My wife Cory and I will be married 30 years this coming Tuesday.
October 10th, 1987-October 10th, 2017. Thirty years. The BIG 3-0.
Some of you who know me well, have no idea how anyone could put up with me for 30 days, let alone 30 years. I suppose I'm a handful at times.



So what's the secret for longevity? There are a few things that are a must.

FRIENDS, FAMILY, & GOD. We have wonderful friends, and a great big family. Our lives would be so empty without them. And we believe in God.
We pray each and every day to God.

HUMOR. We make each other laugh all the time. If you can't laugh with your significant other, you need to work on that. We've been laughing for more than 30 years. We started dating in 1984. We laugh every single day.



BEST FRIENDS. We are each other's best friends. We do just about everything together. We genuinely enjoy each other's company. Whether we are watching something on TV, or working together at the beach. We have that bond. Cory has taken more video and stills in the last 30 years than most anyone else that I know. She has an eye.



LOVE. This is the most important of all. You need to love each other. In every aspect. Finding each other attractive. And not for nothing but, Cory is still beautiful after all these years. I love her. I love her for all that she does for not only me, but our three kids and two grandchildren. She loves us all, including our three pets.

Love your spouse for everything they do.



TRADITIONS. Each October 10th we go to the Union Chapel in North Hampton and stand on these steps and kiss each other. Every single year. The two figures on our wedding cake, have become Christmas Tree Ornaments. There have been some changes over the years. We lost 3 of our parents, so certain holidays have changed. However Cory and I have made new traditions. You need to be flexible and open to new ideas.



HISTORY. We share a deep and rich history on both sides of our family. Cory's dad was in the ARMY and her Step dad was in the AIR FORCE. My dad was a SEA BEE, and I served in The MARINES. Our family has gone through some bumpy times together in the last 30 years, but we always seem to pull through and remain a close and loving family.



*SURFING & ROCK and ROLL. Hey, be serious, this is a Surf Blog and we are a Surf Family. I'm a musician. I met Cory at one of my shows in Boston.


This is a video frame grab from that show.

If your wife or husband doesn't like the beach or surfing? Yeah, that's not going to work. Trust me on this. Same with Rock and Roll. Very important that you like the same music. *This is for Surfers ONLY.



We went to Hawaii for our Honeymoon. And hell yes I surfed. And Cory and I both took photos and shot movies (no video back then).



Happy Anniversary baby. I love you. You're still as beautiful today as you were 30 years ago. And judging by your mother's good looks, I don't see you getting anything but more beautiful in the future.



Grandparents and grandkids. I love our life.

"Surfing and Marriage Heals All Wounds"

Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click the photo above to see a larger version of Ed's Pic.


Now for Some International News

Oh boy here we go again. Another hurricane threatening the US.
This one's called NATE. He's a Cat 1 as I write this. and it looks like he's gonna beat the snot out of the Gulf (again) and roar it's way up through the guts of the eastern side of the country. He may pop out here in New England, which means, Surf. And rain. Ugh.



I hope nobody gets hurt or killed. Having more surf would be nice though. Am I right people?



Harvey, Irma, Maria, and now Nate. I'd say this is a pretty active hurricane season. Go easy on those folks Nate.



OK what the hell is up with our New England Patriots?
I know we won this last game, but not without some serious head scratching. This Belichick team is not like the teams of the past.



Our defense is still suspect. Arm tackling and just missing coverage. This guy was playing his first game since last year. Doug Martin (wonder if he's related to Don Martin?). He ran rough shod over the D. Each week is a mystery. It's like we don't know who's gonna show up.



And TB 12 getting his ass kicked? That is unacceptable. He was slow to rise several times Thursday night after getting mauled. And that my friends, is a scary sight,. Unless your Jimmy G.

Speaking of scary sights.

Disgraced Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who abandoned his post in Afghanistan and was held prisoner by the Taliban for five years, is expected to plead guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Why they promoted him to Sgt is mind boggling. And his CIB (Combat Infantry Badge) was for?

Bergdahl’s decision to admit his guilt rather than face trial marks another twist in a bizarre eight-year drama that caused the nation to wrestle with difficult questions of loyalty, negotiating with hostage takers and America’s commitment not to leave its troops behind. Personally, I think he should be executed, or at the very least, life in prison.

What an embarrassment to our country. Trading KNOWN Terrorists for this piece of shit?

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 Shaving Cream at Home Depot this week.

HAPPY 30th ANNIVERSARY Cory and Ralph Fatello!
REST IN PEACE to all the victims of last week's massacre.



Click on the image above for details.

I am holding off the release of this movie until Thanksgiving. We need a few more big swells to make this film legit. So far so good. We just need a few more head high and bigger swells. If you are a woman or you know any women or girls that can surf. *Especially if they are shortboarders. Please have them get in touch with me. I keep meeting more and more women who have been surfing around these parts, and have just been flying under the radar. So help me pass the word.

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to
Ralph's Pic Of The Week every week for the last 13 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

(Above) B-Mo in the slot. Thursday, September 28th, 2017
Video frame grab by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Tom Hay becoming unglued. Thursday, September 28th, 2017
Video frame grab by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON on each clip to view videos



MARIA from Ralph's Pic Of The Week on Vimeo.

Hurricane MARIA in New England. It's hard to get excited about a swell from a storm that devastated Puerto Rico. Lets face it, all East Coasters love PR. It's our Go To place for Tropical dream waves. The surf from Maria was well worth the travel woes. It's all New England Surfers. The music is by my old band SEMPER FI and the title of the song that I wrote in 1983 is...MARIA. I know ironic huh? David Robinson from The CARS produced the song. I also included a couple of tunes from Tom Petty. I loved that man and his music. So sad. If any of you want to help out the people of Puerto Rico contact the AMERICAN RED CROSS. Thanks.