Blue Moon Tonight!

I saw this pretty graphic on Facebook...

Friday Morning Music :)

Iselin Gardens

I really love these flowers, which I saw at a neighbor's house...

Then and Now of Iselin - Volume 1 and Volume 2

Mr. John T. Miele of Iselin, with the books he co-authored

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. John T. Miele.

Mr. Miele is a long time resident of Iselin - in fact, he was born here many years ago, and he still lives here. If you are interested in the old days of Iselin, you want to get the book that he wrote, "Then and Now of Iselin," because it is full of great old photos and stories about the old days. (You can find the books on Amazon.) 

Mr. Miele loves Iselin. When I asked him why, he shrugged a little. "Nobody bothers you here," he replied. In the book's introduction, Mr. Miele states "I still think Iselin is a great place, not a small town anymore. It is busy with people coming and going, new buildings, many interlaced cultures, and, yet friendly."

Mr. Miele raised a family here in Iselin, and he worked in construction; in fact, he may have built the house I grew up in! He had a big part in the construction of Iselin schools and other buildings, founding Miele Excavating and Grading Co.

I asked Mr. Miele what led him to write a book. "My mother saved everything, and she had hundreds of pictures taken with a little box camera," he told me. With all of these wonderful old photos, he realized that he had enough material to make a book. "No use wasting them," he said. "So I started putting it (the book) together. And I still have more - probably enough for another book." The book was co-authored by June Polanski Onder, Mr. Miele's niece.

Then and Now if Iselin, Volume 1, is more about the old days, with many pictures of the old Iselin.  On the other hand, Volume 2 is more about the contrast of the old time Iselin and today.  I enjoyed both books a great deal, and so did my family.  I highly recommend that you support Mr. Miele's efforts, and buy your copies today!  You can find them on Amazon, HERE!

The Lights at JFK

Photo Courtesy of Cheryl Brennan

 Football games under the lights are so exciting.  And now, JFK will have lights for night games.  The lights are going up - getting ready for school to be open and the games to begin. 

Thanks to Cheryl Brennan for sending me the photos!

 

Barron Arts Center Concert Tonight

A Quote for Today

The illimitable, silent, never-resting thing called Time, rolling, rushing on, swift, silent, like an all-embracing ocean-tide, on which we and all the universe swim like exhalations, like apparitions which are, and then are not....

  ~Thomas Carlyle

Big Shot Tonight

"On the lawn and under the stars" 

 the Woodbridge Township Concert Series 

at Woodbridge High School tonight presents 

Big Shot,

a Billy Joel Tribute Band. 

The show starts at about 7:30, 

but bring your chairs and get there early 

for a good spot!  

Be sure to bring a can of food for the food drive.

A New Place to Eat

Photo from the Woodbridge Center Facebook Page

RED ROBIN
Will be opening on Monday, August 20th at 11am.

It's located between Sears and Macys.

India Flag Raising in Iselin

Photo courtesy of Sara Schweitzer

Photo courtesy of Sara Schweitzer

Today was the Flag Raising ceremony in honor of India's 66th Anniversary of their Independence.

According to the Woodbridge Patch, it's the 16th year the flag raising has been held in our area.  The ceremony took place at the First Presbyterian Church in Iselin.

Thanks again to Iselin resident Sara Schweitzer for providing such great photos and video!

The Quote of the Day

Gardening is cheaper than therapy 

and you get tomatoes.  

~Author Unknown

Swap your books, CD's and DVD's!

Photos from today's India Day Paradeon Oak Tree Road, Iselin

Photos by Sara Schweitzer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How 'Bout some Mini Golf?

Did you get to the new Skyline Mini Golf place yet, behind the community center? It's a perfect summer fun idea with your kids. Maybe today!

Friday Music Time

Watch out for SCAM!

Woodbridge Police Department & Division on Aging

Warn Senior Residents of Telephone Scam 

 

Caller In Possession of Personal Checking Account Information... Victim Asked to Verify Information To Secure New Medical Insurance Card

 

Anyone with Information Asked to Contact the WPD at 732-634-7700 

  

 

Woodbridge Twsp.  – The Woodbridge Police Department (WPD) and the Woodbridge Township Division on Aging is warning Senior residents of a telephone scam whereby the caller advises that they are from an insurance company and that they are calling the Senior resident to verify checking account information in order to obtain a new medical insurance identification card.  The WPD warning comes in light of several Senior residents reporting the scam to the Division on Aging.   

