I stood high above the waterline last Sunday afternoon trying to get the best vantage point to shoot the action that was unfolding in front of my lens. I watched and cringed as two riders caught in a massive frothing maelstrom of a set, pushed their boards away and took a giant breath, before propelling their bodies under the oncoming wall of whitewater. Which by the way, was all of 10 feet.

"There's no worse a feeling than that right there...." I said aloud to no one.

And honestly? There really isn't. Having to ditch your board and take a big breath to escape the avalanche of ocean that is bearing down on you, is not a good feeling. And when the water is really cold, it really sucks. Thankfully, the water on Sunday was still warm. Warm for us New Englanders that is. Others outside of the Great Lakes crew might not think so, but for us? It was still warm.

And this swell? This Halloween Horror Snow Storm that spawned these beasts?

It was all time. The swell got bigger all day, and it changed throughout the day with the wind and the rips. When the sun finally broke, the wind had picked up considerably and was wailing all throughout the afternoon. Most of us had no power. The storm knocked out power for thousands of New Englanders.

I guess that was the only downside to this freak storm. Losing power.

We don't get many snow storms in October. It's like getting one in April or May...they are rare, but they do happen. The weight of the snow on the leaves on the trees, was causing all the problems. I saw many trees down. We still had too many leaves on the trees. They could not handle the extra weight. When the tress fell they hit the power lines and well...poof! No power. We were lucky, we only lost power for about 24 hours. Others lost it for days. It was a minor inconvenience.

That swell was something though. And just when we thought we'd seen the best of it, the other swell hit. The new swell on November 3rd and 4th...was all time. We had back to back significant swells. I actually surfed for 3 hours straight one day. I was having a blast. Hell we all were. It was like a long ground swell that just hung around for days...of course, it was two different swells, but they came so close together we barely had to time to regroup. I saw many friends out and yet I missed just as many.

Ryan Schnell was back in time for the November swell but I missed him. Ed O'Connell got back in time to shoot the latter day swell and was all over the clean conditions. So many people surfed and so many people shot. It was great.

In fact, this week's blog is the first time in many months where I have so many of the region's best submitting pics. Nevins, Carden, O'Connell, Sander, Doherty, and a handful of others all sent in pics. Myself included. Then there was the READERS themselves who sent in pics. It was great. Like the old days.

There was so much local documentation of surf this week that I had to bump the Phantom to next week. There's just to much to filter through. As it is, you'll be hard pressed to see it all in one sitting. There's just so much to see. And all of it is good. I mean really good. Let's hope it keeps coming.

So this week is Veterans day week. I say week because it is for me.

Between the schools and other functions I attend it is a long week of being around my brother and sister Veterans. I'm sure most of you have Veterans in your life. I hate to come across as pontificating when it comes to this stuff but honestly? It's one day a year. You pick up the phone and call the Vet in your family and you say "Thank You." It's not that hard. And the rewards you get from seeing that Vet light up when you say it, is well worthwhile.

I remember the first time I said "Thank You" to my dad. He had no idea why I was thanking him. "Thank you? For what?" he asked. "Your service dad...thank you for your sacrifices, fighting in the Pacific in WWII..." There was silence. Then he simply said..."You're welcome." This was back when saying Thank You was just starting to catch on. It was in the early 90's.

I can remember getting the same perplexed reactions from my uncles too.

All of them World War II vets, except my youngest uncle, he was a Korean War Vet. They were kind of taken back by it. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to say that to them all. Saying Thank You is always a good feeling. They are all gone now. Gone from this earth. I can't call them anymore, or drop by just to hear their war time experiences. I can't ask any more questions. I can't say thanks to them.

I remember in 1999, the last Veterans Day my dad was still around. He called me first. "Ralph, this is your dad, I just wanted to say Thank You for your service..."

That caught me off guard, and I broke down and cried. My father called me.

I knew what that meant. He was gone in a few months. But I never forgot that. So while my father and uncles are gone I am around veterans all the time. There are too many Veterans in the seacoast/surfer community. And if I tried to name you all I will end up forgetting someone, so rather than make a list, YOU ALL KNOW WHO YOU ARE. And you should all know by now, how much you mean to me. I love and respect you all. All the men and women who have taken that oath to protect our Freedom and our nation. I thank you and salute you all.

Have a Great Veterans Day. 11/11/11...



Please keep my good friend George Masten in your thoughts and prayers. George is the 2nd from the left. He's battling cancer. George is a Korean/Vietnam Vet who was wounded in 1967. That's my daughter Gabby, then George, Eric Lamontagne (30 years in USMC), and me. The pic was taken at the USMC Birthday at the MCROTC at WHS. The program is now in trouble due to the WHS School Board's decision to eliminate the electives from Freshmen and Sophomores. Gabby did 4 years in ROTC. Our community depends on the MCROTC program. I love this photo.

Speaking of Veterans...The ASK CRACKIE SERIES is now into our fifth week. Who knew Crackie was a Vet? Most of you know that CRACKIE has his own Facebook page. If you have a question for Crackie please email him directly.

Crackie's email: crackie@adlantic.

He'd love to hear from you and I know he'd love to friend you on Facebook.

Today is a bittersweet day for me and my family. It was one year ago today that we had to put our beloved pet SCOUT down. We still miss you Scouty. A good friend is dealing with that same situation this week, his old dog is not doing well and they have decided to do the right thing this week and have her put down.
I just want him to know that we are all praying for him and his dog...and that she will be happy, she will be young and full of life again, running in those fields with your late father...it's going to be OK. Be strong my friend...it's going to be OK because you will be with her.

Losing a loved one, or a family pet is never easy. And as cliche as this has become...remember my mantra...."Surfing Heals ALL Wounds..."