I'm not gonna lie here friends, but it was just the other day that I found out that THANKSGIVING was this coming Thursday. I swear that caught me off guard. I don't know what I was thinking, but I certainly wasn't thinking about Thanksgiving. Dam, I was already missing October and now this? Hell Christmas will be here before you know it. What am I saying? It's already blasting over the airwaves and on TV. Not to mention the bombardment of Christmas ads via email and social media. I want My October back!

There used to be a time when we didn't hear any Christmas music and promos until AFTER Thanksgiving. Or at least until BLACK FRIDAY was over. But truth be told I was seeing hints of Christmas in October. Just behind the Halloween decorations. Can't blame the companies pushing this stuff, there are after all consumers who buy and shop for Christmas way in advance. I'm not one of them.

I like to take in each Holiday as they come.



So I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving. And I have much to be Thankful for.



Like this last storm and swell we got on Friday November 16th, 2018.

Oh yeah I was truly thankful for that. But not so much on the snow. SNOW!! We had almost 6" in certain places. When I heard the snow was REALLY coming I went out and raked all the leaves in my front yard and hid them in the back yard. I say hid because you can't see them when driving by the house. I was not about to have six inches of snow fall on all of those leaves in my yard. That my friends is just asking for trouble. Wet leaves carry some weight, and that is not something that Lil Ole Ralphie can be dealing with at my age.

So I raked, and raked, and raked, until every single leaf was out of sight on my front lawn. Heck, I even trimmed the shrubs and bushes in front of the house. I figure why the hell not? Walking back into my garage where I keep all of my manly tools I noticed that the Snowblower was behind my lawnmower. I haven't even checked the oil on that winter beast. I was just not ready for that. I swear this storm caught a lot of us off guard.

Thankfully I didn't have to use the snowblower. In fact, I didn't even use a shovel. I let nature take it's course and melt the stuff. Living on the seacoast is typically a nice buffer between the snow out in the western part of the state and our salt air and salt water doing it's thing to save us. Not always mind you, but usually in these sneaky little pre-winter storms we dodge the proverbial bullet by not getting as much as the other folks.

But honestly kids? THANKSGIVING? And then a SNOW STORM?

Not sure what the Farmer's Almanac is saying but I have heard that we are gonna have one hell of a winter. My in-laws Judith and John got out of Dodge just in the nick of time. I'm sure they were glowing with happiness down there in the southern states, now that they no longer have to deal with old man winter. Pretty soon the cold and the snow will be just distant memory for them. I'm happy for them. Besides with technology the way it is today, we can stay in touch at a moment's notice if need be. They can face-time with the grandkids and great grand kids. And they can sure as hell expect a visit from us once they get settled in and get their things in order. Cory and I will be looking forward to getting into some warmer weather, once our winter comes and takes hold of us in her icy grip. (I just got a chill writing that.)



I do hope this winter is not gonna be a bad one. Spoiler alert for you older types living in the cold northern states. The older you get-the colder you get. Trust me, that's the truth. I'm living proof of it. I get colder way easier these days than I have in the past. Whether I'm standing on the beach shooting, or actually in the water. I get cold. Same with being out in the woods. If I get wet out there and it's cold, it really gets to me quicker than it used to. I'm reminded of my Rock and Roll friends The FOOLS. They had a hit song a few years back that sort of sums it all up for us over 65 types. The title of that song was "LIFE SUCKS AND THEN YOU DIE." Yup, that's the truth.



But back to being Thankful. I am forever thankful for having the opportunity to shoot these two individuals. They both got caught in the shore break where I was filming. They were both members of the "Kook World". Now I don't mean that in a derogatory way. After all, we all start off as kooks, and quite frankly we all end up as kooks. So calling someone a kook is not a bad thing.

But these two? Yeah, they had no business being out there. And it was never more obvious when they both tried to get in. There's only one way in, and they chose not to use that exit. Instead, they both got caught in the rinse cycle and proceeded to get worked over and over again, to which I gladly shot video of them both. They may have gotten a few dings in their crafts as well. I mean they were bailing their boards to the point of almost absurdity.



He knew I was shooting him. Hey sorry pal, but this is what I do. But thank
you both for providing me with some comical relief. I'm glad you both didn't
get too hurt, other than your feelings that is. My advice to you guys?

" When in doubt-don't paddle out"

In memory of the 50th Anniversary of the BEATLES White LP I thought I'd share this. As funny as this is, I would not be surprised if some of those hard core Beatles fans actually bought one.



"Surfing, Kooks, Beatles, and Being Thankful Heals All Wounds."

This week's ED's Corner pic is Lenny Nichols at his fave local spot. This was the time period where Ed was using RED for his watermark. I finally talked him out of using that because it was a distraction and made the viewer's eye go to his watermark rather than the actual content. He took my advice and from that point on his photos became the main focus. 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
The death toll from the fires in California has reached 76 confirmed dead with over a thousand missing! Praying and hoping that they are not among the dead but safe and are somewhere being helped. You've all seen the news footage. It truly is heartbreaking to watch. While we are all giving thanks this week, let us not forget those who have lost everything in these fires. I'm still praying for them all. Surfers and non surfers.



This image is beyond frightening. The town of "Paradise" is no longer a viable working town. It's virtually been wiped off the map.
I'm forever thankful to the men and women who are out on the front-lines fighting these fires. God Bless Them all.

And May God Bless This Man. I was always blown away by Roy's playing. I mean he could play anything and play it like a pro. He had a great sense of humor as well. I think a lot of us watched HEE HAW just to see Roy play. I know I did.



Roy Clark April 15th, 1933-November 15th, 2018 RIP

*Click on the photo above to see a larger version

(Above) The waves and the wind were clearly intimidating.
Friday November 16th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) The first photo and the first video I shot was of Johnny Meehan paddling out. What I didn't realize then was that this surf session would
prove to be a battle of patience and endurance.
Friday November 16th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Kai Nichols sat on the inside boil and took advantage of the waves that got by the others sitting outside. Friday November 16th, 2018.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) I was in position to shoot the action in front of me, and the action directly across the bay. Friday November 16th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) This was the shorebreak. It was easily overhead (6' plus) and I thankfully shot some video of two kooks getting pounded and worked over and over again. Clearly they were out of their league. But, it sure made for some comical relief. Friday November 16th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Oh yeah, he blasted a few lips too! Kai Nichols.
Tuesday November 13th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) And so did Ray Ray! Tuesday November 13th, 2018.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) You know, I see Ray King maybe once or twice a year, and every time I see him surf I shake my head. He must have tree trunks for legs, because I've seen him bulldog his way through so many unmake-able waves time after time. I never got to say hello this night. I was freezing and it was getting dark.
Tuesday November 13th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Bryan Johnson was leading the Mustache Brigade out there!
Tuesday November 13th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Every Pig Dog rider knows this feeling. Kai Nichols about to sit back and enjoy the ride. Tuesday November 13th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Not sure when the double hand drag became a "thing" but I do know that a lot of the young barrel riders like to employ this tactic. makes for good stills and vids. MVF Tuesday November 13th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) This? This is not good, especially when your buddy is pointing at you and howling! Tuesday November 13th, 2018. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Today- More Of The FIRST SNOW Swell.
Friday November 16th, 2018 Photos by Ed Moran



(Above) Kai Nichols launching off the entry platform.
Friday November 16th, 2018 Photo by Ed Moran
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) The ever patient grasshopper Johnny Meehan picked off a nice
one here. Friday November 16th, 2018 Photo by Ed Moran
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) Joel Feid ripping a deep gaging cuttie in the howling wind.
Friday November 16th, 2018 Photo by Ed Moran
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Johnny Cadigan looking back to see where he's been.
Friday November 16th, 2018 Photo by Ed Moran
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery