January 26th, 2010
Many scoffed 20 years ago at projections that internet retail sales would be a major factor in the future. “I’ll never buy anything on the internet,” so many of us said.
Well, guess what? In the third quarter of 2009, US internet sales were $34 billion. Out of a total of $922 billion in US retail sales, that figure represents 3.7% of all sales being done with a mouse and keyboard at hand in front of a computer screen.
For someone who knows what they want to purchase, the internet is the way to go. It sure beats driving 45 miles each way to a retail store to come away either empty handed because their product wasn’t what you wanted, or with something you paid 20% or so above internet cost.
Forbes recently released its list of retail stores that are in serious economic trouble in 2010. Some are a victim of the internet, some the economy, and some have been trumped by discount big box stores like WalMart, Costco and Target.
Borders and Waldenbooks may be the first to fold in 2010. Amazon.com has stole the show. It’s so much easier to order a book over the internet and have it at your door in a week. But there’s another factor that has doomed the book retail stores. I sell my book through Amazon and 79 other internet sites, plus my own website at http://www.RoadtripBabyBoomer.com . They are printed “on demand” and I make about $5 per book. But to put your book in a retail outlet you get about $1 per book, and have to buy back any they don’t sell at full wholesale price. That often makes authors owe money instead of making it. Hence, the big box bookstores have a less diversified inventory because unknown authors shy away.
Blockbuster is also in deep doo-doo. Netflix and avenues to download movies on-line have made going to the video store to pick out a movie a fading memory. The movie rental business is on its last legs.
Ritz Camera has also been identified by Forbes as a candidate for euthanasia. If you know the camera you want, it’s less expensive and usually less of a hassle to buy it on-line. And really, who needs film developed anymore?
Other outlets that Forbes put on its death-watch list are KB Toys, Zales Jewelers, and Starbucks. The first two are basically victims of the poor economic times. Excessive purchases of toys and jewelry are easily eliminated from a family budget as unnecessary.
As for Starbucks, they expanded too rapidly. There’s only so many yuppies out there. I’m a guy’s guy. I don’t care about a Sumatra and Guatemalan coffee blend, a Frappuccino, a Ski Cinnamon Dolce Latte, or an Espresso Truffle. I don’t know what those are, but I’d be downright embarassed to stand there and order one. Give me a break!
- Mountain Man and City Girl http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com
Tags: internet sales, Jewell Real Estate Agency, lifestyle blog, Mountain Man and City Girl, RoadtripBabyBoomer.com
Posted in Lifestyle | Comments Off
January 21st, 2010
I’m not really one to watch MTV. It’s not my generation. I’m a couple generations past that. So when I read in the newspaper that Italian-American groups were repulsed and offended by the show “Jersey Shore”, it piqued my interest.
I feel qualified to have an opinion about the Jersey Shore (the place, not the show) because, heck, I live here. Our real estate office is located in Wildwood Crest, Cape May County. We’re just four blocks from the beach and the beginning of the 39 city block long Boardwalk. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the population on our island swells from 14,000 yearround to over 250,000.
Our closest metropolitan area is Philadelphia. It’s predominantly Italian and Irish heritage. And it’s a rite of passage for families and their kids to vacation here. It’s also an unofficial “tradition” that kids in their late teens and twenties come here in the summer to party. Party hard! Party hard away from their elders, out of sight of those who might inflict family repercussions.
I have a little more insight than most because I also owned a bar here from 2002 through 2004. Though my tavern was off the beaten track and it attracted an older (30 to 75) crowd, I did become acquainted with many other bar owners and I did make the late night rounds more than once.
Long story short, I recently did catch two episodes of Jersey Shore. It’s about these eight Italian-American young twenty-somethings who come to the shore town of Seaside Heights, NJ, about 50 miles north of us. They have an assortment of MTV-generation names like Snooki, JWoWW, and The Situation. The Situation? Give me a break.
Anyway, they primp and argue at their rented beach house, then go out and drink and carouse, and inevitably come home and be promiscious with a newfound partner. They call it “hooking up”. You can call it what you like.
They also get into fights and do other immature, egotistical things. They are an extreme example of typical summertime behavior. Tone it down a little bit and they’re just like the others who go “Animal House” at the shore.
The Italian-American groups call Jersey Shore demeaning and not reality. “That’s not how our kids act,” is their general feeling.
Bottom line:
Is this behavior the norm at the shore in the summertime? Yes. It’s called “sowing your oats” before settling down to a lifetime of responsibility and 2.3 kids and a soccer-mom vehicle and a mortgage.
Should Italian-American groups be offended? No. Get over it. It’s also Irish-American kids and CEO’s kids and teachers’ kids and mayors’ kids. And your kids!
- Mountain Man and City Girl http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com
Tags: beach, Cape May County, Cape May County blog, Italian-American, Jersey shore, Jersey Shore TV show, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, MTV, New Jersey blog, Wildwood Crest
Posted in Humor, Lifestyle | Comments Off
January 21st, 2010
The family’s decision to allow their house to go into foreclosure isn’t an easy one. But often there is no choice. The loss of a job by one of the spouses can cripple their finances. Even having a significant cutback in salary, such as being dropped from a full-time to part-time employee, can be enough to throw a household budget into a tailspin.
Until the past year or so, a family could rescue themselves by taking an equity line on their house, or even write a credit card check to bolster their checking account and get them through the tough times. But too many Americans have now found themselves cut off from being extended credit through these means. Banks are taking the hard line, even if one’s credit score is still hovering around 800 and payments are always on time.
In 2009, there were over 2.8 million foreclosures filed in the United States. It’s a sad statistic that puts a damper on many families’ American dream of home ownership. Is owning a home and then losing it worse than never having owned one?
But there is one facet of these foreclosures that is particularly upsetting. About one-fourth of last year’s foreclosures were not because the mortgage payments couldn’t be afforded, but instead because families decided the mortgage payment simply wasn’t worth paying. It’s called a strategic default.
Suppose a family owns a home they bought in 2004 for $450,000 with no money down. Their mortgage payment is nearly $3,000 a month, plus PMI and real estate taxes ($500 a month average here in New Jersey). Add in minimal upkeep and necessary repairs and it’s costing about $4,500 a month.
If a family can handle that $4,500 but has nothing left at the end of the month, they begin to wonder if it’s worth the hassle. Especially because the house is now only worth $315,000, using the typical decline of 30% in value in the US. When that family crunches the numbers and compares paying $1,200 to $1,500 a month to rent a similar home, many opt to take that route.
So, despite the fact that their credit will be ruined and the pleasures and comforts of home ownership will disappear, they decide to walk away from their home. They stop making the mortgage payments – which gives them six months or so with no $4,500 payment (saving $27,000) - and prepare for life as a renter.
It’s a sad scenario. But for many, a reality.
Mountain Man and City Girl http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com
Tags: foreclosure, home ownership, Jewell Real Estate Agency, mortgage foreclosure, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey real estate blog, real estate blog, strategic default
Posted in Real Estate | Comments Off
January 20th, 2010
In what can only be attributed to voter backlash to the Obama administration, the GOP completed its sweep of the three major off-year elections with a Senatorial victory in Massachusetts yesterday. So much for the political pundits who declared the Republican party as DOA a year ago.
The GOP resurrection all started in Virginia on November 3, 2009 when Bob McDonnell, the former state Attorney General, trounced Democratic State Senator Creigh Deeds by a 59% to 41% margin in the gubernatorial race. It was the biggest margin of victory in the Commonwealth since 1961. McDonnell, who took the oath of office last Saturday, replaced Democratic governor Tim Kaine.
That same fateful November election saw Republican Chris Christie knock off incumbent New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine by 87,000 votes in a race that was almost too close to call. It was the largest margin of victory for a first-time Republican in the Garden State since 1969. Christie, like his Virginia counterpart, was a former Attorney General (US). Similarly, both states now have two Democratic senators and a new rookie Republican governor.
Christie was inaugurated yesterday. While emphasizing that he was in Trenton to implement “change”, he put his finger on the problem in New Jersey politics. “Too much time has been spent assigning blame instead of accepting responsibility,” he said.
Yesterday also marked the end of the Democratic reign of one of Massachusetts’ Senate seats. Since John F. Kennedy defeated Henry Cabot Lodge in a big upset back in 1952, the Bay State has been decidedly Democratic. When Kennedy won the Presidential election in 1960, the seat was passed to a Democratic family friend, who then stepped aside in an pre-arrangement to secede to Ted Kennedy in 1962. Teddy, who held the Senate job for over 46 years, was unable to directly take the seat from brother John in ’60 because he wasn’t yet 30 years old. This youngest Kennedy son passed away last summer.
The Senatorial election yesterday went to Republican Scott Brown, a former State Senator, who routed Democratic Attorney General (sound familiar?) Martha Coakley. The combination of Coakley’s lack of charisma and poor campaign strategy was her undoing. Brown, who once trailed in the polls by 30% and then as recently as two weeks ago by 15%, took 52% of the popular vote.
The vote was also a reflection of the fallout from the Obama presidency, which ran on a platform of being an agent of change but so far has been decidedly ineffective. An all too-familar ring of a presidential candidate being a “Washington outsider” resonates with voters, but the reality is usually that once they set up shop inside the Beltway they get sucked into “politics as usual”. They find that compromise and cutting deals is a survival tool.
Saving the best for last, the Massachusetts election was also perhaps a yardstick for the popularity of the universal health care reform being presented to the American people. Brown will now cast the deciding 41st vote in the Senate against the bill, effectively putting the issue to rest for a while.
Maybe it’s time for the Obama administration to focus on the issue that Americans care most about – the economy and jobs.
- Mountain Man and City Girl http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com
Tags: Governor Chris Christie, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Martha Coakley, Massachusetts election 2010, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey blog, New Jersey politics, Obama administration, political blog, Scott Brown, Ted Kennedy
Posted in Politics | Comments Off
January 19th, 2010
Internet gambling in the United States is illegal. It’s cut and dried. But a recent federal appeals court decision just may have given states the option to offer internet gambling within their own borders. In cash-strapped New Jersey, which is expected to have the seventh largest budget deficit this fiscal year of the 50 states, the notion has appeal.
State Senator Raymond Lesniak recently introduced bill S3167, which would indeed legalize such popular games as poker, baccarat, blackjack, roulette, craps, slot machines, and more. With New Jersey’s distinction of having the toughest gambling laws in the United States, implementing the on-line form seems a natural and comforting fit.
Currently, there are thousands of global internet gambling sites. They are illegal in New Jersey, in part because there is no way for the state gaming commission to determine whether these games offer fair odds. Many who do still gamble illegally on the internet complain of not being able to collect their winnings. Would you trust a gambling site located in the Philippines or Bulgaria?
The other reason they are not legal in New Jersey is rather obvious – Atlantic City. The state’s 11 casinos generated $3.9 billion in revenue in 2009. While down from $5.2 billion in record-setting 2006, it still is a major contributor to state coffers.
The new internet gambling bill, if eventually made into law, would require all gaming companies to be headquartered around Atlantic City. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission, also based in AC, would be able to monitor the new companies, plus develop “technical standards for approval of software, computers and other gaming equipment used to conduct internet wagering, including mechanical, electrical or program reliablility, security against tampering, the comprehensibility of wagering, …. blah, blah, blah.” Did you get all that?
Internet site operators would pay $200,000 the first year for a license, with a $100,000 annual renewal. They’d also pay a $100,000 non-refundable deposit and another $100,000 towards treating compulsive gambling. They’d fork over a 20% tax to the casino revenue fund and another tax would give money to the New Jersey Racing Commission. No wonder so many groups are salivating over the prospect of internet gambling.
