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Got good surf pics? |
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October
5th, 2008 Actually, I wore boots the last day, and after about 2 hours of stepping all over my myself I went in and took the dam things off. The wind blew out of the West all day and that basically killed any chance of of us getting anymore warm water until next June. But hey, it was fun while it lasted. And like I said, KYLE lasted from Friday thru Thursday. That's dam near a week of good surf. I know some of you missed it, cuz of my math. The week before, when the surf was waist to chest high and sunny, there were 300 people out. This last swell had maybe a 100. Not all at once mind you. It was more spread out throughout the week. I never left that Cement Wall. Surfed the whole swell right there. I'm sure there were other spots breaking, but I was happy staying put. And why not? Look, the waves will always be bigger there. It's got the biggest fetch and takes the biggest swell (up to a certain point). The Call of the Wall has a certain ring to it. And those of you who surf it regularly know what I'm talking about. I was happy surfing right there. So here it is October. The leaves are changing. The water temps will be dropping, as will the air temp. The days will get shorter, and every now and then, we'll get a hint of a biting cold frost. More than likely, in the early morning hours or during early evening. But it's still my favorite time of year. October. I know I'm not alone when I say that. There's something about New England in October. I mean, it has it all. Still warm enough to enjoy the outdoors and beaches. But breathtakingly beautiful to warrant a "stop and smell the roses" approach. I mean really, who among us does not marvel at the electric colors of the changing leaves? My wife and I chose October to get married in. As did several of my friends. Tony and Lynne celebrate their wedding anniversary in October. It's a good month. In the many years I've been surfing, I would venture to bet, that I've gotten some of my best days ever, in October. In fact, if I got to pick one month, that I would like to see all the time, it would be October. I mean it. Not July. Not August. Not September. I'd pick October. But this
month is not without some painful memories. It was one year ago this
week that my mother passed away. That home had become a sanctuary for myself, my brothers, and sisters. . It's like we could still feel some spiritual family connection in that home, long after our parents had passed. Clearly, the End of an Era. From 1958 thru 2008. Fifty years of memories has ended for my family. We sold the house, that my late parents built and raised six children, eight grandchildren, and one great grandchild. It was without question, one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Saying
good-bye to that old home. |
I have so many fond memories of my old house. And many of them have to do with surfing. I can remember my friends throwing rocks at my window trying to wake me up to get in a dawn patrol. My parents would get so mad at them. Jeff, Bruzzy, Mike and Peter. They would be out there laughing and giggling trying to wake me. I used to get so upset with them. But looking
back at it now, I miss those early days of surfing. I guess you all
have early surf memories. How many warm showers did I take after surfing
these cold waters of New England? Hundreds, no thousands. Easily.
My wetsuits in the tub and my siblings complaining about it. I hear
my daughters today complain about Max's wetsuit in the shower,
and I can't help but think back to the days when I did the same. But
now I'm the dad, and I have to tell him, to get it out of there.
It's the great cycle of life. I still love October. Hey I came up with a funny line the other day while surfing the last gasp of KYLE. It was while I was out with Kevin and Tony. The waves were getting weaker and the size was dropping. It was going away right before our very eyes. Just like it came up before our very eyes. OK, so what's the funny line Ralph you ask? I'm sure
that you can all relate to this, at least partially. I'm calling it
"The Surfer's Prayer" And it goes like this. "Lord,
please give me one more good wave, so I can show off in front of my
friends. Thank you Lord." There's nothing wrong with that. It's part of our overall MO. Surfers have always performed for their friends. I mean who else is witness to what we do? No one. It's not like we have an audience watching our every move. Hardly. We perform for each other. I know we do it for our own satisfaction. I get that. Look, I've surfed alone plenty of times. But when you're out there with your buds. You want to slay it. You want to spray it. You want to KILL every wave you get, and you want to do it in front of your friends. Now, why do we have to be so hurtful? The Improved
Patriots are playing the 49'rs today. Good luck to them.
And our 2-0 RED SOX are playing Game 3 today at home against
the ANGELS. Again October is a great month for Baseball
and Football. GO SOX! GO PATS! GO OJ! Go Straight
to Jail and rot away! |
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Yesterday-October
1968 A Surf Scene from my old house
(Above)
Eric Cannon getting the most of KYLE.
(Above)
The Glass of KYLE and New England.
2008
Today-New
(Above)
Brian Nevins does some wild shit. I mean you just never know what you're
gonna get from him.
Today 2008 PARTING SHOT- KYLE Wall Gash...
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