and International News
I'm taking a break from the Impeachment episodes this week and drawing my attention to the other side. Joe Biden is one of those individuals in politics who is forever saying the wrong things. And this week is no different. He actually let slip out of his head when speaking to an overweight voter "LOOK FAT, HERE'S THE DEAL." It's captured on video. There's no back tracking on this, or spinning it any other way. You said it Joe. You own it. And the Memes have been fast and furious. There's no escaping the creative wise asses out there. They live for this kind of shit.
Case in point. Ha ha I had to chuckle at how fast and clever
some of these were.
I have to admit I'm impressed with the photo shop skills of the MEME MAKERS out there today. They are quick and accurate. Being in the business and all I salute them. It's all good. I mean the quality of the memes and the content are pretty damn good.
We need to be able to laugh at this stuff otherwise we will all go crazy. And trust me, It's going to get way worse before this is all said and done. Lord give us the strength and laughter to get through this stuff until November of 2020.
ESM (Eastern Surf Magazine) using a READY MAG format did the Best of Ralph's Pic. And while they couldn't possibly use everything thing I've ever done, they did manage to put up some 50 pics of mine, plus two videos. And I was truly humbled by their intro. Mez said some nice things about me. CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE THE WHOLE Spread.
COMING FATHER'S DAY 2020.
While I was making the GRANITE GIRLS video I came up with this project and concept. It's never been done before. As hard as that seems to be. I'm onto yet another never been done before Surf Movie concept. This will be an overview of Surfer dads and their sons. It's a work in progress and I'm hoping to get as many dads and their sons as possible in this movie.
The DVD's are available at all the local surf shops. Or by
sending me an email. ralph@adlantic.com or send a check for $20.00 made out to ADLANTIC and send it here:
ADLANTIC
c/o OC Studio Suites
703 Ocean Blvd Suite C-4
Hampton, NH 03842
Or RENT or BUY it Online. You have spoken and I have listened. You don't have a DVD player so I made it available Online. Watch it on your Smart TV, your computer, or your cellphone! I can't make this any easier my friends.
GRANITE GIRLS and The RIVER WOMEN from Ralph's Pic Of The Week on Vimeo.
NOW AVAILABLE on VIMEO ON DEMAND.
KSM Photoshop of the Week
And speaking of photoshop memes and skills. This too should not be a surprise to any of you. I typically use the JOHN BELUSHI style pic every week but there were actually several photos taken the day that KSM was captured. They had him pose in several different angles in 2003 in Pakistan. I used one of the other angles this week to drop in on the "Fat" guy from Iowa. It actually worked out pretty good as you can all see. Khaliddy looks like a voter from Iowa in this pic.
And so my friends, please take advantage of this weekly photo shop of the mastermind who planned 9-11 and resulted in the deaths of 3,000 innocent civilians by KSM (Khalid Sheik Mohammed).
*Note to self -must pick up a case of Chocolate Chip Cookies
at Home Depot this week.
HAPPY 97th BIRTHDAY Frank Grondin December 7th!
REMEMBER Pearl Harbor!
December 7th, 1941.
REMEMBER John Lennon Killed on December 8th, 1980.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Donna Baldasarri December 13th!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
HAPPY HANUKKAH!
HAPPY KWANZA!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
PLEASE Keep longtime NH Surfer Greg Smith in your Prayers.
Lenny Nichols & Colin Madden
Co-Directors, NNE District
Eastern Surfing Association
www.esa-nne.org
@esa.nne.surf
Please
Support ALL The photographers who contribute to
Ralph's Pic Of The Week every week for the last 13 years.
** BUY a HIGH RES Photo
from any of the weeks on RPOTW.
Remember
my friends... Surfing Heals All Wounds.
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.
Ralph
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(Above) The surf was big and hollow. And unforgiving.
Tuesday December 3rd, 2019. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) There were some waves that were best left alone. This was one of them.
Tuesday December 3rd, 2019. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) This was the last photo I shot of this session. It seemed appropriate.
Tuesday December 3rd, 2019. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) I'm not sure if this was intentional or not. But it made for a good pic. Jon Kiskinis drop knee drop.
Tuesday December 3rd, 2019. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) This was the biggest wave that came through while I was there.
Jon Kiskinis
Tuesday December 3rd, 2019. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) Becca Speak steals one from the pack on the inside.
Tuesday December 3rd, 2019. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) The last shot from this particular session. Looks better than it was.
Tuesday December 3rd, 2019. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) The waves were bigger and meaner here than anywhere else.
Tuesday December 3rd, 2019. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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