January 31, 2010 48 out of 50 weeks of surfable waves.

The other night I was letting the dog out. It was the night of the Full Moon. It was also the night that the winds came and the temps dropped. And for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the ARCTIC BLAST. Those of us who live up here in the Northeast experience these natural deep freezes, a couple of times each winter. This night was shocking. My dog is a German Shorthair. And yes he does have short hair. So when he hits the outside during an Arctic Blast, I'm sure his skinny little ass gets perpendicular pretty quick like. Most times, I let him out in the back yard or the pen, and come back in a few minutes to let him back in. This night was different. I heard a noise that caused me to stay in the doorway of our garage. And the noise sounded like, ( I really hate to sound cliché here but it's true) a damn Freight Train.

This loud roar, was coming at me off in the distance, and I guess it was coming from Stratham or North Hampton. It got louder and louder, and more intense in a matter of seconds, and then the wind hit. It was wild. The wind gusts were easily 40 -50 and more, and the cold air was nuts. My dog Scout looked up at me as if to say..."I'm all done here, get out of my way, I'm coming back in!" It truly sounded like some kind of loud roaring train, or something like it. We've all heard the eye witnesses to Tornadoes over the years, describe the sound of the Twister as a loud Freight Train. Well...I heard it. And I know I was not alone. Lots of you heard that wind that night. And if you are like me, you more than likely wondered, why do we all live here? And the farthest thing from any of your thoughts was paddling out in the morning. Because this Arctic Blast was coming with a vengeance, and she was hanging around for a few days.

Those of you who have never felt an Arctic Blast have no idea.

But for those of us who do every winter. Hang in there. It won't last forever. Just make sure you have batteries for the flashlights, and enough wood for the stoves and fireplaces. This is gonna be here at least another few days. Ahhh winter in Northern New England. Ya gotta love it.

The way I figure it. We all have 3 options in the winter round these parts when it comes to dealing with the white stuff. The snow. The only thing that would of been worse the other night during the Arctic Blast would of been snow accumulation. Thankfully, we did not have any. But that was not the case the week before. Look I'm certainly not complaining about snow. Hardly. I know we typically get surf during and after snow storms. I also know that we get decent snowboarding conditions as well. And we love em both. Especially in this area. Surf and snow is always a welcome sight. The problem is...unless you live in an apartment, or go to school/college/etc etc. You have to remove the snow.

And the three options for removing snow are:

1. Have your driveway plowed. Either you hire someone to plow you out every winter, or you get a friend or relative to plow for you. 2. You use a snowblower. 3. You shovel it out by hand. Having sampled all three in my lifetime, I am more inclined to use numbers 2-3. I have a snowblower. And it has served me well over the years. Except the last few years, where I've spent more time clearing the chute, than I have actually blowing snow. The last 3 storms this year though, has seen me go "Old School" all the way. And by old school, I'm talking back breaking-ball busting shoveling. That's right. Shovel by hand. And not just one driveway, we're talking two driveways!

There's something about shoveling snow by hand, that takes me back to my early childhood days.

My late father would never even consider having our driveway plowed. Or use a snow blower. Are you kidding me? He had three strong sons and an arsenal of shovels. And out of all those shovels that my dad had, there was not a single snow shovel in the pile. It's true. If either of my brothers read this column, they would be smiling right now. My father was thrifty to say the least. He had the all purpose shovels. The same shovels that we used to dig holes in the earth in the summer, were also used to dig snow in the winter. No "ifs, ands, or buts" about it. We used the same old metal shovels for both.

It was fruitless to complain about it.

He would just sneer at us and find more places for us to shovel if we ever complained. I was chuckling at the thought of me and my younger brothers shoveling snow with spades. And I laughed even more when my son Max asked why we were not using the snow blower during the last few storms. "Old School son. We're doing it old school." I heard him mutter under his breath "This is ridiculous".

And if the snow scene was not enough, it was the same with the cutting of our huge lawn. We never had a power mower. We had an old hand held push mower. It's true. Now before you start thinking that I use one of those old push mowers today, you are wrong. We have a power mower. But it's a stand up mower. You won't ever catch me sitting down on some lawnmower putting around the yard. Hell no.

That's why you won't see me on a SUP. I enjoy working for the waves I catch. When I paddle out with either my longboard or my shortboard, I have to earn each wave. I'm not putting down SUPs (well maybe a little) I'm just stating that they are not for me. I guess I am old school through and through.

Speaking of surfing. I went out at the Wall last week with a few friends and caught some fun waves. It was good to be out with a group of people who all knew each other. Say what you want about surfing in crowds. It does make it more tolerable when everyone knows everyone in the water. Although, I must say, the drive to the beach was a bit unnerving. I got behind some dude who was chatting on his cell phone and could not be bothered to drive the speed limit. He was crawling along at a snail's pace.

Look I don't care about people yakking on their cellys while driving. I do it myself. Though not to the extent as some of you. But damn it people, if you're gonna chat and drive, could you at least go as fast as the speed limit? Please. This clown was yakking away and gesturing with his hands as if the person on the other end could see him. Meanwhile, I was in my wetsuit and was amping to get in the water. I was making a few hand gestures of my own. If you catch my drift.

I'll tell you what else happened for the millionth time in my life last week. I was attending a wake for a dear friend who passed away way before his time. He was an ex-roadie for one of my bands. The place was filled with Rock and Rollers from my past. And as always, someone asked me the question that I know you've all been asked before. "So are you still surfing?" "As a matter of fact, I was just surfing last night." I answered. They typically shake their heads and smile. And then I get asked the question that most of you do not get. "So, are you still doing that Surfing Everyday thing, that you did for your father?" They are referring to my yearlong undertaking, of surfing everyday for 365 days ,in memory of my late father back in 2000. "No, that was just for that year. It was a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association." I had to answer that question, 2 or 3 times that night.

The more I thought about it, I don't think I could do that again. I mean surf everyday for one year. Don't get me wrong, I could do it in the tropics, or down in Florida or out in California. I just don't know if I could do it here again. In New England. And after experiencing that Arctic Blast the other night. I don't know if you could pay me enough to do it.

I guess I have more in common with my dog than I thought. I want nothing to do with that Arctic cold

Now for some of my weekly Global observances:
That was some State of The Union Address last week. I'm sorry I missed it. State of The Union? Over 10% unemployment, trillions of dollars in debt, the GWOT...hello? I am however happy to hear that Baracky has switched gears, and is now concentrating on the economy. Although, I did hear a few more Blame It On Bush (BIOB) remarks in various soundbites. That's not cutting it anymore kids. Just ask Martha Coakley. The American public is not that gullible anymore. The BIOB tactics are not working. Admit your mistakes and move on.

Speaking of admitting their mistakes. The White House recently heard the public outcry of trying the 9-11 self confessed coward Kaleik Sheik Mohammed KSM a few blocks from the WTC. They have finally heeded the cries of the families, and the mayor of NYC himself. It's like the old "Light dawns on Marblehead" or my favorite, "No shit Dick Tracey". Now if they could only find a place to try these self confessed enemy combatants of the United States. Hey I know a place...and it won't cost us a penny. How about, we try the 9-11 Terrorists scumbags at GITMO? Gee, now there's an idea!

I swear you can't script this stuff. No one wants these scumbags in their city, or in their prison facility.

So what the hell happened to Brett Farveraraveraeraere last week? Dude! Run for the first down. Run out of bounds and stop the clock and kick the winning FG. Don't throw it Brett...don't throw it!!! Ohhh nooooo. So it's the Saints and and The Colts. I want the Saints because there are two prominent ex-Pats on the team. Dave Thomas (why didn't we keep him over Ben Watson again?) And Randall Gay (gee too bad we didn't have him this year. I mean, it's not like we needed help in the DB department). I could just scream sometimes.
Any ways...Go SAINTS!

Rest In Peace JD Salinger. NH's famed recluse author of "Catcher In The Rye".
Rest In Peace 19 yr old PFC Marc Paul Decoteau USA from Waterville Valley NH was KIA in Afghanistan yesterday. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Get Well soon to Kim Grondin!
Congrats to Scotty Lago from Seabrook for qualifying for the US Snowboard Olympic Team!
GO SAINTS! BEAT the COLTS and Peyton Manning please.
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.

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Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph