Ampersand
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•August 24, 2023
Beach Treasure: Our Biggest Sand Dollar Yet
Every weekend you will spot my wife, Megan Smith, and me searching for sand dollars on the 84th Street beach in Brighton Beach, but on Aug. 13, my wife came up with her best find, as far as sand…
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•August 9, 2023
Serendipity: Strangers Bond at Last Table of Night
I have worked at the Blue Water Cafe in Haven Beach since its inception in 2007. After 17 years I just witnessed something that was so noteworthy and refreshing, I was still thinking about it when I…
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•August 2, 2023
Are Green Spaces Fountains of Youth?
The news these days is full of suggestions for how to live a longer life. You may be doing just that if you live near a green space like a park, community garden or nature preserve.
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•July 2, 2023
We Sold the Little Shore Cottage Built by Dad
We sold the shore house last week, and I wanted you to know. That little cottage in Beach Haven Terrace, built by your own hands, held 70 years of wonderful memories for my family and me.
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•April 5, 2023
From a Tree Frog to a Whale, Change Can Happen
Around 1976 plans were put in place to tear down New Jersey’s one million-acre Pine Barrens and build a mega airport with high-speed transport lines to serve both New York and Philadelphia. In…
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•March 30, 2023
Crisis Management: Efforts to Fill Squads Evolve
I am writing partially in response to the recent “Ambulance Stress” letter (3/22) but additionally to give some background and potential solutions to what I would describe as our EMS crisis.
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•March 2, 2023
Help Solve the Mystery of Mayor’s Missing Manx
What’s a Manx? These tailless cats have a long history on LBI. Now mine’s missing, and it’s a mystery I need your help to solve.
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•February 8, 2023
Breaks Are Back, Recalling Fun Sessions
I woke up the other day and figured I would take a ride to the beach. There was a big south wind the previous night with the right set-up for waves. Unfortunately, for me, the waves would be just to…
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•January 25, 2023
Wonder of Wonders – There’s a Girl in My Office!
She happens to be my wife and co-owner of our business.
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•January 18, 2023
Fed’s Rate Hikes Are ‘Killing’ Us
The following is an open letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
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•November 16, 2022
LBI Bliss Is Marred by Planned Wind Project
I remember when I was younger the Jersey Shore beaches would often have to close due to medical waste washing ashore. The water had a brownish green color. You could barely see your feet.
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•September 14, 2022
A Hole in Zero?
My grandson, Max Peek, has visited Long Beach Island every one of his 10 summers. He loves games of all sorts and is always on the lookout for a new way to play an old game – by changing the rules to…
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•August 10, 2022
Humans Tragically Devolved From Common Ancestors
There are times when it is difficult to accept reality. Despite the long period of time humans have inhabited the Earth, permanent peace and harmony still remain just beyond our reach as potential…
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•July 22, 2022
Welcome to Mayberry on Long Beach Island
Everybody knows Mayberry, the fictional town brought to life in “The Andy Griffith Show,” which aired on television from 1960 to 1968. It was the quintessential small town that boasted about its one…
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•July 14, 2022
From Trash to Treasure: A New Greenhouse
Interesting projects arise from trashed bits and pieces. With my neighbor’s house headed for demolition, I saw one thing: sparkling new windows in interesting shapes headed for the Dumpster. My…
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•March 23, 2022
Daylight Forever!
I hate the darkness. The only good reason for the darkness of night is that it eventually gives us beautiful sunrises and sunsets and those blazing ice cream skies.
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•February 9, 2022
A Valentine Story
It’s been over a decade since I was in a relationship – or had any desire to be. Being single is not the most opportunistic place for someone at age 50.
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January 27, 2022
Mystery Beachgoers in Photo Identified
Mystery solved! The LBI beachgoers in a photograph published last week that, among a whole roll of film, went to the wrong person back in 2004 have been identified. Thanks to our readers, who helped…
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January 19, 2022
Anyone Recognize These Beachgoers?
PHOTO MYSTERY: Over the holidays, an anonymous person sent The SandPaper a CVS envelope with photographs dating back to Aug. 12, 2004. The sender wrote, “CVS gave me wrong photos long time ago. Wanna…
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December 22, 2021
Story of Thanksgiving
In 1843 Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas.” Since its original publication as a novella, “A Christmas Carol” has become a staple of the Christmas…
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•December 9, 2021
Kapler’s Then and Now: We Were There
Kapler’s Pharmacy in Beach Haven celebrated its 75th anniversary on Nov. 27, with carriage rides, sweets and drinks and music outside. I was there, along with Kris Anderson, buying local history…
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•October 21, 2021
Whale of a Poem
Recently, at my high school reunion, someone decided that it would be fun if we finished that last English “assignment” and wrote a poem. Everyone else picked heavy topics like love and the meaning…
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•September 29, 2021
Stop the Celebrations on Sacred 9/11 Date
With the 20th anniversary of the horrifically painful events of 9/11 barely in our rearview, we and so many others remain appalled at the lack of consideration and respect shown by the leadership of…
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•September 1, 2021
Mom’s Crab Sauce Stands Test of Time
This basic recipe for my blue claw crab sauce really comes from my mother, Agnes. As a small boy, I would watch her make the sauce from crabs my father and uncles would bring back from trips to…
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•August 19, 2021
Seashell Story Holds Beautiful Surprises
At the beginning of the summer season our “Shellabration Garden” that sits at the top of the beach path on 105th Street in Beach Haven Park was totally wrecked. Whether it was done on purpose (jury…
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•July 1, 2021
Feelin’ Groovy
One of the wonderful rituals performed at Wawa is holding the doors for others. The other day in Barnegat when I did so, a teenager thanked me. I responded, “Right on!’ to which she exclaimed, “From…
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•April 28, 2021
TV Advertising or One Big Brainwash?
Maybe it’s the effect of the pandemic or maybe just coming out of the winter doldrums, or maybe it’s just that I’m getting old, but I feel like I’m becoming a grumpy, old man. The last four years of…
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•April 7, 2021
History Comes Alive
On the afternoon of April 9,1865, over 150 years ago this week, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and Union Gen. Ullysses S. Grant met in the parlor of a private home near Appomattox Court House, Va.…
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•January 27, 2021
Race, Equality and the Way Forward
Clearly there is no shortage of red hot political issues today to inflame controversy and differing points of view. With Martin Luther King Day, in recognition of this man’s many accomplishments as…
