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May 10th, 2015 The RUN is 15 out of 17 Weeks
Waist high or better, at least once a week. There was
NO surf that reached that criteria this week. So next week
we start over. Hopefully ANA will give us something.
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Mother's Day Firsts. TS Ana. Deflate Gate II.

First and foremost, a big Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Past, present, and future moms. You are the foundation of the millions of families all over this world. There should be a week dedicated to Moms let alone a single day. Single Moms, divorced moms, and married moms.

You carry the brunt of the load in raising children. Your strength and courage, does not go by unnoticed. On this day and every day, you are appreciated more than you'll ever really know, by your children, and your partners.

As happy and loving as this day is. There are some families out there who are struggling with this day.

I know two that are close to my heart.

My sister Gale will be facing her first Mother's Day without her child. We have talked about the year of "firsts". First birthday, first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, and the first Mother's Day without her
son Michael. Her only child.



The grief and pain has not yet subsided for her, and for other members of our family, and close friends. And although they say that time heals all wounds, she will eventually get better, and be able to move forward and live her remaining years, with a loving husband and step daughter. She also has close siblings, and even closer friends who will be there for her. But, there will always be that hole in her heart. A hole that will never fully close. Nor should it.

I just want to say to Gale and to other Moms who are dealing with this day. You are STILL a Mother. You will always be a Mother.

Just as you know, that you will always love your child. That bond does not break when someone passes. If anything, it becomes stronger and more spiritual. The love a mother has for her child is endless. And that love will reach his spirit wherever he is on this day. Just as his love will comfort you.

Happy Mother's Day Gale.



The other family that I want to write about is my good friend Mike's family. This will be the first Mother's Day without their mother. Like my sister Gale, this grief and pain is on the other end. The loss felt by Mike and the boys on this day will be significant. Now Mike and I have also talked about "the year of firsts" many times.

We knew this day was coming. There is no escaping it.

I heard from Mike today, he told me that he and the boys are heading to a beach that they were all very fond of. It is a place of peace and serenity. A beach where there are waves. A beach where people surf. But a beach that was a favorite of Deb's. And when they get there, they are going to spread Deb's ashes into the sea.

Now Mike was never a surfer. But he certainly appreciated the ocean and her waves. I think there are many surfers out there, who's last wish would be to spread their ashes over a place where they loved to surf. I know I have such a place.

So when he told me what their plans were for today, I smiled.

And with little imagination, I could see Deb smiling down on her three boys. Just like my sister Gale, Deb is a mother. And today, we all wish her a Happy Mother's Day.

I always get a kick out of Tropical Storms and Hurricanes that have the same name as someone I know. This "First" storm of the year is named ANA. Yes, I know someone with that name. In fact, I know two people locally with that name. You know who you are.



Though it is a bit early for tropical storms, I don't believe any of you are complaining. Am I right people? Hell no. Funny thing is my youngest daughter just came home from where this storm is slated to hit. South Carolina. Chances of us getting any surf from Ana has yet to be determined.

So we are all watching. Come on Ana. Come on.

Heading out West at the end of the month, to help give my old friend Thom a proper Surfer's Paddle send off.



I turned Thom onto Surfing in the early 80's. I need to be there for him and his wife Margie.

I have to admit, I'm still buzzing over that review I got in the new ESM. Pick up a copy at your local surf shop if you haven't seen it. Or click this image below to see a larger version of the review.



ESM is the ONLY magazine dedicated to all of us here on the East Coast. From Florida to Maine. That's ESM. Pick up a copy today.

All four surf shops on our NH seacoast have the movie.
Cinnamon Rainbows, Pioneers, Zapstix, and
Summer Sessions.


"Surfing and Surf Movies Heals All Wounds"






"Ed's Corner" pic this week is from June 9, 2013.
The surfer is longboarder Mikey Evans. Click on the image
above to see a larger version.

To see more of Ed's pics just hit the archives tab and scroll through the years and see some Ed's work. Be sure to pick up
the new SFOD movie The COLD COAST and check out the
extra feature of Ed O'Connell's gallery set to music.

Each week I will feature one of Ed's great pics from this blog. Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click the photo above to see a larger version of Ed's Pic.



