Carolyn.  Paul Goldfinger photo. May 20, 2020. Blogfinger.net. ©

This is Carolyn.  She is from Neptune and she loves to walk on the Grovarian boardwalk.  She pointed to the Great Auditorium and said that she graduated in “that church” and she loves the idea that Neptune High School is the only one to graduate in a “church.”

I told her that the traditional Scarlet Flier graduation in the Great Auditorium might not happen this year, although they probably could distance everyone in that large space and require masks.

Today she is wearing a mask made by a relative. It has musical notations on it, and I told her that a marching band couldn’t use it because how do you blow a trumpet through that?  I guess you can put a mask on a  trumpet or even a large one on a tuba.

She berated me in a quiet way, even though we were more than six feet apart, because I had no mask on, but I said that I didn’t need one because I was outdoors with no-one close to me.

She disagreed, and I guess she is correct.   But if you are riding a bike or walking or jogging on an empty path, do you need one?  From a medical point of view, probably not, but it’s safer and more civilized to always wear one when people are around.

Notice the Pavilion on the boardwalk which is taped closed.  The Exec. order does say, “No pavilions.”

I saw three Neptune police vehicles simultaneously on Ocean Avenue. That’s a rare sight.

One was parked  by the pier, the other was riding by, and the third was parked about 15 yards north of Carolyn and me.  A man, dressed like a civilian, without a mask, was at the driver’s window speaking to the officer.

I don’t know if the officer was wearing a mask, but any Township official doing business in town should wear a mask, especially  when interacting with the public.

The rules about masks are fraught with confusion, and you can’t officially fault anyone about it because the requirement is voluntary,  but wearing one outdoors seems like good sense because you never know when someone might pop up in your face.

I guess the police could warn someone who is not distancing, but masks?  I’ll have to ask a police officer.

This morning I complained to Public Works because they left a pail of recyclables.  They reluctantly  sent the truck back, and I was waiting.  2 workers approached me maskless (I had one on) and then a third spoke to me, (also maskless.)   They found no problem, so they took the contents of my official green pail.

At the boardwalk pavilion, Ocean Avenue side. May 20, 2020. 10:00 am. Blogfinger.net photo © Click to see the details. 

Paul Goldfinger editor Blogfinger.net

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