Last Monday (February 26th, 2018) at the Wall at 10th Street in Hampton, NH I was shooting the action, as I always do when there's any kind of action to shoot. It was around 4:30PM and the sun was perfect, as were the waves. At some point I noticed and overheard this young surfer asking a friend (Rick Evans) if he had seen a Black Board go by.

As I listened closer I realized that this kid was talking about his surfboard.
And that he believed it was stolen. Say what?

He had come out of the water and placed his board on the wall ( a mere 10 to 15' from where I was shooting). He was with his wife and young child, when he drove off, leaving the board unattended. Within minutes, he realized his error and immediately returned to the spot where he left his board.

Upon pulling up in his vehicle at 10th Street, he noticed that his board was missing. He frantically searched the area, up and down the Wall, looking to see if it had blown over and onto the beach. The more he looked, the more it dawned on him. Someone had stolen his board. And not just any board. His favorite board.



Someone stole a surfboard within feet of where I was standing alongside my friend Rick Evans. Rick and I are two of the oldest icons on this stretch of cement. How could this have happened before our very eyes?



This young surfer was so calm about this situation that I leaned in and proceeded to ask him a series of questions. Where, what, why, and who. He answered them all in a respectful manor. I went and did a quick over the wall search just in case. At first I thought he simply was not aware of where he might have left it. But he was adamant about the exact location. I was still shooting as this was all unfolding.

And at one point I heard Rick ask him if he was in the military.

He answered "Yes sir." I asked what branch and he quickly replied "Marine Corps!" Well I stopped what I was doing, and gave him my full attention.

"Marine Corps? You're sitting here talking with me and I have my 3rd Mar Div cover (hat) on and you don't say a word?" He smiled and said he was in the 4th Mar Div and didn't see the emblem on my cover. Well, long story short. I proceeded to ask him all kinds of questions regarding his service. He's an active duty Marine SGT who did two combat tours in Afghanistan as a machine gunner His MOS is 0331. I told him my MOS was 0311 (Infantry).

He told me that he and his wife came up for the day to get some waves. He's stationed in Massachusetts and he's going to deploy again real soon. I immediately went into "Help My Marine Brother" mode. That brotherhood is real. Ask any Marine.

I was determined to help him in any way shape or form.

I was pissed that this happened on my watch at my beach. I was embarrassed by it all. I posted the info on Social media and we instantly got a huge response. Below is my post on facebook.



This Surfboard was stolen off the Wall at 10th Street in Hampton, NH on Monday February 26th, 2018 late afternoon/early evening. The board belongs to a Marine SGT who has served two combat tours in Afghanistan. He's married with a young daughter, he loves surfing and was up here for the day with his family to catch that quick swell we got on Monday.

He's going to be deployed soon, so time is of the essence.
 
PLEASE GET IN TOUCH with ME or CINNAMON RAINBOWS if you have any INFO on this board. NO QUESTIONS ASKED he just wants his favorite board back. Thank you -Ralph and PLEASE SHARE.

Well long story short, this thing went viral. I went from being so embarrassed by the turn of events, to being so humbled and proud of our Surf Community. The masses of GOOD people shared the post and spread the word. The entire East coast as well as California and beyond, wanted to help.

But then something else happened. People started to inquire about a GO Fund Me page. Jose was a proud Marine and he didn't want to go there. He kept saying it was his fault and he didn't want others to pay for his mistake. I told him his mistake was minor. We all forget things. I finally convinced him to start a Go Fund Me Page. Thankfully he listened.

This is his page.

This is my fellow Marine brother who had his Surfboard stolen last week at the Wall in Hampton, NH. Let's get this young Marine back in the water before his next deployment. He was so moved by your responses and couldn't believe the outpouring of support to help find his board. Let's do this. Let's get SGT Mena back in the water! Thank you all in advance.

Here's Sgt Jose Mena's own humbled words.

"I’m a Marine stationed in Massachusetts on a duty assignment that takes up all my daylight hours, so my passion for surfing has had to be put aside for the moment.

I noticed some promising swell coming in on February 26th, so I went ahead and informed my chain of command I required a day of leave to travel to Hampton beach with my wife and 8 month old daughter. I figured my wife would enjoy spending a day with me, and taking pictures of our daughter at the beach.

That waves were amazing, and myself and my little family enjoyed our time.

That day took a turn for the worse when I left my surfboard unattended for approximately 20 minutes at the Wall by 10th st. I walked up and down like a crazy person looking for it. That’s when I met Ralph.

He was standing at the Wall taking pictures when I asked him if he had seen a badass surfboard grow legs and walk by. I didn't’ expect much from a stranger, but I knew something was different about him. I guess I can spot a fellow Marine anywhere. He has gone above and beyond, and has explained my story far better than I ever could.

I’ve seen my situation shared over a thousand times but I’m afraid my surfboard will never return to me, not due to a lack of effort because I know for a fact thousands of great human beings from the surf community have shown their support and efforts to locate it.

I’ll be gone soon, but hope to catch a few more waves before my duties take me elsewhere. Something as simple as buying a surfboard could put me in a financial rut, so I humbly ask for your assistance in getting me back in the water. Thank you."

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LOGO BELOW To Make a Donation for Sgt Jose Mena USMC.

Semper Fi Marine! I hope the next time I see you is when you drop into a nice overhead wave at the Wall.



On a nicer note. Martha Lardent dropped off this beautiful print of our favorite Chapel. The UNION CHAPEL is where Cory and I got married some 30 years ago. This Infrared image is absolutely beautiful. thank you so Much Martha!



It's now hanging in out Library. The UNION CHAPEL.

Have I mentioned as of late that I LOVE BEING GRAMPS!



"Helping Fellow Surfers In Times Of Need Heals All Wounds"

This is one of my favorite pics from Ed. He loved working with sunrises and sunsets. He had an eye for beauty and it really shows in this image. Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click the photo above to see a larger version of Ed's Pic.


Now for Some Local, National and International News
Have you seen the news about the NASTY NOR'EASTER in New England? If you haven't you must be living on another planet. This thing has been hyped to death and then some. But hold on a minute, it was significant on so many levels.

First can I just say that we are all so HAPPY that it was only rain and not snow. I mean if it was the white stuff? We'd be digging out for days on end. So the rain while being a nuisance, could have been a lot worse, if it was heavy snow. Thank you God for that.



But there's something that happens when these 100 year storms show up. It seems to attract the small thinking human beings. And by small, I mean of course, the DUMB ASSES. And trust me my friends, we were invaded by these WalMart shopping individuals who came in droves.

They drove their vehicles through the salt water and boulders. They put themselves and their small children in harms way. And some brought their little yapping dogs to the beach to show them the giant surf and howling winds.

Like little Fido gives a rats ass about this sort of thing. I watched it all go down. For three days now, I've seen the dumbest of dumb human beings make their way to the ocean and do the some of the dumbest shit.


The Police and Fire Department tried to halt their progress. But they drove around the barriers. They had to see it for themselves.



I watched in complete dumbfounded awe as this one woman held her little son by the hand and led him closer to danger. They walked in and around rocks and boulders that were landing in the road. Onward she went. Oblivious to the imminent dangers. I wanted to scream, but I was inside on the 4th floor shooting out the window. I have photos of this woman and her child.

They are down in the BLATANT DROP IN section. You can see it all for yourselves. It is I suppose, entertaining. Personally, I was horrified. It's that bad. And that stupid.



This is CINNAMON RAINBOW'S front door during the storm. Holy Mackerel! That's crazy. The high tides were causing all kinds of problems. The good news is that there will be surf for days on end. Yes, I'll be out shooting.

KSM Photoshop of the Week
Now how the hell did KSM end up in the shorebreak in front of the Sugar Shack Surf Shack? I wonder if Tony has an inside connection with our boy? Regardless this is why it's so dangerous to be messing with Mother Ocean during these storms!



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 "Fried Clams" at Home Depot this week.


REST IN PEACE Billy Graham aged 99.
GET WELL SOON Jon Gozzo!
GET WELL JoEllen Bunton Sending positive thoughts
and prayers to you!!

FYI Lenny Nichols is looking for someone or someones to take
over the ESA-NNE District. Please contact Lenny Nichols by calling his cell (603) 944-2418


THE NEW GRANITE GIRLS poster!




Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to
Ralph's Pic Of The Week every week for the last 13 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) And into the inside bowl section. Dave Cropper Monday February 26th, 2018. Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Richie Appel is getting better and better with each new swell. He's a full on power surfer. Monday February 26th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Kody Grondin's wicked slash. Monday February 26th, 2018.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Pipe is like no other wave on the planet. You have to see it to know what I'm talking about. February 14th, 2018. Photo by Noelle Fatello
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery










(Above) That's a spicey Meat-a-ball! Across from the shop. March 3rd, 2018. Photo by Dave Cropper *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

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