AC Mayor Lorenzo Langford spoke in favor of the internet gambling concept, while casino operators seem concerned that the bill might allow video lottery terminals (VLT’s) and slot machines at the state’s race tracks. The AC casinos are currently paying the horseracing industry $90 million over three years in an agreement that bans VLT’s from tracks.
With New Jersey’s perilious money situation, internet gambling seems like a good revenue producer. The AC casinos will survive because, let’s face it, you don’t have the glitz of the casinos and shows and entertainers and restaurants sitting at home on your computer. And you can bet that the 11 casinos will be the first in line to get those new internet gaming licenses. They see the possibilities!
- Mountain Man and City Girl http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com
Tags: AC casinos, Atlantic City, atlantic city casinos, gambling blog, Internet Gambling, Internet Gambling in New Jersey, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey blog, political blog, Senate bill S3167, VLT's
Posted in Lifestyle, Politics | Comments Off
January 18th, 2010
Today commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King, a charismatic speaker who led the fight for racial equality and an end to discrimination in America. In 1964, he became the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He led civil rights marches and protests throughout the Southern States, which staunchly clung to their outdated and repulsive Confederacy mentality.
But it’s Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC in front of 200,000 people, that will forever define his legacy. It was named the top speech of the 20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars.
Here are a few excerpts that are worth revisiting:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”
“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.”
So on this chilly Monday in January, take time to reflect on the inhumanity that once pervaded our land. And be relieved that, for the most part, that injustice has been rectified. Thanks, Dr. King.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com
Tags: Dr. Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream, I Have a Dream speech, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Martin Luther King holiday, Mountain Man and City Girl
Posted in Politics | Comments Off
January 18th, 2010
Let’s face it. Unless you live in rural America and own a large tract of land, there is no place for all-terrain vehicles (ATV’s). Here in New Jersey, with a population density of 1,134 people per square mile, ATV’s are a fish out of water.
New Jersey’s Assembly and Senate recently approved a bill which would regulate ATV’s, while at the same time creating three parks for ATV’s and dirtbikes. Governor Jon Corzine, whose last day in office is today, is expected to sign the bill into law as he packs up his belongings. If he doesn’t give it his John Hancock, incoming Governor Christopher Christie no doubt will enact ATV laws in the near future.
New Jersey prohibits dirt bikes and ATV’s from all public lands, which includes state parks, preserves, utility power lines, and roads. Unfortunately, many riders have thumbed their noses at the law and police regularly have cat and mouse pursuits of scofflaws. Many municipalities, including here in Middle Township, Cape May County where we live, have had to purchase ATV’s and train officers to catch the illegal riders.
The new ATV regulations going into effect would require all owners to register their machine within six months. New vehicles have to be registered to take delivery. The cost will be $50, plus a $10 surcharge to help fund the three riding parks. The fine for getting caught without a registration will be $500. Since the ATV’s and dirt bikes would now have license plates front and rear, police and the public should have no problem spotting unregistered vehicles.
There are 85 ATV and dirt bike dealers listed in New Jersey. There are 25,000 riders, according to estimates. Acquiring three riding parks will probably be difficult. They’ll have to be located away from populations, wetlands, and water. Presumably, they’ll locate one each in North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey. Hopefully, the 1.1 million acre Pinelands will be off-limits in the South.
The root of ATV problems can often be traced to condescending parents, who buy their kid a dirt bike or ATV even though there is nowhere to legally operate it. Soon a bunch of kids are tearing through private property, destroying gates and fences and rutting footpaths to the point that they are unwalkable. The ruts also hold water, making ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. And then there are the idiots who chase deer and other wildlife. Irresponsible adults are as often to blame as teenagers for the many transgressions of riders.
That said, ATV’s aren’t all bad. In West Virginia, where we also own a log home on 19 acres, ATV’s are permitted on any road that is not a “numbered highway”. That makes zipping down to the neighbors for a cup of coffee as easy as hopping on your machine, which many have parked right outside the front door. But West Virginia has just 75 folks per square mile (6% of NJ) and plenty of families own 100-acre tracts. Riding in a National Forest, however, still results in confiscation of the ATV if caught.
Let’s hope that New Jersey’s new ATV laws put an end to the illegal trespassing that so many riders feel is their inherent right. This is a chance to legitimize their hobby.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com
Tags: ATV's in New Jersey, Cape May County blog, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey blog, political blog
Posted in Lifestyle, Politics | Comments Off
January 17th, 2010
The debate rages on in America. To have or have not? Health care, that is.
On the surface, affordable health care for everyone seems like a good idea. But then again, so does communism. But implementing an ideal is another thing. Man’s inherent greed, competitive nature, and downright incompetence can turn the most well-intentioned plan into a complete boondoggle. I could have used much stronger language than “boondoggle”.
There is one showstopping point to President Obama’s universal health care plan that most everyone seems to have overlooked. It’s NOT health care, it’s disease treatment. Think about it.
If the government - and society in general - really cared about people’s health, they’d tackle the nutrition situation. Proper nutrition prevents the majority of illnesses. That’s the heart of all our health problems. Eat right and the body will help heal itself. The body is an efficient machine if it gets the right nutrients. Just like your car running on 87 octane fuel. Try running it on 65 octane and see what happens.
So a true health care plan would include education on nutrition. While most Americans will guffaw at this suggestion, we need to all become vegetarians. Ingesting animal products and processed sugars is like, well, putting sugar in your car’s gas tank. It sputters and dies.
But enough on that subject. Let’s get back to this “disease treatment” reform bill.
The House of Representatives passed their version of the bill on November 7 by a narrow margin of 220-215. On December 24, the Senate passed their version of the bill 60-39. The one missing vote was that of the late Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Since the two arms of government passed different versions of the bill, it will have to be reconciled and voted on again by both houses. If Republican Scott Brown gets elected in Tuesday’s special Senatorial election in Massachusetts, the Senate vote will no doubt end up 60 to 40 and the bill will die. If Democrat Martha Coakley wins, the Senate will most likely still favor the bill.
As things currently stand, no health reform will result in 54 million uninsured Americans by 2019. But the House bill would still leave 17 million uninsured by 2019 and the Senate bill 23 million. The 10 year cost is touted as $1.05 trillion for the House version and $871 billion for the Senate’s. It’s the struggling middle, upper middle, and upper classes that will be footing the bill. This recession has hurt them, too.
The major sticking point for most Americans is that coverage will be mandatory. Not getting insurance coverage will result in some sort of fines or penalty tax. That’s outrageous!
Another taint is that in order for the Senate to get the necessary vote of Democrat Ben Nelson, a former insurance industry lawyer and consultant, they granted the state of Nebraska $100 million over 10 years to cover expansion costs of Medicare. The main beneficary: insurance companies writing policies in Nebraska. There were other abuses, trade-offs, and compromises in both house’s bills.
So we’ve gone full circle. Back to greed and incompetence. Is affordable health care a good thing? Yes. Can we trust the government to oversee it? Not hardly.
Back to the drawing board.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ
Tags: affordable health care, health care reform, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, political blog
Posted in Lifestyle, Politics | 1 Comment »
January 17th, 2010
The death of US Senator Ted Kennedy last August 29 marked the end of a long political career. The Massachusetts Democrat was first elected in 1962 and it was his first of nine consecutive election victories. He served in the US Senate for 46 years, giving him the fourth longest service in Senate history. It was the only elected position he ever held.
Once upon a time, after the assassinations of brothers John (1962) and Robert (1968), it seemed logical and highly possible that young Teddy would one day became President of the United States. But the Chappaquiddick incident in July, 1969 derailed any aspirations for being Commander in Chief. Who can ever forget photos of that car sitting in the water?
Tuesday is election day in Massachusetts, when voters will decide between Democrat Martha Coakley, the state’s attorney general, and Republican Scott Brown, a relatively unknown state senator. Coakley, who at one point held a 15% advantage in the polls, has seen her lead shrink to 4%. With a margin of error of 4%, it’s just about a toss up. Undecided Independents will no doubt decide this election.
President Barack Obama made a quick change in plans and will campaign for Coakley today in Massachusetts, a typically Democrat state. On Friday, former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Coakley in Massachusetts, while New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was stumping for Brown.
So why do all these heavy hitters care so much about Ted Kennedy’s old seat? Health care.
If Coakley wins, Obama will presumably still have the 60 Senate votes needed to approve a health care reform bill. If Brown wins, the opposition gets its decisive 40th vote to shoot down any health care bill put up to a Senate vote.
How does a Republican even have a chance in the staunchly Democratic Massachusetts? Obama.
When Obama was elected and took office last January, he was supposed to be an agent of change. But now many who supported his election are disappointed and disenchanted with his presidency. Independents, especially, are leaving his camp. There is an anti-incumbent, anti-establishment undercurrent amongst the masses. This could well work to Brown’s advantage in the Massachusetts election. But is it enough to derail Coakley?
Whoever wins, they certainly have a big pair of shoes to fill.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: Jewell Real Estate Agency, Martha Coakley, Massachusetts Democrat, Massachusetts election 2010, Mountain Man and City Girl, opinion, political blog, Scott Brown, Ted Kennedy
Posted in Politics | 2 Comments »
January 16th, 2010
It’s the Hatfields and the McCoys, the Blue and the Gray, the Union and the Confederacy. Whatever label you attach, it is an all-out war in West Wildwood, pitting neighbors against neighbors, one political faction against the other.
The war has taken the form of employee suspensions, court ordered re-instatements, lawsuits, and even an upcoming mayoral recall election. It’s Peyton Place by-the-Bay.
There have been undercurrents of one side versus the other for a long time, but the war intensified in May, 2008 with the election of a new set of three city commissioners – Mayor Herb Frederick, Gerard McNamara, and Scott Golden. The power had been transferred from the Hatfields to the McCoys. The muskets and long rifles are loaded and ready.
The new mayor is a political rival of former mayor Chris Fox, who chose to retire from public life and not run in the election. Along with his personable brother Alan Fox, the longtime police chief, the two Fox’s were visible leaders of the little borough of 400-something yearround residents for over a decade.
Amongst the goings-on recently have been the firing of the city clerk – an ally of Fox – by Frederick. A judge ordered her back on the job. Frederick then suspended police lieutenant Jackie Ferentz, another Fox ally, in March, 2009. He accused her of a number of violations, amongst those performing duties only allowed by the chief. But documentation alleges that Chief Alan Fox, who has suffered with illness for over a decade, appointed Ferentz as acting police chief before he retired.
Ferentz countered by suing Frederick for interfering with her ability to do her duties as chief. She also joined with two other West Wildwood residents to successfully get enough petition signatures to force a recall election of Frederick. You guessed it. Frederick has filed a lawsuit to stop the February 23rd election.
And so life goes on in the sleepy little fishing town on the backbay. Stay tuned. We’ll have more stories of strife from the frontlines in the future.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey blog, political blog, West Wildwood, West Wildwood blog, West Wildwood politics
Posted in Politics, Real Estate | Comments Off
January 16th, 2010
I grew up in North Jersey in the 1950′s in one of those “Leave it to Beaver” families. Dad commuted to work each morning in suit and tie, while Mom stayed home and attended to running the household. She got us kids off to school each morning after feeding us a hearty breakfast and packing our brown bag lunch. We were each given a nickel for our milk container purchase at school, later raised to an outrageous dime.
When we got home from school, Mom was there with milk and cookies, or some other goodie. The house was spotless and absolutely nothing was out of place. The beds were always made to the point of perfection and the hamper was empty. Clothes were hanging on the clothes line in the backyard.
We kids hurried to change into play clothes, then rushed out the door as Mom said cheerfully, “Dinner is at 5:30. Don’t be late.” Needless to say, a nice, hot meal of meat, potatoes, and a vegetable were on the dinner table at 5:30. What a life!
We had one car, which Dad used each day. To get anywhere, our options were to ride our bikes or walk. Mom was not our chaufeur. We kids (mostly me because I was the oldest) were expected to mow the lawn, rake leaves, and shovel snow. No excuses were acceptable.
But that’s not today’s reality. In statistics recently released by the US Census Bureau, concerning families comprised of a married couple with kids under 18 years old, you can see that the American way of life has changed dramatically from the Ward and June Cleaver, Wally and Beaver (okay, Theodore) days.
Two thirds of these American families have both parents working. That’s 17 million families where the kids probably don’t have a June Cleaver to come home to every day. Called “latch-key kids”, they come home from school to an unsupervised house. No wonder they live on junk food, fast food, and watch too much TV and spend too much time playing video games.
Now only 28 percent (7.3 million families) of fathers are the sole breadwinners. That throws the Ward Cleaver model right out the window. Another telling statistic is that in 4% of families (just under a million), the wife is the sole supporter. Maybe that’s why beer sales are up? Just kidding. A lot of that can be attributed to this recession which has eliminated many construction and trades jobs. But does Dad take up the traditional homemaker role? Only in 16% of the families, they say.
In today’s world, a family does without any frills unless both parents are employed. It’s the way it is. But how many kids can never share the memories I have of coming home after school to Mom’s freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies and a loving hug.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: Beaver Cleaver, Jewell Real Estate Agency, June Cleaver, Leave it to Beaver, lifestyle blog, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey blog, real estate blog, Ward Cleaver
Posted in Lifestyle | Comments Off
January 15th, 2010
It looked like such a cute plant sitting there on forest floor near the back corner of our property here in Cape May County, New Jersey. It had pretty purple flowers and an intriguing stem that sprouted out a couple leaves every few inches. The perennial plant sat there all by itself, yearning to be saved. Always a sucker for flora and fauna, we transplanted it to a safe, sunny spot in our garden and forgot about it.
The next growing season it spread some via an underground root system. Again, the purple flowers were beautiful. By the next year, it was springing up nearly ten feet from where I planted the first one. Still, I figured it had just about used up the open area and it would not keep spreading.
Then one morning in July I opened up the morning newspaper and there was a story about an invasive plant that had been imported from Asia. The accompanying picture left me speechless – it was my little purple-flower plant. The more I read the story, the more I realized I had to dig this perennial plant right up and destroy it.
Now, two years later, I think I finally have seen the last of this bugger. It seems everytime I thought it was all dug up, another shoot would spring up elsewhere.
It is estimated that there are 50,000 alien species in the United States, and they do $138 billion damage to the US economy. The biggest problem is that many of these foreigners have no natural pests or diseases here to keep them in check. So they spread like wildfire, choking out native species. Since one plant species in an area supports about 10 animal species, a monoculture of one plant can substantially reduce animal habitat and diversity.
Some of the invasive plant species in New Jersey – many planted by well-meaning landscapers – are the Norway maple, Japanese barberry, Asian bittersweet, English ivy, mimosa, wisteria, Japanese honeysuckle, bamboo, and day lily. Geez, we have four of those right in our yard. Who knew? Even the multiflora rose (planted along highways) and crown vetch (to stabilize hillsides) are foreigners.
In Avalon, an upscale shore community here, they planted Japanese black pines back in the 1960′s to help stabilized the shifting sands of the dunes. Little did they realize how quickly they would grow, pushing out native species. And with pine needles eventually coating the ground underneath them, that area became barren.
Avalon is now cutting out the dead black pines and pruning all the lower branches of the live ones. They will be replaced by native species – Eastern red cedar, black cherry, wax myrtle, and Northern bayberry – which all can perform the same role of stabilizing the sand. It’s a win-win.
With spring just two months away, the ground will soon begin revealing a new crop of summer plants at our home. I better keep my shovel ready just in case any of those Asian purple-flower plants show up.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: Avalon, Cape May County NJ, invasive plants, Jersey shore, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, nature blog, new jersey invasive plants, NJ
Posted in Nature | Comments Off
January 12th, 2010
It’s time to abolish the American penny. Pass the petitions, please.
The American penny has outlived its usefulness. I think its demise can be directly tied to the end of penny candy. Nowadays, nothing costs under a nickel, does it?
At our house, we keep a coffee cup near the front door and every time we walk in the door we empty our pockets of those dadgum pennies. We do this ritual because Joyce says it’s a feng-shui thing. I don’t know, something about good karma. Pennies are so worthless that even the little grandkids don’t want the cupful of pennies by the door. “Aren’t there any dollars in there?”, they ask.
The American penny originated in 1793 and for the first 64 years of its life it was actually 100% copper. The next seven years it was 89% copper and 11% nickel. That didn’t last long, as the US mint changed to 95% copper and 5% a combination of tin and zinc. They made pennies that way until World War II. It went through another three transformations in the next 20 years.
In 1962, the penny became brass – that’s 95% copper and 5% zinc and titanium. The biggest change came in 1982, when the penny made its final reform. It became 97.5% zinc at the core with 2.5% copper plating. The mighty penny was no longer mostly copper, but instead a shadow of its former self. The current cost to make a penny is 1.67 cents. That’s right, it costs more to make this mostly-zinc penny than its face value.
I propose that we do away with the penny. If the cost of something ends in 1 cent or two cents, round it down to zero. If it ends in 3 or 4 cents, round it up to a nickel. The same for 6 or 7 cents down to a nickel and 8 or 9 cents up to a dime. It all evens out in the end. Isn’t that easy?
There is one driving force that is lobbying – successfully, so far – to keep the penny. No, it’s not retail merchants. It’s not the US Treasury or the US Mint. It’s not Congress or the Senate or the White House. Are you sitting down?
It’s the zinc industry. Aarrrgh!
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: American penny, copper pennies, copper penny, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, penny, zinc pennies, zinc penny
Posted in Humor | 1 Comment »
January 12th, 2010
After a three year hiatus, the Ladies Professional Golf Association will once again be staging a golf tournament in southern New Jersey. The gals have been missed.
The LPGA began its 21-year run in the area in 1986 with the Atlantic City LPGA Classic, held at the Marriot Seaview CC. Two years later the venue was changed to Greate Bay CC in Somers Point, where it stayed through 1997. The tournament was moved back to the Seaview in 1998 and it played there through 2006. The event was called the ShopRite Classic beginning in 1992, when Wakefern Foods took over as the main sponsor.
The tournament was pulled after the 2006 event because of then LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens. The coveted date – in early to mid June – is the just prior to the LPGA championship, meaning most of the name players attend the event. ShopRite was pushed aside for a new upstart tournament, Annika Sorenstam’s Ginn Tribute, played in South Carolina. ShopRite was offered an unacceptable September date and the tournament folded.
The Ginn Tribute lasted just two years and Bivens controversial tenure as commissioner likewise was shot down in flames. The tour’s big name players, fed up with Bivens, forced her resignation in July, 2009. Michael Whan, a 45-year old businessman, has just taken over as the new commish.
Tail between legs, the LPGA came back to the South Jersey golf world in November and offered the 2010 date. It was gladly accepted. This year the Classic will be June 14-20, then the next four years are penciled in for the first week of June. The LPGA championship is the following week each year.
The LPGA needs the South Jersey tournament. The tour schedule has dropped from the norm of 30 tournaments a year to just 23 this year, of which 10 are being played outside the USA. The tight economy has made sponsors tough to find. The tour is on shaky footing.
The ShopRite Classic’s biggest contribution to the area has been the giving to charities. In 2006, $1.8 million went to local charities. Over the course of 21 years, about $13 million has gone to local hospitals and other youth, health, and community non-profits. Local businesses also see a gain in revenue the week all the lady pros and spectators are in South Jersey.
Welcome back, girls. Hope your stay is permanent.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCitygirl.com
Tags: Jewell Real Estate Agency, LPGA ShopRite Classic, LPGA Tour 2010, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey blog, ShopRite Classic 2010, South Jersey blog, South Jersey golf
Posted in Lifestyle | Comments Off
January 11th, 2010
The Borough of Woodbine is located in the northwest corner of Cape May County, in southern New Jersey. Situated in the Pinelands National Reserve, Woodbine is physically located about 20 miles from the very affluent beachfront communities of Avalon and Stone Harbor and 30 miles from trendy, historic Cape May. But in perception, they are a million miles apart.
Woodbine shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s the hidden gem of the county. And continually preparing itself for future prosperity.
The rural, wooded town of 2,700 folks boasts an airport, a museum, the largest employer in the county, plenty of industry, an elementary school, recreation commission, volunteer fire department, and Belleplain State Park.
The 700-acre airport – one of only three in the county – is part of the 1,216-acre Woodbine Municipal Airport Economic Area. It employs 27 workers with an annual payroll of two-thirds of a million dollars. The 50-acre business park has a public sewer system in place in anticipation of future businesses locating there. An existing rail line opens more possibilities. A new golf course proposed by a private developer on the remaining land was scuttled when a glut of new golf courses in the county made it financially impractical.
Being one of only five towns in the 1.1 million acre Pinelands to receive the coveted Town designation, Woodbine is able to offer sewers for residences, plus commercial and industrial businesses. That makes it attractive to businesses throughout Cape May County looking to relocated to more spacious and less pricey properties. And the general purpose tax rate hasn’t increased in 19 years.
The little town is experiencing continual improvements. The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage recently completed a $2 million renovation and voters recently approved a $3.8 million project to upgrade the school, which includes solar panel installation. At the former landfill, Garden State Ethanol is in the permit process which will lead to building a 25-million gallon a year plant that will convert algae to ethanol.
The town owes much of its success and progress to Mayor William Pikolycky, who’s been in office for a couple decades. Last year alone he garnered $4.2 million in grants for Woodbine. In the past he has gotten bike trails and walking trails funded and built, and made many infrastructure improvements to the vibrant, multi-ethnic community.
So while many local communities march on as well-to-do seashore tourist locales, little Woodbine chugs along with an eye to the future. It truly is the Little Engine That Could.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: Borough of Woodbine, Cape May County, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey blog, New Jersey real estate blog, real estate blog, Woodbine
Posted in Real Estate | 2 Comments »
January 10th, 2010
It’s an arctic jihad. And we’ve got proof!
The weather the last couple months has been, well, extreme. Just look at the facts. The resort town of Whistler, British Columbia received an incredible 18 feet of snow in November. That’s November, mind you. That’s 216 inches of the white powder and nearly four times the November average of 58″. In fact, it’s nearly 20% more snow than the snowiest month ever at Whistler.
In England, it was as low as 7 degrees Fahrenheit this week. There has been snow in Madrid, Spain and Paris, France. Temperatures in Alabama and Mississippi have been in the teens. In Florida, the orange, grapefruit and vegetable crops are threatened with huge die-offs due to temperatures in the 20′s. The poor iguana’s are freezing to death and dropping out of the trees.
Even here in southern New Jersey, where we’re surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay and the influence of their relatively warmer water temperatures, it was 9 degrees Fahrenheit this morning. Heck, some winters we don’t even have to wear a winter coat. For the past six weeks, my winter coat has been my best friend.
We were optimistic this autumn when meteorologists reported an El Nino was warming the Pacific Ocean. That means a warm winter, doesn’t it? But they are attributing this excessive cold and snow to an “Arctic Oscillation”. Yeah, right, whatever that is.
Anyway, we received an email this morning from my old friend Icky Kitikmeot, an Inuit eskimo living outside Cambridge Bay on Victoria Island in the Northwest Territories of Canada. He shed a light on this entire weather thing.
It seems Icky was out muskox hunting last week about 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle when he came across a valley lined with giant fans. He lost count there were so many. Stealthly sneaking up to a pre-fab quonset hut, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Inside were dozens of men of apparent Middle Eastern descent. Icky laid quietly for hours, listening to their conversation.
It seems that they were definitely Al-Qaeda or something, and their goal was to disrupt next month’s XXI Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler, and at the same time cause havoc in the empirial Western World. They laughed about the 14,000 fans they had positioned on Victoria Island that were blowing the dickens out of us infidels in North America and northern Europe.
Thanks to Icky, I’m about to alert our U.S. Department of Homeland Security about this situation. Think they’ll issue a “level white alert”?
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: Arctic, BC, blog, cold weather 2010, humorous blog, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey blog, Whistler, XXI Winter Olympic Games
Posted in Humor | Comments Off
January 9th, 2010
As Easterners, many of the problems of public lands in the West go right over our heads. I guess it’s a NIMBY thing. You know, Not In My Back Yard. Since the issue isn’t in our backyard, we give it little thought. We should.
The federal government, especially the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), institutes policies that are decimating the herds of wild horses and burros in the West. Since 1971, the BLM has “removed” 270,000 wild horses and burros from federal lands and taken away 20 million acres of their range. That leaves just 37,000 animals remaining, but another 12,000 are slated to be “removed” in 2010. The preferred way of rounding up these majestic beasts is to chase them with helicopters – freaking them out in the process and separating mothers from offspring.
Bison are another victim of government interference, this time mainly the State of Montana is the culprit. There is a well-spread myth that the Yellowstone bison – if they wander out of the National Park – will spread brucellosis to cattle. The problem with that argument is that there has never been a documented case of that happening. Never. And the cattle in surrounding areas are all vaccinated against brucellosis anyway. That still hasn’t stopped State of Montana-hired riflemen from slaughtering 6,631 Yellowstone bison since the winter of 1985-’86, including 1,616 in ’07-’08.
So what is really behind all this genocide of certain species? You guessed it – Western ranchers and the cattle industry.
There are 31,000 ranchers in the West who are utilizing 260 million acres of federal land (yes, you and I own it) to graze their cattle. And they pay a pittance for the opportunity. The cost is just $1.92 per Animal Unit Month (AUM). An AUM is defined as a cow and calf or 5 sheep or a horse. In other words, a cattleman pays $23.04 per year to graze a cow and her growing calf. No wonder it costs $52 million more per year in administrative costs than is collected in fees.
Cattle are not easy on the federal lands. They overgraze the land, leaving behind the undesirable weeds. They trample vegetation and compact the soil, causing erosion and soil loss. They foul streams and wetlands with fecal matter. With the BLM issuing 7.8 million AUM’s a year and the US Forest Service another 6 million AUM’s, you can imagine the impact of nearly 20 million non-native cattle on the environment.
There’s another cost. Each cow produces 600 liters per day of methane. That releases the yearly CO2 equivalent of burning 418 million gallons of gas or 19,263 railroad cars of coal. Yikes!
So what is the bottom line? Western cattlemen feel that it is their right to have nearly exclusive use of federal lands for their benefit. Wild horses and burros and bison be damned. And so the powerful cattlemen lobbyists pressure Western Senators and Congressmen and Governors to make sure that these animals don’t consume feed that they feel is for their cattle. The same mentality leads to the shooting of coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, etc. in the name of protecting their precious cattle.
Something is wrong here!
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: Animal Unit Month, BLM, BLM cattle, BLM horse, blog, brucellosis, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, nature blog, political blog, US Forest Service cattle, Western cattlemen
Posted in Lifestyle | 1 Comment »
January 8th, 2010
I don’t usually write about sports. Well, that’s not exactly true. Let me rephrase that – I don’t usually write about sports on this blogsite. I am a retired sportswriter, having penned over 5,000 articles from 1991 through 1999. That’s about 1.4 articles a day, every day, for nine years and eight months. But, that’s in the past.
Anyway, allow me to make some observations about sports.
Sports on television are being started too late in the evening. Last night’s college football championship game between Alabama and Texas started at 9:38pm Eastern time on a Thursday night. None of my buddies stayed up that late, nor did I. Our bedtimes are around 9:00. The same goes for kids, which are the future of sports viewership.
Forget the West Coast. Put games on at 7:00 Eastern, and let the Left Coast folks watch it at 4:00 in the afternoon. That makes a lot more sense and would definitely multiply viewership amoungst the old guys and young kids. Plus, guys in California would have a great excuse to leave work early to catch a World Series baseball game, NBA final, and so on. When I lived in SoCal, I loved to get up on a Saturday morning in the fall and flip on a Penn State football game at 9am. That was great.
The pro sports seasons are waaaaay too long. Hockey starts in October and ends in May, the World Series ends in November, the NBA wraps it up in mid-June, and the Super Bowl is in February. Give me a break! By then, only the diehard fans give a hoot. The casual fan is on to other things.
And yes, you guys ARE role models. Stop the denials. Kids look up to you, and you teach that it is alrght to be moody, disrespectful, not a team player, and, sadly, even a felon. Growing up, my sports heroes were guys like Sandy Koufax, Johnny Unitas, and Jerry West. They were squeaky clean, the proto-typical All-American boys. They didn’t carry guns, get in brawls, and beat their wives, unlike many of today’s “idols”. And then there’s Tiger Woods, who let down an entire generation of kids.
As far as sports for kids on a participation level, that too is slipping. The reason? Parents. It seems like every parent knows more than the coach. And the umpires or referees. How often do you read of a parent assaulting a coach or ref? Too frequently. Other parents scream at them the entire game. What message does that send? It’s no wonder that so many kids start dropping out of sports as they progress through school.
Kids want to play sports for the love of the game. They love the crack of the bat, the smell of a baseball glove or pigskin, the swish of a basketball net, or crunch of hockey skates digging into the ice. The sounds and smells and comradie of sports make it what it is.
So, as we age, we continue with sports by living vicariously as a spectator, rather than an athlete. But who can afford to take the wife and two kids to a game and shell out $500 for tickets and food? So we resort to TV and these ridiciously long seasons and late night games and infinite commercials.
It’s discouraging. Joe DiMaggio, where have you gone?
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: blog, college sports, Jewell Real Estate Agency, lifestyle blog, Mountain Man and City Girl, pro athletes, pro sports, sports blog
Posted in Lifestyle | Comments Off
January 7th, 2010
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is nothing if not consistent. It seems that if they need to be vigilant, they’re not. And if they need to be lenient, again they’re not.
Case in point. Along the Delaware Bay in the Villas section of Lower Township, Cape May County, three homes and two utility poles are being threatened by beach erosion. A combination of last year’s uncommonly excessive rainfall – 62 inches compared to the normal 44 - and windy, stormy conditions during some of those rain events has caused the Delaware River to eat away nearly 20 feet of 6-foot high dunes.
The homeowners submitted an emergency application to the NJDEP to build a seawall at their own expense. That’s right, they’d pay for the thing themselves.
“No way”, was NJDEP’s reply. You see, NJDEP is still hung up on beach replenishment. So despite the fact that the murky, churning Delaware Bay is within five feet of the corner of one home, NJDEP wouldn’t budge. They want sand put back to rebuild the dune. Or else leave it alone and presumably some high tide will take out the homes.
Then a new problem arose. The beach is owned by Lower Township, not the property owners. Lower wasn’t about to foot the bill, so they turned to good old FEMA – the Federal Emergency Management Agency – to fund the beach replenishment. Who knows how long that bureaucracy of red tape will take? Plus, they fund beaches on the Atlantic Ocean side of the county, where tourists flock. The only flock on this beach are red knots, laughing gulls, sandpipers, and such.
But the issue, in reality, is that NJDEP dropped the ball in the beginning. Their mission – since they became the country’s third DEP back on the original Earth Day on April 22, 1970 – is to “manage natural resources and solve pollution problems”. What better way to manage this resource than to let the property owners install a bulkhead, then storms and natural sediment movement will put a beach back, gratis. Everybody gets what they want.
But that’s common sense, a term that usually can’t be used in the same sentence as NJDEP.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: Delaware Bay, FEMA, Jersey shore, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Lower Township, Mountain Man and City Girl, NJDEP, real estate blog
Posted in Real Estate | Comments Off
January 7th, 2010
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell’s expected signature today on a bill to allow table games in addition to its existing slot machines is another bit of bad news for Atlantic City. The bill passed the state Senate 28-22 previously and the Assembly 103-89 yesterday. Rendell threatened to layoff 1,000 state workers if the bill wasn’t on his desk by tomorrow (Friday, Jan 8, 2010). That got legislators moving.
Pennsylvania will now permit up to 250 table games in larger casinos and up to 50 in smaller resort casinos. Table games are poker, baccarat, blackjack, roulette, craps, and similar games of chance. The cost of licensing is $16.5 million for the large casinos and $7.5 million for resort casinos, which is a drop in the bucket in the scope of the big picture. The 14 casinos in the state should add an additional $250 million per year to state coffers.
Atlantic City, the No.2 casino city in the United States after Las Vegas, has seen reduced revenues for over a year, putting an added strain on New Jersey’s already bloated budget deficit. The monopoly Atlantic City once enjoyed on gambling on the East Coast is ancient history.
Connecticut has three Indian casinos that allow slots and table games, making them the first to cut into Atlantic City’s lucrative market. West Virginia was next, first having slots at two dog tracks and two horse tracks, then adding table games in 2007. They recently granted a full gambling license to the infamous Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs.
Delaware has one poker venue in Wilmington, plus video poker and slots at the three “racinos”, as they call their race tracks with legal gambling. It won’t be long before table games are installed in each of the sites.
So what is Atlantic City to do? They will lose much of their Philadelphia area gamblers once the table games open next November or so. Delaware’s table games will debut around the same time. No doubt entrepreneurs will add restaurants and resort hotels near the casinos, further damaging Atlantic City’s bottom line.
Atlantic City will need to take advantage of what it’s already got for the dozen casinos, employing 36,000 workers, to be profitable. That means marketing non-gaming venues. Upscale, fashionable restaurants with trendy surroundings are already a big draw, as are the 200 retail, brand name, and outlet stores.
Atlantic City also has big name entertainers going for it. Not a night goes by that the city doesn’t feature a dozen acts targeting every age group. Glitzy, nouveau nightclubs, with a regular parade of celebrity sightings, is turning AC into a mecca for the 21-40 year old crowd. And they have bucks to spend.
AC also offers championship boxing matches, plus those new martial art/kick boxing/in-a-cage fights. There’s also college basketball, including the Atlantic 10 tournament each March.
Last but not least, there’s the beach. Geez, no other casino in neighboring states has the sparkling white sands and bikini babes. And the beach is a great place to watch an air show or fireworks or lifeguard competitions or throw a frisbee or ….
Well, maybe Atlantic City should be saying, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Time will tell.
- Mountain Man and City Girl
http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
Tags: Atlantic City, atlantic city casinos, Atlantic City gambling, blog, Jersey shore, Jewell Real Estate Agency, Mountain Man and City Girl, New Jersey blog, Pennsylvania casinos, real estate blog
Posted in Real Estate | Comments Off
