Paul Goldfinger © September 14, 2010. Ocean Grove beachfront.
“When an early autumn walks the land and chills the breeze
And touches with her hand the summer trees”
TIERNEY SUTTON from her album Unsung Heroes.
Archive for the ‘Ocean Grove beachfront’ Category
Early autumn sky at the OG beachfront
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove beachfront on April 24, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Pathfinders at the OG North End…
Posted in Asbury connection with Ocean Grove, Ocean Grove beachfront, Ocean Grove fire April 2019, Ocean Grove fires, tagged Ocean Grove fire 2019 on April 22, 2019| 1 Comment »
Paul Goldfinger ©. April 22, 2019. OG North End. Pathfinders. Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor@Blogfinger.net
The walking path has now been opened, following the boardwalk north past the two piles of rubble and other signs of the great fire. A truck from the Neptune Office of Emergency Management has arrived, but their role in the cleanup is unknown to us.
You could stand on your head, but no one from the Mother Ship would offer some information on Blogfinger. The last time that happened was with Committeewoman Mary Beth Jahn, when she opposed the North End Plan, and she later got dumped by the Township Comedy.
The two rubble piles remain. Safety fence along the boardwalk.
Some boardwalk damage was evident. Paul Goldfinger. © 4/22/19.
Bikers, joggers, walkers, and tricky kids have returned this morning, the day after Easter Sunday.
I even saw a young woman walking with her friend, chattering back and forth as they swung their arms. They both wore black leggings (girls in their spring clothes) and one wore a shirt that said, “Á La Mode.”
That made my day, trying to understand her messaging. Lately we see a lot more T shirts with messages other than “Marquette University” which also showed up this morning. You can’t blame her for not wanting to be in Wisconsin in April.
North End wreckage at the north side of the damage. April 22, 2019. Paul Goldfinger © Click to enlarge.
This jury rigged path will allow life to resume as access to Asbury Park returns, and the merchants over there breathe a sigh of relief. Now all that remains is to wait for the Asburians to begin the beguine.
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH RUBEN BLADES AND WYNTON MARSALIS:
Bubbles at the beach. OG lifestyles.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove beachfront, Ocean Grove lifestyles, tagged Ocean Grove beachfront on March 27, 2019| Leave a Comment »
EMMY ROSSUM “Things” From her album Sentimental Journey.
A happening day at the OG beach.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove beachfront, Ocean Grove lifestyles, tagged An Ocean Grove beach day, Wedding photo shoot on March 24, 2019| Leave a Comment »
CHRISTINA PERRI “A Thousand Years” from the film soundtrack The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.
Isn’t she lovely? OG’s south end as it looks today thanks to the 1986 rejection of a high rise condominium building.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove beachfront, Ocean Grove North End Redevelopment Plan, Ocean Grove South End, tagged Fletcher Lake in Ocean Grove, South End of Ocean Grove on February 1, 2019| 2 Comments »
Southeast end of Fletcher Lake as seen from the Bradley Beach side. We can still have an open vista at the North End if we fight the voracious NERP. Blogfinger photo 5/16/16 ©
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):
1986 OG project rejection of South End condominiums
—Paul Goldfinger, Editor at Blogfinger
The sun came out on Sunday and so did Bob Bowné with his camera.
Posted in Ocean Grove beachfront, Ocean Grove lifestyles, Photograph by Bob Bowné, Photographic Gallery: Ocean Grove, Photography in New Jersey, Photography: Jersey Shore Gallery, tagged TONY BENNETT ON BLOGFINGER, Windy day in Ocean Grove New Jersey on January 30, 2019| Leave a Comment »
“A blustery day” by Bob Bowné. “Man impersonates a sea gull.” October 4, 2015. The non-fishing pier in Ocean Grove, NJ. Special to Blogfinger. © Click image to enlarge.
TONY BENNETT:
You’ve come a long way, baby. Bathing beauties at the Ocean Grove beachfront—-old days and new.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove beachfront, Ocean Grove Historical Society, Ocean Grove history, Ocean Grove history by Blogfinger, Ocean Grove lifestyle, Ocean Grove memorabilia, Photographic Gallery: Ocean Grove, Photography: girls in summer clothes, tagged Bathing Beauties in Ocean Grove, Girls in their summer clothes, ies, Ocean Grove lifeguards on January 6, 2019| 3 Comments »
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.
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.
Ocean Grove beach, late 1800’s. Courtesy of Ted Bell author of: Images of America—Ocean Grove. © 2000.
Source: hanging at the HSOG museum. Blogfinger photo
By contrast, here is a photograph taken in summer, 2018 on the OG boards. What a difference 140 years can make in beach fashions:
Coup de foudre: (“Love at first sight.) Paul Goldfinger photo. Summer, 2018. OG boards. ©
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.
OG lifeguards. 6/6/15 Blogfinger photo © All photographs by Paul Goldfinger, Editor @ Blogfinger. (except for the one by Ted Bell dated 1880.) Click to enlarge all photos.
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)
Cowboy Dave. 6/06/15. Blogfinger photo ©
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.
OG bathers. (Left to right) Hannah, Tui, Danielle, and Amelia. 6/6/15. Blogfinger photo © Click image to enlarge the bathing suits.
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.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Saturday, June 6, 2015, Ocean Grove beach.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (live)
A cool day in May at the Shore.
Posted in Ocean Grove beachfront, tagged Celia Cruz on Blogfinger, Salsa on Blogfinger on November 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »
What the Heck Avenue is going on here?
Posted in Ocean Grove beachfront, Ocean Grove lifestyles, tagged Ocean Grove beach in September on September 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Ocean Grove Beach. at Heck Avenue September 22, 2018. 6:30 pm. Paul Goldfinger © Click to sort it all out.
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?
BOB DYLAN: “When the World Was Young.”
Bicycling resumes on the boardwalk—-even though it is illegal from 10 am to 3 am.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove beachfront, tagged bicycles in Ocean Grove on September 6, 2018| 1 Comment »
Bikers/law breakers on the OG Boardwalk on Thursday morning, 11 am. Sept. 6, 2018. Blogfinger photo. They are in violation of Neptune ordinance #1120. Click to enlarge this image. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©
By Paul Goldfinger @Blogfinger.net
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.
JUSTIN HURWITZ “Epilogue” from the movie soundtrack of La La Land. This soundtrack won a Grammy.
