SpeakEasy
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•September 2, 2026
Shedding More Light on a Mayor for All the People
I should have accepted the invitation. I think about declining the offer every time I watch a commercial fishing boat carefully threading its way home through the treacherous Barnegat Shoals.
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•August 27, 2026
Five Generations Turn Right Off the Causeway
My grandmother came to Long Beach Island in the 1940s. Her sister, my great-aunt Bea, had weak lungs. Doctors thought the sea air – and an environment with less trees, pollen and grass – would be…
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•August 18, 2026
Help! There’s a Bald Eagle on My FJ Cruiser
The moment I stepped out of the shower, I knew something was up. I could hear both my doorbell and my phone ringing, with a few new message dings immediately following, just for good measure. There…
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•August 5, 2026
Batter Up, Everyone: Wiffle Ball Never Gets Old
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s that time of year. Summer? Baseball season? Well, yes, “Go Phillies,” but the season I am talking about is Wiffle ball season. Anyone can play at any age…
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•July 29, 2026
Recalling Glory Days When LBT Lifeguards Ruled the Competition
Looking back over my life, my eight summers serving as a lifeguard on the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol remain among my fondest memories. The friendships, the competition, the commitment to…
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•July 22, 2026
Bulldozed Bulrushes a Sign of Changing Times on LBI
The term bulrush, also spelled bullrush, generally refers to tall, grass-like wetland plants found in marshes or swamps. They are an indigenous plant that used to be common here on LBI.
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•July 9, 2026
Dear Epidermis, Where Did That Young Dewy Glow Go?
We need to have a wee chat, or maybe a parade of mea culpas would be more appropriate. I’m so sorry that I used baby oil. I’m embarrassed to admit that one time, Debbie and I resorted to olive oil…
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•June 24, 2026
No Flag Flying on 250th? – Not My Father’s Country
When something as simple as a dog’s bandana strikes you as inspirational you know there is so little representation that something so simple stands out today. Let me expound on this a bit.
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•June 18, 2026
My Backyard Is My Happy Place, Weeds and All
Being outdoors is a joy for me, especially working in my yard. In spring and fall, I usually spend an hour each day sprucing things up outside. I hesitate to use the word “garden” because it’s full…
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•June 10, 2026
On Long Beach Island Embrace Waves of Abundance
Each morning, I spend time in quiet contemplation. I’ve found this to be a sacred time to allow the whispers of creation to stir my spirit. I also like to start the day feeding my mind with the…
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•June 7, 2026
Private Graduation Ceremony a True Act of Kindness
I would like to publicly express my family’s deepest gratitude to the administration of Southern Regional High School for giving our family a moment and a memory that we will cherish forever.
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•May 27, 2026
Scottish Highlands Guide Ian – Our Very Own ‘Border Collie’
In Scotland, a herd of sheep managed by a single border collie can cover the entire side of a sweeping hillside or be a small group in the garden of a highland farm. The collie takes either…
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•May 20, 2026
Celebrate a Vibrant Spring, Especially on LBI
We are finally progressing through the explosive growth spurt that occurs each spring. With the outdoor season finally here, I was reflecting on the recent Earth Day celebrations and the ongoing…
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•May 14, 2026
Welcome, Spring: It’s Time to Fire Up the Barbie
Spring is upon us and that means the grass is growing. A Monkees song by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” was written when they lived in a rented house on Pleasant Valley Way…
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•May 6, 2026
Tips for When Your Brain Feels Like Jelly(fish)
People of a certain age, my people, are bombarded with advice on aging and how to keep one’s brain from turning into a wrinkled, pink shoe. Crossword puzzles, word searches, learn a new language…
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•May 5, 2026
Sale of LBI Summer House Releases Tides of Memory
The house smells different now, or at least, that’s what I imagine. I haven’t been there since summer, when I thought it would always be waiting for me. I can still picture it though: the salt air…
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•April 23, 2026
Those Abandoned Cords Are Hard to Throw Away
Is it junk or junque? I have a drawer where I keep all the correspondence materials I use. It is filled with stamps, pads, pencils, pens, tape and the hordes of address labels I get in the mail. Then…
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•April 16, 2026
Are You Just Existing? Feel and Tap Energy of Renewal
The winter season has finally come and gone. The winter solstice arrives at the exact moment the sun is above the Tropic of Capricorn in the Northern Hemisphere or Tropic of Cancer in the Southern…
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•April 8, 2026
Let’s Set Up Municipal Sheds to Reduce Waste in Landfills
Head to the “Shed” with your unwanted item
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•April 1, 2026
Recalling My Show Biz Days as Dead Body Number Three
By now, most of LBI is aware of the film that’s been shooting on the Island. Back in February, on one of those blue skies days that makes the Island sparkle, I was fortunate enough to have my picture…
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•March 18, 2026
Facing Invincibility, Vincibility and Inevitability
When I look back with the eyes of a 65-year-old at some of the situations I put myself in in my younger years, I shudder. I assume many of you reading this feel the same.
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•March 11, 2026
GUEST OPINION | Snowstorms Leave Tracks in One Lifetime of Memories
We’ve all had some stormy times in our lives, but my subject here is weather-related difficulties like snow and hurricanes on Long Beach Island. Many of us have been marooned in place, and we all…
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•February 25, 2026
GUEST OPINION | February Packs Big Punches … But Don‘t Cry(onic) for Me
Ah, February 2026, this has been a particularly magical time of year when Long Beach Islanders huddled together like penguins on an ice floe out in Little Egg Harbor. It’s not affection. No, our…
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•February 19, 2026
GUEST OPINION | Adventures in Shopping Rite: Don Your Comfortable Shoes
We’re all getting a little loopy from our weather-related confinement as the cold winter marches on. I’m still out with the dog, regardless of the temperature, and my mind keeps pondering the…
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•February 11, 2026
GUEST OPINION | Pickle Juice for Deicing? It’s Worth Considering
In winter weather, maintenance crews diligently work to clear roadways, while residents and businesses tackle walkways and parking areas. This usually includes applying a lot of salt. When something…
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•February 4, 2026
GUEST OPINION | TV Snowstorm Coverage Is Like Theater of the Absurd
Ahoy, fellow LBIers (and all the ships at sea, as the great Walter Winchell used to say). I am guessing that most of you here on the Island, as I was, rode out the recent snowstorm and thankfully we…
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•January 22, 2026
GUEST OPINION | Long Beach Island, Prepare to Face the 4-Foot Question
The email arrived on a Tuesday about new New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection guidelines, under the heading of Resilient Environments and Landscapes (REAL) and effective Jan. 20, on…
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•January 18, 2026
Winter Time in a Summer Town Has Its Charms
When it’s winter time in a summer town and All we are are friends we keep or lose in time Fade away, the precious ones we keep in mind I wonder now if I’m the one that you’d leave behind…
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•January 7, 2026
My Christmas Miracle Was the All-Time Best Gift Ever
During the pandemic shutdown, on a Christmas that saw me and my shadow dog, Mick, heading to the beach, I saved someone’s life. Or at least a limb.
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•December 17, 2025
It’s a Wrap for Our Roaming Christmas Fruitcake
And so, this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over and a new one just begun. The saga of the fruitcake continues! Since the last of our family’s group from the “Greatest Generation”…