The COLD COAST is available at CINNAMON RAINBOWS, PIONEERS BOARD SHOP, ZAPSTIX, and SUMMER SESSIONS. You can also buy one from SURF FREE OR DIE by sending a check or money order for $20. Go to surffreeordie.com for ordering details.

Portions of the eventual DVD proceeds will go to the
WOUNDED WARRIORS PROJECT.

Now for Some Of My Weekly Global Observances
I was once again saddened by the news this week of the never ending DEFLATE GATE II. In the name of God, is this really happening again? Do these two men below need to cheat to win games? Hell no. They could of beaten the Colts that night if they were using basketballs. And has anyone asked the Colts what they think? Do any of them think the 2 psi in question had anything to do with their ass whooping? Seeing how the Patriots scored 28 unanswered points in the 2nd half when the balls were properly inflated. Someone please ask Mr Luck his thoughts.



Haters are gonna hate us cuz they ain't us.

This guy is the genius who came back with a vague report of the deflating of balls during the AFC championship game. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mr Tom Wells.



Tell me he does not look dapper in this suit. And that purple tie? He is styling for sure. His 15 minutes of fame has arrived and he
is going to milk it for all he can. Please Tom. Be serious. Where is the hard evidence? Where is the smoking gun?

They don't exist. Now before any of you are thinking that if this whole deflate thing was in reverse and the Colts kicked our ass and they were using balls that were under inflated would I be upset? Hell NO! The Colts got their asses kicked that whole game. We would not have won if there was another PSI in their balls. Give me a break. Any way, let's stop and have a chuckle here with the KSM photoshop of the week.



 As always, my weekly humiliation of KSM. Please enjoy. I insist..
Here we see KSM with Tom Wells and the investigating Tom Wells team looking for missing PSI's.

Please enjoy the weekly humiliation of the mastermind terrorist who killed 3,000 innocent civilians on September 11th, 2001. Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM), the mastermind behind 9-11 the captured Al Qeada ICON is getting his weekly slap in the face. You're welcome KSM fans.

* Note to self: Must pick up a case of air pumps at Home Depot
this week.

Happy Birthday to all you May Birthdays!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jay Gould May 7th, 2015!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Leah Grondin May 8th, 2015!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gabby Fatello May 9th, 2015!
HAPPY MOTHER'S Day to ALL the Moms May 10th, 2015!
RIP Glenn McDonald Florida surfer who was good friends with
Lenny Nichols and Kevin Grondin. Click on this photo to read
the nice obituary on Glenn.



*Facebook no longer gives me the weekly birthday updates.
They only send me daily ones. Sorry.

Please keep my sister Evamarie in your thoughts and prayers
and continue to send positive thoughts to our dear friend Meghan Evans and family, same with Steve McCarthy and his family. Please add surf photographer Andrew Rebeiro to your list and my dear friend Greg Brooks. Also say a prayer for my good friend Robert Gerard. And please continue to pray for local Hampton surfers Terry Morrison and Rick Fiorentini and their families.
And lastly, please pray for James Hecht.

Please add them all to your prayer list. Thank you.

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to Ralph's Pic Of The Week every week for the last 9 years. **Think about BUYING 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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CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC ABOVE TO SEE EVERY
SINGLE WEEK FROM THE LAST 10 YEARS!



Don't forget to go back and read the whole DAILY BLOG on
My CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY. (Click On the Banner below
on this page.) Started on July 26, 2010 ENDED July 26, 2011.
A Wave a day for 365 consecutive days.
Yesterday- Twenty Five Years ago.
 (Below) I know you have all heard the expression "In the blink of an eye". Mostly used when describing how fast a child grows. Well I'm here to tell you it's all true. They do grow up fast. And you had better spend time with them when they are young and need you, or you will regret it for the rest of your life. You can't go back. We can only go forward. I remember when we took this photo. I was heading off to surf my favorite reef. I had the board on the floor and Gabby crawled up to it. So I did what any surf dad would do. I placed her on the board and moved her little legs to have the perfect stance.
Cory snapped the photo. Twenty five years later, Gabby is the mother of a
20 month old with a newborn coming any day now. Happy Birthday Gabby
and Happy Mother's Day.
Photo by Cory Fatello.


Click on the photo above to see the larger version.


