TOWER X

    WEDNESDAY, JULY 8TH.

              TOWER X
         
    It's been 40 years since the movie
Jaws packed movie theaters and emptied
beaches along our coasts.
    Last night AMC ran Jaws for about
the hundredth time.
    Last weekend a Marine was injured
in the 8th reported shark attack in
North Carolina this season!
    Could these sharks be seeking
revenge? Chief Brody killed off two
Great Whites in the first two Jaws
movies. Is there any way sharks
today know it's the movie's
anniversary and think it's time they
evened the score? Heck, Sponge Bob
has a TV!
     In both of those films the town's
politically correct Mayor bent over
backwards to deny there was a
problem. I was thinking of him
yesterday after talking with a friend
of mine who lives in Wildwood. He
was telling me about the community's
latest "attraction."
      It's not a roller coaster or some
new flavored Boardwalk fudge.
     It's a tower. A 20-foot-tower
that's already been dubbed "Tower X."
It's been set up on the Wildwood
beach at Lincoln Avenue.
     Officially it's an "Observation
Tower" designed to, as officials tell
it,  "make sure visitors to our beach
are protected." I didn't think it was
a new home for Rapunzel!
     Given all the recent headlines
and the fact a 3,500-pound great
white was spotted just north of
Brigantine in May a lot of people
are openly wondering what they'll
be looking for!
      Nobody is calling it a "Shark
Tower." At least not openly. But
my buddy thinks that's why it was
built. And why two more are
scheduled to go up along the
popular Wildwood beaches.
Hopefully, whatever they're called,
they'll be in place in time for my
next seashore vacation!
     And, I guess, a "Shark tower"
by any other name would still be
effective!
      Hope Tower X keeps folks
safe so that all their NEWS is
good!
    

Don't Tell The Kids!

      TUESDAY, JULY 7TH

    DON'T TELL THE KIDS!    

    It is probably best that you
keep the information in today's
Blog away from children. It
contains material better left
unknown to kids.
    Today is Chocolate Day!
It is the perfect day, as if you
needed an excuse, to consume
your favorite chocolates!
     Should anyone try to
discourage you from partaking
this delicious treat just tell them
you're merely eating your
vegetables! Chocolate is a vegetable
It comes from the Cacao tree found
in tropical rain forests. How about
that?
     I fully support this "holiday."
In fact, I don't limit my celebration
to July 7th! In my case, though, it's
more of an obligation than a
celebration.
    I try to have a Hershey Bar at
least once a week to help make
sure my friend's pension is
financially sound. He used to
work for the Hershey Company.
I always thought we were lucky
to have the Hershey company right
here in Pennsylvania.
     And we almost didn't! Milton
Hershey, the company founder,
bought a ticket to return to the
U.S. on the Titanic! As it happens
he was called back to Pennsylvania
early and had to take another ship.
    Ironically, his Titanic receipt is
in the form of a Golden Ticket!
How about that Willy Wonka?!
     Remember, don't tell the kids
about the "vegetable part!"
     Hope you'll enjoy the day with
some of your favorite chocolates
and that all your NEWS is good!

     

Independence In The Air

     MONDAY, JULY 6TH

INDEPENDENCE..IN THE AIR!

   Those neighborhood explosions
that have echoed through the night
over the weekend gave way to a
full fledged fireworks spectacular
last night!
    Mohegan Sun lit up the sky
with rockets and star bursts and
the kind of aerial explosions that
shake your windows. It was an
impressive display.
    Since we're just a mile from
the casino/racetrack we had a
fantastic view.
    I enjoyed the show from the
street in front of my house
where I had a view unobstructed
by trees and such.
    I came back inside afterwards.
The sights of the show were
over. But I never expected the
scents that followed!
    It was about two or three
minutes after the last of the
rocket's red glare. I guess that's
how long it takes a breeze out
of the west to reach my open
front door from the casino.
     The stench of burnt black
powder is pretty powerful!
I was reminded of the scene
from the movie  Apocalypse Now
when Robert Duvall's character
quipped "I love the smell of
napalm in the morning."
    I didn't especially love the
odor. But it was definitely
preferable to the one that came
the night before when somebody
ran over a skunk on the road
near our place. And I guess, in
a sense, the smoke from all those
fireworks was a bit like
Independence in the air!
    Still, I hope the wind shifts
next time and that all your NEWS
is good!

   
    

If Life Gives You A Lemon....

     SUNDAY, JULY 5TH

IF LIFE GIVES YOU A LEMON.....

     For those who may not have
noticed, it rained all over much of
our Independence Day.
     Still, hundreds of people came
out for the annual ceremonies at
the Wyoming Monument where
a couple hundred patriots died
at the hands of Loyalists and
Indians (native Americans if
your prefer) during the Revolutionary
War.
     My grand daughter who is all
of 4-years-old, braved the rain to
set up a lemonade stand just a few
hundred feet from the monument!
     Aided by encouragement from
her Mom and a small tent set up
by her Dad this young entrepreneur
offered  her lemonade, iced tea, and
candy bars for the local kid's
cheerleading squad to those passing
by as the ceremonies came to an
end.
    Some customers came especially
to buy some of the goodies. Grandpas
are like that. An aunt, uncle and
cousin stopped by as well to make
sure there were at least a couple
sales. And while business may have
been a bit slower than on a good
weather day, sales, I'm told, were
respectable.
     Later, at a 4th of July party, those
candy bars sold out in just minutes!
     Nothing says freedom and liberty
better than a 4-year-old business
woman with a pretty face and
sparkling eyes!
      She's singing in the rain....all the
way to the bank!
      Hope she saved a peanut butter
 
 
 
 
bar for me and that all your NEWS,
like hers, is good!

Bombs Bursting In Air!

     SATURDAY, JULY 4TH

BOMBS BURSTING IN AIR!

  I don't know how you "test"
fireworks. But some of my
neighbors were doing just that
Friday night. I stayed up just
to make sure their rocket's red
glare didn't end up on my
roof!
  Let's face it. Fireworks and the
4th of July are like ham and eggs,
hot dogs and picnics, love and
marriage. As the song reminds us
"You can't have one without the
other!"
 Of course the very best way to
enjoy fireworks is to let
somebody else set them off!
 Lest you think this is just some
old newsman who's done too many
stories about fireworks accidents
or police busts of illegal sales
let me tell you that I've had
some first hand dealings with
these explosives over the years.
 The first was really fun.
 Back in the days when my friends
and I used to play 'Army' I had
a toy that looked like one of
those machine guns that mount
on a small tripod to mow down
the enemy when they charge.
  A bunch of us kids were in
a wooded area playing our game.
  Each had to simulate the
sound of a gun going off as we
pretended to fire at each other.
  I was on top of a small hill when
the others came to get me.
  They didn't know much about
my model machine gun. And they
sure didn't know about the row
of firecrackers I was lighting
as they ran towards me!
 I never saw the other kids jump
so high or hide so quickly!
 Yea, those fireworks were fun.
 On the other hand...there was
another holiday when I lit the
'Cherry Bombs' inside my Mom and
Dad's house then slipped them out
through the mail slot onto the
front porch.
 None of the neighbors could
tell when the celebratory
blasts were coming from.
 That was cool too...until the
door to the slot closed while
I was trying to toss the bomb
outside!
 As I calculate the story by way
of my memory it takes about
1.4 seconds to reopen a hinged
mail slot door and about 1.3
seconds for a cherry bomb fuse
to burn to the detonation point.
  You can do the math.
  I nearly got it open again
before it went off!
  The key word here is 'nearly.'
  It was, at least, a few inches
out of my hand when this 'bomb
bursting in air' burst in the
air of our dining room!
  The smoke cleared after a few
minutes and the hand healed after
a few days but other than an
occasional sparkler I don't
actually handle fireworks
anymore!
   As they say..you live and
learn.
   I hope you'll have a happy
4th of July and enjoy a professional
fireworks display a safe distance
from any fuse you have to light
yourself!
  I'm also hoping, as usual, that
all your NEWS is good!

A Slice Of Heaven!

         FRIDAY, JULY 3RD.

       A SLICE OF HEAVEN!

   What a great combination. Julia
Roberts and pizza! They came
together in the 1988 movie classic
"Mystic Pizza."
    So, when my wife and I found
ourselves visiting the town of
Mystic, Connecticut a few years
back, the pizza shop featured in the
feature was a "must stop" for us!
     I bought my wife a Mystic
Pizza T Shirt, just like the one in
the movie!
     She wears it from time to time.
One of those times was yesterday.
Of course our plans had not
originally included an invitation,
from our daughter and grand
daughter, to join them as they
went out for dinner......for pizza!
      Our waitress at Grotto was
quick to notice the "slice of
Heaven" that walked into the
dining room. I wondered if the
encounter might be a little like
Wyatt Earp walking into the OK
Corral. But she took it quite well.
      My wife volunteered to dawn
a Grotto shirt it one were offered.
Unfortunately the only one
available would have required my
wife to wait on tables. She turned
that down even though the pay is
higher than what she gets from me
for the same service in our home!
      Ironically Grotto did sell hats
or something like that some time
ago. Apparently they weren't big
sellers.
      What they need is there own
movie. Something like "Grotto
Pizza, A Slice Of Sicilian" or
something like that.
       They should talk to Julia.
And, of course, I'm available as
an extra. My wife has suggested
I drop any thoughts of a co-
staring role!
        That's OK. I already have my
Slice Of Heaven. And the shirt still
fits!
         Hope there's oregano and that
all your NEWS is good!

     

Rembering "Wolfey"

     WEDNESDAY, JULY 1ST

   REMEMBERING "WOLFEY"

   My wife and I went to see a movie
about a dog the other day. "Max", not to
be confused with "Mad Max,"is the
story of a Military dog that ends up
out of a war zone and in someone's
home. Some people have said "Mad
Max" is a dog too!
    I'm not very big on animal stories
although I've enjoyed all the movies
on racehorses "Secretariat", for
instance. I thought that picture was a
good bet!
    We don't own a pet, unless you
count the few fish in my wife's
aquarium. She never takes them for
a walk.
     But I was really interested in
seeing "Max." And I think that's
because of "Wolfey."
     When I was growing up we had
a neighbor a few homes away who
owned a dog who, as the story goes,
had been in the war. In this case
World War II. I only knew her as
Mrs.Clements and, as I heard it,
her son had trained the dog and
she kept it at her home while he was
away on post war FBI duties.
       He was a very large German
Shepard and looked every bit the
military type. His name was
"Wolfey" and it fit!
       Wolfey must have been a
really good guard dog, or whatever,
in the service because nobody got
by his house unnoticed! He had a
bark that would be heard for two
blocks and no one, that I know of,
every got close enough to pet him
if, in fact, anyone was foolish
enough to try.
      I never did, so I still had both
hands to applaud the movie! It
was good.
      The dog in the film was a
hero in many ways and I suspect
Wolfey was as well. Of course
none of us got to know Wolfey
all that well. We did know enough
to respect him!
       Perhaps his bark was far worse
than his bite. I've always been glad
I didn't test the theory!
       Hope your pets are all friendly
and all your NEWS is good!