Posted in Blogfinger Presents on July 20, 2019| Leave a Comment »
It’s 50 years since the walk on the moon, so here’s a re-post. We were living in Manhattan then, while I was a medical resident at Mt. Sinai. I photographed the TV. P.G. Click on word Blogfinger below this sentence.
Apollo 11. July 20, 1969. Time on the moon: 21 hrs. 36 min.
Photograph of the TV screen, New York City. By Paul Goldfinger. Originally posted in 2012.
SOUNDTRACK (Astrud Gilberto):
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged Igor Timkovsky poet on July 20, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Paul Goldfinger photograph. Blogfinger.net
MELODY IN PARADISE (2018)*
By Igor Timkovsky
A breeze plays the blinds.
The notes it finds.
The melody is pleasing my brain.
The comfort, the air:
That’s all I can care.
The ocean I can reach by train.
It’s only fair
Away from despair
I walk be it sunshine or rain.
Get easily tired
But here inspired.
Can stand for the longest. No strain.
It’s Garden of Eden
From others’ eyes hidden.
The purity is its only grain.
SARAH BRIGHTMAN “Stranger in Paradise.” Melody adapted from Russian composer Borodin.
* This poem is from a collection called: “Ocean Betrayal —-A poet’s Guide to Paradise at the Jersey Shore.” Under the pseudonym Eric Timm.
“Ocean Betrayal” references an incident where the ocean turned on the poet suddenly, as a rip tide in Ocean Grove, 2017. He and his son were rescued by lifeguards.
Posted in Blogfinger interviews, Blogfinger Presents, tagged Igor Timkovsky, Ocean Betrayal, Ocean rescue in Ocean Grove on July 19, 2019| 2 Comments »
Blogfinger interviews Igor and Aaron at the OG Bake shoppe. 7/18/19 Paul Goldfinger photo ©
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor
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 2,000 years ago. Their lives were difficult through the Middle Ages.
They were forced eastward in the 15th to 16th centuries and settled in the country of Belarus, east of Poland. 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 some relatives were swept up by the Holocaust.
After the war, small numbers survived, and some then migrated to Israel or the US. Igor was born in Belarus in 1962.
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.
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. We will post one of his poems soon.
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.”
Posted in Blogfinger Presents on July 19, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Who doesn’t like to reminisce once in a while? We last posted this tribute to fine music in 2015. Long enough for most of the original readers to lose their memories or die. We did joke around a lot, but we mostly loved the music. We had a “fake book” to help us out; it had about a thousand songs in it, so if you requested “Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long” we could take a shot. Click on Blogfinger below.
Lavallette, New Jersey c.1962. Charlie Francesconi on left (bass player) and Paul Goldfinger (ie Gary) on right. In front of the Red Rail Restaurant. Last posted 2013.
Bunny, I, Charlie (bass) and Frank (drums) warming up in Frank’s basement in Rutherford. We were college kids. Bunny and I were from FDU while Frank went to Seton Hall. Charlie was a precocious high school senior whose girlfriend was our groupie. Bunny rarely sang, but when she did, it was “Willow Weep for Me.” (We weeped for her singing.) Bunny was so slim that she could play between the white keys. Wallpaper compliments of Frank’s Mom. There are no recordings of our group.
The Paul Gary quartet performed at college parties, bar mitzvahs, dances, bars and even a boat ride. We specialized in dance music. I played alto sax in the FDU jazz band, but it was a tenor in the photo above. …
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Posted in Blogfinger Presents on July 19, 2019| Leave a Comment »
The gorgeous Catherine Deneuve starred in this movie. There was more making out in this trailer than at the Rt. 3 Drive-In near the Meadowlands, where the Rutherford High crowd went to see serious cinema.
But after you hear the music with Jack’s painting, you can now see a bit of the rest of the story.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove lifestyles, Ocean GRove parking issues, tagged Blocking parking spaces in Ocean Grove on July 19, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Internet photo
In the July 18, 2019 issue of the Qoaster, there is this “news” item on the front page:
“Officials are cracking down in Ocean Grove on those who try to save parking spaces by placing orange cones in front of their homes. Although there is not an ordinance regulating cones, there is a policy in place prohibiting obstruction of parking spaces.”
Blogfinger has checked with a high ranking Neptune PD official who tells us that police are enforcing their rules on this in the same way that they always have—there is no “crackdown.”
Also the rule is enforced even if the violation is not in front of one’s house.
The rule says that no objects may be left at the curb other than a parked vehicle. If someone does try to save a parking space with a cone, a garbage pail, or anything else, a passing police officer will issue a ticket.
A garbage pail may be left at the curb only on the day of garbage pickup. In a marginal case, the officer will decide.
As with Bridgegate, the Qoaster has decided to act as if this is a unique news story, but in both instances, Blogfinger has covered these matters on quite a few occasion over the years.
In July 2017, we posted a piece on this very subject. It gives quite a bit of information:
2017 Blogfinger article on saving spaces
Another BF 2017 piece on this topic looks at the ethics.
Within that top 2017 post, there is a 2013 link, and that post had 35 comments! So saving spaces is a hot (intermittently) topic.
Recently I spoke to two neighbors about the common practice of arranging cars creatively so that a space could materialize when a friend, relative, spouse shows up.
In both cases, these Grovers think that is unethical.
But I have consistently believed that the Township should do something (permit parking) to give the residents a leg up in the quest for parking spaces. In the absence of such legislation, then I see nothing wrong for residents to give themselves a slight edge in the parking wars.
Shouldn’t a resident have a better chance for a space than some out-of-towner who is coming to take pictures of our houses or visiting the shlock-market on the Pathway while parking for free and adding to the congestion?
But, to be clear, I don’t usually do it, but if a neighbor offers to move his car to make room for mine, I will accept.
LADY ANTEBELLUM:
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged Jack Bredin Ocean Grove artist, Ocean Grove 150th birthday on July 18, 2019| 1 Comment »
Jack Bredin looking east along Wesley Lake. July 17, 2019. Celebrating Ocean Grove’s 150th birthday. Photograph by Rob Bredin. © Click on image to enlarge.
FRANK CHACKSFIELD from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg “I Will Wait for You.”
Posted in Blogfinger Presents on July 18, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Here is a re-review of a very good Japanese restaurant in Wall, not far from OG.—Paul
SUMO table. They all look like this. These guys are waiters, so don’t mess with the wasabi. All photos by Paul Goldfinger © November 27, 2018.
By Paul and Eileen Goldfinger, Editors @Blogfinger.net
Do you like sushi like we like sushi? We discovered a fabulous place. Our friends Jake and Vivian recommended it. It is the Sumo Hibachi Steakhouse and Sushi Bar in Wall Twp, 10 minutes from Ocean Grove. You must try it.
It is a lovely place with very fresh and delicious food. The owner Kimberly is gracious, and the service is wonderful. Trip- Advisor gave them 5/5 stars; Blogfinger gives them 5/5 Fingers (or Bloggies depending on which coast you are on;) 4 Square gave them 4/5
This sort of sushi and sashimi feast is amazing. We had it for dinner. It will feed, in our opinion, 6-8 people, and it comes in a variety of sizes…
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Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged Ocean Grove patriotism on July 18, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Patriotic Ocean Grove. Paul Goldfinger photograph© 7/18/19
LESLIE ODOM, JR from the Broadway show Hamilton
Posted in Blogfinger Presents on July 18, 2019| 1 Comment »
Blogfinger cow
—-With all the heat and rain, mosquitoes will be breeding like crazy. Make sure that there is no standing water on your property; not even tiny amounts
—OG fireworks will be held on Saturday, July 27 at 9:00 pm. Come to the beach for a rare event.
—Letter from OG resident:
Dear Neighbors,
According to many major publications and housing experts, dryer lint caught in the dryer vent system is a significant cause of home fires.
Recently, a local company performed professional dryer vent cleaning for us, and we were amazed at the findings: a bird’s nest behind a closed vent; a screen cap inside the vent to catch the lint, and the lint was so balled up that air couldn’t get through, and we found loads of lint in the vent lines where owners were seasonal as well as full-time residents.
Considering OG’s history of fires and the potential for more, we urge all homeowners to clean the removable filter after each cycle and to have their dryer vents professionally inspected and cleaned regularly.
Please, feel free to share this information with others.
—Ocean Grove Citizens Patrol will end operations after 29 years. This is an official statement:
“The OGCP was solely funded by the generous residents of Ocean Grove through the yearly fundraiser. The OGCP has actively tried to recruit new members as the number of dedicated volunteers has been dwindling. Support from local officials has not been as strong as in previous years which prompted the Executive Board to decide that the OGCP has served it’s mission purpose of citizens protecting citizens. Read more in the Coaster.
