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One Kook's Safari > If you can’t catch a wave, capture the moment
Last Updated on Friday, July 20, 2012 04:22 pm Written by Bill Barlow Friday, July 20, 2012 04:45 pm
There were some waves out there this week.
In true kook style, I'm writing this with a headache after getting knocked by my board Thursday morning. I tried to duck a wave, and I naturally assumed the board washed behind me. Instead, it was waiting for my head to come up to give me a polite, whitewater-powered tap.
There were also some good rides to be had, and I suspect they only improved as the tide changed. The hot spots looked packed, and the sets seemed about stomach high, maybe a couple coming in bigger. When I actually managed to catch a wave, it was a nice, long, smooth ride.
Several forecasts are calling for the swell to build this weekend, but it looks like it might be a lot messier as well.
Read more: One Kook's Safari > If you can’t catch a wave, capture the moment
Fluke action moving from bay to ocean
Last Updated on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 03:23 pm Written by Heather Holtzapfel James Friday, July 20, 2012 04:26 pm
Seasonal fishing is beginning to settle into the back bays, inlets and reefs. What started out to be a great flounder season in the back bays is now shifting to the ocean reefs and wrecks and Delaware Bay's Old Grounds. As we enter into the last couple of weeks of July anglers are still catching flounder in the back but the keepers are few and far between as the fish continue to move out into the ocean.
Tautog season will kick back in Friday, July 27 with a one fish limit at 15 inches. These fish are already beginning to hit the lines but anglers must release the fish until the season opens back up.
The weakfish continue to be caught and in good numbers. Tom Christ of Brennan Marine Supply in Somers Point reported that Bob Whiteside and party of Linwood ventured to the Great Egg Inlet and the Ocean City Reef and came back to the dock with a 16-inch weakfish as well as four keeper flounder. They were using a minnow, squid, and Gulps combo.
Angler Rick Rosenthal and party fished aboard Cashmere and bagged five keeper flounder ranging from 20-22 inches. They were at the southern end of the Ocean City Reef.
Frank Jankowski of Frank's Boat Rentals in Strathmere said the flounder are still being caught in his area but the finding a keeper is the challenge. He said being in the right spot at the right time is key. At least one keeper flounder was brought back to the dock every day this past week ranging from 17 1/2 to 22 inches. The bait proven much success at Frank's Boat Rentals has been minnows with a strip of squid above the minnow.
The biggest flounder brought in at Frank's was a 22-inch landed by Scot and Billy Pfeiffer of Abington, Pa., along with a nice 20-inch second keeper.
Lifeguard Profile > Second time around is even better for Diamond Beach lifeguard
Written by Brian Cunniff Tuesday, July 17, 2012 05:10 pm
Lifeguard Tom Popdan said he felt a strong sense of accomplishment when he swam around Five Mile Island as a 20-year-old back in 1980.
So imagine how he feels now after doing it again at 52.
Popdan, who guards the private beach at the Diamond Beach Club just south of Wildwood Crest, accomplished the feat earlier this month. He began his journey at the 15th Avenue beach in North Wildwood and swam around the entire island, through two inlets, the back bay and past the entire beachfront.
He even shaved significant time off his first effort, completing the journey in 7 hours, 59 minutes. It took him almost 10 hours to finish in 1980.
“It was one of those ‘If I knew then what I know now’ type of things,” Popdan said. “Looking back, I really didn’t know anything about the ocean at all back then when I did it the first time.”
Popdan is a longtime beach lifeguard in the area. Except for a couple of summers he missed due to other commitments, he worked in Wildwood Crest from 1977 through 1994, before doing a 10-year stint as a lifeguard in Stone Harbor. He has been serving in Diamond Beach each summer since 2004.
Read more: Lifeguard Profile > Second time around is even better for Diamond Beach lifeguard
Bay-Atlantic Symphony opens ‘Symphony by the Sea’ series with music by Tchaikovsky, Sibelius
Written by Staff Reports Tuesday, July 17, 2012 04:29 pm
The Bay-Atlantic Symphony will present an evening of bold, romantic music by musical giants of Russia and Finland when it opens the “Symphony by the Sea” summer series of concerts sponsored by the Avalon Free Public Library 7 p.m. Saturday, July 21 at the Avalon Elementary School, 235 32nd St.
The first of two concerts conducted by Bay-Atlantic Symphony Music Director Jed Gaylin will feature one today’s of the great violin virtuosi.
The program, “Russian to the Finnish!” will open with one of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s great orchestral showpieces, Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, Op. 18, a lush yet powerfully romantic musical depiction of William Shakespeare’s immortal story of love and tragedy.
