January 22nd, 2023 The RUN is 8 out of 8 Weeks.
Waist high or better at least once a week.
There were overhead waves on January 15-16-17th and chest high
on the 19-20- 21st, 2023
THE RECORD FOR THE MOST CONSECUTIVE WEEKS IN A ROW FOR WAIST HIGH OR BETTER. August 8th, 2021 was 53 WEEKS! TOPPING THE 43 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS SET IN 2009! |
Send your SURF Pics to me directly to: ralph@adlantic.com.
Need photos by 10 AM on Saturdays. Seriously.
By 10AM. Make sure they are 1300 to 1555 pixels wide.
If you have more than 10 pics please use wetransfer.com it's free up to 2 gig. Please DO NOT send me over 10 pics without first contacting and communicating with me.
Thank you.
Click on Archives link to see all the past Blogs and pics. |
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DAVID CROSBY PASSES AWAY.
DAVE CROPPER CATCHS A WAVE.
David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, and Nash dies at 81.
Portrait of David Crosby by Joan Baez
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This is Lenny Nichols at BB's on January 15th, 2008.
Seems like 90% of Lenny's boards have been yellow.
He is currently in Hawaii visiting with his family.
Not to mention the EDDIE AIKAU INVITATIONAL
contest is happening as I type this.
Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click the photo above to see a larger version of Ed's Pic. |
CROSBY, STILLS, and NASH on Atlantic Records 1969
David Crosby was Born in 1941 passed January 18th, 2023.
I am not gonna lie, I was a big fan of CS&N and Crosby Stills, Nash, and Young. They were one of the cassettes that me and my friends listened to in while we were stationed in Vietnam. I hear those songs and I am immediately transported back to those days. In fact, I still have my original headphones that I bought in Hong Kong on my R&R. And I have the original cassette tapes too.
I might just pull them out and listen to them.
These are some of the songs of my youth and innocence.
Pretty sad.
Just another sign of the times. Rest In Peace David Crosby
CROSBY, STILLS, and NASH at Woodstock
summer of 1969.
“The first time back in the water.”
How many times have we all heard that line before? How many of us have had to use that line for ourselves? I bet every one of us have. If any of you surfers have had an injury or a sickness, or maybe you’ve been away from the ocean. That first time back in the water is a big deal. It’s something we look forward to as well as kind of dread. I mean nobody want that first time back in the water to be anything but a good positive session.
On Tuesday January 16th, 2023 Martin Luther King Day it was just that for Dave “CROP” Cropper.
As most of you already know, Dave and crew at CINNAMON RAINBOWS suffered a major setback when the shop was damaged by the fire that swept through the building that housed SECRET SPOT and The NORTH BEACH BAR &GRILLE. Both SECRET SPOT and The NORTH BEACH BAR & GRILLE suffered the worse damage of all. They were wiped out. There’s was no hope of either one of them returning to that location. It was a complete loss.
Cinnamon Rainbows did not have to deal with the total destruction of that fire, they did however suffer from severe smoke damage. Bottom line. It was devastating loss for all three businesses.
SECRET SPOT has a sister restaurant store in Durham, but the beach location was their mainstay. Jon Gozzo the owner of SECRET SPOT is a surfer and he has gone surfing a couple of times that I know of. But Dave has not gone surfing since the fire. And if you have been following their plight, Dave also was hit with what could have been the most devastating of all. A near STROKE almost took him out. Emergency surgery basically saved his life. It was yet another setback for him. Talk about back to back devastating blows. And Dave, was now not only dealing with the loss of his business, but he had to literally recuperate from his surgery. Damn. Those were scary times for Heather, Veda, Phil, and Caroline..
But, there was light at the end of that dark tunnel.
First there was a GO FUND ME page that I set up after speaking with Dougie Wright. I had suggested doing one early on after the fire, but Dave was not ready to ask for help. I understood that and backed off in creating one. Dougie was home visiting from the west coast and spoke with Heather and Dave and then called me. It was after that phone call that I reinstated the idea to try and do a GoFund me. At that point, the shop was basically closed and they were literally doing business out in the parking lot trying to put together a make shift CR shop. It worked to a certain point. But then again it was summer/early Fall. And we all knew what was coming. Winter. Oh yeah.
The parking lot was going to have to shut down sooner rather than later.
So the Go Fund Me page helped out enough to have them find a temporary location. But where? There were no buildings/office spaces available on the beach that could provide CR’s with what they needed. They needed a surf shop size location and they needed one soon. And then, something miraculous happened.
The PIONEERS SURF SKATE SNOW shop on Rte 1 in North Hampton came to the rescue. Owned by longtime surfer Steve O’Hara, they opened their doors for CINNAMON RAINBOWS to move into their location right before the holidays. It was one of those “Too good to be true” stories. Stevie and Crop have known each other most of their lives. For Stevie to step up to help out a fellow surfer and surf shop owner was nothing short of a modern day IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE story. The crew of volunteers got the new location ready to go in record time. It was amazing to witness the transformation from PIONEERS to CINNAMON RAINBOWS.
Everything was coming together. Everything except the surfing.
Dave had still not entered the water. And that was weighing heavily on his mind. Tuesday January 16th, 2023 MLK Day was a cold winter day. It was snowing pretty heavy and the surf was solid. Head high, with overhead sets. Crop woke up and decided that this was going to be the day that he would paddle back out into the ocean for the first time in 5 months. For those of us who have faced that kind of decision it is met with some serious trepidation. You want the session to go smoothly, you want to be able to paddle right out and get that first wave under your belt.
And for those of you who think that surfing is like riding a bike? It is not.
It is however, one of the most satisfying sports/lifestyles known to man. And once you become a surfer, you want to surf for the rest of your life. It has this strong allure that never leaves you. So to be away from it for any considerable length of time? That’s a hard thing to live with.
I had been out shooting all morning that day and was just about ready to leave when I spoke with one of the guys leaving the water. Cam Macleod was out for hours and he was leaving. Typically I’ll say hello if it’s someone I know. Whenever Cam told me that Crop was out? I was staying until he got out of the water. I had been shooting both stills and video. But with the snow blowing so heavily, I could not make out half of the surfers out there. So I wasn’t sure if I had gotten him or not. I do know that Crop is a Goofyfoot. So I shot every single goofyfoot who caught a wave. As cold as I was, I was not leaving until I saw Dave Cropper himself.
Finally a Goofyfoot took off on a wave I shot him and waited for him to come in.
Crop came out of the water and just smiled at me. I felt a big welling of emotion in my heart and gut as he walked up the beach. The first thing I noticed was that he was wearing a 4/3. Say what? A 4/3 in the dead of winter? Ha ha. That made me smile. Turns out he had caught four waves and his best wave was a BDI. He laughed and said “Great my first wave is a Blatant Drop In!” And ironically, the guy he dropped in on was Mike Stanek. We both laughed. But I looked at him and stated the obvious. “You’re back in the water Dave. You’re back.”
He looked at me in the driving snow and we both just smiled at each other.
Dave “Crop” Cropper was back where he belongs. In the water.
I thought about my now infamous mantra, and boy was it ever true.
“SURFING HEALS ALL WOUNDS.”
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BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW. THIS EVENT IS THIS COMING THURSDAY, JANUARY 26th, 2023. LETS GO and SUPPORT CINNAMON RAINBOWS AS THEY RECEIVE THE "FAITH IN THE FUTURE" AWARD.
THE NEW 2023 RPOTW CALENDARS ARE AVAILABLE!
Featuring pics from every month from last year's Blog.
Email me directly at ralph@adlantic.com or pick one up
at CINNAMON RAINBOWS in North Hampton, NH
I'M NOT SURE WHAT IS FUNNIER. THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS LYING SACK OF CAMEL DUNG, OR THE MEMES?
Last week I mentioned that I saw Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray at the Centrum in Worcester in 1989. Stevie played his set first and then Beck played. Then they both came out and played GOING DOWN together as an encore. It was one of the most memorable shows of my entire life. Hard to believe they are both gone now.
The JEFF BECK and STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN 1989.
A documentary that has been 58 years in the making.
Coming Summer of 2023
You know the saying? "You learn something new each day." Well, I did not know that the original line up was CSN was actually KSN. KROSBY, STILLS, and NASH. Apparently Khaliddy was using the stage name of "Krosby" when he was with the band. But according to Stills and Nash he was impossible to work with. "He had a temper that was out of control. Plus he wanted all the hippie chicks to wear burkas. We had to let him go. Thank God David Crosby joined the band shortly after.
And so my friends, please take advantage of this weekly photo shop of the mastermind who planned 9-11 and resulted in the deaths of 3,000 innocent civilians by KSM (Khalid Sheik Mohammed). *Note to self -must pick up a case of TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL (About Al Qeada) at Home Depot this week.
