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Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Untimely Passings...

On Tuesday October 16th, 2012 at around 7:12PM most of New England experienced a 4.0 earthquake that basically raised a
few eyebrows, not to mention it shook a few of us into a state of disbelief. Now I personally have felt a few tremors here and
there over the years, but I had never felt anything like that.

So it got my attention. Hell it got me moving.

But it also got the attention of all my friends on the West coast who could not help themselves on Facebook by calling us amateurs, and basically said we were wooses.

You know...pussy cats. Losers. Cowards. It was as if we had no business talking about an Earthquake when they live with this stuff everyday. Well, I have just one thing to say to my West coast friends.

"Get A Freaking Life."

This is the East Coast. This is NOT Los Angeles. We do NOT get Earthquakes every other day. So when we do, it's a big deal to us. It would be like you punks getting an inch of rain or sleet,
and having us slam you because we get hammered with massive storms each year.

You don't hear us cat calling on Facebook or on the blogs. We get that it's a big deal when it rains on you clowns. So please, let us revel in our post Earthquake banter.

That thing was loud and it shook the whole seacoast. And it lasted for about 7-10 seconds. Clearly nothing like an LA quake
or some Indonesian quake, but for our standards? It was pretty damn significant.

I did find it funny that we all ran to Facebook after realizing all the telephone lines were down. Social media saved us. From what I don't know, but it at least gave us a forum to discuss the unusual circumstance. And boy the postings and IM's were all
lit up. Everyone was chiming in...

And then...the next day? Hurricane Rafael hit!

I wrote about Ralphie last week...it may not have been very big, or that well organized, but coming off the heels of a rare Earthquake, to get a Hurricane in mid October? Well? That's special. And it was for all of us here in New England. I shot some clean waves in the early morning, and then managed to paddle out and get a few waves.

I think this was the first time I ever surfed a storm with a name that means Ralph. Hurricane Ralph....I may not have surfed very well, but I did get a few waves with a couple of friends.
Hell, Ed even got a shot of me.

Earthquakes and Hurricanes in October.

On Monday October 15th, 2012 our good friends the Grondins lost a member of their family suddenlly. Kevin Grondin is someone I've known forever. I also known his brother and two sisters as long. Same with his parents. He lost his mother a year ago, and on Monday his kid sister Carylyn passed away at her home. She was only 52 years old.

Carylyn was a rare breed in the simple fact, that of all the people I know, she never had a negative thing to say about anyone. Her willingness to love and respect everyone, coupled with her amazing strength to
forgive and forget put her in a league of her own.

There is a life lesson here for all of us. To be able to forgive.

Carylyn you were too young and too full of life to leave this planet, but
I know that your faith, and your love, will shine through on your family each and every day. Especially the days that they really need your strength. May you rest in Peace forever.

Meanwhile out on the west coast a good friend of mine Phil Beauchesne lost his father- in- law un expectantly in a tragic fall. Merrill Dee Subway father to Marie and grandfather to Isabella passed away on October 15, 2012. He sounded like a great guy.

Now for Some Of My Weekly Global Observances:

OK have you heard the latest from the Bloated Mastermind of 9-11?
I guess the judge at GITMO has OK'd a request from Ole KSM to be allowed to wear Camo in the courtroom. Because he feels he is an enemy combatant. Much like the Germans and the Japanese in WWII. Hey Halide? You are NOT a combatant. You are an evil son of Satan who killed innocent men, women, and children on September 11th...

Did the men and women who died in the WTC on 9-11 have uniforms on? Did the civilians on the airplanes your scrawny ass bonehead Terrorists hijacked have uniforms? If I were the judge I would allow
you to wear a uniform, but it would be all YELLOW. To show your
true colors.

Note to self: Must pick up some Pink Camo for the girls at Home Depot.

Patriots FINALLY Beat a football that they needed to beat. PATS 29-JETS 26 in OT nail biter...I swear, if they had lost this game? I might have really had a breakdown. I'm sick of squirming each week watching this team squander lead after lead in the 4th Qtr only to lose it in the final minutes or seconds. Not the case this week. Thank God. But trust me, it was close. Too damn close for my liking.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

HAPPY OCTOBER EVERYONE!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Josh Day October 23rd!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Brendan McCray October 24th!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jared Hay October 24th!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Trevor Capon October 26th!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Joe Carter October 28th!
Rest In Peace Carylyn Grondin October 15th, 2012.
Rest In Peace Merrill Dee Shumway October 15th 2012!
GET WELL SOON Matt Denis WHS student!
Get Well soon Mr Cropper father of Dave and Mike Cropper. Please keep Mr Cropper in your thoughts and prayers.

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. Keep in mind the photos you steal from this site are low RES. You can't blow them up. Order HIGH RES photos that are suitable for framing. It's a GREAT Gift Idea. A nice framed photo of your favorite Surfer or Surf Break!

Remember my friends...Surfing Heals All Wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph

JUST RELEASED and IN THE SHOPS and Online!!
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. Just click on the banner ads on this page.

To contact the advertisers below, simply click on the Ad space. Anyone wishing to find out info about advertising here can do so by emailing me directly. Ralph's Email I'll send you a template and other info on how you can become a paid sponsor

We highly recommend the various businesses and artists listed below. Why? Well simply put, each and every one of them is a Surfer, who lives the Surfing Lifestyle, and their business is a reflection of that lifestyle that we all love.

Yesterday- 25 years ago today. Joey Cabell at Hanalei Bay.
(Below) I remember this day. October 21st, 1987. I was out alone at Hanalei Bay in Kauai when the legendary Joey Cabell pulled up in a Hobie Cat and moored off near the bowl. He then proceeded to paddle over to where I was sitting and for the next 2 hours we shared waves together. Just me and Joey Cabell. I had my water camera at the time. I managed to get a couple of photos of Joey before I went in. I saw him a few more times during that week, but nothing as special as that first session. Photo by RALPH

Click on the photo above to see the larger version.

TODAY ... all the photos below were taken this week, unless otherwise noted.

Today-Hurricane Rafael (Ralph) Wednesday- October 17th, 2012. Photos by RALPH

(Above) This sparkle in the wave face caught my eye. I hope it does for you as well.
Wednesday October 17th, 2012. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) The rights were pretty smooth. Check both the inside and outside.
Wednesday October 17th, 2012. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Dave Cropper nabbed this speedy little right hander before heading in.
Wednesday October 17th, 2012. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) I like this angle. Tim O'Shea from down the line.
Wednesday October 17th, 2012. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Empty waves for no one... October 17th, 2012. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) This guy was flying out there. October 17th, 2012. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today-Hurricane Ralph (Rafael) October 17th, 2012.
Photos by Ed O'Connell

(Above) I'm not sure what the hell is going on here. I do know that this scene
became a hot post on Facebook October 17th, 2012.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) I know Thom Hay and his brother found this all worthy of a smile.
October 17th, 2012. Photo By Ed O'Connell
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) I know this is a cool pic Ed... October 17th, 2012. Photo By Ed O'Connell
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Duffy McCarthy on the wave of the day. Wednesday October 17th, 2012.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) That's me giving Duffy McCarthy the high five. Wednesday October 17th, 2012.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today-Hurricane Rafael (Ralph) October 18th, 2012.
Photos by Ed O'Connell

(Above) Wave warbled face. Thursday October 18th, 2012.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Mr Green himself, Tim O'Shea. Thursday October 18th, 2012.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Hannah Vokey connecting the kelp dots. Thursday October 18th, 2012.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Jill Caisey wave of the day... Thursday October 18th, 2012.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today-Hurricane Ralphie (el) October 18th, 2012.
Photos by Andrew Rebeiro

(Above) Golden sunrise of Rafael... Thursday October 18th, 2012.
Photo By Andrew Rebeiro * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Tropical looking Hurricane Rafael... Thursday October 18th, 2012.
Photo By Andrew Rebeiro * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today-October scenes in New England- 2012. Photos by RALPH

(Above) I took surf photos the day before and went surfing. The next day I was up on
the Canadian border taking this beautiful October sky pic. October 18th, 2012.
Photo By RALPH* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today-Lenny's Leftovers- 2012. Photos by Lenny Nichols

(Above) Last month Lenny took super Grom son Kai to Cape Hatteras where Kai
was named to the ESA All star team and he pulled in back home just in time to
score this sweet swell. September, 2012. Photo By Lenny Nichols
* 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.

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. Shoot and ask questions later.

Just shoot them and send them along.

(Above) Eddie Traniello of Massachusetts loves coming to Hampton. He really enjoyed
his Rafael session on Wednesday October 17th, 2012 .
Photo By Eddie Ryan. * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) My buddy Wally from California is part of a tight knit crew of surfers that really remind me of my friends here in New England. They are just like us. They surf, work, and travel together. Like this trip to Namotu. Wally seems pretty stoked on this wave. Heck
can you blame him?
Photo courtesy of Doug Hendry * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Scott " Wally " Engle styling in Namotu.
Photo courtesy of Doug Hendry * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Ireland's beautiful coastline. October 2012. Photo By B. McCahill
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

NEW QWILL Single JUST RELEASED on fathers Day June 17, 2012 GREAT SONG

(Above) October's colors. October 2012. Photo By RGF
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Great NEW EP from local surfer/musician
Nick Checo download it for free by clicking
on image above.

(Above) All Rise: 10th Street District Court of Surf Justice is now in session, the
Honorable Judge RALPH presiding. CASE 184 BLATANT DROP IN OF THE WEEK-
Click the photo to see the outcome of this Surf crime and the verdict.
Photo By RALPH

Click above to follow the entire CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY Blog. From start to finish. In chronological order as it happened.

CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON on each clip to view videos

This is the latest trailer for the documentary SURFING HEALS ALL WOUNDS. This was the most labor intensive project I have ever worked on. Both emotionally and physically.
There were times when I did not know if I could finish it. Having to relive the whole year in editing was so stressful. After finishing this movie, I realized that Buck Rowlee is my hero. In fact, the whole Rowlee family are. I was just a vehicle to help tell this story. I really hope you get something out of this. It is available at the Local Surf Shops and online. surffreeordie.com Portion of the proceeds will go directly to the Molly Rowlee Fund. Thank you. Surfing, Community, and Love.

Here's Crackie after today's JETS game. He had a few drinks in him
Good thing they won today, if they'd lost another close one Ole Crackie was going to go off on the team. Whew!
Meanwhile If you have a question no matter how stupid, or absurd, please send it here...crackie@adlantic.com

Crackie has his own Face book Page. You should Friend Him...though there are no guarantees that he'll be nice to you.

COMING NEXT WEEK! Tim Brown's first surf in quite sometime. Shot today 10-21-12 Photo By RALPH

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

Shot today...Sunday October 21st, 2012. by RALPH
Coming Next Week!

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

COMING NEXT WEEK! Check the surf Tim Brown had for his first
surf since he got hurt. Shot today 10-21-12 Photo By RALPH

COMING NEXT WEEK! This is what STOKED looks like. Tim Brown
after his first surf sesh. Shot today 10-21-12 Photo By RALPH

Click above to read the entire MOLLY BLOG in Chronological order

(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

Today October 10th, 2012 "Hey I could use some room here!!"

(Above) From this week...damn, it looks like this guy could of ducked under this guy's board. Would that be a tube of sorts? Maybe. Shore 10/17/12
Photo by Ed O'Connell

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