“Are you looking at me?” Blogfinger cows do not emit gases that cause global warming. “It’s fake news” says Wassup, the Blogfinger cow.  “It’s the other kinds of cows that give the rest of us a bad name!” 

a.   From Disgruntled Grover:  “For all the noise, they should build a lousy supermarket here—something that sells products more useful than overpriced meat pies or oil painting of beach umbrellas!  At least bring back a pet store….something, anything, to give the veneer of civilization!”

Editor’s note:  Disgruntled was feeling on edge due to all the construction noise around him during this otherwise quiet time in the Grove.

b.  Odyssey Coffee shop on Main has a very good online presence at Odyssey  web site

There you can treat a friend to a free coffee by ordering an online gift “card.”  This is a good opportunity to introduce your friends to OG’s new and popular coffee shop. Odyssey, our coffee mecca,  was designed primarily for Grovers to visit, converse, or relax while enjoying a fine coffee drink.

We need to help Joey keep this effort afloat. It is the sort of place that has been lacking in the Grove.

We need more community-centered businesses like this.  You go to the web site and use a credit card to order an email “card” for $5.00 and up.  The card will be immediately sent by email to your friend with a note from Joey and a note from you.

Relaxing at Odyssey #50 Main Avenue, Ocean Grove. Jean Bredin photo. ©

c.  The Township Committee has met three times in 2019, but none of those minutes has been posted on their website.  Since only a handful of Ocean Grove citizens attends those meetings, the least these five elected officials could do is to make their minutes available to the public within a few days of each session.

This is another example of  inadequate transparency emanating from the Mother Ship on Neptune Boulevard.  For all we know, they may have appointed a Martian to the Board of Adjustment while the rest of us slept.

Thank goodness for Jack Bredin who attends every one of those somnolent sessions.

d.  Florida headline: 

“State halts putting herbicides on nuisance water plants while it gathers public input. ” (News-Press)  The problem is that these chemicals are toxic and promote water pollution.

Here is a quote from the News -Press in Ft. Myers, Florida:   “Some, like North Fort Myers clinical laboratory scientist Debbie Jackow, would like it to become permanent. “All the nutrients released by spraying and putting all that weed killer in our water is killing our lakes and rivers,” she said.

The Wesley Lake Commission uses herbicides on a regular basis. They eliminate plants that choke out oxygen, but then there are the concerns about the herbicides themselves.   A healthy lake, resulting from clean water management such as controlling dirty water runoff from streets in Neptune and Asbury would be the answer, but officials around OG don’t seem interested in these issues raised in the past by Blogfinger.

As for the plants, there is an option other than chemicals—it is mechanical harvesting.    That is much slower and more expensive, but it is safer and doesn’t leave dead plants in the lake.

e.  The Blogmobile   

Blogfingermobile. 2019.

We use this vehicle to take VIP’s to and from our OG headquarters,   Our reporters also use it to drive “the gang” to our wild parties, bar hopping in Asbury Park.  We need the big size for all those girls in their summer clothes.

But unfortunately we have no place to park it in the Grove.  So we plan to keep it in front of former Mayor Nicholas William’s  house in Neptune where he has no trouble parking.   In fact, let’s organize a group to park in front of every committeeman’s house 24/7.   They should know how we feel in OG.

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Front row seat. By Jean Bredin, Blogfinger© 12/29/18 ©

Excitement outside at Odyssey’s opening day. Jean Bredin, Blogfinger staff ©  12/29/18

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.

We are delighted to report that the Odyssey Coffeehouse has opened as of 7 am on Saturday, December 29, 2018.  We heard from “founder and owner” Joey Lipp, Ph.D. in an email sent last night.  We’ll refer to him as Joey since his new shop is to be a “refuge,” and we all should be on a first name basis in a refuge.

Why did he start this business?  Joey says, “I started Odyssey because I want to give Ocean Grove the gift of a vigorous coffeehouse–not just a café, but a coffeehouse.”  

“Thank you Jesus!,” says Blogfinger.

Joey Lipp says that his shop will “provide his customers with a laid back yet efficient vibe.”  He also says that his coffeehouse will be an “intimate place emphasizing mindful presence and personal connection.”

That’s a lot of personal connecting, and we hope that he succeeds with those lofty humanitarian goals, because we do need  such role models in our society today.

Joey described quite a few details in that email to Blogfinger regarding his business, but you all can go there and see it for yourselves.  A few items did stick out:

a.  Vintage pine boards recovered from the Grove were used to create the barista station and “hand crafted tables.”

b. The baristas are “professionally trained.”

c. There will be seating for 20, with many more alfresco in season.

Odyssey opening day. 12/29/18. Jean Bredin photo© Blogfinger.net

d. Joey will be serving the “highest quality” coffee drinks in addition to  tea  (“stand-alone pots–no tea bags.)  The notion that a new business in the Grove will strive for the highest goals of excellence gives us goosebumps at Blogfinger, and add to that the art on the walls and the talk of Homer, and WOW!

e. Pastries will be delivered daily by “select,local bakers.”  “Odyssey Coffee will not serve food such as sandwiches. salads, or soups. ”  And, there will be no wi-fi  because he is serious about those personal connections that will be  encouraged at the Odyssey.

f. BF reporter Jean Bredin was there: “The ambience was electric! Coffee and pastries awesome! Service superb! A definite place to come.”

Joey and his family have been summering in the Grove for the past 14 years, and they now live here year-round.  Joey teaches the classics at Monmouth University.

I hope to catch up with the Odyssey when I return to town, but meanwhile citizen reporters and actual BF reporters can send us email reports about your adventures at this new and exciting shop. And if you see a Siren in town, to be distinguished from a Mermaid, please send us a photo.

We wish Joey Lipp and his crew success in achieving their goals in the Grove. 

For more information, hours, etc, go to Odyssey Coffee House web site

ETTA JAMES:  “At Last.”

Editor’s note:  Last January, we  wrote the following on Blogfinger:

“Some of you might wonder about the persistent search for a coffee shop near OG, since there are several places in the Grove where you can buy coffee.  The reason is, for some of us, we seek more than just coffee.  In our culture, and in Europe, the coffee shop is a comfortable gathering place where one can appreciate the best coffees from around the world.

“Such shops are not general practitioners, they are specialists, and they know how to create a first rate cappuccino or latte.  Coffee is of primary interest in such places, not an afterthought.  The Barbaric Bean was beginning to be like that, but the Grove’s only true coffee shop has vanished.

“A real coffee shop is a welcoming place which  has seating and where you can savor the barista’s drinks  while reading the paper, having a fascinating conversation, people watching,  or enjoying a special snack. It tends to be where the local characters go.

“Wi-Fi is often available for those who are working on the next great American novel.  After all, J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter while sipping some brew in a local coffee shop.”

—Paul   (note: We do not routinely review new businesses in town unless there is something compelling about such a newcomer. )

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