Seaside Heights. October 12, 2015. Paul Goldfinger photo. Click once to grab the brass ring and enlarge the photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger (Re-posted 2026 from October 2015)
This carousel horse, photographed after the season in Seaside Heights, reminds me of Broadway—sometimes happy and sometimes sad. I’m thinking of the show Carousel whichproclaims, “June is busting out all over.”
The Fantasticks has a song called “Round and Round” which begins as a gorgeous fantasy—-“Life is a colorful carousel,” but later the song becomes dark, sad, and scary.
However, for the most part, Broadway brings us joy as in “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma.
I see this carousel, devoid of riders and seemingly sad because the season is over, and yet the scene, like a Broadway set, is bursting with vivid colors and, in a way, with memories of life itself.
So, in wondering about this photograph and how to see it, I decided that it is joyful and not sad, and if the horse could talk he would say, ” Please sir, I want more oats” (sorry for the Oliver joke, such as it is.) I wonder how a child would view it.
And certainly now, in 2021, with Broadway (and even the London stage) mostly dark for an indefinite period of time, we will have to wait to experience the joy of the musical stage.
Of course, we can still hear the music. We try to keep that music alive on Blogfinger. It’s easy to forget, but we won’t. (Thanks Mom!)
Here is MIMI HINES from a show called “The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd.” It is a happy song full of the sort of vivid optimism that we often find in Broadway musicals and, sometimes, in life.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ. OG is no Kansas City.
We will post any crime, even those that seem trivial. They will be posted by date, with the most recent on top, and we can add information to an item if more details come in. If the NTPD and Neighborhood Watch post an incident on BF, we will not repeat it here.
We believe that the citizens of OG will benefit from knowing what’s going on. Of course, not everyone in town reads BF, so we make no claim that this is comprehensive. Even the police don’t know it all, because some crimes are not reported. — Editors @Blogfinger
1. October 16, 2012: From “Mighty Mad.” “We had a garden ornament stolen yesterday.”
2. October 15, 2012. From “Gosh.” Hanging carved angel stolen from arbor.
3. October 15t, 2012. From Empress: Bicycle was stolen from behind house on McClintock. It was reported to police. Later, a man was seen trespassing on McClintock properties, roaming from one house to another looking around front, side, and back. Bicycle never recovered.
4. October 9, 2012. From Jean Bredin. The Halloween bandit struck 94 Heck Avenue. A ceramic jack o’ lantern with light was plucked from our porch last nite. We even had the porch lite on!
5. October 6, 2012. From “Two Incidents.” I was speaking to a neighbor today and she related two recent incidents. First her shiny new grill went missing, then a ‘vagrant’ was just sitting on her porch and wouldn’t leave. She did call the police and he left, but she said the trespasser just didn’t seem to care. Brazen break-ins and entries, stolen property, car theft, numerous petty crimes and now some residents actually talking about getting guns. Just how long before something truly tragic happens?
6. October 6, 2012. From “Anonymous.” A car was broken into on Seaview Avenue last Thursday. Minor items were stolen including a small Louie Vuitton purse. Reported to police.
7. October 3, 2012. From “Agree.” A week and a half ago or so a garden ornament was stolen from my front porch on Cookman Avenue in OG. It’s wasn’t worth anything, but the fact that someone came on my porch to take the item certainly gave me pause. I didn’t think much of it until I read the other comments here on Blogfinger.
8. October 3, 2012. From Ted Aanensen: “Yesterday, a neighbor corner of Abbott and Pligim Pathway was resting on her couch when an intruder cut her screen door and tried to break into the house. Fortunatetly, her screams chased the intruder away. Police were called but the homeowner was so shook up she could not give a terribly accurate description, other than thin, white and in a tee shirt.”
9. October 2, 2012. From “Gosh.” One Saturday night while on patrol for the Citizens Patrol, we had found 2 bikes in the street within a block of each other. We reported to base the finding and waited for police to come and collect the bikes. Two hours later, after no response from the police, we had to bring them by Thornley Chapel to the police sub station.
10. October 2, 2012. From Larry McKeown. “We too have been the victim of lawn ornament thieves (thief?). Our multi-colored gazing ball was discovered missing several days ago from our home at 107 Embury Avenue. Do ya think that the thief is holding it for ransom? By the way, I enjoy the “Blog” — move forward.
11. October 2, 2012. From Ann Yannell. “Ann Horan just told me that a woman in O.G., today, noticed missing items from her yard and spotted a white van but did not get the license plate. I would like to know more details because I have a plate number of a white van I saw this morning that seemed suspicious to me. Please let me know.”
On a hot day, the best breezes are in the bleachers. By Paul Goldfinger reporting from the Greatest Auditorium. Left click for biggest view.
Editor’s note: To explain this photograph you have to understand the work of Eugéne Atget, the French photographer who photographed the architecture and street life of old Paris at the start of the 20th century.
His images were documentary, but they also were artistic compositions that were appreciated by great artists of that time including Matisse and Picasso. When asked how he always got the best shots of old buildings, he said, “It’s where you stand.”
So, with the spirit of Atget in mind, I found myself in the back of the GA during a concert on a very warm sunny day. I simply counted 1-2-3-4 and stood in just the right place. Voila! — PG (This post originally published on Blogfinger in 2012. )
SOUNDTRACK: What do you say to a topless lady? I don’t know, but here is a suggestion:
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor. Blogfinger.net. 2019 re-post
Igor Timkovsky is a Jewish immigrant from Russia. He believes his family was part of the great Diaspora of the Jewish people (as was my family) which brought them to western Europe, probably Italy, perhaps 2,500 years ago. Their lives were difficult through the Middle Ages. They experienced the Inquisition, forced conversions, Crusaders, black death, ghetto life, poverty, mass expulsions, invasions, and religious suppression.
The Diaspora Jews were forced eastward out of Western Europe in the 15th to 16th centuries, and Igor’s family settled in the country of Belarus, east of Poland. Igor was born in Belarus in 1962.
When Hitler invaded Russia, many peoples scattered, especially the Jews. Igor’s family escaped into the Ural Mountains for safety from the Nazis. There were some places that the Wehrmacht failed to reach. During WWII many of his male relatives were lost in the war as soldiers, and other relatives were swept up by the Holocaust.
After the war, small numbers survived, and some then migrated to Israel or the US.
In 1992, thanks to a family reunion program for immigrants sponsored by two US Senators, Igor, his wife, daughter and parents escaped Communism and emigrated to NYC, Washington Heights, where they live now.
He had been an engineer in Russia, but here he got a masters degree and became a social worker. His son Aaron was born in 2006 and will be entering public high school. He is a bright young man, personable, bilingual, and with a strong and obvious attachment to his Dad.
Igor discovered Ocean Grove a few years ago and “fell in love” with this “amazing town.” To see the Grove through the eyes of an immigrant is very special. He enjoys walking on the boardwalk at night. He loves the “friendly, polite, and cultured people.” He says that Ocean Grove feels “safe and comfortable” for his family.
Aaron, age 13, told me during our interview at the OG Bake Shoppe that he” loves” the way that they get here so easily: bus, train and the walk over. They are currently vacationing, staying in a hotel near the beach.
But during a July, 2017, afternoon, something happened to cement their feelings for the Grove. Igor and Aaron were swimming in the ocean. They were seemingly fine, but “suddenly” they were apart and had drifted farther out than they thought. Igor quickly discovered that he could not touch bottom and he managed to join up with Aaron. It seems they were caught in a rip tide. They had one boogie board to share.
Before they had a chance to panic, two OG lifeguards were at their side. One said to Igor, “Would you like to join me on a trip to the shore?” The other one gave Aaron a forceful shove with his board, and he quickly found himself on the shore.
Igor was overwhelmed with gratitude for the way the OG guards saved him and his son. He wrote letters of profound appreciation to the life guards at bench 3 and 4–OG Beach Patrol and he even wrote a book of poems (2018) dedicated to those guards, expressing how he feels about what happened and about his love of this town. Even now, two years later, he cannot stop talking about it.
Igor is a Blogfinger fan, so he contacted me about his book Ocean Betrayal. He is a social worker , a teacher, and a poet. His story and poems have been published in Blogfinger.net.
His book has 24 pages and 8 original and charming poems, punctuated by drawings and photographs. It is especially remarkable because English is Igor’s second language. Searching the Blogfinger.net archives, one can find some posts about Igor and the Grove; and his poetry.
If anyone is interested in contacting Igor about his book, just email Blogfinger and we will forward it.
ART GARFUNKEL “A Heart in New York.”
ADDENDUM. JULY 20, 2026. Once again poet Igor Timkovsky returns for his annual OG vacation. He lives in New York, but he has friends in the Grove including our family. Again he stays at the Majestic Hotel. We met him yesterday and enjoyed his updates including the fact that he is now retired from his life as a New York City social worker.
He returns now filled with joy in describing the tall ships which sailed by his home near the George Washington Bridge. Igor is a true American patriot, celebrating those tall ships as they came bye for the US 250th. H is someone who found freedom for himself and family, and now this is his tenth anniversary visit to OG.
Igor photographed this tall ship from near his home by the GW Bridge
He brought us up to date regarding his brilliant son Aaron, now a student at Baruch College, a college in the City University of NY. Baruch is highly regarded, and Aaron is excelling there, studying finance. He will be leaving for England to study for one semester.
Igor emailed me to say:
“Tune from the past:” His latest poem:
“Dedicated to the 10th anniversary of my arrival in Ocean Grove
“I opened the window to let in fresh air.
“I felt a/c air is not truly fair. I came all the way from New York for a breeze. I hoped a breeze put my breathing at ease. I am asking myself why I use a/c air. It seems it’s not me and myself I won’t dare.
“One thing that I heard and it took me right in. The blinds’ played tune sent me back to begin.”
Igor loves to catch the sun and the views on our OG beach.
He got up at 5 am to photograph our sunrise: (below)
Ocean Grove July sunrise by Igor from the 2nd floor porch of the Majestic Hotel. 5 am. He meets folks on the beach at that hour. 7/20/26
And here is Igor (below) on our Mt. Hermon Way OG porch. He is thrilled with his stay this July.
July 19, 2026. Paul Goldfinger portrait of poet Igor Timkovsky. Ocean Grove. He “loves” our town
Rufus Wainwright and Teddy Thompson. From the movie: “Brokeback Mountain.”
OG boards. July, 2020. Paul Goldfinger photographer.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ, USA.
The streets of OG are wonderful for cruising around town—-not racing. The best times of day are early morning, late afternoon, and twilight, especially in summer during the week.
Most bikers like to explore in small groups and they sight-see and chat with little danger. But there always are risks especially for those who don’t wear helmets, go down wrong way streets, speed or be reckless on the boards, and pop out of side streets onto Main or Broadway.
Our network of narrow village streets, with all the stop signs, poses a risk that must be met by alertness. And then there are the unpredictable openings of doors by parallel parked vehicles.
Biking on the boardwalk is safest for small children, many of whom have their small bikes for safety.
THE LATIN CASINO ALL STARS from the movie The Irishman.
