If you're like me, you'd be more interested in a Nor'easter than you would a Hurricane. Not that Hurricanes are not worthy of our attention because they most certainly are. Every minute of our time following hurricanes is a worthwhile endeavor. But so is the time spent trying to figure out the localized Nor'easters. And it's also worth every minute. Why? Well, for starters, we can get a Nor'easter any time of the year.

Granted they usually hit during the colder months, but we do get the errant Summer Easter. I love Nor'easters. They are so New England. Hell, I even named my band after them. The NOR'EASTERS. I love that name. It is a clear depiction of where we come from. And Nor'easters come to us a good portion of the year.

But for the most part, they come every Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Case in point. The current Nor'easter we have just been served. She came up the coast on Thursday night and blew the doors off of our little seacoast world. By Friday morning it was in full force. The winds that blew out of the East Northeast had turned a hard right and now blew out of the west south west. And it blew hard. Very hard.

That kind of messed some of you up. Expecting hard NE winds and then not getting them was cause for plan B for some of you. Not me. I'm rolling with the punches. It did not matter which direction the wind was blowing. I'm going out. No matter what, I'm out there. For those of you not keeping score on my daily Blog, today was DAY 84. The days are begining to run together. I'm keeping track of each day by three separate methods. My calendar. My daily blog. And my journal.

And of course, the occasional photo, or two.

Speaking of photos. I was shooting on Friday late in the day at a certain break. I was sitting with a friend in my vehicle, and I was able to shoot directly into the line-up at this certain break using this dry and wind proof vantage point. Like I said, the wind was wailing, and the rain was still coming down. I needed to protect my camera gear. So I positioned myself in my vehicle for the ultimate shooting corridor. Folks walking by me could plainly see what I was doing. These Non surfers were courteous enough to wait until I either got the shot, or walked around the other side of the vehicle. It was not an inconvenience for them.

Then as I was shooting Toby Parke on a nice wave, this surfer walked into my shot.

Now for the record, this guy was just checking the surf. He knew I was there. I saw him in my rear view mirror as he approached. He was dressed like he just stepped out of a Disco in Berlin. Hair all blonde and tussled up, wearing some gaudy disco clothes. He walked right into my shot. I was literally seconds from completing the shot and this guy had to walk in front of my video camera. I wanted to say something but I did not. I mean, I get in enough hassles out in the water, I don't need any on land. So I bit my tongue and cursed inside my head. I said a lot of hurtful things in my mind.

After a minute or two, I was fine. I kept my mouth shut (for once).

But if you don't mind me saying. If you see a surf photographer shooting on the beach, or on the rocks, or even in their vehicle, please don't walk in front of their shot. It's like dropping in on somebody. Don't Drop in on the photographer who's trying to get a shot on land. Or simply ask if you can slip by. Disco Schwen did neither. He blatantly dropped in on my shot. And if I knew what he looked like in a wetsuit and what board he rides, I'd make a mental note not to shoot him. Is that wrong? Yes, I suppose it is. But dammit people this guy ruined my shot!

Besides, I bet his suit is Day Glo and his board is pink and purple.

Let's get onto the next subject. Is it me, or have you also noticed that every time you open a new surf magazine, there's some guy out riding some new slab? From ESM to TSJ it seems there is always some new Slab being surfed by some young hellions. I mean is it me? When did slab surfing become such a rage? I cringe when I look at some of the images. And I have a hard time watching the video clips as well. It just seems crazy to me. I mean it is so foreign to me.

I guess I really am old school when it comes to risk taking in surfing.

Last night (Friday) I was out surfing a local beach break. The surf was still overhead and it was punishing out there. It was full on hell paddles. The sky was dark and the rain had picked up again. Yet there were waves that were quite makeable if you used your speed. There was one wave in particular that comes to mind. This wave is also an example of where my head is at in surfing. I am old school all the way.

I caught this decent set wave and connected all the way from outside and into the inside bowl section. I was faced with two options. Hit the lip and try and get a long floater, or stall and hope for a tube. I chose the latter. And it paid off. I got barreled. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I would rather get barreled than hit the lip or try to boost an air or big floater.

