Blogfinger

Baby fox scurries around in the brush on the beach near the North End boardwalk,  Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net. Click to enlarge. After this he ran to Asbury for a drink.  May,  2023.

By Paul Goldfinger, MD.  Editor Blogfinger.net.    Ocean Grove, NJ.   May 7, 2024.

A couple of weeks ago a fox walked into my backyard, stayed for 2 minutes  and then left, strolling out through the gate.  Then I heard that a fox family had settled in over at the North End at the burned out site of the White Whale. A similar event occurred at that site a couple of years ago.

I was over by the pier at 6:30 pm when a couple approached me.   They were from NYC, out to see the foxes which they heard about on the news. They asked where they could see the foxes and where they could find a bathroom.  The second question was more difficult, and I found it to be embarrassing to tell them they we don’t have any public bathrooms now.

When I went over to fox territory, there was a group of nature lovers bunched up on the beach side of the boards.  Some were serious nature photogs including one guy with a huge 500 mm lens on a tripod.  With that he should be able to see foxes in the Arctic.

Speak softly and carry a long lens. Paul Goldfinger photo. 5/7/23. OG

They were all aiming their cameras at a fox which was scratching around in the brush.  Soon he emerged and ran away, right in front of us–that is the photo on top.

ANNIE SELLICK:

This is the White Whale building on the OG North End boards when that North End boardwalk restoration was ongoing. The building, privately owned was on the beach and was used for stores and eateries. Blogfinger photo. c. 2012.

03/12/26: We have received a tip from Grover Kevin Chambers, an  FOB (Friend of Blogfinger) that a redevelopment plan for this North End site  will be revealed now.  He heard it on-line.

Video by Blogfinger.net.  Paul Goldfinger photographs.

A  crowd assembled on the beach and boardwalk to see the efforts to control this fire. 4/13/19   Paul Goldfinger photo.

White Whale fire. Blogfinger photo. 4/13/19

Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor, Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ , USA.  03/01/2024 update:

The large white building was unoccupied on 4/13/19  when the fire was reported at about 11:30 am. A huge assemblage of fire and emergency trucks showed up very quickly, but most of the firemen were standing on the boardwalk  We saw a small crew at the rear where it appears that the fire began in the space under the restaurants.  They were using hoses to run water in.

The crowd was told to stand back at noon because of fear of a gas explosion. We have no information as to the cause or extent, but it seems as if there was trouble quelling the blaze. Trucks were still arriving with sirens blasting as late as 2:30  pm.

A look back to history of the building:     Sandy 2012 and 2016 issues:

This photo above is from March 2016 when rotten supports were revealed under that building during boardwalk work, and there was concern about the structural integrity of the building.

During Sandy in 2012, the rear of this structure collapsed raising questions if this building could be used again and if repairs were done according to post Sandy specifications.

This is what happened to the rear of the White Whale after Sandy 2012. Blogfinger photo. Paul Goldfinger photo.

April 13, 2019    fire continued… Reports of a spreading blaze that threatens the entire building.  Flames break through the roof.   A rumor says that suspicious people had been living underneath.

APP photo at 2:00 pm–then the roof collapsed. (APP).

3:30 pm  Asbury Park Press:      “Firefighters are battling a four-alarm blaze at an Ocean Grove boardwalk eatery that has already caused a partial collapse of the boardwalk, emergency officials said.”

Heavy smoke is spreading to other towns.

We have no information as to who owns this building.  It has been successful in recent summers as a food court.  It is located just inside the line that separates OG from Asbury Park.

8:30 pm  Building is a total loss; will have to be torn down.

Here is a link posted on Blogfinger the day after the fire.  4/24/19:

The day after

Here is a link about the White Whale’s demise:

https://wp.me/pqmj2-DJl

March 1, 2024  Editor’s note:  

Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger.net

The White Whale  property on the beach was privately owned. Supposedly the owner had grand plans, but we have heard nothing lately,  and how could he get DEP permission to build on the beach?

