opinion

Our Readers Write Trash Sits In Middle To The Editor: I said "Middle Township. Clean Up Your Act!" Not strong enough. I am afraid. Look outside your homes; is there still a large heap of trash out there0 There is at this Mechanic Street residence. Please don't think for a minute that this is intended to be self-serving. Our community looks a disgrace. Township officials say they've been deluged with the "Spring Trash Collection" in Middle Township. I say they knew about the negative effects of the M U A and as elected officials and political appointees they should have planned accordingly My wife and I have complained to the road department May 23rd and 24lh. They said there was a pick-up on our street "Impossible." I said. "You're crazy.' they said, f grumbled about this for a day and waited. On May 30th my wife complained to the road department once again Their response if not today — definititely tomorrow " Meanwhile the large heap of trash sits in our driveway which was thought to be picked up by the end of the first week ( May 24th > SOMETIME around this time a fire was set in the rear neighbor's yard, causing fire equipment to be dispatched. Since this incident occurred, and seeing that I had a heap of tree limbs and brush sitting in my driveway. I called the mayor's office To my delight the Code Enforcement Officer called me back. I informed him of my problem noting that there was a fire two houses away as it related to my tree limbs etc sitting in our drive I further stated that the Road Department promised a week prior to pick it up As matters would have it. my wife had a shower scheduled for June 7th and I expressed a concern to him that, if possible. I would like to try to have it removed before then so that the guests could park in our drive Mr Code Enforcement Officer said he thoroughly understood my concerns about the fire and my wife's planned shower and definitely would do something about it. NEEDLESS TO SAY. nothing but false hope and promises were given and broken. At this June 14th writing, despite all our complaining, nothing at all has been done Oh. there have been several township trucks stop, look . and pull away. To all of this I say, politics are politics and you must be persistent and complain. No doubt a political cronie will see fit to respond to this, explaining their way along JOSEPH A BUKOWSKI Court House Best of Two Worlds To The Editor: Philadelphia's loss is Cape May's gain t ° Jack Smyth's latest "Fables and Foibles" on the beach board game is priceless. As someone lucky enough to have worked with Jack and also to have a home in Cape May. we feel that we have the best of two worlds now that the Herald has lured him to the sandy beaches We can't read him in Chestnut Hill, but we can when we go to our retreat Congratulations on your Cape May edition. It was much needed. And congratulations on hiring Jack. We miss him MARIE REINHART JONES Cape May '( flrralft V EaNTERn!) »•' May C<mrt Ho—. N.J. 0KM8 Joseph R. Zelnik Editor Bonnie Reina General Manager Gary L. Rudy Advertising Director John Dunwoody Special Promotions Director Parrel! Kopp Publisher !*•? A" "9*" p>o fMtfy tiahn (« >k« WMI o » tfc.1 ^ ** N° PO" b« . DEADLINES News & Photos Thursday Advertising Friday — 3 P.M. Classified Advertising Friday — 3 P.M. 465-5055 For News or Advertising Information £ J f CAPE MAY «L| VJtspatdl V Every Wadnrxtry By The Scawave Corporation II Vv r.Ot Be» <30 Cape May Court Ho*-. W.J. 08310 _

/ ^3 \ Y , "the class of '©5 No Damage? To The Editor: We read with interest your comment about flooding conditions on East 13th Street in Avalon. As you accurately reported, we have had serious flooding conditions five times in the last 13 months. We have to take strong exception to Mayor Rachel Sloan's statement that there was "no property damage " One home owner has had her gas heater for her home completely destroyed four times It was replaced three times at a cost of about $500 each time. A neighbor explains that he will have to invest "well over $2,000 just to replace his lawn and planting, and to put pebbled on what was a lovely lawn." Another property owner has had valuable planting destroyed and has paid over $450 just to have the old dead planting removed. Still another home owner has had so much planting destroyed that she is now obtaining estimates on having it removed Her major expense will be in the replacement of it. Many home owners had the common problem of scraping the mud and sludge from their premises. That was an "inconvenience" but it was also an expense. The sum total of all this will be running into thousands of dollars, so for the mayor to say "there was no property damage" certainly is an inaccurate assessment of the situation. If the mayor means "no homes had been destroyed." she would have been correct in that observation But the home owners know that there has been serious damage to their properties. Apparently the borough plans to increase the height of the bulkhead "so that the splash-over would drain back to the ocean " We hope this will be done promptly Action is vital We also hope that work on the 8th Street jetty will be started at an early date. This will provide both a longer jetty and one that is several feet higher No one seems to estimate how long it will take for the beach to build back after the jetty has been completed Again time is vital Avalon has been known for so many years for its beautiful beaches We want to see them restored so that the value of the properties on East 13th Street can be restored to their former values. SEYMOUR S. PRESTON JR. Avalon

Stone Harbor: Model Town To The Editor: Nine years ago, on one of my cruises to the South Pacific, in Sydney, Australia, a lovely, elegant Miss boarded the S.S. Monterey, and as a single person, she was placed in the dining room adjoining my table. For days I observed this dignified lady always reading a book, waiting for the waiter to take her order. A few days later I stopped to greet her, and said since we were two solitary passengers, why not spend the evening together. She responded with a friendly smile, and asked "Sprechen Sie Deutch?" She must have suspected it from my Viennese English. She consented, and we became friends. As we were both globe trotters, we soon found that we have many common interests and tastes. She had been to every place I mentioned, and this led to interesting conversation. Accidents in life make bridges. I am so glad that destiny led me to her, and I had the courage to approach her, as this innocent romance led me to Stone Harbor, and my restless Dinghy, dropped the anchor there and became "The Terminal" of a fulfilled life, "The End Station." MISS PIPSY. as I called her — Priscilla is a mouthful — besides "Pipsy" fit her personality best. She told me her parents brought her to Stone Harbor every year for summer vacations since she was three years old. After her parents died. 22 years ago, she bought a home there and has spent 61 summers of her life there, as well as two winters. Regardless of her world travels, for example, in 1980 she came back from China to spend the rest of the summer in Stone Harbor. During our trip on the Monterey, she invited me as her guest for the summer, and in 1977 I came for the first time to this lovely, clean, crime free spot on the Atlantic seashore, a friendly disciplined community, and I immediately fell in love with Stone Harbor. Pipsy and I have seen the world over and over, and we think we are authorities in saying we have not found such a model small town, without slums, and all dwellings in tip-top shape, painted in friendly light colors, anywhere. The lovely, clean beach is invigorating, and we spend five months a year, from June until the end of October there. I WANT TO CONGRATULATE and pay tribute to the municipality and the Chamber of Commerce for the excellent planning and governing of this city. This is my ninth summer here, and in a few weeks, with the grace of the Lord, I should step into my 98th year I feel the salty, clean air and the friendly environment have prolonged my years. At my age, I can expect at any time to get the summons to join my ancestors. I have two wishes, that Miss Priscilla Flaccus. one of the oldest, loyal summer residents of Stone Harbor should be awarded Honary Citizenship of Stone Harbor, as she is the best sponsor the city has. Her advice is responsible for my longevity Secondly, I wish that my ashes be scattered on the lovely beach of Stone Harbor, embracing the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. EUGENE KELLERT Stone Harbor

-Tell Me Why' T Had a Dream , Dear 9

By JOE ZELNIK A number of people have been pestering me to tell how my father liked his first visit to the Jersey shore I would have thought my silence would have been enough indication that it is a topic best left unexplored. But the public appetite for scandal must be satisfied, I suppose. It was a disaster. I should never have invited him to my wedding and I especially should never have exposed him to Henny's. We created a monster My dad's reaction to the shore itself was somewhat curious. He seemed totally bored by the ocean. I find the rhythmic motion of the surf can do that to anyone. But he marveled at the stone lawns in Stone Harbor My dad. 80. cuts his rather small lawn in Gowanda, New York, with a push mower I have a sneaking suspicion he's going to order a load of gravel. BUT THE METAMORPHOSIS began on Friday night when, after the rehearsal dinner, we went to Henny's, a restaurant where semi-talented customers are invited to join with-very talented pianist George Johnson in offering a few songs. My dad. you should understand, is so shy he refuses to go to a salad bar for fear people will notice him I go for him. But at Henny's, in a matter of moments (two glasses of white wine, actually), he was up on stage, mike in hand, singing "I'm Alone Because I Love You. " After that came, "I Had a Dream. Dear." Both brought thunderous applause, and he was hooked The only trouble was. he couldn't think of any more songs. We had to drag him from the stage so others could participate. THE NEXT DAY. during my wedding ceremony. I glanced over my left shoulder and saw my dad furiously scribbling on a piece of paper A lump formed in my throat Here was my father, recording for posterity the key words of the ceremony. But when I saw him at the reception, staring out the window and occasionally taking notes. I began to wonder if he

was doing a free-lance piece on the wedding for the Atlantic City Press. But I had more important things on my mind — like the honeymoon. I didn't see him again until Sunday, when I returned him to the Philadelphia airport, the piece of paper clutched in his hand. It was a list of songs he'd prepared for his second visit to Henny's: "Who's Sorry Now?" "The Girl That's Pretty," "Smile a While," "When It's Springtime in the Rockies," "Tell Me Why. and "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now." WE DIDN'T TALK much in the car. He insisted on listening to the radio so he could learn some more current songs. But when I returned to Stone Harbor. I learned the details of Saturday night. He'd whisked into Henny's, list in hand, marched to the mike, and wowed 'em not once, but twice that evening. That didn't surprise me because, first, he has a helluva voice, and second, the tourists at Henny's go wild about anything from "Daddy's Little Girl" to the Notre Dame fight song. There were some subtle changes between Friday and Saturday nights. Friday night he bought a couple of women drinks. Saturday night a couple of women bought him drinks. Friday night, with me, he was ready to go home about midnight. Saturday night he was accompanied by friends and relatives who pleaded with him to leave at 1 a.m. YOU MAY REMEMBER that it took me years to get him to come to the shore, and I finally had to schedule a wedding to do it We ended up practically pushing him up the ramp to the plane. He was struggling to memorize the words to "Raspberry Beret" by Prince. He said he'd probably be back soon, but not to worry about it because he'd be visiting a couple widows at Hall Harbor condominiums and might not have time to see me.