March 29, 2009 "In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lamb"

I walked by the little TV set in our kitchen, around 6:45AM on Monday of this past week, and I stopped dead in my tracks. What I saw on the little TV screen was shocking. No, it was not the AIG Bonus pay-off. No not the President on Leno. No not the Bernie Madoff going to prison video clips. This was way bigger, than all of those news stories last week. What I saw, was that massive storm, out in the ocean. Did any of you see it? I'm sure my mouth was open. And I know, I said it loud enough for all to hear. What's that? What I said was..."There's going to be surf. Huge surf!" Of course, it took 3 days to get here. But man was it ever worth it. That same swell is now pulsing down in the Caribbean and if you are one of the lucky ones down in PR, you are getting the swell of the year.

You know that old saying about the month of March. "March comes in like a Lion, and
goes out like a Lamb." Well, I'd have to say that March has been pretty damn good wave wise. I mean, every week we've had surf. And I think, there's more coming. This last storm had some kind of subtropical ingredients to it. And the way it backed down from New Foundland was very trippy. The NOAA water vapor loop module was wild looking. The technology that is available for anyone who wants to read and learn is amazing. I mean it truly is. This last storm had all the experts predicting when and where the swell would hit. The one who came the closest was Stevie O'Hara. In fact, I believe that Stevie has a job
in the future, predicting swells. Can you picture him on the Weather channel? I can.
Even with the long hair. He'd be perfect. Then we can can all say "Hey I knew Stevie from
the Weather Channel when he was living here running Pioneers, and doing kick flips on
the Seacoast."

But seriously. That was some swell. And Stevie did predict when it would hit. Because,
I'll tell ya, I would of thought for sure, by Tuesday we'd have the surf down the street. And
I was scratching my head, like a lot of you were. A storm that large, looming out there, had to be producing surf somewhere. Maybe because it backed up on us. I don't know. I'm no expert. I know when there's surf, it's when I drive down and see it. Or, when it's obvious that we're gonna get waves. Nor'easters, Hurricanes, etc etc. These tricked out ocean storms, that back up into us, are hard to call. And what's really funny is how fast the word spreads when it does hit. Again, modern technology at play again. Cellphones, texting, email, wave modules, wave cams, still cameras...surf reports. You'd almost have to be a total
uninformed land locked farmer not to know when the surf hits. That's why I refuse to let
some friends get on my case by mockingly thanking me..."Thanks for the call dude. I had
no idea there was surf."

" Say what? You had no idea? Are you kidding me? You didn't see that monster storm
on the news and weather? Where the hell have you been? And wait...did you just call me dude? I'm sorry, but I have little or no patience for that kind of BS. Wake up and smell the ocean my friends. And one more thing, don't ever call me dude."

Last week I mentioned that it was like Opening Day at the Wall. Well, that trend has continued with this new swell. Oh yea baby, they were out in force. Dudes were double parking, and stopping traffic. Others were trespassing on private property, to get to the ocean. And others, who have little, or no control of their crafts, were out bailing their
boards, faster than the folks in Washington DC could bail out the Big Banks. Case in
point. An unknown SUPB rider, was out the morning after the Big Swell. He proceeded to paddle out to the line-up, and get in everyone's way. But the worse part was, he kept
getting caught by the sets. And when he did, he would bail off his large, aircraft carrier
type vehicle, leaving his large craft, unattended, and potentially, in a dangerous position.
He was floundering around with his jostling stick in his hand, while his big board bounced around in the white water.

My brothers and sisters. I will be covering all of these things and more in my RALPH's
Rules and Tips page when I get around to it, (meanwhile check the banner) and one
of the most important Rules that I will be covering is...CONTROL YOUR CRAFT. In other words; Hold On To Your Board. And really, it does not matter what kind of board you ride. Bodyboard, short board, longboard, SUPB, Kayak, inflatable duck. Just Hold onto it. Don't
let your leash be your crutch. Do your civic duty, by holding onto your craft, to protect your fellow man. Protect your brother and sister surfers. Please.

Otherwise, I will seriously look into getting a waterproof taser to bring back some law and order out there. Now don't make me go there people. Please. OK so I'm kidding about the taser, but honestly? Hold on to your crafts.

Last week after I wrote about the woman texting while driving, I actually had a person email me and suggest that I tell the woman, to try texting with the device up on her steering wheel. That way, she can see where she's driving. What the...? That person obviously missed my point. And that is..DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE. Are you freaking kidding me? Please. You
know, I had to chuckle to myself about this whole texting thing because, I actually had a
day last year with my two daughters, as we were sitting down at the beach, at the Wall. I wanted to prove to them both, that even though I don't personally text, I am hip to it, and actually came up with some effective texting abbreviations for them and their friends. And while my kids would be horrified to know that I am actually going to share these with you now, I want you younger readers to see, just how hip Ralph is. So, without further ado. Here's Ralph's Texting/IM Abbreviations for 2009.

1. N Y D -"No You Didn't"
2. Y I D-"Yes I Did"
3. C B T-"Can't Believe That."
4. Y B B I-"You Better Believe It"
5. C Y B I-"Can You Believe It?"
6. W Y G B S H-"Why You Gotta Be So Hurtful?"
7. C H O-"Check (Him or Her) Out!"
8. B Y A-"Beat Your Ass"
9. I T S-"Is There Surf?"
10. A Y G S-"Are You Going Surfing?"
11. I F-"It's Flat"
12. B S C-"Big Swell Coming"
13. W A K- "What A Kook!"

I hope all you BFF's take these and use them in your MySpaceBook's or whatever the
hell you call em. These are free. Call it my gift to the texting world. Just don't text while
you drive. And don't text me bro, cause I have no idea how and where to even begin to
read it and answer you. Call me. Just don't text me.

And not to keep going back to last week's column, but I think I need to. I mentioned two stories where two individual's got waves to themselves. And later in the week, I heard of
other similar stories. So my saying that it's NOT OVER is basically true. Look, if you are
a negative person by nature, well, I can't help you. Maybe it is over for you. But if you have any spark for life, and anything remotely positive, you can feed off that. So yes, it will get crowded this Summer. And our patience will be tested, time and time again. But I am here
to tell you all again, that there is a surf session in your future, that will be magical and it
will happen when you least expect it. I'm not saying you have to wait, and let it fall into
your lap. Hardly. You can make it happen. And you do it, with a little imagination and knowledge. Like I said last week...You just have to open your eyes.

Last week I commented on the continued Fund Raising events for one of our own. Buck
and Meg Rowlee's little girl...The Lil Miss Molly Fund. I mentioned how some of my
friends had shaved their heads in support of Miss Molly. Well one friend in particular Peter "Salt" Ireland had shaved his head along with others like Skip and Johnny Reynolds.
But I mention Salt because, he has been out riding while I have been firing away on my
new NIKON D-90 and I always find out after the fact. Of course I never shot him. Well, I
was pleased to see when I dumped all the photos from the 26th onto my machine, I had
actually shot some pics of Salt and his single fin retro short board. I was so stoked.

I hope Salt is too when he sees the shots.

Don't forget All the shops are STILL collecting cards, gifts, and other provisions for the Rowlee family. PIONEERS , CINNAMON RAINBOWS, BRICKHOUSE, ZAPSTIX and many more shops are drop off points of interest for Miss Molly. Skip Brunette has opened a Little Miss Molly account at the SEACOAST CREDIT
UNION on 887 Lafayette Rd, Hampton NH. (see poster below for info). There are several more fund raisers in the making as well. There's still plenty of things going on for Lil Miss Molly and you can find out most of it on the Ralph's Community Page.

This is the info for the ONLINE Auction.
Little Miss Molly Fund Auction

Now for some of my weekly Global observances:*This week it's Entertainment.

We're still watching the IDOL. And even though it's just my wife and I (the kids have long since moved on), we are happy to see that the right talent is still on the show, while those with less talent have been voted off. Although, my wife and I both think, that the Blind Piano Player must go. He's just not that good. Or rather, not IDOL good. If life was truly fair and balanced, the male singer named Adam should win. He's hands down, a super talented vocalist and he's got the look.

Speaking of looks. Jay Leno had PRINCE on last night and the prior two nights. And I want
to say right here and now, that Prince is still the man. That little man can sing, write and perform as good as anyone. But it's his guitar playing that is really under estimated. Damn that boy can play. It's like seeing Hendrix. But Prince is way more than that. I mean, how old is he? He looks the same. And there's no denying his talent. And last night, Jay had Dana Carvey on, and his bit on Barney Frank was hilarious. I'd love to see Dana Carvey do a bit with him doing two characters: Barney Frank and Mayor Menino of Boston. Can you imagine what that would look and sound like?

Being HBO subscribers, we are saddened to see two of our favorite shows come to an end until next season. BIG LOVE and the FLIGHT of The CONCHORDS. Clearly Big Love is NOT for everyone. But damn, did we ever get sucked into that wacky world. Great stuff. I'm sure it will be back on next season. The Conchords are equally wacked, but damn are they funny. Jacko and I look forward to every Monday morning, as we go over some of the best lines from the show the night before. Funny stuff. Gonna miss Murray, Jermain, Brett, Mel, Doug and Jeff until next season. The Flight of the Conchords is another good reason
why I'd like to visit New Zealand some day.

OK my wife and I are relatively new to the FAMILY GUY. In fact, when I first became aware
of it last year, I made the kids shut it off. But with the persistence of our son Mackey V we gave it another shot. I admit, it is funny. Raunchy but funny. Seth Macfarlane is a genius. So while we still enjoy the Simpsons, the Griffins are pretty damn funny. But alas my friends, FAMILY GUY is not for everyone. I wouldn't let small children watch it though.
Put it this way, It ain't Disney. Far from it.

As far as reality TV goes...I still enjoy the original Reality TV show. COPS. Nothing quite like watching a Saturday Night Tazing. I mean, I still feel uneasy when viewing some poor fool who's intoxicated, and is giving some lame excuse, for the petty crime he or she has just committed. It never ceases to amaze me, at how silly the human race really is. COPS is a good show, and there's never a dull moment out there.

The Celtics lost KG again. But they beat Atlanta without him. The Sox...name Beckett as the Opening Day starter. And the man retired for good last week. Curt Schilling. I have always admired Schill. I liked his attitude. I liked his politics. I liked the fact that he didn't take any shit from anyone. And there can be no denying, his heart and passion for the game. He came to Boston to win a Championship and he did it the first year. Bloody sock and all. I salute you Mr Schilling. The Bruins have 9 games remaining before the Play-Offs.
The New England Patriots will play Buffalo on Monday Night (September 14, 2009) as their opener for the 2009 season. Buffalo as you may or may not know has TO
( Terrill Owens) on their team. It should be interesting.

Check out JIMMY DUNN at the ASHWORTH in HAMPTON BEACH THIS COMING FRIDAY April 3rd, 2009. It's a show benefiting the FRIENDS OF WINNACUNNET HIGH SCHOOL.

THERE'S A BEACH CLEAN-UP ON SATURDAY APRIL 4th BY THE NH SURFRIDER. HELP KEEP YOUR BEACHES CLEAN!

Happy Birthday David Robinson and Don Rose April 2nd!

Check out the shout out in the NEW ESM magazine about my two latest releases. "GREETING SEASONS" and "Groovemasters" both are in the shops!

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to Ralph's Pic Of The Week every week for the last 6 years.

Remember my friends...Surfing heals all wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph

Yesterday- 1985 Kevin Grondin The Wall
(Below) There was a time when I was so sick of this photo, because it was all we ever saw being used in the magazines and local newspapers to depict New Hampshire. Then it slowly found it's way out of the papers and magazines and was basically out of sight, out of mind. That is until today. I was actually looking for a different old photo for the Yesterday shot when I found this. Looking at it now, I am reminded why it was so popular. First of all, Kevin is pulling into a deep barrel. There's no denying Kevin's ability to get shacked. None what so ever. The second is, the quality of the photo itself. A Black and White taken by then, a well known surf photographer who has since all but dropped off the planet. Michael "Iron Balls' Baytoff. He shot for Surfer and many others. Baytoff if you are out there seeing this PLEASE contact us. Come on man. We miss you. And you know damn well we have been trying to find you for years. If someone else out there knows where he is, tell him we (Hampton Old School surfers) are looking to get back in touch with him. Call us IB!
Photo by Michael Baytoff

Today- 2009 Three Days in March. 25-26-27, 2009.
I'm Calling this " The Lion and The Lamb Swell."
Starting with the First Day, the morning of March 25th.
*Click Thumbnails for larger view
All photos by RALPH

RALPH'S VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK BELOW.

RALPH'S VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK.
CLICK ON THE PHOTO IMAGE BELOW FOR SHORT WINDOWS MEDIA FILE VIDEO CLIP. VIDEO by SFOD R. Fatello

(Above) Lenny Nichols on March 25, 2009
Video Frame Grab by Ralph

Today- 2009 Three Days in March. 25-26-27, 2009.
" The Lion and The Lamb Swell."
The Second Day, the morning of March 26th.
*Click Thumbnails for larger view
All photos by RALPH

		Happy Birthday Dad...we miss you.

Today- 2009 Last Week Leftovers New England Scenes
(Below) CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS BELOW FOR LARGER PHOTOS.
All photos courtesy of Kevin Doherty

Today- 2009 West Coast Southern Cal Action
(Below) CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS BELOW FOR LARGER PHOTOS.
All photos courtesy of Brennan Natoli

Today 2009 PARTING SHOT- "Whoa Big Fella!!"

(Above) Unknown SUP rider bailing on the NO Bail Out session
at Muskrat Ledge on Thursday March 26th, 2009.
Photo by RALPH