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Friday the 13th and the RETURN of Gabrielle...

I am not one for superstitions per se, but I will say, that this past Friday the 13th, reminded me of a time, when exactly 22 years to the day, I was full of dread. Why? Well, my wife was going into labor with our second child. It was right around dinner time. And it was Friday the 13th, 1991.

"There's no way our child is going to be born on Friday the 13th!" I stated. And rather firmly I might add. I know that's crazy. But really?

So we sat down and had dinner and then watched a movie. I believe it was BAT 21 starring Gene Hackman and Danny Glover.
The whole time she was having mild labor pains. Having already had our first child we were sort of used to this stuff. Sort of.

I mean if you listen to the experts they will say that the second child can usually come at any time. Still, I was not going to allow our child to deal with a Friday the 13th Birthday. Look, I know it's silly. But look who you are dealing with here.

My plan was to leave at 11:30PM. The hospital where all of our children were born was a good 45 minutes away. Now keep in mind, I was fully prepared to deliver this child myself if need be. That's how committed I was to avoiding this date.

Suffice it to say. I was not needed. We arrived after midnight. and little Max Vincent Fatello was born on Saturday September 14th 1991 at exactly 7:06AM.



Of course if my wife was telling this story, she might have a different take on things. Still, she will admit, that the 14th was easier and better than the 13th. Life is hard enough without throwing that bad luck crap into the mix from day one.

This past Friday the 13th reminded me of that time.



Here we are 22 years later. Saturday September 14th, 2013. You're welcome Max. I guess we could of named you "Jason" if you were actually born on the 13th. But we never had to cross that bridge.

So we were all excited about TS Gabrielle this weekend. *That's the reason I am late with the blog. Hey, there was REAL surf and I shot about a million photos, and so did Ed. But more importantly, I went surfing. Imagine that? I am still a surfer. And I'll be dammed if I let that swell slip by without sampling her well groomed groundswell.

Now some of you older surfers will recall the original Gabrielle.



Now that was a swell to end all all swells. Oh my God. The reason it was so good was, directly on the heels of Gabrielle, was another storm, Hurricane Felix. And those two actually mated. I swear. Ask anyone who was around for the original Gabrielle. September 1989. Gabrielle and Felix produced INSANE waves here in New England.

In fact, there has not been anything like it since.



There's another interesting story with my family ties to this original storm. My wife was pregnant with our first child when Gabrielle hit. I shot some of the (what I thought at the time was) my best ever movie footage. I filmed and shot the days of Gabrielle and was in heaven. Then I went surfing.

I got to surf for about an hour, when my world went "topsy turvy" on me. The surf was about 6-8' and just perfect. I had surfed a few of the point breaks, and was about to sample my fave wave of all the point breaks. I was out for all of 20 minutes, when a big set approached.

I did what I thought was a routine duck dive, but my timing was slightly off. I turned my head ever so slightly, and caught the full brunt of that pitching 8 foot lip directly on my ear.

Instantly my ear was blown out. Vertigo times 100 followed.
It took everything I had to keep from falling off my board as I paddled towards the horizon.

The worse part? All my friends thought I was kidding.

To this day ,I want to strangle one of them. Harry. He kept saying "Dude, I thought you were kidding!" Really? Kidding in 8-10' surf in the impact zone? That's funny? I mean good lord, I'm lucky I didn't drown.

Any ways, to make a long story short. I made it back to shore.
On my own. No surprise there.

When I did manage to crawl up the embankment, I was driven to the hospital by our dear friend, and resident nurse, Kim Grondin. By the time I got back I said to my wife," if our child is a girl, we should name her Gabrielle." And we did. Gabrielle Marina (which means of the sea) Fatello. And that's, the rest of the story.

So my son Max, surfed TS Gabrielle on his birthday this weekend. And so did I. And this time, I wore ear plugs.

Now for Some Of My Weekly Global Observances:

OK so the big news this week continues to be Syria. We may have dodged a bullet here with Russian president Putin stepping in to broker a deal where Assad and Syria hands over all their chemical weapons to the International contingent.

Though one must be weary of Putin. He is after all ex KBG.

I will say that if this works, the administration will look like geniuses. If not? Well hold on to your seats kids. It's going to be a rocky ride.

Meanwhile closer to home .Our thoughts and prayers go out to the folks in Colorado. The flooding is heartbreaking to watch. With the fires out west and this flooding? It's easy to see how lucky we truly are. I mean. Fire and flooding?

Please say a prayer for them. And whatever you can do to help, I'm sure would be greatly appreciated.

OK this is a joke this week. KSM is still an evil son of a bitch who was the mastermind behind September 11th, 2001. And with the mentioning of Friday the 13th I figure what the hell.

As always, let's take a minute and enjoy the weekly humiliation of the mastermind terrorist who killed 3,000 innocent civilians on September 11th, 2001.



* Note to self. Must pick up some Halloween candy
at Home Depot.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Shane Smith September 17, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ginger Kellar September 18, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mark Bohenko September 18, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jack Keefe September 21st, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sam Nevins September 21, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Victor Capozzi September 21st, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mat Evans September 23, 2013!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lester Priday September 30, 2013!
GoodBye Summer 2013 Hello Fall 2013!

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

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Yesterday- Kevin Grondin surfing GABRIELLE September 1989 somewhere in New England.
(Below) Those of you who remember the original Gabrielle know how good she was. Those of you who don't? Just ask Kevin the next time you see him. Photo by MEZ


Click on the photo above to see the larger version.


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Today- The last light of TS Gabrielle Saturday,
September 14th, 2013. Photos by Ed O'Connell



(Above) Not as big as the original Gabrielle but plenty fun enough. Just ask Matt Colby. Saturday September 14th, 2013. Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) Mackey V having some fun on his birthday. Nothing I could get him
would be better than this. Saturday September 14th, 2013. Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

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from Lansdale JEEP the last 23 years, and have not had
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(Above) Unknown digging the last light of Gabrielle.
Saturday September 14th, 2013. Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today- TS Gabrielle Late Day September 14th, 2013.
Photos by Ed O'Connell



(Above) Mackey V birthday barrel . Saturday September 14th, 2013.
Photo by Ed O'Connell*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


(Above) Mackey V birthday boost. Saturday September 14th, 2013.
Photo by Ed O'Connell*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



Today- TS Gabrielle. Late in the day. September 14th, 2013.
Photos by RALPH



(Above) It was good to see Adam Coates again. Though this was his last wave of
the session. Sorry Adam. September 14th, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) Guess who? Hey it was his birthday! September 14th, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


Today- TS Gabrielle. Morning. September 14th, 2013.
Photos by RALPH


(Above) Casey Lockwood back home again. Saturday September 14th, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) Jared Veltsos rocking through the inside section. September 14th, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


Today- SEQUENCES TS Gabrielle featuring: Mike Moran, Max Fatello, Matt Colby, Casey Lockwood, Kevin Grondin and a couple of unknowns. Photos by RALPH



(Above) TS Gabrielle SEQ of Mike Moran. Sept 14, 2013. Photo by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




( Above) Kevin Grondin's first ever wave on his new board. 9/14/13 Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


Today- TS Gabrielle. EMPTY WAVES. September 14th, 2013.
Photos by RALPH



( Above) As crowded as it was this day, it's hard to believe there were any empty waves. September 14, 2013 Photo by RALPH
 *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) Empty TS Gabrielle Sept 14, 2013.
Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
Today- More TS Gabrielle September 14th, 2013.
Photos by Ed O'Connell



(Above) Unknown. TS Gabrielle. Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) There were big waves in the morning. 9-14-13
 Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) Garrett Krapf on a nice TS Gabrielle wall wave.
September 14, 2013. Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) This might be my favorite photo from the whole swell. Unknown Wall Saturday morning September 14th, 2013 Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


(Above) Pev taking an early walk with TS Gabrielle. September 14, 2013.
 Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


(Above) Jacko on a nice looking TS Gabrielle wave. September 14, 2013.
 Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.







(Above) Markey J on the Blue Jay Way. TS Gabrielle. September 14, 2013.
 Photo by Ed O'Connell *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


Today- Friday the 13th...TS Gabrielle. September 13th, 2013.
Photos by RALPH

(Above) This was a lucky day for Mackey V. Tropical Storm Gabrielle.
Photo by RALPH Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) It was a lucky day for James too! Tropical Storm Gabrielle.
Photo by RALPH Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


AVAILABLE IN THE SHOPS and Online. Click on image
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Today- The Pics From Around The World.
September 15th, 2013. Photos via The Internet



(Above) It's out there. Go out and find it. Photo via the Internet
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.





(Above) Got lefts?.Photo by Via the Internet
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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 ) From my Facebook page...Saturday Sept 14-2013. Photo unknown
 *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


(Above ) Mark Henschke somewhere in New Hampshire.
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Today- The Phantom GO PRO Pics Photos by the Phantom

(Above) The Phantom joins forces with the GO PRO Brigade
Photo PHANTOM *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above) It was just a matter of time. The Phantom goes GO PRO!
Photo PHANTOM *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
boat


(Above) All Rise: 10th Street District Court of Surf Justice is now in session, the
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Click the photo to see the outcome of this Surf crime and the verdict.
Photo by Ed O'Connell

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TS IGOR Sept 2010


Hurricane IGOR gave us 5 days of solid surf. Monday September 20th, 2010 was the biggest. While Tuesday the 21st, was much cleaner. I shot this footage at sunrise on Tuesday in Northern New England.

There's a lot of Casey Lockwood. There's also Ryan Jackson, Ryan Reed, and longtime local Steve Baily. The colors on this last day of Summer are so warm and vivid.

The surfing flows with the music. And once again, I have chosen the amazing music by QWILL. The song is called "Learning". So there you have it. IGOR meets Ralph and QWILL and the results are in the visuals and amazing audio track.

Enjoy...Ralph

QWILL's music can be found at:
qwillmusic.com

 


 

My first video clip using the Nikon D-90...I shot this last week (April 4, 2012)...it is part of the 9th anniversary of the weekly blog Ralph's Pic. I clearly have much to learn here including using the HD settings (DOH!). This clip has my son Max, Jared Veltsos, Toby Parke, Terence Kirby, Kevin and Kody Grondin, and Brian Taber. Music is by BH. Thanks for tuning in the last 9 years...

 


CLICK CRACKIE BELOW TO SEE CRACKIE VIDS

CLICK ON THE CRACKIE IMAGE TO SEE ALL THE CRACKIE VIDEOS. Crackie's still on an unpaid administrative leave. However if you need a Crackie Fix just click on his face and go to his YouTube page and watch all his absurd videos. And if you have a question for Crackie, no matter how stupid, or absurd, please send it here...crackie@adlantic.com

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COMING NEXT WEEK.More TS Gabrielle from Sunday 9-15-13
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
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COMING NEXT WEEK More Gabrielle. Ralph on Sunday 9-15-13
Photo by Cory

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 Ed O'Connell
 
Today September 15th, 2013
" Hey You Think This is easy? "



(Above) Richard Donahue balancing act. Saturday 9-14-13. Photo RALPH


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