Nothing Like A Good Ole Fashion Nor'easter. New England gets a solid 3 day swell from the storm that went whipping through here Thursday Friday. And just when you think it's over...The Trump and Hillary Show Goes on!

There was a time in my life, when I never felt more alive than when I was paddling straight into a howling Northeast wind. With biting rain, sleet, and snow. I lived for those storms all through the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Hell, I even named my band after these storms back in the early 80's. The NOR'EASTERS. And the name described perfectly the style and kind of music we played. Hard driving blues and rock. While, we don't play out as often as we would all like, we are STILL a band. And a good band at that.



This photo taken of The NOR'EASTERS was at the Channel in 1990.

*Note to Bruce Marshall and the FAKE Nor'easters. You better check your sources boys. That name has been ours since the 80's. Dumb asses. We'd be happy to settle this in court. But as a fellow musician, you should stop using the name and find your own. Thanks fellas.

Any way, back to the storm on Friday. That temp was down right cold. That wind was going through the three layers of clothes I had on. Biting cold. Yet most of the people out surfing were surfing with NO gloves on. That made me even colder. It was all I could do to hold onto both cameras. I was looking for places that would protect me from both the wind and the rain. Apparently the NIKON and the CANON do not like the rain. Ugh.

But being the resourceful individual that I am, I was able to find little pockets to hide in, while protecting the cameras by hiding them in my thick flannel shirt.



This angle was easy. I was actually sitting in my vehicle. It was when I left the safety and comfort of the Old Commander that I had to deal with the elements. And the wind can be merciless. Loose boards flying every which way in the wind is cause for concern out there. The Sunday before October 23rd, was a windy day. There were lots of boards flying back over the heads and bodies of fearless riders. 90% of them have no nose guards. Not to mention the fins.

The wind is dangerous. And on that day, local surfer Erica Nardone caught the nose of her board directly into her left eye. No skin was touched. The eye was damaged and she spent the better part of Sunday at MGH in Boston. Her husband Matt and the three kids are dealing with this injury as best s they can. They have been seeing specialists throughout the week and are making decisions on which route to take. Retina Surgery is a possibility. But until they speak with the professionals it's a wait and see game. Dammit, I am not trying to make any puns here. And if I come across like I am, I apologize.



Knowing Erica, she's a fighter and a warrior and I have seen her out in some big surf, so I know she is going to do whatever it takes to help her get back not only into the surf, but everything she has on her plate. Being a mom with three kids is a job in itself. The Nardones are a great family. A true Surf family. So I know that this is just a minor setback for them. And I can see her back in the line-up in the every near future. Until that day, please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers. Positive vibes. Send them to the Nardone family.

Seems of odd that we had two incidents involving surfers that happened here on the coast. The near drowning last week of that male individual. And now this. I have been a big advocate about wearing ear plugs, and some of you are starting to listen. And that's good. Please listen to this. Put a nose guard on your board. What possible harm could it do? We all know the harm of not having one.

Last week I posted the eye witness account of the drowning surfer by
local surfer and RN Elizabeth Ann. Here's another person who's come
forward to share his experience his name is Jonathan Kimbro.

Hey Ralph,

Thanks for putting up that story about the rescue on Saturday on your site.  I was one of the four surfers in the water with Elizabeth and was the first to get to that guy that was having the seizure.  

At first I thought that this guy had ditched his board to get over a set wave that was coming in, but when I looked up he was face down in the water convulsing.  I immediately started paddling toward him and called for help from another guy that was sitting deep.  When we first flipped him over his lips were blue, his face was pale, and he wasn't moving.  We did our best to keep his head out of the water, flip him on his side, and start getting him in to shore.  

It was scary at first.  I was relieved to hear him start moaning a little bit because that meant he was breathing and eventually the color came back to his face.  When Elizabeth got over, we got him up on her longboard and a couple of us ditched our boards because the leashes were getting tangled.

He came back to consciousness as we got closer to shore and became really angry and combative.  He kept asking us to leave him alone.  I'm sure he was disoriented and someone later told me that's typical behavior for someone after a seizure.  We spotted him as he climbed up the rocks and made his way back to his car, when the paramedics arrived.

I didn't catch anyone's name, but one of the guys went back for the boards in the water that were floating away.  

This guy was very lucky.  We must have gotten to him within 30 seconds of him shaking, so he wasn't underwater for long.  And how lucky was this guy to have a nurse and a doctor sitting in the lineup with him?

I've got to admit that the whole thing shook me up a little bit.   Looking back on it today, I'm proud to be a part of this seacoast surfing community where strangers come together to do the right thing.  It makes me feel safer when I'm out there.

I hope this guy (I think his name was Andrew) turns out to be OK.  If he, or anyone else needs to get in contact with me about the incident, my number is below.

See you in the water.

Jonathan

Thank you Jonathan, and thank you again Liz, as well as the two other unknown heroes who helped out. I hope the victim gets his ass checked out, and I would hope that he reach out to the four of you, who made this heroic rescue. If anyone knows who this guy is, please direct him to this blog.

