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December 27th, 2015 The RUN is 7 out of 7 Weeks.
Waist high or better at least once a week.
There were waves on the December 24th and 25th.
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Another Christmas has come and gone, and another year
will pass us by. Happy and Healthy New Year to you All!

The Christmas season always seems to sneak up on me. I'm thinking it's my age. Because I remember very clearly as a young child waiting and waiting for Christmas to arrive. That anticipation was all part of the Christmas spirit when you're young. But when you're old? Shit flies by at lightening speed. Christmas being one of them.

I always have a list of things I want to do each holiday season but never seem to make it all happen. My mind is thinking one thing, while my aging body is thinking something else. I just need to coordinate the two together. You know, get on the same page. Still, I managed to get some things done, And I suppose that's a small victory in the big picture. Of course, there's always next year.




This is my Auntie Anna. She's going to be 95 in the next few weeks.
She is the only surviving member on my father's side of the family. She is as sharp as a tack, and has complete recall of our entire early lives, especially my father and her brothers.

I plan on going to her home in the next week or two, to put my camera on her, and let it run, as I ask her all the questions I have been dying to ask. Can you imagine 95 Christmas holidays. She still calls me "Ralphie". And I love it.



On the other end of the age spectrum, are these two beautiful little girls. Our grandchildren. Avery 2.3 years old and Brylee 7 months old. You have heard the saying, that Christmas is for kids, well it certainly puts everything into perspective, when there are young children around. When they smile and laugh, everything feels good.

All the negativity in your life dissipates, for that one pure, angelic moment, of a small child smiling at you. And when they run up to you with their arms extended, wanting you to pick them up? Well that feeling my friends, is something I wouldn't trade for anything.

I count the days when we can see them again.



Christmas is the gathering of family and friends. Like these three cousins above. Jesse, Max, and Kelly. There is a genuine love they
all have for each other.And yes, it only happens a few times each
year on the major holidays. But the love and respect never wanes.

And with the advent of technology, we are all in constant contact.



And we're lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa live close enough by to see on the holidays. We love them to death. They are the sweetest and kindest grandparents for our kids. And now, they are great grandparents. They don't look like great grandparents to me. But then again, Cory does not look like a grandmother to me.

It's those "Good Parker genes." Those Parker girls never age.



Christmas is also a time to remember the loved ones who have recently passed. My sister Evamarie, and my nephew Michael. In times of sorrow and sadness, being close to other family members can really go a long way in helping with the loss of loved ones. The spirit of Christmas transcends into our world and into the next world.
If you believe. Have faith, have laughter, give love, and get love.

"FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE HEALS ALL WOUNDS"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 






"Ed's Corner" pic this week is a shot from the winter of 2009.This week's surfer is Dave "Crop" Cropper. To see more of Ed's pics just hit the archives tab and scroll through the years and see some of Ed's work. It's worth the trip down memory lane.
Be sure to pick up the SFOD movie The COLD COAST
 and check out the extra feature of Ed O'Connell's gallery.

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.

Now for Some Of My Weekly Global Observances

Am I the only one who didn't watch the Miss Universe contest? Damn, Sunday nights have too many good shows on TV to be watching that silliness. But....I have to admit, the whole scandal of Steve Harvey blowing the announcement of the crowning of Miss Universe, was clearly news worthy. In light of all the terrible news as of late. This story was, well, it wasn't exactly a feel good story, as much as it was a "Can you believe this shit?" kind of story.

For those who have NO idea what I'm talking about, Steve Harvey was hosting the Miss Universe beauty Pageant and he announced the WRONG name as the winner. It came down to two contestants. Miss Columbia and Miss Philippines. Instead of saying "The runner up is Miss Columbia!" Which would of meant that Miss Philippines was the crowning princess. Steve left out the "Runner up" part and just blurted out "The 2015 Miss Universe winner is....COLUMBIA!"

The place went wild as they crowned Miss Columbia as the 2015 Miss Universe. She was handed the bouquet of roses, they placed the crown on her head, and she began to weep and wave. Weep and wave. The traditional act of a newly crowned Miss Universe. And then...Ole Steve Harvey comes out and stops the music and cheering. His head hung low, as he sheepishly announced his big snafu. What followed was the uncrowning of Miss Columbia and the newly crowning of Miss Philippines.



Yes my friends history was made this night. The UNCROWNING and RE-CROWNING of these two emotional beauty contestants. Look if I was Steve Harvey I would leave the planet. Why? We're talking about Columbia here. Pablo Escobar country. I'm guessing the new King Druglord of Columbia will be coming after the mustached Harvey.



Pretty funny huh. Tell that to the new Drug Cartel Stevie.

KSM Photoshop of the Week

What some people don't know about Steve Harvey is, this was not the first time he messed up. There was a similar contest held at GITMO last summer and our boy KSM was representing Al Qeada. Well, somehow Harvey read the runner up wrong again and poor KSM was left holding the rotting flowers, as he too was d-crowned and the winner was Miss ISIS.



Please my friends, enjoy the weekly humiliation of the master mind behind the September 11th, 2001 attacks. The man who was behind the killing of 3,000 innocent civilians. The number two big dog of Al Qeada. Khalid Sheik Mohammed.

* Note to self, must pick up a case of plastic Tiaras at Home Depot.

HAPPY and HEALTHY NEW YEAR!

Please send positive thoughts to Mike Keefe to your list. Mike's a local surfer who has been surfing these parts for decades. 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.
*I'm adding a close dear friend of mine. Marine SSGT George Masten. A combat Marine who served in Korea and Vietnam. He was awarded the purple heart for wounds received in Vietnam in 1967. George is battling cancer. PLEASE say a prayer for him.

 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 11 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- TC Christo styling in the barrel
in front of his old home. Winter 2005.
(Below) This was TC's homebreak for a while there. To be able to walk across the road and paddle out into something like this was pretty special. I ran into TC and his beautiful girlfriend the other night at Flatbread. When I left I thought about this pic. Such a cool stance, and clearly unique. Who says you can't go home again? MERRY CHRISTMAS TC and Happy New Year!
Photo video frame grab from WINTER 05 courtesy of Surf Free Or Die.


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- Christmas Day. December 25th, 2015.
Video Frame Grabs.
Photos by RALPH


(Above) I don't know, what do you think? It's Christmas, the waves are
waist to chest and there's only a handful of people out. And oh yeah, it
was 60 degrees. December 25th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery









(Above) DJ Sparks carving an open face on Christmas morning.
December 25th, 2015. Photos 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 25 years, and have not had a single regret. They are the BEST!!
*Click on the Ad above to see more!





(Above) Doc and Ralph wishing each other Holiday Cheer, and comfort
and joy. Not really, we were both bitching about something.
December 25th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Kody Grondin laying it all out on Christmas morning.
December 25th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Max Moody twisting onto a glassy left on Christmas morning.
December 25th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) The other Max. Mackey carving on Christmas morning.
Friday, December 25th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
 *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.






(Above) I'm sure the novelty of surfing on Christmas morning was not lost on any of those out there this morning. Friday, December 25th, 2015.
Photos by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Kody Grondin "Five Over" Friday, December 25th, 2015.
Photos by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





(Above) Mackey wanting to hug it out with Kevin in his soaking wetsuit. But Kevin was not into the Christmas morning love.
Friday, December 25th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery










(Above) I saw this on the WALL and stopped dead in my tracks. How many
of you know what this is from? By far one of the BEST LP's EVER.
Friday, December 25th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery


Today- Christmas Eve. December 24th, 2015.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) Mikey Evans having fun with his new board.
December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) This kid was 10 years old. He was out surfing with his brother and dad. December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery











(Above) Mackey V erupting on the inside. December 24th, 2015.
Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Max Moody in Black and white. December 24th, 2015.
Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) Mikey Evans contorting on the foam wall. December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





"North Conway's Family Mountain"



"Southern New Hampshire's Favorite Mountain"




"Superior Snow. Guaranteed.”





(Above) Mackey and his friends are obsessed with one last turns.
December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) The glass before the fog. December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery











(Above) Meanwhile Kevin nursing a nagging wound was out carving in the sluggish fog-soup. December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) The boards that Mikey Evans rides will blow your mind when you see them on land. And they'll really blow your mind when you see them out in the water. December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery












(Above) Mackey applying torque and power on this last burn.
December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
Today- The Christmas Scenes from my family gatherings. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. December 24-25th, 2015.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) The ring around the moon on Christmas Eve was beautiful.
December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





(Above) The lights on display at the house are mostly for the children.
December 24th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery


(Above) Christmas morning. December 25th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery










(Above) Be careful "Ralphie" you'll shoot your eye out. Classic Christmas Story. We watch it every year. December 25th, 2015. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery





(Above) My beautiful daughter Noelle holding my beautiful grand daughter Brylee. Christmas day, December 25th, 2015.
Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



Today- The Amazing Surf Pics From Around The World.
 December 27th, 2015. Photos by The Google Machine



(Above) Not for nothing, but this wave is pretty heavy. December 27th, 2015. Photos by The Google Machine
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery







(Above) No way I'd be anywhere near this mutant. December 27th, 2015. Photos by The Google Machine
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery






 

 

 

 








Great NEW MARINE FORECAST Website






(Above) Would you call this hollow? Better yet, would you call me stupid for asking such a stupid question? Yes and yes. December 27th, 2015.
Photos 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) Justin Bouchard somewhere warm. December 2015.
Photo courtesy of Justin Bouchard
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Click above to purchase on Amazon




(Above) Christmas morning. December 25, 2015. Photo by Peter Gonsalves
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above). Rick McAvoy's present to himself on Christmas morning.
December 25, 2015. Photo courtesy of Rick and Pam McAvoy
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
 



(Above) ALL RISE: The 10th Street District Court Of Surf is Now in Session.
The Honorable Judge RALPH presiding.
CASE #350 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

Christmas Morning 12-25-15 from Ralph's Pic Of The Week on Vimeo.
The novelty of any surfer getting to surf on Christmas day is alive and well. If you live in Northern New England, chances are you are facing cold weather by Christmas. You know, snow on the ground, temps in the teens, that kind of cold. Well, this Christmas was a bit different. The water temps were tolerable, and the air temp was ridiculous. 68 degrees. Say what? It's true. It was balmy and sunny. So for a handful of local surfers, this was a chance to surf on Christmas Day. They had already surfed on Christmas Eve the day before, though it was misty and foggy. There are three waves from Christmas Eve on this clip. The surfers include: Kody Grondin, Max Moody, DJ Sparks, Max Fatello, Matt Evans, and a few unknowns.

The music is by my favorite surf band The VENTURES and the song is "Sleigh Ride". Check it out, it's under 3 minutes.

 

Production: Aether Films (aetherfilms.com)

Director: Andrew Mackenzie; Producers: Kyle Bullington & Davis DiLillo; Executive Producers: John Moore & Noah Grimmett; Camera I: Gordon Yould ; Camera II: Seth Naugle; Aerial Cinematography: Davis DiLillo, Kyle Bullington, Andrew Mackenzie Water Cinematography: Daren Vinson Crawford; AC Camera I: Brooks Burgoon; AC Camera II: Jeff Ball, AC Camera III: Josh Hill; Sound Mixer: Emett Casey Production Coordinator: Dana Kurth; DIT: Bruce Schultz; Editing: Gordon Yould & Andrew Mackenzie; Assistant Editor: Erick Wilczynski; Color: Seth Naugle; Music: DARKSIDE

 

"View From A Blue Moon" Trailer from John John Florence on Vimeo.

See the sport of surfing as it’s never been captured before in John Florence and Blake Vincent Kueny’s second signature release, in association with award-winning film studio, Brain Farm. The first surf film shot entirely in 4K, View From a Blue Moon follows the world’s most dynamic surfer John Florence and his closest friends from his home on the North Shore of Oahu to his favorite surfing destinations around the globe. From the dreamy blue perfection of the South Pacific to the darkest uncharted waters of Africa (and everywhere in between), Florence faces a broad spectrum of emotions as he continues to seal his legacy as one of the most gifted surfers ever. And while the young Hawaiian is pulled in increasingly different directions, there is no form of pressure that will keep him from his ultimate goal — to redefine what is possible in the ocean.

"View From A Blue Moon"
A Film By John Florence & Blake Vincent Kueny
In Association With Brain Farm
Coming 12.1.15

 


MATTERAS Thanksgiving Week 2015 from Ralph's Pic Of The Week on Vimeo.

The week of Thanksgiving 2015 was one of those swells that kept "giving back" to all the local surfers. The color of the water on the last day, and the amazing pinkish purple skies on the 20th, were just beautiful. I'm very impressed at the way the young men and women have been surfing as of late. I've been around the block
a few times and think I have a handle on the who, what, and where around these parts. My only regret for this clip is I didn't shoot from the water. But then again, I am nursing a few broken bones. But I'll get back out there.

Especially if I get to the West Coast and the tropics this winter. Until then, I'll be shooting down the street. Music is by Buckethead buckethead.com
and Jimi Hendrix jimihendrix.com

 


 















 

 

 
CLICK CRACKIE BELOW TO SEE All the CRACKIE VIDS!

CLICK ON THE CRACKIE IMAGE TO SEE ALL THE CRACKIE VIDEOS. The CRACK MASTER is COMING BACK IN 2016 and 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....I think it's the LAST SWELL of 2015.

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...Goodbye 2015, you were very good to us.

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 what 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 December 27th, 2015
"I just got so barreled in Trump's hair! It was insane!"



(Above) Sorry Donnie, but I couldn't resist. Photo by The Google Machine


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