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All PHOTOS BELOW SHOT THIS WEEK
*Unless otherwise noted.

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Today- "The only pics I shot this week." May 4th, 2015.
 Photos by RALPH



(Above) The Isle Of Shoals was dancing on water the other day.
Monday, May 4th, 2015.
Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery









(Above) We had the local crew over the other night to watch the "Fight Of The Century". We were all disappointed. It was a snooze fest. Rematch? maybe, but I won't watch it. Or will I ? Saturday May 2nd, 2015. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above)*For the record, we have bought all of our JEEPS from Lansdale JEEP the last 23 years, and have not had a single regret. They are the BEST!!
*Click on the Ad above to see more!

Today- The Lower Trestle's Contest. May 2nd, 2015.
 Photos by Steve Dillon



(Above) Tom Curren once considered to be the best in the world. I think he still is, even at 50 something. May 2nd, 2015. Photo by Steve Dillon
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





(Above) Tom Curren managed to find the only tube in the entire contest.
Luck? Nope. Karma. Good karma and also knowing where to be and
at what time. May 2nd, 2015. Photo by Steve Dillon
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) This kid could very well be the next world champ. Filipe Toldeo is turning heads during each go out. This guy can do it all in small waves.
Not sure how he is in big waves. And to be a world champ today you
have to do it all. May 2nd, 2015. Photo by Steve Dillon
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





(Above) This is child's play for this guy. Filipe Toldeo is all about the tricks. And he does it with style. May 2nd, 2015. Photo by Steve Dillon
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Today- Meanwhile Up North a Bit. The Phantom hit the beach and did some walking. May 3rd, 2015.
 Photos by THE PHANTOM



(Above) This is the Phantom's playground. And it requires some hiking.
May 3rd, 2015. Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) The only other creatures they encountered. May 3rd, 2015.
Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





















If you know a surfer who may be struggling with any kind of substance abuse. Click here. They can help.
*Click above to save a surfer from substance abuse.




Great NEW MARINE FORECAST Website




(Above) This is the reward for that long hike. Brad pulling into a perfect
long left. May 3rd, 2015. Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





(Above) Can you stand it? Having this to yourselves? May 3rd, 2015.
Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) New spot and a switch of crafts. Brad paddled into this screaming right. Let me ask you a question. If a surfer screams and there is only one other guy out, does his voice make a sound? May 3rd, 2015.
Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery










(Above) Ever wonder how SUPS paddle out in bigger surf? This is
how they do it . May 3rd, 2015. Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





(Above) This is another day of the same swell. And this is Sam George.
A true waterman, and a great human being. May 4th, 2015.
Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





surffreeordie.com




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"The McCarthys" on Twitter: https://twitter.com/McCarthysCBS
"The McCarthys" on Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/1109233...

 




(Above) Same day of the same swell. And Brad is making the best of his
SUP. I don't believe I have seen another SUP rider surf with this much aggression and conviction. May 4th, 2015. Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) One more from the day before. Brad owned this break.
May 3rd, 2015. Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Brad is a happy man with happy feet. May 3rd, 2015.
Photo by THE PHANTOM
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



Today- Pics From Around The World.
May 10th, 2015. Photos by The Google Machine



(Above) Very cool perspective. May, 2015.
Photo by The Google Machine
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





(Above) And so is this a cool perspective. May, 2015.
Photo by The Google Machine
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) They say that belly boarders perspective is way bigger than
the stand up guys see. Can you imagine what is this guy is seeing.
May, 2015. Photo by The Google Machine
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) The guy walking on the beach can't possibly be the only guy there.
Or can he? May, 2015. Photo by The Google Machine
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery






(Above) Hello. Oh man, wouldn't we all want to be this guy.
May, 2015. Photo by The Google Machine
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





(Above) You have to admit, this is beautiful. May, 2015.
Photo by The Google Machine
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery










(Above) This has to be one of the best photos ever, of a wave about to pitch. May, 2015. Photo by The Google Machine
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) You couldn't pay me enough to surf something like this.
And this guy is doing it for the thrill. May, 2015.
Photo by The Google Machine
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery








(Above) Behold-the great ocean cloud descending down on me.
May, 2015.
Photo by The Google Machine
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery












 


We welcome all Surf Related pics from our Readers. Just make sure they are at least 900 pixels wide. If you have any OLD photos of local New England surfers and or of local New England surfing, we would love to see them and share them with our readers.

We can scan them for you. And we get them back to you undamaged. Trust me. We can do this...people love the older stuff. So if you have any, please send 'em along. If you have prints/slides we can scan them for you.

And we don't care if you shoot pics with with your cellphones. I mean it. Most of the images you see on the news and on the Internet were shot with them Smart Ass Phones. So shoot and ask questions later.










(Above) What the ...? That beer was just in my hand a second ago.
May 2015 Photo courtesy of James Morse.
*Click on the photo above to see the whole photo gallery.

Click above to purchase on Amazon




(Above) James Morse in a nice Indo barrel.
May 2015 Photo courtesy of James Morse.
*Click on the photo above to see the whole photo gallery.





(Above) James off the bottom of a murky brown right.
May 2015 Photo courtesy of James Morse.
*Click on the photo above to see the whole photo gallery.
 


(Above) ALL RISE: The 10th Street District Court Of Surf is Now in Session.
The Honorable Judge RALPH presiding.
CASE #317 BLATANT DROP IN OF THE WEEK-
Click the image above to see the outcome of this Surf Crime and the Verdict
that was rendered. Photo by RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the OUTCOME.
Click banner below to read the entire CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY Year Long Blog. From start to finish. In chronological order as it happened. And trust me, a lot happened. Some of it almost too hard to believe. But it's all there. Every single day.


CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON on each clip to view videos


THE COLD COAST TRAILER

The movie is available now at the New Hampshire surf shops CINNAMON RAINBOWS, PIONEERS, SUMMER SESSIONS, and ZAPSTIX. It's also available
at www.surffreeordie.com



THE PATRIOTS DAY SWELL

This swell started on Monday April 20th, 2015 (Patriots Day). However it wasn't until the day after when things got bigger and cleaner. The local crew were all over it once the sea sickness left and the wind went west.
Filmed in NH. The usual suspects were out there. Casey Lockwood, Matt Colby, Kevin Grondin, Kai Nichols, Kyle Linseman, Max Fatello and a handful of others. This clip is the three best days in the exact order as the swell hit. The music is by guitar virtuoso Buckethead. Hope you like it kids.




PR Winter 2014 from Ralph's Pic Of The Week on Vimeo.

This is the footage I shot in March of 2014. There's some Big Tres here and some other funky little spots. *Note The large surf at Wildos is worth the price of admission alone. There's additional footage from Max.

The music is from Miguel Tito Rodriguez. I met Miguel in Rincon last winter. He was playing outside with his bass player and I was completely blown away by his playing. The song is called De Juno. The man can rip on the six string. I hope you like this little Tropical Clip.

Ralph



 

 


 












 

 

 


CLICK CRACKIE BELOW TO SEE All the CRACKIE VIDS!

CLICK ON THE CRACKIE IMAGE TO SEE ALL THE CRACKIE VIDEOS. Crackie's COMING BACK IN HD! Meanwhile just click on his face and go to his YouTube page and watch all his absurd videos. And if you have a question for Crackie, no matter how stupid, or absurd, please send it here...crackie@adlantic.com

You can also check Crackie out on Facebook. You should Friend Him...though there are no guarantees that he'll be nice to you.



COMING NEXT WEEK ....Uh oh...should we start to panic? Another flat week ahead of us. .

Recorded in 1978. Click on VINNY CD art to see a larger
version and how to order this CD and others for sale at
GAF Music. www.gafmusic.com
A Division of Adlantic





COMING NEXT WEEK ....SOS...SOS...Help!


Recorded in 1983. Click on VINNY CD art to see a larger
version and how to order this CD and others for sale at
GAF Music. www.gafmusic.com
A Division of Adlantic
 


(Above) Put the cursor over the images above to see happens when you DROP in
on someone. You become Invisible. Simply put the mouse over the photo to see the
original photo and then marvel at the results of what happens when the criminal
becomes invisible.*Put the cursor over the photo to see the Real image.
Photo by RALPH

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Today May 10th, 2015
"Ok everyone out of the boat!"



(Above) Good lord, can you imagine? Ugh. I get ill just looking at this.
Photo by The Google Machine


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