January 31st, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 190
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

"My Ode To January...."
Oh January January, where did you go? You were the coldest Mutha of all the months, and how bout that snow? Damn You January, why'd you have to be so damn hurtful? I won't be missing you this week, cuz February looks jest as painful!

OK I'm sorry about that. I guess I couldn't help myself. I'm not really a Rap Artist. Though I could be..."RAPPIN RALPHIE." Ha! But seriously, I take full responsibility for this bad winter and all this snow. It's all my fault. I knew this would happen. When I made the announcement that I would Surf Everyday for a year , all my Angels in Heaven looked down and said..."OK Ralphie, get ready cuz here it comes!!!" And it came...and it's still coming. And for that, I'm sorry.

Here's two photos I shot on this last Day of January.

From my kitchen window...that's not nice, that's ice!

At 18th Street after I caught my waves and saluted and put my hand over Molly's name. Goodbye January, that was fun ...hello February...say what? 15 to 20 INCHES! Are you freaking kidding me? Ha! Bring it baby bring it! I'm waiting. Show me what you got! PILE IT ON!!!!

That's 190, only 175 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 30th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 189
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I was in and out of that water so fast today, I don't think I got my upper torso wet. I ran into a good friend of mine who just had major heart surgery, and he was more concerned about me, than I was for him. He's a fellow Veteran and he's worried about me in next week's Penguin Plunge.

OK, I guess I better let the cat out of the bag now...

On Sunday February 6th, 2011 at Hampton Beach, NH. I will SURF WITHOUT A WETSUIT kicking off the 12th Annual PENGUIN PLUNGE. That's correct. I will surf at Hampton Beach on Sunday, February 6th and catch my wave WITHOUT A WETSUIT. I will be "Killing Two FUND RAISERS with One Wave"

There will be more to follow as the day grows closer. Meanwhile, I caught one wave and rode it about 30 feet. I saluted and ran up the beach and touched Molly's name. I did this in under 30 seconds. I'm hoping to do that next Sunday. That's my goal 30 seconds. Because anything over 2 minutes and I'll be in trouble. So I better get practicing. I know I can do this. Heck, I know that any one of you could too. So stay tuned...it's all coming next weekend.

That's 189, only 176 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 29th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 188
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

So I'm leaving the water this morning at 10th Street, after surfing with my friends Rick Evans and Mike Keefe, and I see a couple standing on the beach watching me. The sun was shining bright, and it felt warm to me. It looked like they were both eating ice cream cones. And I thought, "wow, it really is warm out today." As I got closer, I could see they were holding hot coffee cups in their hands. They both laughed when I told what I thought they were eating.

I think I'm starting to lose it a little bit, with all the snow. Ha!

Here's a self portrait of myself before I left my house this morning. Check the icicles.

Another self portrait at 10th Street, before I went out. That's a big snowbank.

My friends out in California and Hawaii freak out when they see images like this. It's so foreign to them. They can't imagine what it's like to surf in snow and ice. As most of
you local surfers know...it's not that big of a deal. Most days.

That's 188, only 177 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 28th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 187
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Today started off with seeing my face on the front page of the local newspaper. I mean, it was a huge photo of me from Monday, with ice on my face, and on my wetsuit , and board. I looked cold. Because I was. The Hampton Union did a wonderful job telling the MOLLY story. Patrick Cronin who wrote this great story, has been following this blog since day one. So Kudos to you Patrick, and to the Hampton Union, and to whoever is doing the graphics there. Mad photo shop skills.

But I had a busy day today, and I needed to get in the water early. My good friend and fellow photographer Ed O'Connell called me and wanted to shoot the session. So we found a spot, and well, like I've said in the past, I'll let the photos of Ed do the talking.

The swell dropped so it was back on Big Black. Photo by Ed O'Connell

The snow however, was still very deep. Photo by Ed O'Connell

There's the salute. Photo by Ed O'Connell

The tide dropped so we moved down the coast and joined Brian Nevins who was out alone. Check out Brian's board walking skills. Styling. Photo by Ed O'Connell

Then Michael Sander came out and it was a First Ever ALL PHOTOGRAPHER session. January 28, 2011. I'll have a bigger gallery in my weekly blog this weekend.
Photo by Ed O'Connell

I look like a waiter or a bus boy here. January 28, 2011. Photo by Ed O'Connell

That was a special fun session for all of us. PHOTOGS only. Ha!

