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Got
good surf pics? Send em off to me directly. (See link below) Just make sure they're 650 pixels wide. NO bigger NO smaller. In fact if you have any questions about the size, email me first and I'll write back. Start shooting crackie!! Ralph Pic Of The Week |
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If you want to access the Pic of the week from past weeks click here. Archives |
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April
13th, 2008 (5yrs) Johnny Meehan left my office on Wednesday afternoon and as he walked across the driveway to get into his vehicle, he pointed and said "Tomorrow they're calling for 4' at 14 seconds." "Really?" I said. "That's what I'm talking about" he answered. I work with Johnny and Jay Gould doing their design work for The Flatbread Company. (By the way, if you've never had the Flatbread Pizza experience, you are clearly missing out on something very special). They are both surfers, and as always with surfers, we always end up talking about surfing. So for Johnny to throw out the 4' at 14 seconds comment, was not so unusual. What was unusual was the fact that, there had been surf all week. All week long. Fog, sun, wind you name it. We had it. I had not surfed all week, but had a window the following day that could work for me. Sure enough, Thursday morning broke with a bright shining sun and a clean little swell. The wind had a bit more south in it, than west, so as a result it gave the new swell a slight bump on the faces. That all changed throughout the day as the wind came around more out of the Northwest. In short, by the end of the day, it cleaned up nicely. It was like Opening Day at the Wall. The Wall is the gathering place for all of us. Those that live here and those who travel to surf here. The sun was out. The surf was fun. It had all the ingredients for the beginning of the warmer seasons. People seemed genuinely happy. Funny how one sunny warm day with surf can do that. The Wall walkers were out in force as well. I had surfed earlier in the day and had settled in with both cameras to record the Opening Day magic. I was not disappointed. They all came out. Girls and boys, pale with winter white skin, shed their winter clothing for the lighter spring/summer look. Most of us looked like you would expect us to look. Sickly. Unless you traveled to warmer destinations, we were all sporting the New England Winter Tan look. But really who cares? By June, we'll look like the beautiful people in the surf magazines. And then before you knew what hit you, we'll be back in the winter gear. But for now...Spring has sprung. It was fun seeing everyone together again. And as warm as it seemed on the land, a few brave souls tried making the switch from their winter 5/4's to the Spring 4/3's. Chris Valhouli and his buddy Brit (or is it Brett?) and their friends Jermaine and Murray (Present) paid the price for their choices. OK kids listen up...it's still too cold for 4/3's (for most people). Unless you're a SUP rider where you don't actually get wet, you still need the dam winter suits. Got it? I hate to tell you this but, Friday morning (4-11-08) was from the first break on sunlight, to around 9:30AM... way better than the night before. I swear to you all it was. Glassy, sunny, and bigger than the day before. And only a handful of riders to get the surprise of the week swell. Trust me, it was good. How good was it? Well compared to the day before, it was very good. Compared to some of the bigger winter swells we've had this past winter, it was just OK. But for me? Well, I had fun. And I guess, when all is said and done, that's still the bottom line for any surf session. No matter what time of the year. It's all about "Having fun out in the water." And I had fun. |
Speaking
of having fun. This is the 5th year of Ralph's Pic Of The Week.
Hard to believe that this thing has gone from what that first week was all
about, to this current week. I can't believe that I actually used to post
ONE freaking photo a week! Today I've posted the most ever (85).
Then adding the YESTERDAY segment. Which really has been one of the
favorites for a lot of you older readers. The annual Art column. And finally
the Video Clip of the Week. Looking back at the archives, I was surprised
that some of my earlier rants were just a paragraph or two. Today it's a
full on column...or as some of you call it, a Blog. I guess I'm a freaking
'Blogger'.
I've had time to reflect on the last 5 years while out surfing this week, and really need to thank a few people. First and foremost, Cinnamon Rainbow's Dave Cropper and partner Phil Carey. It's been a hell of a ride so far guys. The column is called Ralph's Pic Of The Week and it's always really been about the photos. And the photos come from the photographers. The guys who pull the triggers. All you surfers, who have buddies that take photos of you, should be buying these guys dinner and giving them gas money every week. So I'm thanking each and every photographer who's ever sent a photo to me. You guys make this happen. There are some who really deserve the accolades though. And they are...Brian Nevins, John Carden, Ed O'Connell, Bob Constentino, Lenny Nichols, Jeff Crawford, Kevin Doherty, The Phantom, Tony Szabo, and the Legend himself...Mr Bernie Baker from Hawaii. I know there are many other photographers who have submitted photos in the past, but these are the core guys. My Warriors in the field who have been regular contributors each and every week. This column would be nothing without their amazing work. Again, I thank you all. Please keep shooting. But the most important factor in all of this is you. Yes you. The guy or girl, who's reading this right now. The Surfer. You either live here in New England, or used to live here. Or maybe you've never been here, and somehow stumbled across this site, and something connected with you. Regardless of why, where, or who. I thank you all for checking us out every week. I hope you like the images and the little tidbits that I have added over the years. Maybe I pissed a few of you off. Well, I'm sorry about that. It's just my opinion. And you know what they say about opinions. You don't? Well...the saying goes like this: "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one." My biggest reflection of the last 5 years is this: Life is like one big paddle. Or rather, our surfing lives. It's all about the paddle. I really do mean this. It's the paddle. In other words, do you have one more paddle in you? Is there enough left in your tank, to paddle back out? At the end of the day, will you look back and say, I did it. I paddled back out, when my arms were aching, and my lungs were bursting. I made it back outside. For one more wave. Or, did you give up? Life can be hard. Lord knows, we have all suffered some kind of pain, or anguish in our lives. Whether it was physical or emotional. It was real for you. The easy thing to do is to quit. It's true. Anyone can quit. The hard thing to do is to get back up and keep going. To fight. To paddle. Keep paddling. Don't give up. You're almost outside. Keep paddling. Finally, I want to dedicate this 5th year anniversary column to all of those we have lost these last five years. We lost a lot of good people. They will be missed by those who knew and loved them. But they will not be forgotten. Remember them always. I know I will. Thanks
for tuning in each week. Remember
my friends...Surfing heals all wounds.... |
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Yesterday
1965 The Other Cement Wall
(Above)
Dougie Fresh making it look warmer than it really was.
(Above)
Seth Bilodeau enjoying another session while his buddy Kevin captures
it from the beach.
(Above)
Again NOT even close to what the sets looked like. Friday April 11, 2008.
2008 Photos Taken last week in Nicaragua by Brian Nevins
2008
Photos Taken in Costa Rica last week.
(Above)
Shot number 3 of Christian Kozowyk's amazing barrel sequence. Costa Rica.
(Above)
Shot number 4 of Christian Kozowyk's amazing barrel sequence. Costa Rica.
(Above)
Shot number 5 of Christian Kozowyk's amazing barrel sequence. Costa Rica.
2008
More Hawaii Pics from Bernie Baker and his
Today
2008 Parting Shot... When Cutties Go Bad!
 Click On Wave to Go Back to The Top.
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