From the pen of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, listeners will hear the Karelia Suite, Op. 11, written for a historical pageant to be given by students of the University of Helsinki in Viipuri, Karelia. The concert will conclude with Sibelius’ rugged yet romantic Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 featuring renowned Japanese-American violinist Ryu Goto as the soloist.
One Kook's Safari > The rides wouldn’t be the same without the wait
Written by Bill Barlow Friday, July 13, 2012 06:27 pm
Surfing mostly consists of waiting.
That’s not the whole story, of course. There is also looking for waves, lugging your board around, paddling out; once in a while you even catch a ride.
On a good day, in an hour’s session, you might get several rides of maybe 10 seconds each. A 30-second ride is epic.
And people say not much happens in baseball.
Surf magazines, movies, even local columns often give the impression that surfing is mostly made up of time gliding on a wave or getting air above one. The occasional tedium of surf travel is romanticized, but once you hit the water, the image is of nonstop action.
Compare it to a football fan watching only the highlight reel.
Read more: One Kook's Safari > The rides wouldn’t be the same without the wait
Here’s a treat that beats the heat > Invisible Cookie Dough Ice Pops
Written by Staff Reports Friday, July 13, 2012 04:54 pm
In the summer, especially during weather like the recent heat waves, turning on the oven to bake a cake is one of the last things many people want to do.
So what is a dessert-loving family to do?
Lindsay Landis, author of a new book, “The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook,” says there is no need for an oven to create crowd-pleasing summer treats; all that is needed is a little ingenuity.
“On hot days, my mind usually turns to frozen treats such as popsicles or sorbet; for something a bit more elegant I'll whip up a chocolate ganache tart with cookie crust,” she said.
Landis has created more than 50 recipes using egg-free cookie dough that is safe to eat raw.
Read more: Here’s a treat that beats the heat > Invisible Cookie Dough Ice Pops
Cinemania > ‘Ted’: a decent idea gone unbearably wrong
Last Updated on Friday, March 29, 2013 03:59 pm Written by Staff Reports Friday, July 13, 2012 04:46 pm
“Ted” is the latest in a long line of comedies about a man stuck in a state of arrested development who needs to grow up. In this case, the difference is the addition of a talking CGI teddy bear. It’s the directorial debut of Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the hit series “Family Guy.”
While this R-rated comedy is allowed to go further than his TV show ever could, the tone of the humor is fairly similar. But the occasional clever moment is surrounded by laziness and an endless number of pop-culture references disguised as jokes.
Read more: Cinemania > ‘Ted’: a decent idea gone unbearably wrong
Service with a Smile in OC- Jul. 13, 2012
Last Updated on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 03:25 pm Written by Staff Reports Friday, July 13, 2012 04:31 pm
Bandit on the run
Last Updated on Monday, July 16, 2012 09:30 am Written by Marjorie Preston Friday, July 13, 2012 04:23 pm
In June 2001, an international manhunt came to an end when teen outlaw Colton Harris-Moore was captured in the Bahamas.
The baby-faced felon, known as the Barefoot Bandit for leaving his shoeless footprints at crime scenes, was taken into custody following a boat chase and gunfire by Bahamian police. When Harris-Moore was paraded before the press for the traditional “perp walk,” the 19-year-old was shackled and of course, shoeless.
A native of Washington state, he started out stealing food from neighbors’ homes and swiftly graduated to cars, trucks, yachts and small planes. He was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for his crimes and ordered to pay some $1.3 million in restitution.
High water temp chases fish from back bays
Last Updated on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 03:26 pm Written by Heather Holtzapfel James Friday, July 13, 2012 03:42 pm
Good mixed catches reported at reefs, wrecks
Last weekend's extreme heat put a damper on many aspects of fishing. First off, many anglers had a hard time dealing with the uncomfortable temperatures. As a matter of fact, the fish had a hard time as well with back bay water temperatures soaring into the 80s. Fishing in the back bays was difficult, but some fish were caught. Those fishing the reefs and wrecks found better luck.
Tom Christ of Brennan Marine Supply in Somers Point said anglers are having success fishing the reefs, although he has heard a few reports of fish being caught in the back.
Wildwood guard will take the chair until he settles down behind a desk
Written by Brian Cunniff Friday, July 13, 2012 03:30 pm
Liam Bradley is studying to be an accountant, a profession that most likely will have him behind a desk for much of his adult life.
So before he embarks on what he hopes is a long and prosperous professional career, Bradley is working in a job in which he will never sit behind a desk.
A 20-year-old Temple University student from Philadelphia, Bradley is in his second year as a lifeguard for the Wildwood Beach Patrol.
A graduate of Roman Catholic High School and a resident of the Rhawnhurst section of the city, he has been coming to the shore in the summer for 15 years. And now he has what he feels is the perfect summer job.
“I figure the best possible job to have is to be a lifeguard. You could work at a waterpark or on the boardwalk, but to me, nothing beats working 9 to 5 on the beach.
Read more: Wildwood guard will take the chair until he settles down behind a desk
Culinary camp gives kids a taste for cooking
Written by Staff Reports Thursday, July 12, 2012 01:00 am
Kids can learn the magic of cooking this summer and acquire skills that last a lifetime at a new culinary enrichment camp taking place at the Stone Harbor community center.
Kitchen Wizards, a division of the Kathy’s Just Desserts Inc., based in Pennsylvania, will be conducting the camps for Stone Harbor Recreation in the new community center’s state of the art kitchen.
Each camp will run two hours per day for four days, Monday through Thursday, and feature a different theme.
The fee is $160 for each camp, which includes a meal each day cooked by the students, a chef’s hat, recipe booklet, certificate of completion, and an apron.
Cold Spring Village introduces children’s activity book
Written by Staff Reports Tuesday, July 10, 2012 03:45 pm
Historic Cold Spring Village has put together a new 40-page children's activity book featuring pictures of its 26 restored historic buildings, scenes of life in Early America, and patchwork quilt patterns for kids to color, along with puzzles with Early American trade themes.
The activity book is $5.95 and can be purchased at the Village Country Store or on the Historic Cold Spring website,
www.hcsv.org.The fun and educational tool is a project of the Friends of Historic Cold Spring Village, a nonprofit organization formed to support the village. The group plans to donate 125 of the activity books to school districts in Cape May County to supplement the curriculum while advancing the education-focused mission and programming of Historic Cold Spring Village.
Historic Cold Spring Village is a nonprofit, open-air living history museum that portrays the daily life of a rural South Jersey community of the Early American period. It features 26 restored historic structures on a wooded 30-acre site. From late June to early September, interpreters and artisans in period clothing preserve the trades, crafts and heritage of "The Age of Homespun."
Read more: Cold Spring Village introduces children’s activity book
One Kook's Safari > Is saying ‘obsessive surfer’ redundant?
Written by Bill Barlow Friday, July 06, 2012 04:23 pm
It has become a pattern.
If anyone were to ask, I’d strongly advise against trying to get a surfing session in on July 4. If you absolutely needed to squeeze in a couple of rides, then I’d say, paddle in about 6 a.m., or at the very least before the guards hit the beach in the morning.
Especially if it’s hot like this year, there are way too many obstacles on a summer holiday, and surfing takes a lot of room. In the unguarded areas where you can surf, you are trying to keep track of swimmers, kayakers, boogie boards, possibly a catamaran or two, and the occasional rocketing lure from a surf fisherman before you even try to catch a wave.
Some spots are guarded surf beaches, including some that are for surfing only. I would highly recommend those, especially for beginners, but there are only so many waves to go around. There are fewer kinds of obstacles, but it’s still pretty crowded.
It’s not a hard and fast rule, but chances are, if someone is paddling out in the middle of a packed beach holiday, they have not been doing this long. A bunch of the most dedicated longboarders in Ocean City used to take a long kayak trip in the open ocean every Independence Day, because there was no point in trying to hit the waves.
Still, every year, there I am, bobbing out past the break, trying to find a clear line and keep track of where the kids are.
Read more: One Kook's Safari > Is saying ‘obsessive surfer’ redundant?
SUP yoga is an on-board balancing act
Last Updated on Friday, July 06, 2012 10:22 am Written by Christie Rotondo Friday, July 06, 2012 11:15 am
To an observer, assuming the downward-facing-dog yoga position on a paddleboard in the middle of the Cape May salt marshes looks like it might be more stressful than soothing. However, it seems that once participants are out there, floating on the gentle current and deep-breathing the fresh salt air, its attraction becomes quite clear.
“Yoga is about being in the present, and living in the present moment,” Andrea Magda tells a group of first-time stand-up paddle board participants as they set off for a stand-up paddleboard yoga class at Cape Kayaks.
Magda says nothing puts a person in the present like trying simple yoga poses in a new environment – such as on the waters of the salt marsh.
“There’s no time to think about going to the beach by 10, or where you have to be later,” Magda said. “So it forces you to be in the present moment.”