 

According to Woodbridge Police Director Robert Hubner, the Division on Aging reports that several Township senior residents have received telephone calls wherein the caller advises that they represent an insurance company (no specific company name reported) and that the resident must verify personal checking account information in order to obtain a valid medical insurance identification card.  In all instances, the caller had obtained the victim’s actual checking account routing and account number(s) .   

 

The Division on Aging advises Senior residents that should they receive a contact to not confirm any information and to request to speak to a supervisor and/or obtain the caller’s phone number.  Victims should immediately contact their bank to report the scam and request that the bank cancel the checking account.  If you believe that you have fallen victim to this scam or one like it, please contact the WPD Detective Bureau at 732-634-7700 x7385 to report the incident.

Movies in the Park Starts Tonight in Sewaren

The Quote of the Day

There is one spectacle grander than the sea,

 that is the sky; 

there is one spectacle grander than the sky, 

that is the interior of the soul. 

 ~Victor Hugo

Tonight - Delta Rae!

The Quote of the Day

You must not blame me if I do talk to the clouds. 

~Henry David Thoreau 

Woodbridge Concert Tonight: The Hit Men

"On the lawn and under the stars" 

 - the Woodbridge Township Concert Series 

at Woodbridge High School tonight presents 

The Hitmen.  

The show starts at about 7:30, 

but bring your chairs and get there early 

for a good spot!  

Be sure to bring a can of food for the food drive.

Iselin Gardens

You might not believe it, but this garden really is in Iselin!  Jongky Hardiman is an artist with plants and as you can see, he has quite a collection.  It must be a full time job to care for a yard like this...    

I had seen photos of Jongky's garden, and I asked him to send me photos, which he agreed I could use on the blog.  I knew I wanted to share them here...

Do you have a garden in Iselin that you would be willing to show us?  Email me.  You could send me photos, or I could come over and take the pictures myself.

Are you sick of this song yet?

How about if the USA Olympic Swim Team does it?

Civil War Encampment in Woodbridge

On Aug. 4 - 5, 10 AM to 4 PM, 

Parker Press Park will become a Civil War camp. 

See reenactments of one of the bloodiest eras of American history. 

Visit soldiers' camps, witness a skirmish, attend a weapons or military demonstration, watch period civilian life, visit civilian displays, and learn from living historians portraying notable Civil War personalities. 

Books and other goods will also be for sale in the Civil War Library on the grounds of Parker Press Park. 

There will also be a Civil War 150th Anniversary Ceremony at 8 PM, Saturday, Aug. 4. 

Admission is free.

Car Wash Tomorrow!

The Mustang Club of John F. Kennedy Memorial High School is sponsoring a $5 car wash fund raiser at the high school on Saturday, August 4th, from 8 to 4 pm. All proceeds will benefit the Cheerleading and Football programs.

Friday Music

Did you hear that 101.9 is back to playing alt rock??? I'm so excited...

The Quote of the Day

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away. 

 ~Eudora Welty

Full Moon Tonight

I found this on Facebook, and I absolutely love the moon... so of course I ran outside too see what the moon looks like tonight.


I have taken probably millions of photos of the moon over the years, but yes, I had to take more.  The photos below are a few of the photos I took tonight.   It doesn't look very blue, does it?







It's a beautiful night - maybe a little humid - and I grabbed the camera and a little tripod, and sat in the grass and took bunches of photos.  And while I was laying there with my camera, in the lawn at School 26, of course a Woodbridge Police Officer stopped to find out if everything was ok.  (There are frequent, regular patrols of the school, so I wasn't surprised.)   I explained the whole thing about the "blue moon" to him, and he was very understanding. I'm sure I looked like an idiot, but like a harmless idiot at least.

Anyway, it's a beautiful moon, and you should spend a little quiet time looking at it, if you have a chance. 

Enjoy the evening!

My blog may be under attack...

I just wanted to let everyone know, in case weird stuff starts popping up on here?  It seems like I am being attacked by an unknown IP computer address - it seems like it's Chinese, although that may also be faked.  I hope to tighten up my security and make sure nothing gets messed up.  HOWEVER, please let me know if you see something that really seems off or out of character.  And, if for some reason I lose access to my blog and stop posting - in researching this, it seems like that's what has happened to other bloggers - please check back occasionally.  I'll be back, hopefully.

Iselin Giants Super Raffle!

 $10 tickets on sale now. 

1st prize 25% of the amount received. 

2nd prize 15% of amount received. 

3rd prize 10% of the amount received. 

 Last year's winner won over $7,000!

To get your chance to win some money, while helping a great organization, mail your $10 check or money order made out to the Iselin Giants Football and Cheer to: 

Iselin Giants - 450 Chain O'Hills Road, Colonia, NJ 07067

Drawing is August 23rd, 2012 at 7:30pm. Mail your check/money order by August 17th, in order to receive your ticket back in time for the drawing. 

Good luck!

Iselin Gardens

I think this is a very pretty front step.  How is your front step?

Did you eat at Chick Fil A today?

Today was Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day. It was an event started by Mike Huckabee, and you can see the facebook page for the event HERE. More than 650,000 people responded that they were participating in the event - and you can see the proof of that, by the lines out the door and around the mall at the Woodbridge Center Chick Fill-A!

Here are some photos taken by Cheryl Brennan, when she went this afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Cheryl Brennan

Photo courtesy of Cheryl Brennan

Mike Huckabee's statement about the event, taken from his Facebook event page, is as follows:

"I have been incensed at the vitriolic assaults on the Chick Fil-A company because the CEO, Dan Cathy, made comments recently in which he affirmed his view that the Biblical view of marriage should be upheld. The Cathy family, led by Chick Fil-A founder Truett Cathy, are a wonderful Christian family who are committed to operating the company with Biblical principles and whose story is the true American success story. Starting at age 46 Truett Cathy built Chick Fil-A into a $4 billion a year enterprise with over 1600 stores. At 91, he is still active in the company, but his son Dan runs it day to day as CEO.It's a great American story that is being smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry from the left.


The Chick Fil-A company refuses to open on Sundays so that their employees can go to church if they wish. Despite the pressure from malls, airports, and the business world to open on Sundays, they still don't. They treat customers and employees with respect and dignity.


I ask you to join me in speaking out on Wednesday, August 1 "Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day.” No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly demonstrate. The goal is simple: Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1. Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we're considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant. This effort is not being launched by the Chick Fil-A company and no one from the company or family is involved in proposing or promoting it.


There's no need for anyone to be angry or engage in a verbal battle. Simply affirm appreciation for a company run by Christian principles by showing up on Wednesday, August 1 or by participating online – tweeting your support or sending a message on Facebook.


PLEASE RSVP IF YOU PLAN ON PARTICIPATING AT A CHICK FIL-A OR ONLINE."

 America is a wonderful place.  Free speech is one of our most important rights.  Like a famous quote says, "I (may) disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

(According to Wikipedia, this quote is usually attributed to Voltaire, but really the words "were first used by Evelyn Beatrice Hall, writing under the pseudonym of Stephen G Tallentyre in The Friends of Voltaire (1906), as a summation of Voltaire's beliefs on freedom of thought and expression.")

No matter which side of this issue you fall on - pro or con the "biblical view" of marriage or pro or con "gay" marriage - in America, you are free to give your opinion.   The CEO, Dan Cathy, is free to say what he believes, whether you agree with him or not.  Mike Huckabee is free to make an event to bring people together to support him, and others are free to boycott; and you are free to show up eat at Chick Fil-A, or to choose to never eat at Chick Fil-A again. 

Like I said, I love America!

Oh well, Daga just missed it ...

What an exciting match! Dagmara did a great job, and we are all very proud of her! But, she didn't advance into the medal round. 

... but that doesn't take anything away from her. She is a great athlete, and we are proud of her!

Watch Dagmara Wozniak Fence RIGHT NOW on MSNBC!

Go Dagmara!  Channel 37 or 818 on my comcast...

Going for the GOLD!!!

Dagmara Wozniak of Avenel has been in a lot of our local news stories lately, because she's at the Olympics RIGHT NOW, competing in USA Fencing, in the Saber.  You can read her bio HERE, at Team USA.org.

AND RIGHT NOW, she's advanced into the top 8, according to a tweet from her team mate, Tim Morehouse!!!

On her Facebook page, Dagmara wrote: 
"I was born in Wroclaw, Poland and moved to the United States when I was one year old with my parents and my sister. I have been fencing ever since I was 10 and I love it. I first trained at Polish American Fencing School in Linden NJ for about 6 years before moving to New York to train under National Men's Saber Coach Yury Gelman."

It's very exciting ... will Avenel have a GOLD MEDALIST?  I don't know much about fencing, but she is advancing so far.  Good Luck Dagmara!

Iselin Library Calendar of Events for August 2012