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May 5th, 2013- The RUN is 16 out of 16 Weeks.
Waist high or better, at least once a week. There was Surf
ALL week long. From Sunday to Saturday Apr 28-May 4, 2013
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Goodbye April....Hello May.

Something quite significant happened to me this week.

Something that I have been looking forward to for quite some time. I went surfing. The Last Day of April 2013, I climbed into my 4/3, and grabbed my 9'0" Semper Fi and with my son Max riding shotgun, we drove down the street to go surfing.

For the record, I have been out of the water since June 2012 due to some personal health issues. And while the Doctors at MGH have pleaded with me not to surf, I had to listen to that inner voice we all have and say..."The hell with that. I'm going surfing!" And I did.

Besides, how can I justify me walking around saying to everyone that "surfing heals all wounds" and not adhere to that mantra?
I'll tell you, I can't. So, I made the call to surf. And it was the right call. Because although I did not exactly light up the line-up, I did manage to scratch into a few decent chest high waves and actually make a section or two.

My son Max was very encouraging. In fact, he might of been too encouraging. And the more I think about it, he was yelling at me "Just go Dad! Stop thinking about it and GO!!!". I had to laugh. I mean here's this now adult man, yelling at me, to take off on every set wave that came through, apparently forgetting that it was "me" who taught him how to surf.




Here we are before we paddled out.

Was I nervous? A little bit. Not much though. Like I said, it was something that I was looking forward to since June of 2012.
What is that 11 months? That's a long time. There was NO way I was going to let a whole year go by without surfing.

And the irony of me surfing EVERY DAY for a year, the year before does not escape me. Hardly. But those of you who know me well enough, would not be surprised by this latest irony.

Like I've said a hundred times, who would believe my life story?

I've lost count of how many strange things that have happened to me in my life. So really, it's all par for the course. I just get up every day and roll with the punches. Because I know there's always something coming at me. But I'm good. I'm ok.

I went surfing again.



My typical self portrait shot directly after our surf. I was stoked.

We'd surfed this particular stretch of cement and sand since Max was four or five years old. It's one of my favorite sandbars. So I'm sure you're wondering how I did. Well, you know the old saying "It's like riding a bike?" Well it's not like that. Surfing is harder than riding a bike.

I caught a few waves. And missed a few dozen. But, I was out in the water again. And honestly, there's a reason why I have said and documented that phrase, or mantra, "Surfing Heals All Wounds"...because it's true. So on April 30th, 2013, I had started my own journey to start the healing, and to re-build up my surf stoke again. I'm a surfer.

I may not be out for every swell. And I may not be jumping on a shortboard anytime too soon, but, I will find the right time and place, and slowly work my way back to a comfort level where I can take off without any hesitation and hopefully find that hollow spot that I can revisit, and then, and only then, I will know, that I have truly come home.

Oh Mother Ocean, how I have missed your touch, your soothing, cleansing, magical power, that heals my very soul. It was good to be back in your liquid embrace again.


Don't forget Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 at Hampton's Flatbread.
The ESA-NNE district Fund raiser. Help the local kids out at the same time you eat the BEST pizza around.




Click above graphic for larger poster.


 

 

 








Now for Some Of My Weekly Global Observances:

I am not quite sure why Gringos celebrate "Cinco De Mayo" just as I am not totally tuned into the whole St Patricks Day celebrations. I know on St Patty's day, we are "All Irish." So on Cinco De Mayo, are we all Mexican? Seems to me, that Cinco De Mayo is just another excuse for the partiers to...well, party. Look, I don't have a problem with the actual holiday. Though it does seem to revolve around alcohol. Just saying.



I did however take advantage of this holiday to photoshop the snot
out of our boy KSM. In fact, I doubled up on the hairy beast this week. Why not? I mean who am I offending here? Al Qeada and the Taliban are the only fans of KSM. So who cares? Not me. Not you. Just the cowardly terrorists who we all despise right?

So enjoy the weekly humiliation of the mastermind who killed 3,000 innocent Americans on September 11, 2001.



How Khalid Sheik Mohummed (KSM) ended up with these two is irrelevant. It's all part of the weekly absurdity of this blog.



*Note to self: Must pick up a case of bean seeds at Home Depot!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Stone Henge May 5th, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Amy Dube May 6th, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jay Gould May 7th, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kyle Stucker May 8th, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Leah Grondin May 8th, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gabby Fatello May 9th, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tony Szabo May 9th, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ken Black May 12th, 2013!

CONGRATULATIONS To Jon and Sarah as
the NEW GOZZO GIRLS have arrived!

Lyona Nesta 5.86lbs born at 6:35AM
Maeve Anne 6.3 lbs born at 6:36AM
Sunday April 21st, 2013!

Get Well soon Rick Savastano! Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your loved ones.

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to Ralph's Pic
Of The Week every week for the last 9 years. **Think about BUYING a HIGH RES Photo from any of the weeks on RPOTW.

Keep in mind the photos you steal from this site are low RES. You can't blow them up. Order HIGH RES photos that are suitable for framing. It's
a GREAT Gift Idea. A nice framed photo of your favorite Surfer or Surf Break! Remember my friends... Surfing Heals All Wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph




Click banners above to help the people who
are still suffering from Hurricane Sandy.




 



Yesterday- From 1975. Joe Somogyi's license plate.
 (Below) There are only about a dozen people here on the seacoast who would recognize this old license plate. It belonged to the late Joe Somogyi. Joe passed away in 1978 from agent orange. This was his plate. His brother Steve sent it to me this week. I had forgotten about it. Imagine my surprise when I opened my email and saw this. Joe was something else. Those of us who knew him, and surfed with him, will always remember him. And I for one will continue to talk and write about him, until my last day on this planet.
Photo by Steve Somogyi



Click on the photo above to see the larger version.

Don't forget to go back and read the whole DAILY BLOG on My
CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY. (Click On the Banner below on this page.)
Started on July 26, 2010 ENDED July 26, 2011. A Wave a day for 365
consecutive days. Just click on the banner ads on this page.

To contact the advertisers below, simply click on the Ad itself. Anyone wishing to find out info about advertising here can do so by emailing me directly by clicking here. Ralph's Email I'll send you a template and other info on how you can become a paid sponsor

We highly recommend the various businesses and
artists listed below. Why? Well simply put, each and every one of them is a Surfer, who lives the Surfing Lifestyle, and their business is a reflection of that
lifestyle that we all love.


PHOTOS BELOW SHOT THIS WEEK *Unless otherwise noted.

Today- One Surfer. One Photographer. Friday May 3rd, 2013.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) I think there is such a thing as destiny. Case in point. Josh Cote showed up
at this spot within minutes after I pulled up. There was no one out. The sun was setting and I wanted to shoot someone out there after it glassed off. I rarely get to see a solo session, let alone shoot one. But on this night, Josh scored, and I documented his good fortune. Friday May 3rd, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) Josh Cote alone with his thoughts. Friday May 3rd, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) Josh Cote coming around the bend. Friday May 3rd, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


(Above) I think Josh knew I was getting all of his waves. Friday May 3rd, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.





(Above) I shot until the sun went down. Friday May 3rd, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



Today- EMPTY WAVES April 29th-May 4th, 2013.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) Not all empty waves are perfect. Monday, April 29th, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) From the solo Josh Cote session. Friday May 3rd, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


CONGRATULATIONS To Jon and Sarah as
the NEW GOZZO GIRLS have arrived!

Lyona Nesta 5.86lbs born at 6:35AM
Maeve Anne 6.3 lbs born at 6:36AM
Sunday April 21st, 2013!
Today- The First Day of May. 5-5-2013.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) Green on green on this first day of May. Wednesday May 1st, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Click above to read the entire MOLLY BLOG in Chronological order


(Above) Walking on water. Patch my young GSP on this first day of May.
Wednesday May 1st, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today- The Last Day of April. 4-30-2013.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) The wet sand. April 30th, 2013. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.









(Above) The last sunset of April. April 30th, 2013. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today- The Jesse and Mackey Session. April 29,2013.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) Jesse Gould has been living in PR for the last 6 to 8 months. It's good to see
him surfing his home breaks with his buds again. April 29th, 2013. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.







(Above) Max was digging his surf session with Jesse. April 29th, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today- The First ESA NNE contest of 2013. April 27, 2013.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) Nothing better than having good waves during a surf contest.
Kai Nichols flying along his homebreak. April 27th, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) Eddie Traniello cutting back at the first surf contest of the 2013 season.
April 27th, 2013. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.












Today- A Day On The Hill. May 4th, 2013.
Photos by Ed O'Connell



(Above) Mike Stanek was out before the wind got on it. May 4th, 2013.
Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.








(Above) Ryan Reed open face carve. May 4th, 2013.
Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) DJ launching one for the telephoto lens of Ed O'Connell . May 4th, 2013.
Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



AVAILABLE IN THE SHOPS and Online. Click on image above to see how to order.

Today- The 2nd ESA-NNE contest at the Wall. May 4th, 2013.
Photos by Ed O'Connell

(Above) Kai Nichols on an overhead wave at the Wall. ESA contest. May 4th, 2013.
Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) Mike "Zappy" Paugh . Cruising at the Wall. ESA contest. May 4th, 2013.
Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) Tim O'Shea managed to find a nice barrel on Saturday during the 2nd
contest. ESA -NNe contest. May 4th, 2013.
Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.





(Above) Eddie Traniello backside at the 2nd ESA NNE contest. May 4th, 2013.
Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.






Click on image above for specs
and more info


 
Today- The PHANTOM Philes PART II April 29th, 2013.
Photos by The Phantom

(Above) This is one wild looking lip throwing out here. This is one serious looking
wave. Whoa. April 29th, 2013. Photo by The Phantom
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.








(Above) This is a heavy lip. Oh my God. Look at this thing. April 24th, 2013.
Photo by The Phantom *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




We welcome all Surf Related pics from our Readers. Just make sure they are at least 900 pixels wide. If you have any OLD photos of local New England surfers and or of local New England surfing, we would love to see them and share them with our readers.

We can scan them for you. And we get them back to you undamaged. Trust me.We can do this...people love the older stuff. So if you have any, please send 'em along. If you have prints/slides we can scan them for you.

And we don't care if you shoot pics with with your cellphones. I mean it. Most of the images you see on the news and on the Internet were shot with them Smart Ass Phones. Shoot and ask questions later.


 




(Above) Two surfers Jay Hammer and Rick Savastano at the car show on Saturday May 4th, 2013. Photo by RGF
Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) One last winter shot. Richie Appel at Sugarloaf in Maine. Winter 2013. Photo by Rich Appel
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
















(Above) All Rise: 10th Street District Court of Surf Justice is now in session, the
Honorable Judge RALPH presiding. CASE 212 BLATANT DROP IN OF THE WEEK-
Click the photo to see the outcome of this Surf crime and the verdict.
Photo by RALPH

* Click on the photo above to see the OUTCOME.





















Click above to follow the entire CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY Blog. From start to finish. In chronological order as it happened.




CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON on each clip to view videos



YESTERDAY NINETEEN EIGHTY SIX-New Hampshire


This is another clip from the mid 80's. Shot entirely in New Hampshire. The clips features: Kevin "Doc" Grondin, Mike "Zap" Paugh, Duffy"the Squirrel" McCarthy, Steve "Mags" Magliano, Greg Smith, Allen Bigbee and me. Ralph "Vince" Fatello. The footage of me was shot by Michael Baytoff. The rest I shot myself.

There is also a clip of the late Todd Ross at the very end.

The surprising thing about this clip is, how good some of our surfing was. I mean, for this time period? We were all surfing pretty good. Not amazing but good enough to document and look back on as a special time.

*Note how I appear to be the only surfer NOT wearing Circus Clown Wetsuit Colors. It was my intention even back then, to wear black. I guess my Rock and Roll background had a pretty strong hold on me.

The music is by Jimi and KX. The former is one of my all time favorite tunes. "May This Be Love" (waterfall). It is a beautiful song that just bleeds surfing. The last song "Life Going By" is by my favorite band of all time (Next to the Beatles and Hendrix). King's X. I love this band. They are the best Rock Trio to ever hit the stage. Can't say enough good things about them.

And like Jimi, their music just flows with surfing

 

 boat









Crackie's on a retreat with this being the start of our 10th year. Truth be told, we are in contract negotiations and quite frankly, he's being unreasonable. So until we can reach an agreement with his agent. We are putting him on ice for the time being.

However, if you have a question for Crackie, no matter how
stupid, or absurd, please send it here...crackie@adlantic.com

You can also check Crackie out on Facebook. You should Friend Him...though there are no guarantees that he'll be nice to you.












COMING NEXT WEEK. Shot today Sunday May 5th 2013.
Photo by RALPH




Recorded in 1978. Click on VINNY CD
art to see a larger version and how to
order this CD and others for sale at
GAF Music. www.gafmusic.com
A Division of Adlantic

 

 



COMING NEXT WEEK. Shot today Sunday May 5th 2013.
Photo by RALPH


Recorded in 1983. Click on VINNY CD art
to see a larger version and how to order this CD and others for sale at GAF Music.
www.gafmusic.com
A Division of Adlantic













(Above) Put the cursor over the images above to see happens when you DROP in
on someone. You become Invisible. Simply put the mouse over the photo to see the
original photo and then marvel at the results of what happens when the criminal
becomes invisible.*Put the cursor over the photo to see the Real image.
Photo by RALPH




   













Today May 5th, 2013 "What the ....? "



(Above) Now I've seen it all. The Phantom Drone.
Photo courtesy of The Phantom





 



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