REST IN PEACE David Crosby 1941-2023
REST IN PEACE Jeff Beck 1944-2023
REST IN PEACE Lisa Marie Presley 2-1-68 1-12-23
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kody Grondin January 26th, 2023!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kelly Ciaramtaro January 28th, 2023!
Heal quickly Gary Ritchie who took ONE STEP BEYOND!
Please keep local Surfer/Musician Pete Kowalski in your thoughts and prayers. SURFING HEALS ALL WOUNDS!
Please Keep local surfer Bill M. in your thoughts and prayers.
Please
Support ALL The photographers who contribute to
Ralph's Pic Of The Week every week for the last 18 years.
** BUY 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 |
Everybody loves seeing the old pics of surfing. Especially here in Northern New England. If you have any old pics please send them off to me via email or social media. My email is ralph@adlantic.com
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YESTERDAY YOURS TRULY ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY JANUARY 21st, 1979. AT LITTLE APPLE BAY in TORTOLA BVI.
This is a frame grab from an old super 8mm movie clip of me surfing at Little Apple Bay in Tortola BVI. They were calling this swell the biggest swell in 10 years. Four hours before I caught this wave, I was in a quonset hut in Roadtown with an IV in my arm. I was dehydrated and had been there for 3 days. I got sick with a fever and was taken to the hospital. That morning I had enough and pulled the IV out of my arm and walked/hitch hiked my way back to Little Apple Bay. I watched the surf go from 1' to 10' . Me and JT had the trip of our lives that winter. I'll never forget it. And neither did he.
Photo VFG (Video Frame Grab) by the late John "JT" Taylor
*Click on the photo above to see a larger image
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I kept a daily Blog on my CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY surf campaign, when I surfed every single day for 365 consecutive days. Click on the Banner above to read entries of my daily journey. There's some really interesting and true experiences
that happened during that year. Some of which are to this day, unexplainable. Some are just mind blowing. But all true.
I started on July 26th, 2010 and ended on July 26th, 2011.
Some rainy Sunday, pour yourself a cup and go through the journal.
Pay close attention to the month of May in 2011. Read that month and let me know what you think of that. Be forewarned it will change you forever.
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All photos taken this week unless otherwise noted.
Today- THREE DAYS IN JANUARY SWELL DAY III.
Tuesday January 17th, 2023 Photos by RALPH
(Above) The sun came out on Day III and it was beautiful.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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Click on the ad above to see the Menu and other
important info on their Somerville restaurant and all the
other AMERICAN FLATBREAD locations.
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(Above) There were a handful of Goofyfoots out. Ryan McGill was
one of them.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
The Haffenreffer family have been helping seacoast families
with their holistic health and optimal wellness for decades. |
(Above) And so was Richie Walters. From a long sequence.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) Then of course, this Goofyfoot. Max Fatello
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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Best EAST COAST Coverage on the Internet.
Click on the ad above to find out more about
more about local surf artist Stan Chew's art
Clark Little's new book
Click on the ad for more info.
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(Above) From another sequence. MVF slotted and driving north.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) This is the same wave as above only a few frames later. MVF.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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The SURFER'S JOURNAL is in a league all of their own.
DIPG THE CURE STARTS NOW
To learn more about Evan and his journey click here https://thecurestartsnow.org/sup.../view-heroes/evan-austin/
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(Above) The waves were smaller but prettier on DAY III.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
Click on the ad above to find out more about owner
and creator Ryan Jackson and
NH2o's cool selection
of surf related products. |
(Above) Matt Colby was pulling into every hollow right and left that came
his way.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) This was Kody Grondin's last wave as a 30yr old.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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If you love the Beatles and you love the guitar
click on this ad above for an amazing instrumental
band playing all of your favorite Beatles songs with
the coolest
arrangements. Johnny A is one of the
best guitar players on the planet.
Peter Stokes is one of the BEST guitar techs in
all of North America. He's the BEST guitar tech
in New England.
Produced by David Robinson of the CARS.
Visit our Facebook page |
(Above) The waves were the real stars of the day. Proving my point.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
Today- THREE DAYS IN JANUARY SWELL DAY II.
Monday January 16th, 2023 Photos by RALPH
(Above) Kody Grondin was out tearing it up in the driving snow.
Monday January 16, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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Produced by David Robinson of the CARS.
Visit our Facebook page
Produced by Steve Sadler.
Visit our Facebook page
The VINNY Band was around from 1976 to 1984
July 30th, 1979 headlining the Paradise Club
In Boston, MA
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(Above) Cam Macleod is a big man. He's 6' 4" tall so even the biggest waves look small when he's on them.
Monday January 16, 2023.
Photos by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
Joe Carter, Brian Nevins, and Nick Lavecchia |
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(Above) Max and Kevin walking by the sugar coated boulders.
Monday January 16, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) The one and only, Mike Stanek on a board of his own creation.
Monday January 16, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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The art of Donna Baldassari
Hannah Vokey is one of my favorite surf artists.
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(Above) Meanwhile across the bay. Look at that gaping hole.
Monday January 16, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
Today- THREE DAYS IN JANUARY SWELL DAY I.
Sunday January 15th, 2023 Photos by RALPH
(Above) Pine Tree point where asses gather on the beach.
Sunday January 15, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
Visit Jimmy Dunn's website to find out where and
when he will be performing. |
(Above) I'm not sure if this is Ian Dreher or someone else.
Sunday January 15, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) Crowley Gentile punching off the bottom at Pine Tree point.
Sunday January 15, 2023. Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
I love Erica's whimsical Gull art. So cool and unique.
ONLY THE DURHAM STORE IS OPEN.
Due to the massive fire back in August the
Hampton store is closed. We will let you all
know when SECRET SPOT is back in
operation on the seacoast.
Thank you.
Jon Gozzo and family.
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Today- DINALAND Tuesday January 17th, 2023
Photos by Dina Crawford
(Above) This is Carter Walsh in deep before work.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by Dina Crawford
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) Jack Madden mid turn.
Tuesday January 17, 2023.
Photos by Dina Crawford
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
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(Above) Matt Colby's golden barrel.
Tuesday January 17, 2023.
Photos by Dina Crawford
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) Richie Walters in a beautiful left hander.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by Dina Crawford
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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(Above) Mackey V in a tight inside grinder.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by Dina Crawford
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) Carter Walsh sunrise carve on Tuesday January 17, 2023.
Photos by Dina Crawford
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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Click on this image to visit Driftwood Photography
"GIVE YOUR BUSINESS A KICK IN THE ADS"
Since 1985.
Everybody has a story to tell |
(Above) I carry two cameras. My NIKON for stills and my SONY 4 K for video.
Tuesday January 17, 2023. Photos by Dina Crawford
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
Today- MORE From Tuesday January 17th, 2023
Photos by David Manzi
(Above) Johnny Meehan out front on the right.
January 17th, 2023. Photo by David Manzi
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) Two for Tuesday from David Manzi.
January 17th, 2023. Photo by David Manzi
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) Two More for Tuesday from David Manzi.
January 17th, 2023. Photo by David Manzi
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
Today- Oh Deer. Wednesday January 18th, 2023
Photos by RALPH
(Above) This little guy walked past our German Shorthair in the dog pen.
January 18th, 2023. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) This is his mom and sister.
January 18th, 2023. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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Send your SURF Pics to me directly to: ralph@adlantic.com.
Need photos by 10 AM on Saturdays. Seriously.
By 10AM. Make sure they are 1300 to 1555 pixels wide.
If you have more than 10 pics please use wetransfer.com it's free up to 2 gig. Please DO NOT send me over 10 pics without first contacting and communicating with me.
Thank you.
Click on Archives link to see all the past Blogs and pics. |
My friend Rick McAvoy from Maine is the creator
behind this unique Surf Company
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(Above) This is a pic of what's happening on the west coast. Pretty nice.
January 2023
Photo by Ron Freeman
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
(Above) After watching the EDDIE today I'm ready for more BIG WAVE Action.
Photo c/o Stan Bocko
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery
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He's more than just a good photographer
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(Above) All Rise: The 10th Street District Court Of Surf is Now in Session. The Honorable Judge RALPH presiding. Case # 710 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
This is what happens if you are found GUILTY. You become invisible.
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Click on this image above to buy this book
and more cool KING'S X merchandise and music
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I'm seeing more waves this week Monday 1-23-23 and Thursday 1-26-23
Thursday 1-26-23 is my pick of the week.
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JANUARY 22nd, 2023
"I put myself in a position where I could see places on the wave face that I rarely get to see up close."
I don't think his board hit him. But I can't be sure.
Photo by RALPH
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