On a more positive note. Click on this graphic to see the awesome gallery of the WATER BROS PRO 2016 contest. You know the saying, a picture is worth a 1,000 words, well in this case it was worth over a $1,000!
Big shout out to the man Sid Abruzzi for making this event go down. People are already talking about next year. Great job Sid.



"Surfing Heals All Wounds"

This is one of Ed's many empty wave pics. I chose this pic this week because I have a gallery of empty waves in the blog. Whenever I'd have an empty wave gallery I'd try and get Ed to shoot a bunch himself. His empty waves are some of my favorites in the world.

To see more of Ed's pics just scroll through the archives. He has shot so many pics for the blog. Be sure and pick up a copy of the COLD COAST and check out Ed's own gallery.
Each week I will feature one of Ed's great pics from this blog.
Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click the photo above to see a larger version of Ed's Pic.

Now for Some More Of My Weekly Global Observances
This political race for the White House has once again blown up with another crazy story. This time the bad news is on Hillary. WTF is going on? I mean you can't make this shit up. The FBI director has written a letter basically saying to HRC "Now just hold on a minute."

The source for these new EMAILS?

Hold onto your seats kids...it's our old friend ANTHONY WEINER! I mean you have got to be kidding me? Look I've already told you all I am not a TRUMP supporter, and those of you who know me well enough, know that I am certainly not a CLINTON supporter. I don't like either one of them.

And this latest story? I mean, a week ago Hillary had this in the bag.

And now? Well your guess is as good as anyone's. But I would not be the least surprised if something else comes out and once again derails one of these two most unlikeable candidates.



The sexting maniac himself and his wife Huma is the latest in the political scandals. This does not look good for the pant suited woman who would be queen of the US.



It is a living nightmare for these candidates. But damn, it sure is entertaining for the rest of us.



The crazy thing is, these pics of Weiner are real. These are the sexting pics he sent over the Internet.



Hillary and Huma are tight. Too tight. With the FEDS finding all these emails on HUMA'S laptop and directly involving Anthony "The Sex Text Man." I swear I thought it was a spoof when I walked by the TV on Friday. But noooooo. This shit is happening. I mean with 10 days left, what else could possibly happen? Hello Wiki Leaks?



Speaking of sex hounds. Check out where Bill's hand is...poor Melania is trying to casually remove his hand. That Bill is a horny horny man. And this whole campaign on both sides reads like an adult fiction story. Except it's non-fiction. This is REAL my friends. Real freaking scary.

KSM Photoshop of the Week
The day this crazy story broke on Friday, there was a KSM sighting (like there wasn't?) Once again Mr Al Qeada somehow got his grimy little hands involved. I have no idea how KSM ends up in these weekly awkward situations. Ok that's not true. Of course I know. I'm the one who puts him there. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. I will not let up on the Sheik until he's gone from this earth.



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 "Sexting For Dummies" books
at Home Depot this week.

GO Patriots bitch slap that Rex Ryan in his own home.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my late mother EVA October 28th, 2016
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to JoEllen (Grammy-GiGi) October 29th, 2016!

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to
Ralph's Pic Of The Week every week for the last 11 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) Tom Hay is like a young kid out there. He loves flying around and just goofing on his friends. He understands what surfing really is. It's all about having fun. October 29th, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) This spot was really crowded. But every now and then, a decent
wave would come right to you, and you'd forget all about the crowds.
MVF taking advantage of the free gift. October 29th, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Not many of us can say we ride on boards that we made ourselves. Mikey Evans says it every time he paddles out. October 29th, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Today- The NOR'EASTER Swell Friday October 28th, 2016.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) The wind was shaking the vehicle as I pointed the NIKON north
for this B&W pic. October 28th, 2016 Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Duffy McCarthy rode this one all the way to the beach.
October 28th, 2016 Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) Alex Orestis is as cold as he looks here. October 28th, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) As clean and as green as it gets. October 23rd, 2016
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Today- Martha Lardent's Pics from October 23rd, 2016.
Photos by Martha Lardent



(Above) Mikey Evans ducking under the Sunny Sunday lip.
October 23rd, 2016 Photo by Martha Lardent
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) That Wall has seen and heard a lot of mindless surfer banter
since the 60's. October 23rd, 2016 Photo by Martha Lardent
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Today- David Schultz October 23rd, 2016.
Photos by David Schultz



(Above) David shot the same sequence I did of Mackey. October 23rd, 2016
Photo by David Schultz *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) Kody Grondin throwing it up against the wind and lip.
October 23rd, 2016 Photo by David Schultz
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Kody Grondin hitting the brakes in the wind blown bowl.
October 23rd, 2016 Photo by David Schultz
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) The white caps tell the whole story. It was howling for it's
darling windy. MVF going back for more. October 23rd, 2016
Photo by David Schultz *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Jon slicing through glass. October 17th, 2016
Photo by Pete Baur *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Make this ten feet bigger and it could pass for a number of
big tropical breaks.. October 17th, 2016
Photo by Pete Baur *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Slipping under the glass lip Jon finds solace. . October 17th, 2016
Photo by Pete Baur *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery