September 20th, 2009 30 out of 31 weeks of waves!

"Where the hell did these waves come from?" some guy asked me as he scrambled down the cement stairs and over the rocks, stopping briefly to put his leash on. "Out there." I said with a dead panned look on my face, as I pointed out to sea. He gave me a quizzical look, as he sprinted off into the long roping, green gems, that were pouring onto the beaches all over Northern New England on Friday Morning. As much as I hate to admit it, it was a good question. And if I had to guess, it was just a wind swell from that little Nor'easter that developed off the coast the day before. Barely a blip on the radar and local weather, it did have the potential of coming together. And first light on Friday September 18, 2009 it did just that. It came together.

I really hate telling you guys about waves you missed. And I especially hate posting pics of the same waves. But this is my job kids. Besides, you know the old saying.."Don't shoot the messenger". I'm just reporting on the wave activity for the week. And while, some may disagree on my wave count of 30 out of 31 weeks of waves, well another old saying comes to mind here. And that is..."The proof's in the pudding". Don't know what that originally meant, but we all know what it means today. The proof in my pudding is, the weekly photos I post. If you don't believe me, feel free to go back and browse the archives. See what you find.

But for the sake of you clicking away and seeing what I already know is there...we've had 30 out of 31 weeks of waves. By waves, I mean waist high or better. It's all there guys. Check it if you need to verify this statement. Or you can just take my word for it. 30 out of 31 weeks. That's unreal. That's great. That's New England? Yep.

There's a bunch of NEW emails from the readers in the New Dropping in on Ralph page. Mostly about the Yakkers. And not to stir the pot, but I got yet another BLATANT DROP IN sequence of a Yakker dropping in on a Surfer. I will post that next week, only because I have a sequence that I've been dying to run, but kept bumping it due to the current BLATANT DROP-IN sequences. I will run the Yakker DROP In next week...just when the Yakkers thought we would lighten up on them...BAM! I'm coming back with more evidence. I'm sure I'll get more emails...and I say bring it on. You Yakkers got a beef with us let me know. Drop me a line, just be prepared for a tongue lashing if you're wrong.

Why do I have to be so hurtful to the Yakker?

I 'm really not. I'm just pointing my cameras out to sea, and documenting what I see. Sometimes it's Longboarders dropping in on shortboarders. Sometimes it's SUPS dropping in on Longboarders...or sometimes it's Yakkers Dropping in on everyone. The point is. No one is immune from my roving lens. No one. Obviously, I shot my own son Mackey V last week dropping in on a guy who was riding a longboard. It was ugly. The dude's board hit Max's board...but it was accidental. I hope.

So today, September 20th is the last official day of Summer. Hard to believe how fast summer slips by each year. And this year was no exception. Was this a good summer? Well, weather wise-no. Surf wise? I would categorize it as, slightly above average. With only two real Tropical systems (BILL and Danny), we've been getting weekly bumps from other wave makers. But I am not complaining. Hardly. There are some who will openly bitch about the rain we had early on, but the latter part of the summer, finally kicked it. Besides, all you local surfers know, that this is our BEST time of the year anyway.Early Fall. Indian Summer. Most of the tourists have gone. Not that we dislike tourists. It's just that, this is the time of year, when we cull the herd a bit out there in the water. You know, open a few spaces. Nothing like surfing without wall to wall beginners and other debris.

This is that time of year. So enjoy it. You all know what's coming...(Winter) Sh-h-h!.

But first things first. Let's all enjoy Autumn. Who knows we might get a few more Tropical systems and some of our favorite New England storms...The Nor'easters. Lord knows we all love a good ole fashion Boston Baked Bean Nor'easter! I know all you transplants who are now living away from our beloved coastline miss these babies. When that wind howls the day before, and the surf builds and builds, and when it finally passes the next day, and the wind switches and comes straight at those big beautiful wave faces, and the sun pops out. That coupled with the electric fall colors...man that's New England.

And that my friends, makes living here all worth while. The Fall.

Now for some of my weekly Global observances:

The Patriots played their season opener at home last Monday Night against the BILLS. It was a crazy game. If you saw it you know what I'm talking about. It was freaking nuts. Long story short, we were losing up until the last 5 minutes of the game. Then the Great Tom Brady took over and marched our boys down the field connecting with Ben "Don't call me gone yet" Watson. The ensuing kick off resulted in a fumble, and BAM! We recovered and once again, Tom Brady connected again with Ben "I have a job" Watson for the 2nd TD and the go ahead score. With 50 seconds left in the game, we held the BILLS and Terrell Owens till the clock ran out. Whew! That was close.

Today our boys play the JETS...and I am not making any predictions on that game. I hope they win, but if they don't, I won't be surprised. We all know what NFL stands for..."Not For Long". I shot some photos of the Monday Night game and you can find them on this week's column. I made a little Football Gallery. Hey, it's not just surfing here on RPOTW. You get it all. Sports, politics, and my weekly rants.

I'm happy that he NFL season is here. It's all part of our Fall Campaign.

Speaking of politics this week... Have you guys seen that ACORN clip on TV? Oh man...come on. Google it and check it out. It's absurd. They should shut that particular branch down. Ridiculous. ACORN...please. How about Kanye West's Blatant Interruption of Taylor Swift's MTV MVA acceptance speech? Thank God Beyonce allowed Swift to finish speaking. Those damn celebrities...credit President Obama for calling West a "Jackass". That made me laugh. It's true though, Kanye is a Jackass. Then that bonehead who won't go away...Jimmy Carter claiming that the comments from the people who disagree with President Obama are racially motivated? Why is Jimmy Carter still allowed to speak into a microphone? How old is Jimmy Carter? How the hell did he ever become president in the first place? Why is it considered racist to disagree with someone who is black, white, asian, muslim, or Hispanic? I mean really. That's absurd. If you don't agree with me, is it because you are a racist? Because I am of Italian descent? Well? Sounds pretty silly when you hear it this way huh?

I think Forest Gump said it best..."Stupid is as Stupid does. "

This has been one hell of a week of celebrity passings.

Patrick Swayze. Come on admit it. You all watched POINT BREAK. Hell, some of you probably own a copy. Say what you will about him, but that movie is a surf classic. He passed away before his time.
Henry Gibson. Funny man from the old TV comedy series Rowan and Martin's LAUGH IN. He was funny. "A poem by Henry Gibson..."
Mary Travers. The only female in the trio Peter, Paul and Mary. The hippie, liberal trio had some great songs. One of my favorite's was "Leaving On a Jet Plane".
Fred Cusick. He was the voice of the Boston Bruins. Everyone loved Fred Cusick. He had the most distinctive voice in all of sports broadcasting. Speaking with Kenny Linseman recently, we both commented on how nice of a man he was. He was as knowledgeable about the NHL as anyone on the planet. Rest in Peace Fred.

Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary to Steve and Heather O'Hara! (September 18th).
Happy Birthday Victor Capozzi September 20th!
Happy Birthday Jack "JACKO" Keefe September 21st.
REST IN PEACE "Gert" Keefe!
Happy 21st Birthday September 23rd to Matt Evans!
GOOD LUCK to NNE-ESA at the 2009 EASTERNS in Cape Hatteras!

PLEASE HELP THE NH SURFRIDER FOUNDATION.

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to Ralph's Pic Of The Week
every week for the last 6 years.

Remember my friends...Surfing heals all wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph

NEXT SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26th at 7PM in Exeter. THE AMAZING MAKAHA SONS RETURN To The Seacoast. If you have not seen these guys perform you are missing out on one of the world's best vocal groups ever! Trust me. They are that talented. Tickets are still available:
Call (603) 812-1514 or go to www.makahasonsnh.com

Yesterday- 1975 Winnie Water Shot (Below) I think I shot this with a cheap instamatic water camera. A Minolta? I forget really. But I did not forget this session. It was head high and hollow. And there were only two of us out there. Me and my old surf buddy Larry Crateau. I was part of the original crew that first surfed this place in 1972. Me, Bob Dichico, Gary? and Matty Crowle. We cracked this spot a few years earlier, and surfed it for years before anyone knew what we were doing out there. I heard it gets crowded these days. Don't even bother asking me where it is. Photo by RALPH Today- 2009 Friday, September 18th, 2009 *Click on Photos Below To See Photo Galleries from Nevins and RALPH (Above) Wrong way go back. Nevins finds a few empty jewels and gets inside them for this unique perspective. September 18th, 2009 Photo By Brian Nevins Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery and more.

(Above) Leave it to Nevins to produce these amazing works of art.
September 18th, 2009 Photo By Brian Nevins
Click on the photo above to see the whole Nevins gallery.

(Above) Unknown float rider. CLICK IT-Check out the gallery. September 18th, 2009
Photo By RALPH Click on the image above to see more of RALPH's Pics.

(Above) Tip Trimming Timmy. Friday morning Sept. 18th, 2009 Photo By RALPH
Click on the photo above to see more.

(Above) Stevie O'Hara bouncing all over the place out there. Friday 9-18-09
Photo By RALPH Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery.

(Above) Last Surfers Standing. Friday September 18, 2009. Hundreds of surfers attended Gert Keefe's Wake the night before. And dozens more attended her funeral. She was an ICON at the North Beach scene, longer than most of you have been here. She will be missed, especially by her surfer sons Jacko and Mike Keefe. Rest in Peace Gert.
Photo By Kevin Comeau.

(Above) Empty Wave in New Hampshire. Friday 9-18-09
Photo By Michael Sander

Today- 2009 Monday, September 14th, 2009
*Click on Photos Below To See Photo Galleries from Nevins and RALPH

(Above) The cool calm sea of New Hampshire. Nevins shoots from the water on Monday
September 14th, 2009 Photo By Brian Nevins
Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery and more.

(Above) Skip Brunette gliding through New Hampshire. Monday, September 14th, 2009. Photo By Brian Nevins
Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery and more.

(Above) The Empty Wave. Monday 9-14-09 Photo By RALPH
Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery.

(Above) Stevie O. Monday 9-14-09 Photo By RALPH
Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery.

(Above) Heather O'Hara. Monday 9-14-09 Photo By Ginger Kellar
Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery.

(Above) Nick Valhouli . Monday 9-14-09 Photo By RALPH
Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery.

(Above) The Empty Left Wave. Monday 9-14-09 Photo By RALPH
Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery.

(Above) The PASS...the winning TD pass from Brady to Watson. Click on image to see a few more pics from the game. Monday 9-14-09 Photo By RALPH
Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery.

RALPH'S VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK BELOW.

RALPH'S VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW
FOR a VIMEO VIDEO CLIP. By Ralph From Friday September 18th, 2009

Today 2009- The BLATANT DROP IN of The Week. 9-20-09
CLICK IMAGE BELOW

(Above) Brother against brother...Friend against friend. Hurricane BILL saw it all. And now my friends you can see it too. Markey J is stunned by this BLATANT DROP IN from his close friend Johnny M. Why dear Lord why, did this have to happen? ...Click on the image above to see the complete DROP IN Sequence.. Photos By RALPH

Today 2009-SEPTEMBER 13th 2009 *From The Readers

(Above) WALK FOR MOLLY. The Jimmy Fund Walk by the Girls of The SEACOAST. We're proud of each and every one of them. September 13th, 2009
Photo courtesy of Angela Titone *Click to see MOLLY WALK Gallery

(Above) Young Thomas Haut at the Wall. Sunday September 13th, 2009
Photo By Tom Haut *Click to see READERS Gallery

(Above) Hoku Nichols strokes into a Sunday Wave. Sunday September 13th, 2009
Photo By John Hintlian *Click to see READERS Gallery

(Above) Zach Weiner September 13th, 2009
Photo Courtesy of Zach Weiner *Click to see READERS Gallery

Today 2009-SUMMER 2009 *By Kevin Doherty

(Above) Better late than never. Kevin Doherty longtime contributor sends his BILL pics in. Summer 2009 Photo By Kevin Doherty *Click to see Kevin's BILL Gallery

(Above) In deep with Hurricane Bill. Summer 2009 Photo By Kevin Doherty
*Click to see Kevin's BILL Gallery

Today 2009-Surf Community Photos from NH to Hawaii-September 18th, 2009 *Below is a video made by Joe Carter of the Lil Miss Molly Paddle on August 22nd, 2009. Watch it...it's really something special.

Today 2009-West Coast Photographer Ben Ginsberg's Newport Beach Action. SEPT 18th 2009
Ben Ginsberg's amazing photos of some of the BIGGEST names in the business. Check it out. Seriously. Off the chart radical surf action from a bevy of pros that blaze their way through the Hurley Pro.

(Above) Rob Machado. Click on image to see gallery.
Photo By Ben Ginsberg Click on the image above to see a LARGER image
and Photo Gallery .

(Above) Mick Fanning. Click on image to see gallery. Photo By Ben Ginsberg
Click on the image above to see a LARGER image.

Today 2009 PARTING SHOT- *YET ANOTHER SIGHTING* Invisible Surfer Spotted at The WALL AGAIN!

(Above) This is what I saw Friday morning September 18, 2009. To see what you might of seen, put the cursor over the photo. Photo by RALPH