I feel sorry for beginners to this lifestyle. Why? Well, those of us who have been around the block a few times understand, and have been willing to accept the summer doldrums. Flat spells. You see, the beginner/kook, has been brought into the fold with dreams of warm summer surfing here in New England. To them, it's all about summer and surfing.

To the rest of us, we make good of the down time. We know that by the end of August we should start to see some tropical activity. But there again, we have no guarantees. It could stay flat for a while. (Fingers crossed.)

Most of us are pretty optimistic about the tropical season. Because, on the heels of the tropical storms and hurricanes, are the infamous Nor'easters. So either way, we are good. Now I suppose some of you have hightailed it to other destinations that offer some decent summer waves. Costa Rica, Nica, or the west coast. I hear you. I get it. If I were single and in my 20's I'd be ready and rearing to go somewhere to get my wave fix. The waiting around here was always the hardest part of being a local surfer.

In a way, the kooks have one up on us. They don't know enough to be bummed.

Flat spells are the reasons why I have the surf art blog in the summer. There's typically no surf to speak of, so the surf art has always been a temporary relief from the flatness. By the way, I want to thank the artists who submitted their artwork for the surf art blog. There was some exceptional art. Most notably were the husband and wife team of Sam and Hannah Vokey. Between the two of them, they submitted a dozen works of great art.



Hannah posted this piece that she submitted for the Art Blog last week. It belongs to Tony Berardini. But it wasn't finished at the time. It is now, and if you look closely, you can see our beloved Ed O'Connell on the beach taking pics. Another point of interest is, the three surfers that are out surfing are: Kevin Grondin, Tony Berardini, and yours truly paddling out. This painting warmed my heart. I love seeing Ed there shooting away. She captured his stance perfectly. Miss you brother.

Stan Chew sent in another beauty as did my sister Donna Baldassari.

There was a great collection of art. Erik Zak's cool carvings, along with some new artists. It was a fun blog and I hope you enjoyed it.

Okay so the RNC has wrapped up with their convention as did the DNC. It's now down to the two nominees TRUMP and HILLARY. Looking at these two it hit me like a ton of bricks. This election is really all about hair styles. True.
With TRUMP'S crazy Fox hair style and HILLARY'S perfect foil. The only true way to vote for these two, is by their hair. Check it out.



There is another guy running in the mix. Gary Johnson might have the best hair of all. This could be a difficult choice. What do you think? Seriously. Who's hair will get your vote? I'm on the fence. I was thinking Hillary's hair is best, but take a look at Johnson's hair. He looks more contemporary then the other two. I have no idea what his campaign is all about, but I do like his hair.



Things I would imagine, are going to get crazier as the weeks and months go by. The debates alone will be worth the price of admission. And if I were Hillary and Donald I'd go for the hair. Forget the jugular. Go for the hair.

Speaking of hair. I guess I should be happy that I still have hair.

I just turned sixty five this past week. But like I posted on facebook, sixty five isn't so bad, when I have fifty five by my side. She makes me look good by just being near her. I know I'm a lucky man. Believe me, I know. We drove up to Portland the day before my birthday and spent a wonderful evening with her mom Judith and step father John. It was great seeing them again. We took some photos (wow what a surprise that is huh? Me taking photos. Ha.)
Anyway, this is a pic John took of Cory and I.



Three kids, two grandchildren, and a boatload of wonderful memories from
our time together since 1983. And we have so many more memories to come.

Hell, we had a new memory on the drive back to Hampton. Check out this insane pic that Cory took of this massive cloud stretching across Rte 95.



Once we got underneath this black blog, it opened up and unleashed the
most intense rain. I mean it was raining.

"Surfing With Perfect Hair Heals All Wounds"

Crow at the Big O. Ed and Crow were good friends. They spent many years together hanging out. They would meet on Sundays and go for a walk along the rivermouth. I'm sure Crow misses Ed as much as any of us do. At least he has some good photos of himself surfing that Ed took. I know I do.

To see more of Ed's pics just scroll through the archives. He has shot so many pics for the blog. Be sure and pick up a copy of the COLD COAST and check out Ed's own 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.




The 9th annual HIT THE BEACH has a firm date. August 28th, 2016 at 18th Street in Hampton. As of today, we do NOT need any more volunteers. We have a big roster of volunteers from the last 9 years. If we need more, I will let you know. Thanks.

Now for Some More Of My Weekly Global Observances
The end of the DNC saw the dropping of 110 balloons. Red, white, and blue balloons of different sizes. No big deal, they drop balloons for both parties. But what was interesting was watching former president Bill Clinton interacting with the balloons. It was in a word-strange. It appeared as if he had channeled his inner child. The look on his face was that of a four year old. There's a video out. Perhaps you've seen it.

Here are some stills from the frenzy.



I really don't know what to say here.



He was having himself a good time. Unlike this guy (below).



Poor Bernie. He got ripped off. No question. Ripped off.

KSM Photoshop of the Week
Oh come on, you don't have a balloon party and not invite KSM. He is after all, a big ole man child too. He loves balloons, though I'm sure he wishes they were filled with poisonous gas. That's what terrorists do with their balloons. But alas, all KSM had was just balloons filled with hot air.
(Kind of like him).



As always... 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 Helium at Home Depot this week.

Congrats to HILLARY and The Donald.
Now let the sparks start flying.

Please Pray for local Hampton surfer Terry Morrison and his family. Also please pray for 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 11 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

*Click on the photo above to see a larger version

(Above) This reminds me of a photo that Brian Nevins took 5 years to the day.
Though Brian's was 100 times better. July 26th, 2016 Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) This does not look like New Hampshire. But it is. July 26th, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) This 6" kelp peak is for your imagination only. July 26th, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) What periwinkles dream of. Tiny ripples over the sand bar.
July 26th, 2016 Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Imagine if you will, being six inches tall. July 26th, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) At the end of our walk with the minis. July 26th, 2016 Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Breadon Logue. July 16th, 2016 Photo by MAX
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) No matter which direction he's facing, he's worth watching.
Mikey Evans. . July 16th, 2016 Photo by MAX
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Today- The Sequences From July 16th, 2016.
Photos by MAX



(Above) Mikey Evans fluid foot movement. July 16th, 2016 Photo by MAX
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery







(Above) The slight weight on the nose is only good for a few seconds.
Then it's retreating back to the tail. July 16th, 2016 Photo by MAX
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Today- The Random I-Phone Pics from the last week or so. July 26, 2016. Photos by RALPH



(Above) Cory and I stopped and talked with this lovely couple. Married forever they both love to bodyboard at North Beach. July, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) The 10th Street Mob. July , 2016 Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) I heard a voice say "Captain Vince Shazam". I turned and saw that it was an old friend from back in the day... David. July 16th, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) A small gathering of friends and family to acknowledge the
reaching of 65 years. July 26th, 2016 Photo by Curt Hanig
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery