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August
12th, 2007
Danny
Miller is
gone. But this morning, at 10AM his family and friends paid a loving
tribute to him that would of certainly warmed his heart. Lord knows it
did mine.
About 100 of his friends and close family members came out on this
beautiful Sunny Sunday, and honored him with a memorable Surfer's
Paddle.
Memorial Paddles have become all to frequent as of the last 10 years or
so, around these parts. While each and every one is a sad affair, it's
always particularly sad, when someone as young as Danny Miller
is taken away, before his time. As a surfer, it's hard to fathom. I mean
surfers are not supposed to pass away. They are supposed to be young at
heart, and surf forever. At least, that's what we all want to believe.
Unfortunately, that is not case in the real world. In the real world,
things don't always go according to plan.
The passing of Danny Miller, was a shock to the whole community
last February. But none more so, than to his family and close circle
of friends. It's been a tough 6 months. One can only imagine what they've
been through. Our hearts are heavy, with the knowledge of their personal
grief. But like all sad and tragic events, some good always seems to surface
to alleviate the pain.
Today was one of those.
The surf community all came out together, and sealed that bond even stronger.
Young and old alike. Male and female. Longboarders and shortboarders.
They came to show their solidarity, to one of our own. And in doing so,
they all became that much closer to each other, and to a greater extent,
this sanctuary we all thrive in. The ocean.
Our Mother Ocean. She has given us the fountain of youth, and she has
taken away, some of the best and brightest among us. Yet, we find no fault
in her mystique and power. If we did, we would of all met somewhere else
today. No, we all came together today to pay tribute Danny and
to share our love with the same ocean that claimed his life.
I stood there today and looked around me, and wondered how many of the
non surfers, could really grasp what this watery playground really means
to all of us. How we've altered our lives, so we can find the time and
energy to play in her vastness of power, and beauty. How we really are
the closest to those, who feel and breathe the same.
I was proud of you all today. I was proud to be a surfer and
more specifically, a New England surfer.
My friend Jeff Chamberlain who lives in Central California,
is well versed in all aspects of this lifestyle of ours. And he is convinced,
that there is no heartier a group of hardcore surfers than us. The
New England Tribe.
And don't think for a minute we are not a tribe. Because we are. We have
our old chieftains, who we seek advice from. We have our young warriors,
who travel and perform brave acts in treacherous surf and conditions.
We have our women, who now join us in our surf rituals. Oh, we're a tribe
all right. No question about it. And like every tribe, we have the young,
who are eager to learn.
Danny left behind a young son. Landon. He was there today
with Danny's parents and Landon's mom. I know his parents
and his brothers find solace when they look into Landon's eyes.
It's hard not to see the resemblance. I watched young Landon take
this all in today as he gazed out to sea and watched the waves break on
the shore. He seemed intent, viewing the milling around of all these surfers.
Did he know they were there for his dad? I don't have the right answer
for that.
I do know, that someday he will know. He'll look at the photos, and video
that were shot today, and he will see images of himself, and he may remember.
Then again, he may not. That's not important now. What is important is
what we all did today for Landon, for Danny, his brothers,
his parents and other family members. For his close knit group of friends.
For the surf community, for the reputation of surfers everywhere.
Surfers have been portrayed by the media as a bunch of lowlife losers,
and by and large, the general public buys into that concept. Today, you
proved them wrong. You showed everyone present, what surfers really are.
They are thoughtful, caring, human beings who share the love and the respect
of the ocean with one another.
I was proud to be a member of your tribe on this special day.
A Day for Danny. |
*To
those who sent photos the last few weeks. I will be posting them soon.
Today's column is all about this weekend. Thank you for being so understanding.
I'm being told that there is tropical activity again. I do know about
that monster storm heading for the Hawaiian Islands. But there
are rumors about our coast, and our windows of swell direction. Yet, I
am reluctant to start the ritual. Ritual? What ritual you ask? Oh come
on. The same dam ritual we all go through this time of year, whenever
this shit pops up on the radar screen. The plotting and planning. Or should
I say, the lying and scamming? Cause you all know dam well, them little
white lies, will be flying out of your lying mouths to someone, when that
first storm of the year gets closer to us. Your parents, your boss, your
teacher, your coach...whoever.
You know what I'm talking about.
Hey, I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty here. Just pointing the
obvious out to you. I'm guessing, that most of you have already, been
found out about being a surfer and they (parents, bosses,
girlfriends etc etc) are already hip to your BS. Lord knows they should
be.
My advice to you all is simple: Wait until it's a given that the storm
tracks right into our window, before you blow off work, school or whatever.
Choose your lies wisely. Don't go blowing good, thought out lies, only
to have them wasted on small surf. Be smart. Be patient. But not too patient,
be smartly cautious. Look ahead, little grasshopper, try to see where,
and when, the storm will go. And when you know for sure that there will
be surf, email me, so I can join you.
So tonight is the grand finale of JOHN FROM CINCINNATI. I swear
I will go through the roof if we don't find out just what the hell is
going on there. That show is driving my family and friends crazy. Dam
that show is whacked. And once again, Hollyweird is depicting surfers
as a bunch of losers.
That pisses me off. Sure there are loser surfers, but dammit can't we
get any respect for being somewhat normal, some of the time? You know
what? Maybe, it's best that the general public thinks of surfers as lowlifes.
Can you imagine if every mother and father looked at surfing the way they
do, say...soccer? OH MY GOD! We'd all be in trouble.
That's it, I'm writing letters to the Hollyweird moguls and other media
types and telling them that their depiction of surfers is right on the
money. And that they ought to have more shows about loser surfers. Perfect.
Look I know it's preseason, but the Patriots didn't look like the
SUPERBOWL Champs "they are supposed to be" this year. I mean,
it was hot (118 degrees humidity) but dam, they looked slow, tired and
miserable. We better see a little bit more this coming Friday otherwise,
I'm gonna wait until the real season starts. I know that Pre Season is
basically to see what the other players have brought to the table, and
it's not really about the starters. Still, as a fan, we want to see that
first quarter be a tad more productive.
Speaking of productive. Should we be concerned that the Yankees
are sneaking up on the Red Sox? Anyone else worried about that?
And did anyone really care that Barry Bonds juiced his way into
the record books last weeK? Anyone?
Before I forget again, my band BIG HANDSOME DADDY will be playing
at 931 OCEAN in Hampton on Monday, August 13,
2007. From 8-10PM. Big Handsome Daddy (BHD) is
a blues/rock based band that is heavily influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan
and Jimi Hendrix.
If you dig the guitar driven blues sound of that genre, then check BHD
out on Monday.
The Paddle for Danny Miller today should reawaken your commitment to
helping out his young son. So if you haven't already, please send a little
something for little Landon.
The
Landon Miller Fund through ANY Citizen Bank. Or send your
donation to:
The
Landon Miller Foundation
83 South Road
North Hampton, NH 03862
Click below
to see Danny Tribute or see Danny Surfing
Tribute to Danny. North By
Northeast
Remember
my friends...Surfing heals all wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.
Ralph
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