I still think that riding in the barrel is timeless.

Hitting big floaters and trying to punt airs is all well and good for the younger generation. But for me? I'm passing on breaking my knees on a misdirected floater or air. Not that you can't get hurt pulling into a barrel, because you clearly can. I just prefer the art of tube riding over the art of flying through the air.

Kelly Slater I am not. Though Kelly can do it all. He is on the verge of attaining his 10th World title and he does it by both contemporary radical surfing, and his polished roots of riding in the barrel and surfing with a conventional style that never seems to go out of style. He is the Surfer of our lifetime. Hands down. Kelly is the man.

And he's one of us. An East Coast Kid who can surf the shit out of any wave, anywhere in the world. He may even surf slabs. And I'm sure he kills it out there. But not me. No sir. I'm staying clear of slabs. There's no "A little slab will do ya" for me.

The only slab I'll ever be on, is the cold slab in the morgue.

Now for some of my Weekly Global Observances:
OK, I was happy that they freed the 33 trapped miners in CHILE. All the networks covered the story and it was a big deal there for the first 48 hours. Cory and I happened to be watching the TV when they pulled the first guy out. It was compelling TV for sure and it was clearly a welcome break from the political ads, and all the other garbage that we are forced to watch each day on TV.

But I couldn't help but notice some key moments while watching each miner come to the surface. The most obvious one was the president of CHILE and the First Lady were there for each and every Miner who came up. I wondered if our President and first Lady would do the same, if we were dealing with a similar situation. My guess is probably not. And I don't mean any disrespect to our president, because I don't think any of our presidents would have done that. Unless of course there was a heated campaign. Then all bets would be off.

I'm almost surprised that some of the US politicians who are in a tight race didn't fly down to CHILE to get in on the action. I'll tell you what would of been funny was seeing Jake Bird the celebrity fan get in on the network shots. He would of been hilarious in the back ground screaming his absurd statements on camera. But then again, the CHILE police would of tossed Jake in Jail. Then we might never see him again. That would be terrible.

I would never watch another celebrity go off to jail without Jake Bird there.

The other situation I was waiting for in the Trapped Miner story was the guy who had both a wife and Mistress. Turns out, only his Mistress was at the scene. That would of been some good Reality TV if they were both there. Hell we might of seen the dude jump back into the hole. Now that would be news worthy.

But seriously, I'm happy they all got out.

So the Patriots once again pull another mind blowing move by signing Deion Branch. Look I have said many times, I have no idea how the great coaches and owners operate in the NFL. But I have to think that they know more than we do. I would hope that is the case. They know how to win games. And they know how to keep the players happy. Or most of the players. Will I miss Randy Moss? Of course. But I will welcome back Deion Branch any day of the week. Especially if Fabio I mean Brady wants him out there. The way I look at it is this. With all the weapons Tommy has now. Both on the ground and in the air, we should be solid on offense.

It's the defense that is still suspect. But this Sunday's game against the Ravens will be a telling game. If they pull out a victory Sunday, we will be serious contenders for the rest of the year. If they don't? Well it's going to be a battle just to make the Play Offs.
Regardless, it will be exciting. Don't forget, we might not have Football next year.

We all better enjoy this while we can.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Congratulations to Alex Ritchie and Kathy Hosely after walking 26.2 Miles for MOLLY in the cancer walk last week. That's a long walk. Are you kidding me. These two local Surf gals did this without any fanfare or publicity. GREAT JOB girls! I'm sure Molly is smiling down on you both.
HAPPY 26th Wedding Anniversary to the Gneccos. October 6th!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Johnny Meehan!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Evamarie Oct 19th!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jared Hay October 24th!
REST IN PEACE Jerry, Dad, Grampy ( 5 year anniversary of your passing 10-17-10)
Don't forget to Check the DAILY BLOG on My CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY. (Click
On the Banner on this page.) Started on July 26, 2010 ENDS July 26, 2011. A Wave
a day for 365 consecutive days. Just click on the banner ads on this page.

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Remember my friends...Surfing Heals All Wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph