February 14th, 2010 Happy Valentines Day! And how sweet is this? It's Officially 50 out of 52 weeks of surfable waves this week!

"Look at that wave! Oh my God, I should be shooting this." I yelled over to Mike Keefe. "Must be a dilemma for you huh?" He said as we both sat on our boards and watched the millionth perfect wave unfold and grind past us and into the sun on Friday afternoon. "It always has been". I admitted. Since I first started shooting the surf. It's always been the "Shoot or Surf?" Dilemma. Most times I shoot first. Any good photographer knows that simple rule. It does not make any sense to surf the best conditions, and then try and shoot after you're done surfing. Anything can happen. The surf could drop. The wind could switch. The tide, the sun. It goes on and on. Not to mention, the people you would be shooting could be gassed by the time you pull the camera out. No, it's better to shoot first. And I had. I shot all day Thursday and most of Friday morning. By the afternoon on Friday I was ready to surf. And as luck would have it, the surf was still firing.

The Wall was going off on Friday afternoon. If you were around, you know what I'm talking about.

So I grabbed my shortboard and paddled out at around 3:30PM. I hit the water at 10th Street and managed to get right out, with little or no resistance. I remember thinking to myself, "that was too easy". There were still sets, and they had a surge to them. Seems like both days had that same late day surge. And this afternoon was showing signs of that same pulse. But it was also showing signs of perfection. The wind was dying down, and the light was perfect. Hence my dilemma. The colors were so pretty, and the way the sun was hitting the wave faces made me stop and just stare at each wave. It was breathtakingly beautiful. It was one of those sessions, where everything looked so flawless, that you had to pinch yourself to make sure it was real. Or in my case, you had to get caught inside.

Which I did. For a solid 15 minutes I got my ass kicked, and then some.

I remembered earlier in the day, when Tahitian Surfer Raimana Van Bastolaer was at Cinnamon Rainbows talking to reporters about surfing the Big Waves at Chopes, and how he could hold his breath for 1 to 2 minutes under the water. I was actually laughing at myself, as I tried to hold my breath for a minute, as I was taking each wave on the head. I think I got as far as 30 seconds and needed to come back up for air. There's a big difference between Tahiti and New England. I mean, we all know the obvious differences. But I'm talking specifically, about the cold water temps, and the density of our water, as compared to tropical water. I know there are some College Professors out there reading this right now and cursing me saying; "There is no difference between the North Atlantic and the South Pacific as far as water density goes Ralph!" But I beg to differ Professors. I think there is. And I'm basing it on my experiences in both oceans.

That difference is coupled with the fact, that we are fully rubberized, and it's harder to penetrate the water. But you can't tell me that our water here in Northern New England is not denser that the warm tropical waters in Tahiti. Please don't tell me that. Please. I sometimes feel like I'm out surfing in wet cement in the dead of winter. It feels that thick to me. I know I have an active imagination, but there must be some merit to this claim. And as always, I welcome any expert's advice on setting the records straight. Because I can tell you, I am not alone in this assessment. Far from it.

Back to my session with my old friend Mike Keefe.

Surfing with friends has always been (at least for me), one of the true joys in this lifestyle of ours. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love surfing with my kids, and that is a special bond that will be with me forever. But long before I was married, and had kids who surf, I was surfing with friends. I think most of you can relate to that. And as I look back on my long surfing life, some of my best ever sessions have been with close friends. I've known Mike for a long time. Longer than I've known his younger brother Jack. And although we've surfed together many times over the years, hell let's be real here, we're talking about decades, it has been few and far between, when we have connected on a session that was as memorable as the one on Friday afternoon.

That session was special.

The fact that surf was firing had much to do with it I'm sure. But there were other things as well. The Rip and currents that day were insane. And it was combination of the Rip and currents that brought us together. Once we realized that we were both in the same Rip, we made an effort to stay close enough by to share the waves that came through. And man did we share some waves. There were other friends that passed by in and out of the Rip. Christos Valhouli, and Britt Swartley and then Nick Valhouli went by. I saw Kevin Grondin way down the line and a few others . Johnny Reynolds and his son Perry. But Mike and I somehow managed to share the same sandbar.

Now for the record, I have had more and just as memorable sessions with his brother Jack over the years. Good Lord, we've had some sessions that neither one of us will ever forget. The Summer of 1995 for starters. But this day, was just me and Mike. And like most "Pally sessions" we each got some good waves and we shared some good conversations. We talked about everything. And we each stopped whenever a set came through. Which was pretty frequent. One set in particular came halfway through our session. There were two waves. Both lefts. Mike caught the first one, and as I called him into the wave, I had no idea there was one behind his. And his wave was really nice. Head high and just lined up, all the way to the inside sandbar. I hooted Mike and then looked over my shoulder.

I couldn't believe my eyes. This 2nd wave was lined up and just perfect.

I paddled hard to catch up to the shoulder because I was too deep. Somehow I made it to the last spot on the face before it started to throw. I dropped in sideways, and reconnected at the bottom, and then angled into the bowl. That's when I realized that this wave was going to get hollow. And it did. I could see it all unfold in front of me. I could see the sun reflection on the wave face, and the lip pour out and over my head, and somewhere in all of that, I could make out Mike paddling back out hooting.

To say I was stoked would be an understatement. I was so stoked. Look, I will never be the surfer I was when I was younger. None of us will. But if I can manage to pull into a barrel every now and then, well that's all the motivation I need to keep doing this. And I'm talking year round. I forgot to ask Mike if he would be interested in my Witness Protection Plan. That's when I have friends who have personally witnessed me get barreled out of my mind, to be there in the future to remind me of such feats when I get too old to remember them on my own. There are many out there who are on such a list. Big Brad Henderson from Maine who saw me get a heavy Stand Up Barrel at one of our nasty points breaks one year. Cliff Pappas from Hawaii who witnessed me get a square tube at the Wall one night. And my nephew Jesse's (QWILL) friend Scott who witnessed me get rifled on a big left hander about 10 years ago. *Funny I recently saw him at a Qwill show, and didn't know who he was, until he brought that wave up. So Mike, do you want to be on that plan? Ha! Let me know brother.

Oh and for the record. Mike and I were the last two out of the water that night. We surfed well into the darkness. That night was that special. And speaking of special. I was so stoked about that session, that I went down into my studio and opened my email and found three insane shots that Brian Nevins shot from the water that night. And one of them was almost identical to what I personally witnessed just an hour before. Talk about timing. He had shot the photos at the same time we were out surfing. Wait til you see those shots. They are insane. Brian Nevins is the man. Let me tell you something from experience. Shooting in the water is very difficult in the summer and fall. But in the winter? It's nuts. You get so freaking cold being in that water. It's almost unheard of to get in the water at a beach break and shoot in the dead of winter.

That's so hardcore. But that's Nevins.

OK we got two more confirmations on that Thursday, February 4th that there was in fact, waist high surf. One was from Stan Bocko (who surfed that day) and the other was from Stevie O'Hara. Those are two reputable surfers who have no reason to fabricate their claims. So for the record, Let it be known, right here and right now. This week marks the one year mark. This all started on February 18th 2009. And this week marked the 52nd week. There were 50 out of 52 weeks of waist high or better surf. I will be re-cutting the RUN and re-releasing it. After all, what sounds better? 42 out of 43 weeks (the current movie claim) or 50 out of 52 weeks?

Like the infamous Apocalypse Now Redux movie...The RUN will be re-released in the next few weeks as The RUN -REDUX. Movie..."oh the Horror...the Horror..."

Now for some of my weekly Global observances:
The world has lost one of the most iconic individuals to ever walk on this planet. A person so famous and revered that he has touched each and every one of our lives. I'm talking of course about the passing of Walter "Fred" Morrison. Who the hell is Walter Fred Morrison you ask? My dear friends Fred Morrison is the man who invented the FRISBEE. And who among us has not tossed a Frisbee in our lifetime? We have all participated in the joy of tossing the Frisbee. And now the founding father of the Frisbee is gone from this earth.

Perhaps he is right now in Heaven, throwing the FRISBEE to "Lassie". Or tossing the quirky disc to Ted Kennedy or some other intoxicated soul. Let's face it, the Frisbee was way more fun when you had a little buzz on. So what say we all go out this weekend, and toss that flying disc, and remember the founding father who brought so much joy to so many. Hippies, athletes, dogs, beachgoers and kids at parks and in backyards. Just be careful of where you toss it. That thing always seemed to have a mind of it's own.

Rest in Peace Fred...now go deep!

What a difference a week makes. Last week I spoke about President Obama and the White House setting aside $200 Million dollars to spend on the trials of the 9-11 self confessed cowards Kaleik Sheik Mohammed (KSM) and the other cowardly loser Terrorists and this week in the Boston Globe I'm reading that they have had a change of heart. Really? They are actually considering going back to a Military Tribunal. Look we all make mistakes. And we are usually better off when we realize our mistakes and try and fix them.

I don't know a single person who wants to see the Terrorists tried in a civilian court here in the United States. In fact, just yesterday one of my fellow photogs who is a self professed Liberal said he hates all Terrorists and wants them all executed. I'm not that radical, but I do think that most Americans feel the same. We don't want them in a Federal Court wasting money on a circus. Try them in a Military Court at GITMO and let's get back to creating jobs.

Speaking of making mistakes and big GUFFAWS. Both Barack Obama and Sarah Palin made a couple of glaringly bad snafus last week. First up, the President pronounced NAVY CORPSMAN as "Corpseman " . Look, whenever George W. Bush said something stupid the media jumped all over him. And let's face it, he said some doozys in his time. But Good Lord people, the Commander in Chief of our Military should know how to pronounce the title of the men and women who serve in the NAVY and MARINE CORPS as Medics. You need to know this Mr President. It's CORPSMAN (pronounced COREMAN) . Not Corpseman. (click it and see it for yourself) Dude??? I mean DUDE? WTF???? Hey Happy Presidents Day any ways...

OK but lets be fair here. Sarah Palin was the Keynote speaker last week at the TEA PARTY Convention or something. I don't know, I never saw it. I could care less about that crap. But I did see what they were all talking about. Apparently Sarah Palin wrote some words on her hand to help with her speech. If anything this sounds like something a kid would do in Junior High School. It was silly. I mean who the hell writes on their hands? Kids. Come on Sarah...come on.

The US Marines and the Brits and the Afghan Army are fully engaged in the Biggest Offensive since 2001 in Afghanistan. The Surge into Marjah has the Taliban surrounded and the Marines from 3/6 along with Great Britians Army and the Afghan Army are hell bent on kicking some Taliban ass and restoring law and order in that region. Keep them all in your prayers.

Speaking of Marines. They say there is no such thing as an Ex-Marine. That's not true. John Murtha is an ex-Marine. Murtha passed away last week after some complications in surgery. Ask any Marine what they think about Murtha. We don't like him. That's all I'm going to say about him.

Congrats to the 44th Super Bowl Champs The New Orleans Saints. YEA! That was a great Superbowl. The WHO sucked but the game was great. It was great seeing Peyton lose. So let me get this straight. The Colts didn't want to have a perfect season. They did not care about going 19-0 they were just interested in winning the SuperBowl. Well...howd' that work out for you? Losers!

Rest In Peace Nodar Kumaritashvill of Georgia killed in a LUGE accident in Vancouver.
Get Well soon Kim Grondin!
Check out longtime RPOTW contributor Brian Nevins's New Website Get In The Van.
Lots of cool pics by Brian and Nick Lavecchia and some slick viddy work from master Videographer Joe Carter.
HAPPY PRESIDENTS DAY!
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL YOU LOVERS...
PLEASE HELP THE NH SURFRIDER FOUNDATION.

Please give to the RED CROSS or some other trusted organization to help those people. Like Hope For Haiti. This was featured on most of the late night talk shows. It is legit and can be trusted. Just like the RED CROSS. www.redcross.org Help these people. Please.

*Check out the updated DROPPING IN ON RALPH blog Section just added the rest of
January 2010.
*Molly Video by Joe Carter has been moved to the Community Page.

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to Ralph's Pic Of The Week
every week for the last 6 years. **Think about BUYING a Photo from any of the weeks
on RPOTW as a GREAT Gift Idea. A nice framed photo of your favorite Surfer!

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

Ralph