In a studio, lunges, the tree pose and other standing yoga asanas are considered introductory positions. On a paddleboard, however, students have to focus harder on their breathing and balance to stick these simple poses.
Crest lifeguard is engineering a nuclear future
Last Updated on Friday, July 06, 2012 10:42 am Written by Brian Cunniff Friday, July 06, 2012 10:39 am
Scott Wandel is currently providing safety for beachgoers at the Jersey Shore. In the near future, he hopes to be providing safe, efficient ways for people to get to the beach.
The third-year lifeguard with the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol recently graduated from Penn State University with a degree in mechanical engineering. He is nowhere near finished with his studies, however. Wandel plans to return to Penn State in the fall to begin what figures to be a five- or six-year journey toward a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering.
“I’d like to eventually be a professor and do a lot of research,” the 22-year-old resident of Carson City, Nev., said. “Until then I’d like to do a lot of scientific work at a lab. We have a big energy dilemma, and nuclear energy is key. It’s the next hot topic. Is it the energy of the future? Maybe. But something has to be done about (utilizing) renewable energy. I think nuclear is a step in the right direction.”
It’s not often residents of Nevada find their way east both to attend college and work in the summer. Wandel, however, spent much of his youth in York, Pa., and was a regular shore-goer thanks to his father, Tom, who was a lifeguard in Wildwood Crest for a few years in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
“My family’s always been coming here in the summers,” Wandel said.
His father has a high-profile job with Starbucks, which is why the family has been on the move a bit. They are about to make another move to Seattle.
Farmers market returns to Cape May ferry terminal
Written by Staff Reports Thursday, July 05, 2012 04:13 pm
Last year the inaugural Ferry Fresh Farmers Market sprouted on the green of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal, and it has returned this year.
The market runs 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 25, with returning vendors including Nummy Town Farm, No Frills Farm, Lori Ann Hansen Berry Farm, Seaside Cheese Company, Cape May Coffee Roasters,
Cape May Crab Cakes, City-to-Shore Gourmet olive oil and vinegars, Gaiss’ Market homemade local sausages, Mammas homemade applesauce, Shea’s Closet hand-crafted wearables and jewelry, Tupperware, The Well Center, and Annie M. homemade salads and healthy snacks.
Read more: Farmers market returns to Cape May ferry terminal
Book takes readers on a treasure hunt through Cape May County
Last Updated on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 01:33 pm Written by Staff Reports Saturday, June 30, 2012 01:00 am
A new children’s book written about Cape May County could be just the thing to pique kids’ interest in reading and treasure hunting this summer.
Written by Denise Blum, “The Oceanfront Treasure Hunt” is about a young pirate who receives a treasure map as a birthday gift. She sets out on an exciting journey, following the map to claim her treasure. Her quest takes her to many of the seaside’s popular destinations, such as Morey’s Piers, Johnson’s Popcorn, the Deauville Inn, the Victorian homes of Cape May, the beach and other locations.
Published by Mainstay Publishing, the book is full of colorful illustrations by Brandon Hildreth. For information contact Mainstay at 302-223-6636 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
The book can be purchased at various locations, many of which are stops along the treasure hunt.
Read more: Book takes readers on a treasure hunt through Cape May County
Service with a Smile in OC- Jun. 29, 2012
Last Updated on Friday, June 29, 2012 09:25 am Written by Staff Reports Friday, June 29, 2012 02:22 pm
Stefan Zareba, Maddie Howell and Ernest Phillips of Blue Dolfin Bakery in Marmora.
Beach Reads > June 29, 2012
Last Updated on Friday, June 29, 2012 10:45 am Written by Marjorie Preston Friday, June 29, 2012 10:40 am
My Extraordinary Ordinary Life by Sissy Spacek, Hyperion. She’s a star but without the mega-wattage or tabloid appeal of, say, Angelina Jolie, and in her new biography Sissy Spacek comes across as homespun, friendly, family-centered and utterly charming. The book details her tomboy girlhood in the small town of Quitman, Texas, to her adventurous early years in New York and L.A. as she tracks her unlikely rise to stardom (she had to fight for the role of Carrie, and showed up at the audition in a sailor dress handmade by her mother). Spacek initially resisted playing country singer Loretta Lynn in “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” the role that won her an Oscar. She changed her mind after meeting Lynn, and asking for and getting a “sign” that convinced her to take the role. Spacek shares the childhood loss that shaped her life, the happiness she found in marriage and family, and her wry, knowing perspective on Hollywood. An easy read with no shattering revelations – and that’s a relief.
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