Here is Taylor Swift with her song “Castles Crumbling.”

February 27, 2025.  Blogfinger:    Ocean Grove rumor mill:  Someone asked Committeeman Lane if he knew anything about a developer wanting to build on the beach where the “White Whale” restaurant facility had been located;

He supposedly said that he cannot reveal anything about that subject.  What?  How about transparency in local government?  If this quote is actually true, is a Committeeman justified in withholding this information? Could  his name really be  “Mr. Cellophane?”

This is  potentially an explosive  topic.

St. Paul’s Place in Ocean Grove’s Tent Village. Photo by Paul, Goldfinger, but it is not his place. Strolling towards the Great Auditorium for a  concert. Blogfinger.net

“Midnight, the Stars and You”.  Andy Farber and Orchestra:

Paul Goldfinger photo. 3/10/26. Blofinger.net

I have noticed that many commercial vehicles come into town with no identifying markings.  This is usually by contractors, but other types of trucks or vans come here and park.  Sometimes they park overnight which,  I believe, is illegal.   But enforcement of small ordinances is often not implemented.  Why are these vehicles  not marked?

I spoke to one local contractor who rides a plain white truck.  He says that he is well known around town, so why bother?

Shouldn’t it be required for security reasons?   Or maybe the vehicle is parked illegally such as sticking far out in head-on spots.  The police  and the public should be able to know the license number, the name, and the phone number.

PAUL SIMON:

At the Tuscan Villa Antinori. Paul Goldfinger photo

We were visiting the Villa Antinori in Tuscany.  There was a magnificent villa overlooking fields of Chianti Classico Reserva Tuscan red wine.

“Malafemmena”

Celeste from Union.  Paul Goldfinger photo. OG pier. July 26, 2023. Click to enlarge.

 

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net. 7/26/23. Ocean Grove, NJ.

Celeste was listening to music and dancing as the surf rolled in beneath her. She is visiting today and she hopes to move to the Shore.

Woody Allen once said that his greatest fear is to be locked in a room with an insurance agent, but if Celeste were the one, he might have changed his mind.

Her lively color scheme, her eye-catching dress, enticing sunglasses, and the straw hat make her exhibit A in our quest for fascinating girls in their summer clothes. And let’s not forget her sparkling personality. “Ooo-wee!”

“American Girls.”    by Harry Styles.

Paul Goldfinger photo. Ocean Grove, NJ. Blogfinger.net. Click once to enlarge. 11/12/24

By Paul Goldfinger, MD.  Re-post  3/10/26

We  were taking out the trash when she appeared.    She asked for some water.  She said that she went to high school in Manasquan and college in Arizona .  We didn’t pry–she volunteered.

And then she said that she had no money. We gave her a bottle of water and money.  I had been on the porch trying out some night-time imagery. She didn’t object to the photo.

She thanked us and turned to walk away. Sometimes there are panhandlers in town, but not often.

I’m told that there are homeless in the Grove who will look for places to sleep outdoors in town  to avoid the cold winds.  It was windy this evening.

We know that there are shelters in the area, but sometimes they are full or dangerous or both.

Yesterday I drove past a church on Asbury Avenue in a deprived neighborhood . There was a banner out front that offered free breakfasts on Saturday mornings.  But what about the rest of  the week?

There is some charity in the Grove, but is anyone offering a hot meal?  How about the  Chamber of Commercials doing something other than hustling tourists to spend their money on stuff  or  food trucks for themselves.

Does the Camp Meting or St. Paul’s, religious organizations,  offer any charities  for the homeless?

How about the OG secular and residential community  forming  a selfless charity in town devoted to the homeless: food, shelter, clothing, love, attention?   The Home Owners Assoc. is collecting some items.   It’s a modest beginning. More is needed.

And the small art movement is offering free art, but if you have nothing, then free art is not helpful.

BEN E. KING: