Thomas Mato Blanchot feat. WAWA: “Isn’t She Lovely”
Editor’s Note: This Stevie Wonder song is about his newborn daughter, but in a larger sense he is writing about the beauty of God’s gifts.
Shouldn’t we try to preserve one of the few remaining open vistas at the Jersey Shore for all to enjoy, not just a select few? Go take a walk at the North End of OG and look around, especially at the open views of the ocean. Why not start by sending letters to the Township Committee. They have the power to cancel that zoning disaster in favor of a gift to the people.
In Morris County, they pay farmers to keep the land forever as farms. Why don’t our elected officials campaign in Trenton and Washington to do the same sort of thing here by turning the North End into a wonderful seaside park (perhaps with a vast underground parking garage to soften the financial loss for the Camp Meeting Association.)
A reasonable Plan B would be to return to single family zoning for that project.
Link to the 1986 rejection of a South End project (posted in 2016):
This was originally posted in June, 2015 on BF. But each year we pay attention to girls in their summer clothes. It is a tradition for our seashore community.
The June day in 2015 (below) started out rainy and chilly, but later in the day it became Sunny and Cher; it warmed up a bit, but it was still windy.
I went on the boardwalk and saw lifeguards at their stations. A green flag was flying along with “Old Glory.” But no one was swimming. In fact no one was in the water.
I walked up to one of the lifeguard stands and joked with the guards who stayed at their post, like soldiers guarding a “no-man’s land.” An older guard, “Cowboy Dave” was sitting in the rescue boat, 10 gallon hat on and blue sunglasses, but he was facing the water. He is either the first or the last in the lifeboat. He said that he is from OG and that this is his 16th summer as a lifeguard. He reminds me of Robert Duvall smelling napalm in the morning. (Apocalypse Now)
I asked him if he saw any bathing beauties go by, because all that was out there was the surf. He pointed to some young ladies about 100 yards away who were the only ones on the beach, to the north. Clearly this was not a “no-woman’s land.”
They wore some pretty small bathing suits, so it seemed like a good public interest news photo- op for Blogfinger.
When I walked to their location, it seemed like I should ask them why they are in Ocean Grove on such a bleak day. I was thinking that they looked like they should be in Asbury Park. I did not comment on their attire, but you can’t help but notice that this is much different than 1880.
As it turns out, they are coeds who are camping at Allaire State Park where they are renting a yurt. They were having a great time just being together and laughing and talking and telling yurt jokes. They said that they preferred Ocean Grove’s beach to any others. One of them had come to OG as a child.
They especially singled out Days Ice Cream and the summer tents as favorite spots. I only had one BF card which I gave them to photograph and share.
I said goodbye and walked back to the lifeguards offering to sell them the names of the young ladies. They seemed interested, but ultimately I suggested that they get the names themselves.
So who says that we live in Ocean Grave? It’s time to bury that nickname.
The OG Beach at Heck Avenue was pretty active at twilight on a Saturday. A big party with dancing and a sit-down dinner on the front lawn was going on across the street at the Handford House on Ocean Ave.
On the beach there was a bridal photo shoot near the dunes, and by the water was a big volley ball game.
Who said that the “season” is over after Labor Day?
Personally, I wouldn’t care if the Tour de France came down our boardwalk today. It is a perfectly fine day to cycle, and the dangers of summer crowds are over. In fact, we should have a Lance Armstrong look-alike contest on the boards this Saturday to make sure that every inch of the Grove is filled on Giant Flea Market day.
The Neptune ordinance #1120 says no bicycles on the Boardwalk from 10 am to 3 am. from May 1 to October 1. But no one gives a rat’s tuchus about that law once Labor Day is over. Bicycles were all over the Boardwalk this morning. And that’s great. Why not petition Neptune Township to change the law to allow bikes after Labor Day? Change it now and declare all today’s bikers as innocent.
In fact, all summer long the police specials on Segways were absent because no one would pay to hire them, so who would enforce the bike ordinance anyhow? Evidently the badge checkers were deputized for that. Shouldn’t Neptune pay to enforce their ordinances? How does that relationship work between the CMA and Neptune? Is there something in writing that spells out how ordinance #1120 should be enforced?
As for the criminal bike riders on the OG boards today, they are correct to assume that no one will enforce the law. So knock yourselves out.
And why not have a meeting of all the shore towns around here and settle on a time schedule for bikers that is consistent from town to town.
Here is a link to a popular BF post about cycling around this part of the Jersey Shore.
Amelia had a busy summer, and even though the beachfront is pretty quiet today, she says that “crazy people” are still driving around. She has experienced drivers practically running her over (“They keep going”) even though she holds her sign up. Of course, if she holds it upside-down it will say “POTS.”
The crossing guards were 4 in number by the beach, and there were some on Main Avenue as well. It’s always possible that somebody will dash across the street in a hurry, before the ice cream runs out.
As we spoke, a slowpoke came by, and she called out, “The winter’s coming, people.” Tomorrow is the last day helping pedestrians for Amelia in the Grove, but she will still be practicing her craft as a school crossing guard in Neptune.
Ocean Grove is an extremely dog-friendly town, but the Township and the CMA cannot find it in their hearts to provide a dog park or an after (or before) hours dog beach. Such places are as much for the owners as they are for the animals. It’s a quality of life issue.
Want to smoke on the OG beach? Well, you cannot; read the sign. Oh, you can smoke on the Boardwalk. Blogfinger photo.
The NJ Governor just signed a law forbidding smoking on public beaches. The price of a ticket is $250.00.
OGCMA banned smoking on our beaches some time ago, but would the OG beach be considered a “public beach” making such OG puffers eligible for that fine?
