Actually, in this case, it is the gulls:

Ocean Grove beach: hunger games with hungry birds. Photo by Jean Bredin 1/20/22

Jean looking for “action”at the beach says, “The only action by the ocean today was this swarm of seagulls looking for something to eat.”

Lovely photo.   Any sand in your shoes?

Jean: You should be like the ladies in Central Park who sit on a bench with a paper bag of bread crumbs for the pigeons and the squirrels.

Here’s a link from the Blogfinger New York collection:

Central Park conversation.

Or you can go to Paris and bring some wine for the kids who hang around Jim Morrison’s grave. Or bring them some croissants.

THE HOT SARDINES    “La Petite Fleur”

Paul Goldfinger. January 20, 2022. ©

BILLIE HOLIDAY:

Truffle hunters form a bond with their dogs. Paul Goldfinger still photo from the documentary.

This highly regarded documentary is available on Netflix to buy for $14.99  It is set in the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy, near France,  where expensive autumn truffles are found and compliment the cuisine and fine wines of that area.

The movie features a group of elderly truffle hunters who care about little else than going into the woods with their valuable dogs. There is great competition by buyers who need truffles to satisfy chefs all over the world.

In one scene a gentleman in a suit and tie sits down by himself in a restaurant and orders a fried egg.  A waiter comes over and shaves a bit of truffle onto the egg.

The man is ecstatic as he slowly consumes this gourmet treat, taking small mouthfuls and chewing with great precision.

He reminds me of a Frenchman we saw in a Paris restaurant who sat by himself for dinner. He took one forkful at a time, put down the utensils, and chewed slowly. He then took a sip of red wine and resumed this gustatory ballet.

The French stay slim despite some fatty foods. This is part of the “French paradox” written about in our book “Prevention Does Work—A Guide to a Healthy Heart” by Eileen and Paul Goldfinger.

THE BUDAPEST SYMPHONY.     Chopin’s “Barcarolle”from the movie Life Is Beautiful.

East end of Wesley Lake. A citizen reporter sent us this photo. 1/19/22

Last August we received a letter from Grover Brian O’Reilly who alerted us to a safety hazard at the east end of Wesley Lake

Here is a link   Click on the bold type below.

Letter to the Editor: falling into the abyss at Wesley Lake east.

We focus on themes in the Grove where we alert our readers to issues and hope that someone will pick up the ball and run with it.   Evidently it actually happened in this instance.   Maybe our August alert helped provoke this safety feature.  Thanks to Brian O’Reilly for caring enough about his home town.

Brian:  We are nominating you to be seated at the Round Table.  (From Monty Python’s Spamalot.)

Paul

Paul Goldfinger,  Editor  Blogfinger.net

Allenhurst. Paul Goldfinger. Jan. 17, 2022.

DUKE ELLINGTON.   “At a Dixie Roadside Diner.”

Derelict burned out home at #96  Lawrence Avenue. These photos are from January 18,  2022. The fire was on May 23,  2021.  Note the open windows on the 2nd and 3rd floors. There is no security fencing or yellow tape around either #96 or #94.  Click images to enlarge.

This is the unprotected back of the unoccupied #96 Lawrence Ave.

This is the unprotected back of burned-out  #94 Lawrence Ave.  All photos on 1/18/22 by Paul Goldfinger. Blogfinger.net

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net

Some years ago, Charles Layton, a Blogfinger editor, took an interest in derelict houses in the Grove.  He did a terrific job of reporting on this important subject.

He was especially interested  in historic buildings that had been neglected until they finally had to be demolished.

But homes left unsecured after fires are also risks of safety and health.

When Charles  moved back to Philadelphia, I thought that the HOA would be a good place to continue what he started. They had shown no interest in this topic in the past.

I contacted the President of the HOA who refused to consider my suggestion.

Eventually the HOA did get involved, appointing a committee, but the person who organized that effort died as did her initiatives.

Later, the Home Groaners organized a “Preservation Committee” to carry the ball.  This is from their web site:

“In the Ocean Grove National Historic District, featuring tightly-spaced 19^th century wooden houses and hotels, derelict buildings are unsightly and hazardous. After a series of devastating fires, the Ocean Grove Home Owners Association formed the Preservation Committee to advocate for implementation of effective municipal tools to combat this problem.

“The Derelict Buildings Committee is committed to ensuring that appropriate action is taken against owners and lien-holders of derelict properties in Ocean Grove.”

The two derelict homes shown above were  severely damaged in a fire on May 23, 2021.  Since then they have been left to rot.

Here is a Blogfinger link to the fire:

Lawrence Avenue fire…… 3 houses damaged.

Such derelict hulks are dangerous when left standing as we found out when the Warrington Hotel was left without proper protection so that vagrants moved in, and the result was a devastating fire in 2017.  The diagnosis was “arson” and lives might have been lost as the Warrington fire involved multiple buildings.  Some people barely escaped.

The Township and the Groaners should have done more on Lawrence Avenue long ago.

If you go over there now you can see that #94 and #96 Lawrence Ave. remain unsecured—no fences and no yellow tape.  This is a risk to life, to neighborhood buildings and a recipe for investigations and lawsuits.