That's 187, only 178 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 27th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 186
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

So my friend Doug Simmons says to me today, "that so far this winter, we have 48" of snow." I believe it. It only took me 2.5 hours to blow the snow out of the driveways this morning. That's not bad. Except my wife had to be on the road by 7:00AM and my road had not yet been plowed. I had to snow blow the street to get her out. I didn't mind though. It's all powder. I would say that we got another 6-8". Easy.

I knew there were waves. So I grabbed the short board. I ended up surfing a little out of the way reef. I brought Gabby along to document. Turns out we ran into GITV's own Brian Nevins. So I had the master and the student with me. Good thing I didn't fall.
Here's a few of Gabby's shots.

Check out that wave pitching down the beach. Photo by Gabby

*Gabby by the way didn't realize, that the "Brian" I introduced her to was in fact, Brian Nevins. It wasn't until they started talking did she figure that out. "Dad I felt so insecure when I realized it was Brian Nevins." Nevins is so discreet when he's working, you'd never know he's the talented artisit he is. Any ways, here's some of Gabby's stuff. She's getting pretty good.

It wasn't big, but it was fun. January 27, 2010 Photo by Gabby

I was stoked that she got one of my salutes. Photo by Gabby



I caught a handful and then we left. 1-27-2011 Photo by Gabby.

When we got back home I wanted a shot of the snow bank at the end of our driveway.
I'm 5'10"...that thing is getting big. I don't have anywhere to blow the snow.
January 27, 2011 Photo by Gabby.

The Channel 9 piece aired tonight. It was short but sweet. I thought Meighan (Molly's mom) did a great job. We're trying to get the word out and every little bit helps. It is after all a Fund Raiser. I think there's going to be a story in tomorrow's Hampton Union as well. MOLLY's legacy lives on.

That's 186, only 179 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 26th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 185
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Not sure how many of you can get Channel 9 WMUR TV out of New Hampshire, but Meg Rowlee and I are going to be on tonight between 5--6:30PM. Meighan was a trooper today, speaking to the reporter and the camera. It's not an easy task. I know. But she did great. Buck was away on business, and Meg filled in, and did a great job.
I was so proud of her. And I know Molly was too!

Me, Meg, and Mike Garrity from Channel 9 News at 18th Street this morning. Meg was so brave and well spoken this morning. We are all so proud of her. And no one more than Molly herself. Photo by Lisa Sakurai.

Before I caught my wave, I stopped by to see Kim this morning to see how she was doing. Kim is a cancer survivor, and another Super Surf Mom. She also made my awesome seat cover that I use everyday when surfing. I can sit on my Kim Kover and drive off in my wet wetsuit and not get my seat wet! KIM'S KOVERS are great! Thanks Kim we love you. Photo by Ralph

That's 185, only 180 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 25th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 184
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

"It's tropical!" I said to Tom Miller this morning as he walked up to me as I was getting ready to leave after catching my daily wave. "Compared to yesterday, I bet it is." He said. And you know what? It did feel 10 times warmer today. Even though it was snowing out there this morning, it just felt warm. Or warmer to me.
So it snowed again...big deal. It's winter. It's suppose to snow.

The danger about this morning's surf was, that 2 inch snow cover, it was covering up all the ice that I knew was coated on every rock on that beach. It was like a rug without rug pads that prevent rugs from sliding out from under you. I knew that ice was there. That 2" snow cover was like a mini minefield. I walked very carefully down those stairs and along those rocks. Oh I slipped alright, but I caught myself. Cuz I knew what was under that snow. Oh hell yea I did.

There's ice under that snow. And it's slippery.

There was actually a small glassy swell to ride. I caught my wave for Molly and then I went back out and caught another wave for Al McCarthy. A friend of the seacoast who passed away on Friday. Today was Allen's Funeral. He was a proud NAVY Vet who served during the Korean War. He leaves a loving beautiful wife Jane, and 7 kids, and 9 grand kids, and 2 great grandchildren. And so many more friends and relatives.

I always liked talking with Allen over the last 40 years I knew him. He was an icon on North Beach, and he will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Especially his family whom he was so proud of. Rest in Peace Al...I'll see you again my friend.

*It should be noted that the McCarthy family had requested that in lieu of flowers and donations that people should donate to the MOLLYROWLEE/CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY Fund. For that generous offer I thank the entire McCarthy family.

That's 184, only 181 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 24th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 183
I'M HALFWAY THERE!
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I know you are all familiar with the saying. "A picture tells a thousand words". So rather than me babble on about how cold it was out there today, I'll let my daughter Gabby's photos speak for themselves.

That's my Molly Hat. January 24-2011. Photo by Gabby

Thanks to all who sent me warm wishes. Thank you Rowlees. Thanks family, friends, and supporters. And thank you Gabby, I love you.

That's 183, only 182 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 23rd, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 182
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I fell on my first attempt today. I know it's no big deal because I've fallen plenty of times. It's just that some days (like today) I really try to get in and out of the water without a lot of fanfare. In other words, I try and stay as dry as possible and get out as quickly as possible. It was cold out there today. Ice covered every rock. The stairs at 18th Street were all iced up. *Note to self. Must bring some Ice Melt in the next day or two. The last thing I need is to slip and fall on the ice.

So I tried to catch this small left and the damn thing dropped out on me. It was only about 1 to 2' but the wave went dry and I fell. I hit the sand on my butt and went backwards. The water rushed into my hood and filled me up with a cold rinse. I was not planning on that this morning. I was more embarrassed than cold though.

But I went back out and caught a decent little right. I saluted and stepped off, and went back up the stairs, stopping to pause at Molly's name, and place my wet mitt over the "O" in her name, and moved on. Gingerly.

Tomorrow is my halfway point. I'm almost halfway there. It's all downhill from here on. Ha! Who am I kidding? Not me. Not you. Not Molly.

That's 182, only 183 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 22nd, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 181
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I was sort of surprised to see that there was a little bump out there this morning. I thought we missed this swell completely. But there were perfect little peelers off of 18th Street. But it sure was cold this morning. Though it's going to get a whole lot colder this next week coming up. I heard the dreaded words "Arctic Blast" on the news last night. Along with another snow storm or two. Oh well.

I had my camera with me this morning and snapped off a bunch of pics. I'll be posting them on my weekly " Ralph's Pic" later today. But here's a couple to hold you over.

*This was the first time I used my thick wetsuit oven Mitts to take pics. I was not sure if I could take pics with those big mitts but I could. I call this one "Good Morning Molly."

See what I mean? Those waves were cute. I only caught and rode two. But I was in the water for about 30 minutes taking photos. Something about floating around out there in the winter. So peaceful. So quiet. So spiritual.

We all lost an icon on the seacoast yesterday. Allen McCarthy passed away surrounded by family members. We are all going to miss Al. And our thoughts and prayers go out to Jane and the family. Rest in Peace Allen.

That's 181, only 184 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 21st, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 180
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I'm not sure how many snow storms in a row this last one makes, maybe 4? Whatever. Just pile it on baby. And honestly? As long as it's powder I really don't mind all that much. Powder is good for all of us. Those who ride and those who have to shovel it. I do plan on getting up to the mountains one of these days. Just gotta catch my wave first thing in the morning and head North. There's great boarding a little over an hour from the coast. I did it 10 years ago. I plan on doing it this time around.

In just 3 days I'll be hitting my halfway mark. It will be all downhill from there. Ha!

Meanwhile, here's a few pics I shot today...

My daily commute...heading down to the beach.

My friends Brian and Sam digging themselves out. Congrats to both of them and their recent engagement. Brian is one of the GITV trio who do some incredible visuals in
our surf local world.

These gulls hang out near this open water hole every day. There are two types of Gulls in our community. The Common Grey and the Great Black Back. My buddy Jay Gould told me that back in the mid -70's and I never forgot it. Thanks Jay.

Because of the high tide and lack of swell, I was forced to head North and surf the beach break at Jenness. It was a quick "One and Done."

As you can see here, there was enough for me to ride.

It was a slushy, mushy, parking situation. I just pulled up here. Jumped out and caught my one wave and was gone before the snow plow made it back.

That's 180, only 185 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 20th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 179
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Today I got to surf with a couple of close friends, who for one reason or another, I have not surfed with in some time. It's strange to think that we have surfed the same days, and the same waves, but just at different times. Johnny Meehan and Peter Stokes. We shared this little left for about an hour before it shut down.

I snapped this pic before I paddled out. It was nice to see the sun.

Johnny's mother "Winnie" passed away from cancer a couple of years ago. Her name is on my board. Johnny paddled up to me and touched his mother's name. It was the first time he had seen the board in the water with me. It was a good session. I sent Johnny the link to the GET IN THE VAN piece that Joe Carter did and he (like every one else who's seen it) was blown away by it. Van Rides 2

My feet were cold. I grabbed the wet booties by mistake. Minor discomfort. Because over all, today was a good day. A very good day.

That's 179, only 186 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 19th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 178
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Today I had the pleasure of surfing with a couple of friends I had not seen since the summer. Aaron Buell and Wes Osswald. I hope I spelled their names right. Wes was excited to see "The salute first hand!" I fired off a salute on my first wave to Molly. Wes said he had been wanting to see the salute in person. He saw it up close and personal this day.

It was a fun session. Quick but fun. I was only out for a half hour. It was raining the whole time. I kept thinking a few degrees south and it would of been all snow. I was lucky. I dodged a bullet today.

I snapped a couple of pics before I paddled out.

It was over cast and raining...but the surf was glassy.

These guys looked cold. Especially the little guy in front. It was wet out there.

The buzz from Joe Carter's (GET IN THE VAN) video has been non stop. From coast to coast. I hope the word gets out. I'll be coming up on my halfway point on January 29th. That's 188 days. Halfway to 365...meanwhile if you have not see the Van Ride piece that Joe did, check it out here. Van Rides 2

That's 178, only 187 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph


January 18th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 177
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Today was the last straw for me with this whole Patriots fiasco on Sunday. I heard the voice of Bill Belichick, and for the first time ever, I shut it off. I was sick of hearing that droning, monotone voice of his, explaining why we lost. And then I did the same to Brady. That happy go lucky Ron Howard, not a worry in the world voice of his got to me too. I shut them both off.

All I could think of was Brady and his wife Giraffe, or Gisielle, or what ever the hell she calls herself, hanging out in the tropics soaking up rays, and surfing mushy waves in Costa Rica on their pink soft tops, while the rest of us real fans, are dealing with another freaking snow storm. And the sad fact, that our team has lost their third consecutive Play-Off game in a row! I'm over it. I don't want to hear "wait until next year" bull crap either. I'm done. Hell, I may even root for the JETS. Why not?

I'm not done surfing though. Not even close. And this latest storm? Well, just another minor bump in the road. I had to once again, in less than a week, snow blow both
driveways. Only this time it only took me two hours instead of the six hours last week. My wife volunteered to tag along for the ride down the street, and she shot these pics.

Thank you baby for keeping me company. All photos by CORY .
Before I forget ...please check out the video piece that my friend Joe Carter did
on me . Joe, Brian, and Nick run the website GET IN THE VAN, and they did a VAN RIDE with me...and well, just go to this link and check it out...you'll see what I'm talking about. I am humbled by all of it.

That's 177, only 188 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 17th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 176
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I woke up this morning thinking I had a dream that the Patriots lost to the Jets. Wait...they did lose? No way. Look, I'm still sick over that loss. I hope you all know that I was kidding about Brady's hair and his super model wife. None of that had anything to do with them losing. They lost fair and square.

The Jets were a better team. Still, that taste is still there. Though it does not come close to that bone that is stuck in my throat since 2007. That bone will not dislodge.
That bone will go to the grave with me. But last night? That is a close second.

I'm so jealous of my friends who don't watch or care about sports. I envy them today.

My youngest daughter Noelle, and my son Max (in the back) enjoy a moment with Cpl. Patch on the beach this afternoon. Patch has no feeling either way about the Patriots.

I guess I'm jealous of Patch as well...those damn Patriots.

I caught a couple of waves today. I saluted Molly and touched her name as I walked back to my vehicle to listen to more Sports talk radio banter. Why do I torture myself with this crap? Why? Because I'm a sports fan.

That's 176, only 189 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 16th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 175
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Now do you see what I mean about Brady's hair? That hair and his Brazilian Yoko Ono wife messed us up. The JETS beat New England. Repeat, the JETS beat up on the New England Patriots. But wait, this is not a Football blog. However, it is a life blog . And part of my life is watching those damn Patriots.

My friends Tony and John are blaming the game's loss on me. Why? Because I did not go and watch the game at Tony's where I've seen every game this year. They may be right. Maybe I jinxed the game. Maybe the Pats lost because I stayed home to watch the game with my wife and son. Is that possible?

Have I lost my mind? The Patriots lost to the Jets because I was sitting in the wrong chair? What the heck happened?

I caught my wave today, in spite of the excruciating pain I am in with my back.
It took me 3 attempts. But I got my wave. I saluted Molly, walked up the stairs, and put my hand over her name and went home to get ready for the big game. Only to watch in horror, the game's outcome. The horror...the horror...

That's 175, only 190 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 15th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 174
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

It's the little things in this journey, that sometimes get to me. Today was one of those times. I had been nursing my sore back, since the Big Storm. I had checked the wave cams earlier in the day, and now knew, that the swell they were predicting for Saturday, was not going to happen. Just as well for me. I don't think I could handle big waves today. I was still in a lot of discomfort. Seeing the weak swell at 18th Street, was just what I needed.

Getting Big Black out of my vehicle, and stepping over the 5 foot snowbank, was a chore in itself. As I struggled through the hard crusted, snow bank, something in the deep, smooth snow, caught my eye...

...it stopped me cold in my tracks (pun intended). Truth be told, I almost choked up over it. I can be emotional at times. And when something as sweet and tender, as this shows up when you least expect it...well, it got to me. But all in a good way.

As I waded out into the surf and waited for a wave, I kept thinking about that message. That simple warm greeting, written specifically to me. I was touched by this kind act.

I caught my wave and saluted, and then I heard someone call out my name. When I turned to look, the person was saluting me back. Another touching moment.
As I got closer to the person, I saw that it was Lenny Nichols. He was out taking photos. Perfect. I wanted a photo of that snow message.

Lenny followed me back to the spot. Meanwhile, I stopped to touch Molly's name and he got a pic of that as well. It was as if, the stars were in alignment this day.

This has become my new ritual, as of a couple of months ago. If I am surfing at 18th Street. I always stop and pause for a moment, and say a few words to Molly. Then I place my hand over the letter "O" in her name. It's just a connection between our worlds. There are times, when I feel her hand from the other side.

Lenny took this one last photo. What an amazing day this was for me. Thank you to who ever wrote that message, and thank You Lenny for taking these photos.

That's 174, only 191 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 14th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 173
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I'm still in a great deal of pain. My lower back is tweaked beyond belief.
I slept very little last night. The six hours of snow blowing finally caught up to me. Having to climb back into my 5/4/3 wetsuit was not something I was looking forward to. But I did it. I drove down to 18th Street and was pretty happy about what I saw.
There was still a little bump left out there. I was stoked!

I grabbed Big Black and was eager to get my wave. I caught the first wave with ease. But I was not sure I went the prescribed 9 feet. So back out I went, and on my very next wave, I caught and rode it all the way to the beach. I walked in my own footsteps that I made from yesterday.

I placed my hand on Molly's heart and said hello and goodbye.

That's 173, only 192 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 13th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 172
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Much to my surprise I woke up early enough to shoot the sunrise. I guess going to bed at 9:00PM had something to do with that. Today is Kim Grondin's birthday. I've known Kim since the early 70's. Kim is a cancer survivor. I caught my first wave for Kim today. That first salute was for Kim. We love you Kim Happy Birthday!

Joe Carter came down from Maine today to do his piece on "Catch A Wave For Molly".
He had planned on coming down yesterday, but got buried in by the snow.

