Chit-Chat: Tough choice: Three jobs or house in France?

By: Merle Citron
   Pam O’Neill, who was born and raised in New York and lived in New Hope or the past eight years, is one heck of a gutsy gal.
   During that time she worked three different jobs.
   "I worked as a travel agent at New Hope Travel," she said. "I also worked at the Morris Lee Group ad agency in Rosemont. And just to keep me busy, I worked at the Mansion Inn on Main Street in New Hope."
   Last month Pam changed her life. She packed her possessions, and with her beloved poodle, d’Agneau, moved to a 15th-century house in Cotignac in southern France. Before she left, we chatted.
   "The house is located between Aix en Provence and Nice," Pam told me. "It’s also one hour from the Riviera and one hour from the Alps."
   Now here’s where the story gets even more interesting. The house is named The Lambertville Atelier and is owned by York Street resident, Harry "Sparky" Jackendoff.
   Pam continued, "Sparky bought the house because he eventually wants to live there. Right now his dream is to rent affordable accommodations to artists from this area. He wants artists to be able to paint on site and to feel a part of the French village life."
   Pam said Sparky also intends to use part of the house as an art gallery to showcase original work and prints by local and guest artists. He asked her if she would look after the house and help get the art gallery off the ground.
   "What the heck," Pam said. "I need a change. I need to do something new. I’ve been looking for that something, and this opportunity just came up, and without much hesitation, I just said ‘yes.’ I’m very excited, and this also gives me a chance to seriously bone up on my French."
   Pam is a photographer and hopes to have the time to take pictures and roam the countryside with d’Agneau. She said anyone who’s interested should check out the Web site www.lambertvilleatelier.com for further info and visuals.
   Bon chance, Pam and d’Agneau!
   How uplifting to finally see Rick Anthes without strange things sticking out of his right wrist or wrapped around it.
   In the last couple of years, Rick has suffered a series of problems. First, he broke his right wrist. The doctor set it and had to reset it, and then finally he fused it.
   Then Rick broke his finger, which put his right hand and wrist in a cast again.
   When we spoke, Rick was feeling fine, and we chatted about what he has learned while serving on the Building and Grounds Committee on the school board. Rick said he just returned from a school board conference in Atlantic City where he tried to learn as much as possible about school roofs in preparation for South’s new roof.
   "At the conference I got a chance to speak with many vendors to learn what’s available in flat roofs," he said.
   I asked Rick how his wife, Dotty, was doing.
   "She’s lived with me for 23 years," he replied. "In the Anthes household there is no winner or loser in an argument. Opinions are expressed, we move on, and that why we’re still together."
   Rick said Dotty still works at Abington Hospital in the G.I. Procedures Unit, and she’s worked there for more than 10 years. Their daughter, Cynthia, is a senior at South and still isn’t sure where she wants to go to college.
   "At this point," Rick noted, "like father, like daughter. She’s interested in political science."
   Craig Matthews, who gave a mean haircut at the former Zoli’s in New Hope, arrived in New Hope in 1980 and, much to the disappointment of many, left with Bethea and Richard Zoli in 1993 when everyone moved to Prague, Czechoslovakia.
   Bethea and Richard opened another apparel boutique, and Craig spent the next 8½ years doing freelance hair and makeup for video and print commercials.
   "When I did commercial work as part of a location team, I got to visit places I would never have seen as a tourist, places like palaces and fortresses," Craig told me. "I also enjoyed working with a group of people who came from all over the world. Then last year I began to see the writing on the wall, and I felt the economic downturn all around me.
   "I decided it was time to come home. I also got really tired of sleeping with a dictionary next to my bed."
   Craig has been home for six months doing music and print work and living on the Upper West Side of New York City. Now he can be found Fridays and Saturdays doing hair at Andre Hair Design in Logan Square in New Hope.
   FYI: Craig’s hair and makeup designs have appeared in Elle, Cosmo, Harper’s Bazaar and Madame. He also told me he is painting again.
   "I’ve always painted, and I always did it for me," he said.
   Welcome home, Craig.
   Last week I stopped to chat with a recently retired teacher, Mary Jane Aklonis.
   Needless to say, she looks great.
   Mary Jane lives on Perry Street with her husband, Ray. For 25 years, she worked as a special education teacher in the Lawrence Township public schools. Mary Jane mentioned she now is doing tutoring in Lawrence.
   We both agreed not having to get up at 5:30 a.m. is definitely something wonderful. By the way, Mary Jane is also a writer who has written poetry and short stories for almost 20 years. She is involved with a writer’s workshop at the Michener Museum in Doylestown.
   Ah, yes, speaking of tutoring, an interesting tutoring circuit has emerged in a two-block area of Lambertville.
   All students and particularly those with learning issues can find help in many academic areas, including literature, psychology, philosophy and history, with Dr. Mae Sakharov.
   Mae lives on George Street between Coryell and York. A short walk from Mae’s house students can then stop at my house on York Street for tutoring in high school literature and academic writing for college. Next door to me is Barbara Ceglia’s house, where students attend Italian language classes.
   This is kinda like one-stop shopping.
   Double congratulations are in order for the Paul and Trudy Cronce family of Lambertville as well as the Michael Cifelli family of New Hope.
   They are the proud grandparents of twin grandsons, Chase Michael Cronce and Christopher Paul Cronce, each weighing about 6 pounds at birth.
   Grandfather Paul is Lambertville’s director of Public Works. Grandfather Michael is the owner of Cifelli’s Sunoco. Joel and Marissa Cifelli Cronce are the very proud parents.
   When I stopped at the gas station to ask Mike about the twins, he said, "We’re not sure right now whether the boys are identical or fraternal twins. They sure look the same to me," he added, grinning from ear to ear.
   Michael was thrilled to hold his grandsons and when "Big" Mike Sr. heard the joyful news he is now a great-grandfather, he just cried. Marissa and Joel live in Point Pleasant. Joel comes to Lambertville daily to work for his Uncle John as an excavator.
   ‘Til then, if you’ve got any Chit-Chat news, just let me know about it.
   Call me at 397-8494, e-mail me at [email protected], snail-mail me or drop off your info at 72 York St. Thanks.
   And there you have it folks, a little chit and a little chat.