Sunday, May 19, 2013

Summer Jobs In The Country

AFTER FINALLY SELLING the old summer house in the Adirondacks, I am ready to tackle the job of improving the Jersey house on Lake Hopatcong Heights. (I still live the rest of the year in Maspeth, Queens.) First on the list: change the house and water heater energy source from oil to electric. I would have preferred gas, but this part of town does not have natural gas lines due to the hilly and rocky nature of the terrain. I may rehire my Peruvian handyman from Flushing, NY to help me do the job (he did a decent job redoing the kitchen and the bathroom.) A bigger job that I don't want to think about yet is the roof and the entire second floor, which may need to be demolished altogether. (I want to convert the house into a ranch style home.) Other jobs include landscaping, rewiring the electrical lines and that fireplace for the winter. Big projects indeed, considering all the time lost that could have been spent fishing, lounging on the lake beach, or even writing. But I have a tall TV and FM antenna that catches broadcasts from the big city, including the Beach Boys!

The Deck
The Bay Window

The Front
The Kitchen

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Gear Up For The Season!


THIS JUST OUT: The 2013 New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Digest. Get your fishing licenses, boats, tackles and baits at these Lake Hopatcong spots:

Lake's End Marina, 91 Mount Arlington Boulevard, Landing, NJ, 07850, phone: (973) 398-5707
  
Dick Dows Fishing and Boat Rental, 145 Nolans Point Road, Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849, phone: (973) 663-3826  

Bait and Boat (no licenses sold), 13 State Route 183, Stanhope, NJ 07874, phone (973) 347-5797