I was as stiff and in pain as I've ever been from 6 hours of snow blowing yesterday.
Thank God the surf was no where near the size and power of what I had to deal with yesterday. Joe came by and shot enough footage for his GITV web site and one of his Van Rides pieces. I love Joe's work. The whole GITV trio of Nevins, LaVecchia, and Carter are a super talented trio.

I rode Big Black and caught a few at 18th Street. Joe was kind and said I looked limber enough out there. That's not how I felt. But I'm sure Joe will do a great job. I've not seen anything he's done that was not good.

My back is sore, but my stoke is solid.

Happy Birthday Kim.

That's 172, only 193 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 12th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 171
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Well that was interesting. Where do I start? How about the gust of wind that woke from a sound sleep at 4:00AM? Or how about the fact that it took me 4 hours to clear out both of my driveways with my 20 year old Toro 720 Snow Blower? FOUR HOURS.
I started at 8:30AM and got done at 1:00PM...that's right you math wizards it was actually 4.5 hours. Here's what that looked like this morning.

My oldest daughter Gabby took this shot.. That's the Commander in the foreground.
*Gabby took ALL the pics in this blog.

I rested for one hour, ate some lunch, and then Gabby and I hit the road to go and
get my wave. That was an adventure. The reason being is at 2:00PM, the roads were still really bad and the snow had not let up. The plows were out and they were not happy with idiots like me driving along the coast looking for surf.

Can't really blame them. It must be a pain dealing with motorists driving around.

The surf looked big from our vehicle. There was NO ONE out. Why not?

By the time we got to my destination, the town guy was just starting to plow the road. I pleaded with him to let me park for just 20 to 30 minutes. He agreed. In fact, he even plowed out a spot for me to pull in. I was good to go. Gabby was there watching and shooting both video and stills.

I gave Gabby a final salute before I headed out. I think she was nervous about the whole thing. She did tell me after that she was freaking every time a wave broke on my head. I told her that's just duck diving. We all do it.

It was going to be a long cold paddle for sure. The far outside was where I was headed. There's no getting around taking waves on the head out there. I thought it was sweet that Gabby was worried about her dad.



I caught 3 waves and this was one of them. It's more of the middle part of the ride.
But you can see it was still overhead. When I took off on that wave outside I didn't think I'd make the drop. Needless to say, I did and I came in on this one. After all I
was parked illegally and Gabby was freezing standing there in the snow. I did give Molly a BIG Salute. I hope Gabby got that on video.

Success! I was all done. Or was I? No I was not. When I got home I had to blow out both driveways again, because the plows came by and plowed me in. Another 1.5 hours of snow blowing and shoveling. That's 6 total hours of back breaking snow blowing...but I'm not complaining. I'm just sharing the truth.

And the truth is...I caught my wave today. January 12th, 2011. I love you GABBY!

That's 171, only 194 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 11th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 170
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Is this what they mean by the saying "The Calm Before The Storm?". Well, I guess so. Sure seemed tame out there today. But I know she's gonna blow and if I may quote the line from the Wizard of Oz, "It's Gonna Be a Whopper!"

I caught two waves this morning. The first one didn't count. I only went 8 feet. The second ride was legit. I went all of 10 to 15 feet. I saluted. Put my hand over Molly's name on the Wall at 18th Street and went on with my day.

I saw another friend who had pulled over to say hello. Marky J.
Marky's a Good guy and a Good friend. I'm lucky to have so many friends.

That's 170, only 195 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 10th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 169
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I have to be careful of what I wish for...I just saw the news. Oh oh...looks like we have ourselves quite a storm heading this way. Today was another brisk day in New England. The water temp is now in the upper 30's. My friends in California, or rather my friends who are from California, not you transplants. The guys that grew up there are shaking their heads at that. Upper 30's? Oh hell yea. And yes it's cold.

Soon it will be in the lower 30's . That's as cold as it gets.

Today was cold. I surfed 18th Street. Caught one wave said hello to Molly and the gang and as I walked up the stairs I ran into Dave Cropper, who had just come back from Florida and the Surf Expo. We talked Patriots and Jets. That should be interesting. I guess I can't wait. If you're into the NFL, this was one exciting weekend of Football. The Jets are coming to town on Sunday...but before they do, I have to deal with the pending Nor'easter headed this way.

That's 169, only 196 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 9th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 168
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Remember a few days ago, or maybe it was a few weeks ago...I can't remember. At any rate, it was when I was writing about the wind. How hard it is when the wind is blowing. Well, due to my weekly column, I did not get out until later in the day. When the wind was the strongest. I mean it was blowing so hard, that at one point (I swear to God this happened), a flock of Gulls got blown off the ice pond where I had parked my vehicle across from the beach where I surfed.

The Gulls were being blown into the air where they were able to regain their balance and fly off. But for a few fleeting seconds, they were actually being pushed by the hard Northwest Wind. It was freaking crazy! And I had my camera with me but didn't get the shot because I was almost in shock seeing this. Crazy... Hell it was Gull Crazy.

So how cold was it? I don't know...how cold do I look here?

This was a self portrait taken after my session. I caught a bunch of waves and actually had a few rides that were fun. Hey, I'm a surfer.

That's 168, only 197 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 8th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 167
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I had my snow blower all ready and my shortboard all waxed up. But...nothing. No snow and the waves were not shortboardable. Don't get me wrong, there were better waves today than there were the last 7 days.

But it was a longboard session for me today. That's fine.

I caught my wave at 18th Street, rode it from the outside rock cropping to the very inside. I saluted. I stepped off and walked up the stairs and paused to touch Molly's name and then moved on.

A bona fide ONE and DONE.

That's 167, only 198 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 7th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 166
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

0730AM...I almost shed a tear when I pulled up at 18th Street this morning and saw 1 to 2' surf. Can you imagine that? One to two feet and I was overjoyed with emotion. The last six days have been a struggle to say the least. To see something that I could actually ride this early cold morning was such a treat and a boost to my morale that I found myself talking out loud. I was talking to myself out there. Is that wrong? Is that crazy? Normally I would say yes to both. But having to surf teeny tiny less than 6 inch waves the last 6 days ...well, I needed this.

There was ice on the sand. My wetsuit was damp from the day before. But there's surf.

I actually paddled further out than I needed to be because I thought I saw a wave that was at least two feet. I only ended up riding one wave today but it was a long ride. Long is really in the eyes of the beholder. I ride a wave for at least 30 feet.

It was the longest ride I've had in a week. I was stoked. I was cold. But I'm stoked.

I put my hand over Molly's name as I walked up the stairs at 18th street this morning.

That's 166, only 199 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 6th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 165
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

So this 60 something woman with a red wig, smoking a cigarette the length of my forearm, walks up to me and exhales a puff of smoke in my direction. I had just caught and rode a tiny 6 inch wave at Jenness beach, and struggled to go the nine feet and fire off a salute for Molly. If someone had taken a photo me me riding that wave I would looked like the biggest kook. I mean it. The biggest kook.

I was walking back to my vehicle, when we met at the opening.

"Did you see me catch that wave? I asked. She looked at me and cocked her head and looked out at the semi flat ocean. "Catch what wave? There's no surf out there" She says as she wipes her thick red lipstick off her mouth.

"I know there's no surf...but I just caught and rode that tiny wave. You didn't see it?"

She shook her head no. "Nah I didn't see it. I was walking around the cah."
"Well I guess you're not much of a witness for me today. And I'm certainly not going back out there." She smiled and took another hit off the long cigarette. I wanted to tell her that smoking was bad for her health...but she already knew that.

"Have a nice day mam. " I said as I loaded Big Black into the vehicle. "Yah you too."

(Above) Lake Atlantic. January 6, 2011. Photo By RALPH

That's 165, only 200 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 5th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 164
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Boy this is getting interesting. Once again I had to search for something to ride. And lucky for me I found a spot. A place we call Surfer's Beach. I was driving north praying that I would find something to ride when I spotted a tiny bump. I hit the brakes (literally) and jumped out of my vehicle. Lo and behold there was a small 6" wave.
I think a tear formed in my eye. I was so happy to see something bigger than four freaking inches.

I grabbed Big Black and ran out into the tiny line-up and waited a minute or two, and sure enough a solid six incher came to me. I shoved off on Big Black and felt myself moving. I got to my feet and shifted my weight forward to lift the fin up and keep it from hitting bottom. I went all of 10 to 12 feet, saluted and stepped off. Two women walking their Golden Retrievers waved to me.

As I climbed back over the rock berm I saw two guys prepping their ice boats to go Ice Sailing on the pond. Then my buddy Alex Deconstant stopped and offered me some candy. New England in the winter, you never know what you'll see out there..

That's 164, only 201 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 4th, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 163
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I had to drive a few extra miles today to find something to ride. I'm not kidding when I say, that the hardest days are days like today and yesterday. Lucky for me I found a beach break that had a solid 4 to 5 inch wave. And even luckier for me that I caught and rode the first dribbly wave I tried to catch. I groveled the whole 15 plus feet. Yes I saluted and then immediately got out of Dodge.

I smiled at the folks eating their lunches in their vehicles watching me. Some guy dressed in Orange and a pair of Jeans was on a SUP going along the beach. I'd like to know what he thought about that whole scene.

Talk about ONE and DONE...whew!

That's 163, only 202 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph

January 3rd, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 162
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

I am not going to mince words with you today. It was difficult at best to catch and ride one wave today, and to go the length of my board. It took me several attempts before I was satisfied that I had gone 9 feet. All prior attempts were bordering on pathetic. The wind was blowing out of the Northwest about 25-30knots. The swell (if you really want to call it that) was under 6 inches...yes I said UNDER 6 inches.

Next time you happen to be at the beach and you have a surfboard nearby and the surf is flat or under 6 inches try and catch and ride one. Seriously, give it a shot. I came very close to removing all my fins so I could ride a wave...but a rogue wave that looked to be at least an inch bigger than the waves I was trying to catch, came right to me. Success. I caught that wave and realized it was going to work. I saluted and raised my hands in a triumphant salute.

I did it. In fact, I rode all of 15 feet, maybe a little, dribble, more.

On the way back up the stairs I stopped and put my mitt over Molly's name.

That's 162, only 203 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph


January 2nd, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 161
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Another warm day today. Albeit not as warm as yesterday, but still unseasonably warm. I mean if all of January was this warm? I'd be plenty happy. Though I suppose it would make for some boring daily blogging. Who would want to read about tiny 1 foot glassy waves? I think the fact that the weather here in New England is so unpredictable that it makes for interesting reading. Am I right people?

I ran into my longtime friend Lenny Nichols today who just so happened to be driving by with his NIKON. He stopped and took a few pics. It's funny because Lenny has this unique whistle that he does for his kids to let them know a set is coming.

He did that for me today. I smiled when I heard it.

(Above) Day 161...before I paddled out. Photo by Lenny Nichols

I caught this teeny tiny left hander and went all of about 25 feet. I saluted Molly and Lenny snapped this photograph. A One and Done.

(Above) Day 161...a salute for Molly...

Thanks Lenny.

That's 161, only 204 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph


January 1st, 2011 -July 26, 2011 Day 160
At Least One Wave, Every Day, For 365 Consecutive Days...

Holy Mackerel Daddy! The air temp was OVER 60 degrees today. I kid you NOT! It was damn near Tropical. It may have broken records for this day. I don't know for sure. All I know is, it was sooo warm and Spring like out there, I almost broke out into song. But then again, I'm always humming and singing.

Today's surf was as small as yesterday. But it took me less time to catch and ride a wave today than it did yesterday. Don't know why.

Here's a few pics taken on this Day 160 or 1/1/11...

(Above) Before I went out. That's what I wore. No hood. Just my Molly cover (hat). Photo by Chris Singleton


(Above) The Molly wave. *Notice how I'm looking back to see if I went the nine feet?
Just to be safe, I caught another one after this. And I went all of 12 feet!
Photo by Vicki

(Above) Hanging out on the beach in January...awesome! Photo by RALPH

(Above) This guy really thought it was warm. John Touhey from Manchester actually dove in the water. Photo by RALPH

That's 160, only 205 more to go. I'll be back tomorrow.

Surfing Heals All Wounds...

Ralph



"CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY" ARCHIVED BLOGS

June 2011

May 2011

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March 2011

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January 2011

December 2010

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