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Town-Wide Yard Sale 2022.  Ocean Grove, NJ.    Exactly what she was looking for… 6/18/22. Click once to enlarge. All photographs by Paul Goldfinger.   2022.

 

By Paul Goldfinger, MD.  Editor Blogfinger.net.    6/18/22.

This young lady just graduated college in music therapy, but today she was looking for vinyl.  She found the James Taylor record that she had been seeking at our sale on Mt.Hermon Way.

We had a total of 37 sales around town, and quite a few shoppers were using our maps to visit as many addresses as possible.

In the photo above, out in the street, you can find a classic drive-by shopper.  How they do it, I’ll never know.

The socializing was, as predicted, a significant component of what went on. We had fun interacting.   I wore my Groucho shirt, and a man came by who is a fan, so we both sang a chorus of “Lydia the Tattooed Lady.”  (see below)

A shopper  stopped by who said that she had been “stalking” me for years on Blogfinger, watching the show, but saying nothing. However,  now she is revealed, so maybe we will hear from her again.

Jean Bredin came by and bought Raggedy Anne.   She wanted Anne so that she could “nag” her Raggedy Andy.

A man, an expert on coin collecting said to me, “If you ever go into your sock drawer and find gold coins, please call me.”      I didn’t tell him that I don’t have a sock drawer.  Do you?

 

 

This lady from Neptune (the town, not the planet) was having a good time at the sales. Here we are comparing notes about Neptune garbage pails, gardens and where to park her car.  Just then a space appeared across the street.

 

 

And this is Sam, a colorful 23 year old co-ed who was visiting Michelle her college friend in OG.   See, I told you we had some demographic shifts in town; the youthful “Grover Underground.”   And look Ma, no tattoos.    Paul Goldfinger photo in Hero’s  Park, across from our yard sale.  Mt. Hermon Way.   6/18/22

 

NOTE:   In May we will begin collecting addresses for the sale.  We will establish our Yard Sale web site  in May.   We will keep that on top of Blogfinger.net until the sale.   Watch on Blogfinger.net for that information source.

In early June we will post addresses as we receive them, and about one week before the sales we will post items for sale.  You can begin to  send us your address in May and you can add your list of items for sale which we will hold.  .    Up until the day before the sale you can sign up for our address list and. you can add sale items at any time.  Blogfinger@verizon.net.

We will offer flyers in May for those who want to help us publicize the sales.  We encourage our participants to help us publicize this event. More information to follow.  You will need a Neptune permit.

 

Questions:   Blogfinger@verizon.net.    Eileen and Paul Goldfinger.

 

 

BRENDA LEE:

 

 

 

 

Naples Florida, southwest Florida. Paul Goldfinger © March 2016.

Naples,  southwest Florida. Choppy waters on the Gulf of Mexico.    Paul Goldfinger photo. Click to enlarge.

 

Naples is a fabulous international  city in southwest Florida.

The downtown is elegant with beautiful shops and restaurants. Yet, despite attracting tourists, the beaches are open and uncrowded. That’s because  there is plenty of parking and no mega events to force the residents into their homes such as happens in Ocean Grove and continues into September and beyond.

This photograph is from March, peak season for southern Florida.

 

MATT MONRO   from the movie The Sand Pebbles.

 

Preparing for spring in Tent Village, Ocean Grove, NJ, USA.   2014.  Paul Goldfinger photo.

 

 

 

THE FABELMANS:   From the movie of that name…

 

Hollywood……..Fla

Florida, East coast. French spoken here. On the boardwalk.Photo by Paul Goldfinger ©. 2018

 

JACK NICHOLSON:  From the soundtrack of Something’s Gotta Give.

 

Fairleigh Dickinson Jazz Band on the beach at Myrtle Beach, sometime in the last century, on a planet far far away. Photographer unknown,

1960:   Fairleigh Dickinson  University Jazz Band at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, sometime in the last century, on a planet far far away. Photographer unknown.  Right after this photo was taken, the whole thing collapsed, and everybody jumped into the ocean.

 

By Paul Goldfinger, editor and former frat boy and musician.   Re-post.

 

This is hard because many of you probably don’t know what I look like now much less back when.  But the FDU Jazz Band had been invited to a “Fun in the Sun Festival” which included a beauty pageant and a bathing suit competition. Wowee!

They paid all our expenses, and we were housed in a hotel on the beach (behind us.)  The pageant contestants in their summer clothes looked great, but we couldn’t get near them.  Especially during the swimsuit part.    They were hidden somewhere more secure than the Trojan Horse.  And speaking of Trojans—uh, never mind.

So we had our own fun in the sun.

Musically we were a hit except for “Dixie,”  a tune they wanted but we didn’t know.  But it all worked out.

Anyhow, I am one of the cool dudes in the photo.   It is ironic, because my ancestors built a pyramid a few thousand years ago, and here I am doing the same in the sands of South Carolina.  Hint: I’m not the chubby tenor sax player holding up the structure.

Note: We had a winner in the 2016 contest to find me. Now it’s 2023, and I haven’t gotten any older (in the photo),

Addendum:    That’s me, lopsided, about to cave in, with that cute guy touching my shoulder.  We were both in the sax section, so it’s all in the family.

 

THE DIAMONDS

“Godless…”

Paul Goldfinger. Still image from the movie “Godless”.  By Steven Soderbergh.  This mini-series has multiple episodes and was on Netflix. It is a story of the old west. It has ruthless killers, preachers, gunslingers, drunks, whores, sex, horses, women without men, Indians, sheriffs, revenge, and frontier towns.   Blogfinger.net

 

ENNIO MORRICONE.  “Gabriel’s Oboe”.  From the movie The Mission.  A beautiful composition.

 

 

 

Dover, 1960; By Henry Boschen ©

Dover NJ.  1960; Blackwell Street.  By Henry Boschen.    Click once to enlarge.   Re-posted 2024 by popular demand from Dovericans who love this image. And click on “Comments” below.

 

By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor.  Blogfinger.net

Henry Boschen (1922-2011) made this wonderful black and white image in 1960 on Blackwell Street in Dover, New Jersey, a blue collar town in Morris County which was founded in 1869.  In 1960, before the Rockaway Townsquare Mall was built in 1977, Dover was the place to go for shopping.  It was a diverse town, and many of the merchants were Jewish. A growing Hispanic population was beginning to change the personality of Dover.  Spanish restaurants and credit unions were opening. Most of the immigrants were from a particular town in Puerto Rico.

Henry’s image captures the warmth of Christmas in 1960 when shoppers would flock to visit downtown Dover where an old-fashioned  homespun style was found in the shops. You could buy a fine men’s suit at the Quality Shop and pick up fresh fish at Fred’s.  The Walk-Well shoe store was a family business, as were many of the stores downtown.

Dover Photo was one of the few Leica dealerships in New Jersey, so aficionados like me would go there to buy lenses, superb cameras and darkroom gear.  Murray and his sons would offer technical advice to visitors.  They displayed original photos and they offered trade-ins on equipment.  I was one of their best customers.

Dover General Hospital, known for its excellent nursing and physician care, was sixty years old that year and was within walking distance to downtown.  It was founded by a group of Dover women who wanted to improve healthcare  at the turn of the century.

My first medical office was on Blackwell Street. I chose Dover because they had no cardiologist and I wanted to work in the trenches instead of at some ivory tower. The National Community Bank downtown gave me a mortgage before I even saw my first patient.  The town doctors told the banker that I was a good risk.  My practice was busy from day one.

Henry Boschen, my patient and friend, gave me this print, and it is a great treasure.

And we send our best Christmas  and New Year’s wishes to Henry’s loving wife Jane, who is now living in nearby Randolph and to daughter Edie who is one of those wonderful former nurses at Dover General.     Paul Goldfinger, MD

 

RICHARD BURTON

 

While dancing….

Paul Goldfinger image.

 

KURT ELLING:   (Composed by Irving Berlin.)

 

Champion at Jiu-Jitsu tournament.  Noah.

 

Noah wins two. Carries his team across the finish line.

 

 

Pop Pops reporting about Noah.

Some of you may remember seeing Noah for the first time on an ultrasound screen.   He has gone on to stand out in 2nd grade in sports and academics.  He is the first in our family to participate in martial arts.  It is a thrill to see him.

My uncle Marty played football, and when I was a kid, I used to stare at his photo in uniform.  I played  4 sports but nothing that required combat.

One time in a high school soccer match I jumped to grab a header, but I hit heads with a fullback on the other side. We both hit the ground together.  Nothing serious.  But it was ignominious–a word from the SAT.

 

THE CHIFFONS:

 

Paul Goldfinger photo. August 1, 2019.

 

KENNY VANCE:

 

OG beach. Paul Goldfinger photo with an early digital camera. © 2020

 

 

THE BLUE VIPERS OF BROOKLYN:

“Keep on smilin’
‘Cause when you’re smilin’
The whole world smiles with you”

 

 

 

Title: A Desperate Plea
Credit: © Tyrone Siu, Reuters
Caption: Mr Wong cries out in anguish as fire engulfs the Tai Po housing complex he calls home. Moments earlier, he phoned his wife, who was trapped in the building, and they exchanged what would be their final words. Hong Kong, 26 November 2025.
Story: A massive fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po claimed 168 lives, becoming Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since 1948. While no official cause has been reported, investigations by Hong Kong authorities found that bamboo scaffolding, construction netting, and flammable Styrofoam boards on windows acted as accelerants for the fire, trapping residents inside. More than 2,000 firefighters were involved in rescue efforts, killing one and injuring twelve.

 

Leica Fotografie International posted  this image.   The photographer is Tyrone Siu, Reuters.

Posted on Blogfinger on 4/11/26

 

This image deserved the recognition.  The drama and the photo quality are  amazing. Technically it is a perfect photograph .

Ronald Naldi, tenor, poses in front of his Ocean Grove tent, a short walk to the Great Auditorium. Paul Goldfinger photo, Blogfinger.net. ©

Ronald Naldi, tenor, in front of his Ocean Grove tent, a short walk to the Great Auditorium. Paul Goldfinger photo, Blogfinger.net. ©

 

 

Q:  Where in the world can you meet a world famous opera singer, wearing a lavender sport jacket, emerging from his tent home, about to leave for his recital—one block away?

A. Ocean Grove, New Jersey, USA.    Only in America.

I was on my way by bike to Ronald Naldi’s Sunday afternoon recital, when I spotted the man himself, getting his wardrobe organized on his porch, having just emerged from his tent, i.e. his summer home in Ocean Grove.

I made a U turn and stopped in front of his abode.   Ron, a lyric tenor, artist-in-residence each summer in the Grove, was almost ready. For those of you who don’t know of him, he is a major star with the Metropolitan Opera in NYC.

I reminded him of who I was, but he was well aware of our Ocean Grove blog.   Actually I knew that from a prior telephone interview, but I wasn’t sure he would recognize me. He cheerfully and enthusiastically agreed when I asked to photograph him in front of his tent. His concert would start in about 15 minutes, so we didn’t chat much, but he did give me the Blogfinger quote of the year:

He said, “I love Blogfinger.…it is the best blog in the world.”

Holy mackerel!   “Thank you,”  I blurted out, “I promise a good review for your concert.”   Goodness—-what a lame thing to say.

He laughed. I jumped on my bike pedaling off towards the Youth Temple—visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in my head.

The next time I saw him was when he strode on stage  for what Shelley Brown of OG calls “The best concert of the year in Ocean Grove.”

Needless to say, the recital was superb.

—Paul Goldfinger, Editor @blogfinger

 

RONALD NALDI from his album of Neapolitan Songs.  “Rondine al Nido”