Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged POem by Geeorge Held on January 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Staying vertical in Ocean Grove. Paul Goldfinger photo. August, 2018 near Wesley Lake. ©
Stay Up!
I tell myself
whenever I take a walk:
Don’t stumble and fall
again, the way you did
some months ago,
landing on your hip
but with no break,
only bruises.
You can’t count on
your luck forever:
Break your hip or pelvis
and you’ll be in grave
shape, so stay up!
Stay up! … it’s imperative
if you want to
stay alive.
CAST OF THE MOST HAPPY FELLA
Posted in Blogfinger Presents on January 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Dusk in March. Paul Goldfinger © 2010.
Brink
By Charles Pierre.
In the dank hollow
of clustered dunes,
a small pitch pine,
coated with
salt dew and
crusted grit,
quivers at dusk
under March’s
charcoal clouds.
KIMMIE RHODES
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, tagged Ellwood H Stokes in Ocean Grove New Jersey on January 12, 2021| 3 Comments »
Ocean Grove, New Jersey. April 20, 2015. By Paul Goldfinger. © Blogfinger.net Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
“I hereby acknowledge the good hand of God in leading me from the beginning until now.” With these words, written in 1897, Elwood H. Stokes began his autobiography called “Footprints in My Own Life” published in 1898 in Asbury Park by the Press of M., W. & C. Pennypacker.
A note on page 8 gives a clue as to why he was inspired to write this book. The frontispiece says “Upon these sea-bleached sands I wrote my name, but one swell of the rising waters wiped it out forever; so will the fast flowing billows of time soon erase my name from the records of earth, and the world will pass on as though a generation of us had never existed.”
Stokes (1815-1897) was born into a poor family of Quakers. He had an uncle named Job. When he was 16 years old he wanted to join the other boys in sinful activities. He said, “I tried to plunge into sin, but an invisible power held me back.” He married Hannah Neff when he was 23. They had one child–Mary.
After becoming a preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church he traveled the circuit and later was given assignments in New Brunswick, Trenton, Newark and Morristown among a number of such New Jersey towns.
At the age of 29, in Long Branch, NJ, Stokes saw the ocean for the first time, and he was powerfully impressed. He said,”I looked! I was astounded! I had seen lofty mountains and noble rivers; I had seen the beautiful valley, the sloping hill, the winding rivulet; I had seen nature and art combined, forming the most romantic landscapes;—-but never, never had I seen a sight so majestic as the mighty ocean.”
He rose in the ranks and was present on July 31, 1869 when Ocean Grove was founded by a group of Methodist preachers. In 1870 he was named President of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association and he kept that position until he died. He was a much beloved religious leader who led the development of Ocean Grove to the point where huge crowds would come in the summers. Thanks to him, Ocean Grove today is the longest active Camp Meeting in the United States.
In his latter years, the religious leaders in the Grove became concerned about increased secularism. Stokes noted that with the increased prosperity of the Camp Meeting attendees, more and more activities were focused on pleasure rather than religion. But Stokes continued his hard work in promoting the Camp Meeting religious life including services on the beach attended by thousands and sacred music in the Tabernacle.
He never finished his autobiography, so the last chapter was written by his friend and colleague Rev. Dr. Ballard who concluded by saying, “Whatever may come in the future–however much the forms and customs may change as they have already changed—the names of Ellwood H. Stokes and Ocean Grove will stand together while time has a history or eternity a record.*”
MOLLY O’DAY
2021; “Changes in the Grove? We’re always traveling that highway home.”—PG
*All quotes are from Stokes’ autobiography.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged Neptune Committee on January 12, 2021| 1 Comment »
Is this the Neptune Committee? Ocean Grovers don’t know who they are. What are their names anyhow? And why does their music seem so strange?
Why is it that we don’t know the identity of our Township Committee? Suffering Surfer calls them “Mike and the Misfits.” Why the pseudonym? For some reason Surfer sees a resemblance to a 60 year old Doo Wop group—one-hit wonders with fancy footwork; five people doing an incoherent mystery dance round and round up on their platform?
They don’t represent the people of Ocean Grove, so why should we pretend that we know them? Maybe the Mayor’s name is really Speedo, or Moe, or Joe or Mr. Earl , and maybe they are the Cadillacs—- like doo woppers harmonizing on some street corner?
To us their music sounds disharmonious–the rhythm is out of wack, and the tempo is too fast. We can’t see what they are doing—every day is a foggy day in London Town.
They are a mystery, and here is a theme song for them. The people of Ocean Grove don’t care much about them. They are strangers to us. Grovers even have banned the doo wops from the Great Auditorium. Will they ever change their tunes ? Or maybe they will fade away like the end of this song.
THE CADILLACS:
Posted in Blogfinger Presents on January 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Ft. Myers, Fla farmers’ market. Paul Goldfinger photograph. Q2M. 1/8/21 © Click to enlarge.
Paul Goldfinger, MD. Blogfinger.net
I have to assume that this grandpa did not want to alarm his precious granddaughter by wearing a mask. He was in a public space, outdoors. He appeared to be distancing himself as well as one can in a space where people are moving like Brownian motion, flitting from bananas, to avocados, to coffee, to pastries and breads, with unpredictable moves.
This market was not crowded at this point in time because it had just opened, but soon it would be crowded, and presumably grandpa would have gone home or drifted into the adjacent open spaces where it is safe to not wear a mask.
My conclusion is that grandpa was being responsible at that point in time and at that location.
And my other conclusion is that granddaughter has two d’s. I have a grandson, so the male version is less complicated.
And my final conclusion is that political correctness shouldn’t bury this song from GIGI:
MAURICE CHEVALIER from GiGi (Original movie soundtrack) From the Google search: ” It is the musical score, written by Frederick Lowe and Alan Jay Lerner and adapted and conducted by Andre Previn that enabled Gigi to become so memorable, …”
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged Summer arrives on January 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »
“What’s the story?” Auditorium Square Park. 2015. Paul Goldfinger ©. Click for that big smile on this sunshine lady. Re-post.
MEL TILLIS:
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Florida connection on Blogfinger, Florida photography on January 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »
These three beautiful purveyors of hand-crafted creations were happy to be mask free for this Paul Goldfinger photograph. I said, “OK girls take a deep breast.” The joke is mine; the smiles are theirs. 1/8/21 ©
January 8, 2021. Fort Myers, Florida.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net
I tried to photograph this threesome who were selling hand-crafted jewelry at the Outlets Farmers Market on Friday. It was the first day this season, so there was a great deal of enthusiasm. These lovely young ladies weren’t feeling the groove posing for a photo with the masks on, so they asked.
It seemed safe enough with them distanced from all the customers and wearing masks all along. When they took off their masks they were busting out all over—big smiles erupted, and you can see how much was being missed under those masks.
From now on I will try to ask my street photography subjects to briefly unmask. After all, a photo only takes 1/250th of a second. So I took one exposure, the smiles lingered for a few moments, and then the masking resumed.
THE CAST OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S FOLLIES:
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged Harlem Heights on January 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Harlem Heights series. Ft. Myers, Fla. Paul Goldfinger © The bougainvillea shrub has red flowers. Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor@Blogfinger.net
Harlem Heights is an old neighborhood in the city of Ft. Myers. The houses are very modest, and there are quite a few residents who live below the poverty line. At the top of this street is a roadside fruit and vegetable stand. The elderly African-American man who runs the stand lives on this street. He was raised here and talks about how his house had been surrounded by farms.
Many of them grew gladiolus flower bulbs. In fact, the main street there is called Gladiolus Drive and the A&B Bulb Road is where a famous gladiolus farm once existed. Lee County used to be called the Gladiolus Capital of the World.
gladiolus
His stand is across from the bright green Food Bank where small crowds show up when they are open for business. And one block away from him is the bright yellow Heights Elementary School. Both sites have been photographed and posted recently on Blogfinger..
You will notice the sign above: BEWARE OF THE DOG. There are mixed messages here: beautiful flowers and a dire warning on a locked fence.
But I think there is actually a complimentary message, and it has to do with the word “the.” “The dog” implies one dog in particular, and the “the” rather than “beware: dog” says that we don’t really mean to threaten anybody.
“The dog” on the sign is just a cuddly, friendly, jovial canine who loves to greet visitors. I think the “the” means to say, “Come look at the flowers; ‘the dog’ is friendly.”
I stood there to take this picture, and no dog actually appeared.
And while we are discussing Harlem Heights, here is a report about another street in that neighborhood, two blocks away.
BEVERLY KENNEY:
“Can’t we sail away on a lazy daisy petal
Over the rim of the hills?
Can’t we sail away on a little dream
Settle high on the crest of a thrill?”
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged Me and My Girl on January 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Farmers Market. Ft. Myers, Fla. Paul Goldfinger photograph. Jan. 8, 2021.
“Thinking of No One But Me…” From the London Cast of Me and My Girl.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged Kate Moss at the Surrey on January 7, 2021| 1 Comment »
Kate Moss portrait by Chuck Close in the lobby of the Hotel Surrey on East 76th Street. Lobby photo by Paul Goldfinger © 2014 with Leica M-9 camera. Click image to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor@Blogfinger.net.
Kate Moss is a famous model whose portrait greets guests near the elevators at the upscale hotel “Surrey” on East 76th Street. Chuck Close, the photographer, is known for his unflinching photos of celebrities. Kate Moss didn’t mind that she would be without her facial protective armor–her makeup. She said that she has had enough pretty pictures over the years. She also posed naked for him, but not in the Surrey’s lobby.
I’m not a big fan of portraits because they are overrated as to what they reveal about the subjects, but this portrait of her face in your face has a powerful impact, not only physically, but knowing that one of the most beautiful women in the world would permit this image to be shown this way certainly says something about her. If I shoot a portrait, I usually try for a candid view of someone in their natural environment.
I have never photographed a nude. Why? Never had the opportunity. Helmut Newton was famous for his highly erotic black and white photographs of long legged nudes. His wife was present at every shoot. Edward Weston, however, an American fine art photographer, was famous for sleeping with all his models, some of which were women while others were peppers. Weston’s hand made prints now sell for over $100,000 each. —Paul Goldfinger, editor @Blogfinger
FRANK SINATRA, JR.
