Maeve had just returned to the Grove after participating in a “PorchFest” in A. Park. 9/28/19
It’s not exactly “girls in their summer clothes” because Fall is just 5 days old, but it did hit 80 today in the Grove. We spotted Maeve down one of the streets off Main, on her cell phone. I asked her if I could photograph her for our “Portraits in the Grove” series when a car pulled up. It was her parents—just in time. I gave them a Blogfinger card, and they were pleased for the photo shoot (I took 3 frames and was done.) Maeve is 20 years old and a natural model.
And, by the way, the idea of a PorchFest is terrific. They had small musical groups performing all afternoon on porches throughout A. Park. That would be a good idea for us to emulate as another musical event aimed mostly towards the residents of the Grove.
Ocean Grove is a dog town. It is a marvelous place to have a dog. People and their pets meet and socialize in our parks. We suspect that there are more dogs per square mile than in any other town in New Jersey.
Yesterday a neighbor stopped to chat with me in front of my house. Just then a man with a Weimaraner strolled by—the large dog was beautiful and elegant with a silver gray coat. The dog moved slowly towards the young lady. She looked at the dog and then engaged the dog owner about his pet.
I don’t have a dog, but Grovers are familiar with the importance of dogs in our community.
Social interactions like this happen often in Ocean Grove.
It’s a shame that the CMA could not understand this phenomenon when they precipitously rejected a public petition to have a dog park or a dog beach in the Grove. They said that it didn’t fit with their mission.
HARRY NILSSON from the movie You’ve Got Mail soundtrack.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger. Reposted from 2013.
On October 29, 2012, when Super Storm Sandy hit Ocean Grove, Bob Bowné climbed to the top of the Windamer Hotel and went out on a small balcony at the left side. The wind was ferocious, but he managed to remain there while he gathered his photo gear. Bob is a professional photographer, so when he saw the furor of the ocean and the beginning of flooding, he knew that he had to document this huge event.
It was about 4:00 p.m., and the peak of the storm had not yet hit, but the sight of that tumultous ocean was awesome. That is when he obtained the photograph that would become an iconic image of the storm. He said that he preferred making the image while the pier was intact, so that it would document what was, rather than what would be after.
The full strength of Sandy came to bear at about 9:00 pm. after the winds shifted and roared in from the south. Bob was the only person in his building and he watched as the devastation evolved including the loss of most of the fishing pier and the boardwalk. He went downstairs to check his apartment which was in the basement and he came face to face with a large piece of the Hotel’s roof. Water was pouring in over the boardwalk area and onto Ocean Avenue, heading west.
Bob Bowné is a life long Grover and he currently works as a carpenter. In the past he was a commercial photographer who specialized in product imagery. He also was a surfer for many years and he used to photograph for surfing publications.
In preparation for a major exhibit about the storm at the Museum of the City of New York, 10,000 photographs were evaluated. Bob’s spectacular shot of the ocean boiling over the OG pier was judged one of the most dramatic images.
The pier picture is the only one of his in the exhibit, but he has allowed us to publish a few more from that storm day. These gorgeous images are now exhibited publicly for the first time. Bob said that the light was unusual and transient, enabling him to obtain the photographs that we are now showing, without any software manipulation.
Opening of “Rising Waters: Photographs of Sandy.” Bob used a fish-eye lens for this shot.
The exhibit opened on October 29, 2013. Bob was there, and people asked for him to sign his photo. The exhibit is called “Rising Waters: Photographs of Sandy”
Hello Paul…I love your photo of the Hemingway cat…the Siamese is truly a regal creature. I am a great admirer of cats and I have done several interpretations of Ocean Grove felines in watercolor/gouache. In the past, you took an interest in my painting of Maggie the cat (beloved Ocean Grove feline). I so appreciated the fact that you shared my artwork on your blog. I thought I would submit my latest painting of “Willow”…taking a nap on her Franklin Avenue porch. I tried to capture that “Leave me alone, I’m napping” look in her eyes.
Sincerely yours,
MaryLou
Mary Lou—this is a fine painting of a cute cat. She is the epitome of comfort—an inspiration for humans, especially those who have access to an Ocean Grove porch. Sometimes I take a walk in the Grove and pass a person who is curled up on their porch in a comfortable chair, reading a book, taking a nap, or sipping a drink. Oftentimes their legs are up on a cushion or tucked underneath. They seem so content, and I am jolted–because it reminds me that Eileen and I need to spend more time relaxing on our porch. We need to stop and smell the flowers and the ocean breezes, like Willow.
Thanks for sharing with the Blogfinger audience.
CAT POWER is the name given to recordings by singer/songwriter Charlene Marie Marshall, a Southern soul performer. This is from her 7th album —-recorded in Memphis in 2006 to great acclaim. Other than her stage name, this music has nothing to do with cats. But like so much of the music which we post on Blogfinger, it’s here because I like it.
These lyrics are a bit obscure, but the music is dreamlike and beautiful. Sometimes we can enjoy vocal music for its shear sound, ignoring the actual words. We do that often when listening to opera or some rock and roll. But that never happens when listening to Sinatra.
Ronald Naldi about to leave his tent for a concert in Ocean Grove. 2015. Paul Goldfinger portrait.
We first posted this shot of the great tenor Ronald Naldi one year ago. Here is a link which tells about this photo and offers a recording of Ron performing on one of his albums of Italian music. But meanwhile, here are the Chiffons offering a tribute of their own.
“Frosty the Surfer.” Jamie Conners. Photo by Mom Nancy Thompson of Ocean Grove.
THE BEACH BOYS. From the album Sounds of Summer: “I Get Around.” (We like this song for Jamie who is out surfing in 14 degree weather, without factoring in the wind chill, so he seems the type to get around.)—-Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.
Thanks to Mom Nancy Thompson who has joined the ranks of guest photographers on Blogfinger.
Cast and crew of “Little Miss Perfect.” Marlee is center, on the bench. Courtesy of Marlee Roberts
Still from “Little Miss Perfect” courtesy of Marlee Roberts. 2013
Marlee Roberts is the NYU Film School student (and Jersey girl) who co-produced the Blogfinger Film Festival in May 2012 and 2013 in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. She made it possible for us to raise some money for the Together Fund, and we gave some fledgling film makers the chance to show their work in a fine venue with a professional audio-visual setup (thanks to the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.)
As many of you know, Marlee already is a professional actress and singer, as well as a film maker, but, as we found out with the BFFF, she has many other talents as well. We contacted her today to find out how her summer went, and this is her email response:
“So nice to hear from you!!! Glad you’ve been keeping busy doing what you love. You caught me at a great time. We just wrapped production on my feature directorial debut!!! I’ve attached some production stills and a general press release. This is what we’ve been working on all summer!”
Marlee Roberts has completed 20 independent projects, one of which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival this year. This indie film is called “Little Miss Perfect,” and Marlee also gets credit as writer. You can read about it at Marlee’s new film link
We wish her well as she continues to be so creative and productive—she is amazing and very lovely besides, so we persuaded Lillian Roth to sing about her (below).
