By: Merle Citron
Not only do Lambertvillians travel, but folks in our town tend to travel together.
During the summer, 22 Lambertvillians flew to New Orleans, enjoyed the sights for three days and then boarded a Carnival Line ship and cruised the Caribbean for seven well-fed, evenly tanned days. They visited the Cayman Islands, Cozumel and Montego Bay in Jamaica.
Tony and Marlene Lynch and their kids loved the trip.
"Tony and I had a great time," Marlene said. "Actually, this is our second trip. We all went away together three years ago, and we’re going to do it again three years from now, the adults, the kids, everybody."
Mary and Bill Shurts of Elm Street were part of the group, too, and Mary definitely agreed with Marlene.
She told me, "Our group had two tables of 11 in the dining room, and sometimes we only saw each other at meals. Everyone was free to go his own way every day, except for mealtime. We loved the trip and had a great time!"
It was good to see Ron Gendaszek looking fit and recovered after undergoing surgery.
"My wife, Bonnie, now tells me that I no longer have any excuses for not being able to do things," Ron admitted.
It is fortuitous Ron is feeling so much better because now school is in session, Bonnie has returned to her job as a math teacher. Ron, who is a retired French teacher, now lives the life of Riley and is immersed in learning Italian.
The Gendaszeks live on the corner of George Street and Delaware Avenue, and the construction project has impacted them greatly. Aside from the noise and inconvenience, Bonnie was saddened by the fact part of her wrought iron fence was ruined.
Speaking about Delaware Avenue, the great groundhog war has spread to the north side of the street.
However, those critters had no idea what they were up against when under the cover of darkness they began their nightly incursions into the well-kept garden of Fran and Marvin Silverstein. Poor things didn’t stand a chance against Marv’s ability to trap them.
"Marvin armed himself with the tops of tomatoes, which he placed in traps," Fran told me.
"I got one of them," Marvin admitted with pride.
He dropped off the groundhog a nice distance from town.
Still more news from Delaware Avenue.
Patrick Gallagher, who will complete his MBA from the Wharton School in April, went to Japan and Hong Kong last week.
Patrick said, "I went with 100 of my closest classmates. We spent a week there and visited businesses and studied Japanese companies in order to analyze how they are surviving in their long stagnant economy."
Patrick doesn’t mind long flights. He’s the type who has no trouble sleeping on airplanes. Lucky him.
Elycia and Anita Baker Lerman live with their daughter, Sadie, in the Blair Tract.
Because of the location of their home, Elycia and Anita have to drive and then park their car in order to merely walk around town.
"It’s too dangerous to walk on Route 29," Anita said. "My wish list asks the City of Lambertville to create a path along Route 29 for residents who live on Alexauken Creek Road and Blair and Malloy Tracts."
Elycia and Anita not only spend time walking around town with Sadie, but they are currently knee-deep in home renovation, and Anita, who works out of their home, has worked through it all. Anita holds a doctorate in education and is an evaluation consultant of social programs. Elycia is the director of business operations for the Robert Wood Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute, known as PRI. Elycia is also the treasurer for Kehilat HaNahar, the Little Shul by the River.
Anita and Elycia are very busy women. Sadie, who is almost 3 years old, is busy, too. She just graduated from her toddler class in day care. Anita told me she loved the Lambertville Fair, especially the bee ride, which she went on five times, and to her credit, she also went down the big slide twice.
P.J. (Paul John) Simone lives on Grant Alley and grew up in Lambertville.
P.J. is the type of person who always has a smile on his face and is willing to lend a hand and do a favor. P.J. graduated from South Hunterdon a few years ago and has been working at the Lambertville House as the facilities manager for the past two years.
"I really like my job," he told me, "and my boss, Sean, is a great guy to work for."
Jan Purcell lives in Hopewell.
She is a painter, a writer and a traveler.
For a week this summer, Jan and her daughter, Jill Piggott, lived on the floor of the Grand Canyon with the Hualapai Indians.
"Jill and I talked for years about doing this trip," Jan explained. "We loved the trip, our time together, and we learned a great deal about Indian lore and some fascinating geological information."
Jan not only is an art critic for the Trenton Times, but she is also a travel writer for other publications as well as a lover of all things Indian. Jill is a professor of literature at a college in Maine and teaches a course on Native American literature.
"So this trip was perfectly awesome for both of us," Jan said.
When you pass Peter Wallace Antiques on North Union Street, check out the sidewalk in front of the store.
The owners have lovingly built the sidewalk around the roots of a venerable tree.
It’s always fun to see former students, especially students who were high school sweethearts when I taught them.
Kim and David Bogdan live on Chimney Hill with their two children, Kyle, who is 6, and Jared, who is 5. In spite of the fact Kim has a master’s degree and 30 credits in the field of public policy, she has chosen to be a full-time mom.
"I’m very glad that I decided to stay home with my kids," she said. "They’re only young once. But now that they are in school, I’m thinking about what to do with my education."
Once David finished with his formal education, he gravitated to the sea, worked on ships and is involved in the naval shipping industry. By the way, Dave still has the same endearing smile he had more than 20 years ago in my English class.
Speaking of former students, fifteen years ago, I made Carolyn Murphy read "Beowolf" in my senior English class, and now she reminds me of it every time I see her at Dr. Eubanks’ office.
Carolyn has a warm heart and a warm smile. She has worked at the animal clinic for a year and is now a veterinary assistant, filling the job left open when Nancy Saharic recently retired.
Carolyn is very much an animal person. So far, she has rescued six dogs, all of whom she currently resides with. Carolyn also runs her own pet care service and has done so for the past five year. She walks and feeds pets when their owners aren’t able to be there. She takes care of pets in Hunterdon, Bucks and Mercer counties.
And there you have it folks, a little chit, a little chat, and a prayer.

