Beacon Bits -- Crossroads

Recently standing on the corner of Main Street and Cross Street, the saying "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" came to mind. My association was attributed to the juxtaposition of the longstanding Hudson Beach Glass, which faces the Culture Club Cafe, next to the Marion Royael Gallery, which is across from the vacant lot used by Beacon 3D, with its adjacent brick building for sale.

Hudson Beach Glass is tried and true. It is 'old' by Beacon's Main Street standards for revitalization and renewal, but not at all old in its fanciful objects d'art, recurrent gallery openings, and ongoing creations with resident glassblowers. It is fired up and ready to go the distance! 

Culture Cafe-Bar is one of the newer eateries on Main Street with a varied menu, personable hosts, and wonderful backyard garden for outdoor seating. It is open seven days a week and has already gained a following of regular diners. I found myself eating with friends on two different occasions over the course of one week. Both times I had pasta offerings (pumpkin ravioli, now off the menu, and spaghetti squash with angel hair past) and felt satisfied with the portion and the flavors. Given its popularity, it will be interesting to see how the smaller indoor accommodations will alter availability for dining during the winter months.

My all time favorite Beacon gallery, Marion Royael, has been back in town for several months now, and it's still the buzz on Second Saturdays despite its move from the 'east end' to the 'west end' of town. I mourned its loss when it closed its doors in Beacon for a trial run in the city; I'm thrilled to see it 'back home' and just hope it's not on borrowed time.

As for the fear of the unknown and anxiety about losing open space on Main Street, the 'for sale' sign on the handsome multi-family brick building with commercial space, evoked a blue feeling. My mind immediately went to two questions, 'what will change?' and 'how long will it be before we know what will happen in this corner of the world.

Food for thought: Change is never easy. Transitions are buffered by holding onto some of the old ways with its adopted and borrowed traditions. Beacon is 'changing' as those who attended Second Saturday in August noted. Each week it appears that the liminal threshold of a town that was "becoming" to a town that "is", has been surpassed. Paying attention to the  early signs at the crossroads suggests that there may be other intersections to ponder. Looks like it's the perfect time to take a walk on Main Street from end to end to explore the art installations that are collaborations between Beacon's artists and business owners; visit WOMS through September 13 and vote for your favorite installation.

Not a window, but the wall of Beacon Bread - the mural "Songs of the Hudson" by artist  Nestor Madalengoitia
pays  tribute to Pete and Toshi Seeger - unveiled on 8/9/14

Beacon Bits -- Winter's Reprieve

I had an irresistible urge to get my car washed today. I wasn't in denial that it will soon rain and snow again as this brief interlude of spring comes to an end (don't blink) and when we return once again to winter's version of March madness. It just felt like it was a great day for a good car wash - 'the ultimate' a.k.a. 'the works' - and that shedding the layers of road salt was in order. And long overdue. It really felt like spring! 

 

I imagine that we all are looking around for signs of a lasting spring............

 

The changing light on the face of Mt. Beacon and Fishkill Ridge.

 

The literal signs that spring really does arrive betwixt and between the short days of winter and the long days of summer.

 

The rumors that Zora Dora will soon be re-opening its doors with seasonal favorite paletas to entice every one's palate into tasting spring's arrival before it actually does.

 

Food for thought:  The lengthening of the days with the return of Daylight Savings time is energizing the birds and those who delight in spring cleaning rituals. It's always good to greet the change of season with an openness and lightness of being. For those who have been out and about on Main Street or who attended last week's Second Saturday, you know that the increased number of opportunities to get out of the house is growing exponentially; the voracious appetite to explore and ingest is as palpable as watching a hibernating bear emerge to forage for its long-awaited nourishment. The early smorgasbord of spring delights for Beaconites include:

 

o  the return of Marion Royael Gallery with its current show featuring the 'onion';

o  sampler ballroom dancing classes at Yanarella Dance studio;

o  the birthing of chocolate bunnies, jelly eggs and marzipan chicks at Alps Sweet Shop;

o  renewed planning to revive fundraising efforts to further renovate the Beacon Theatre;

o  Water Way: The Paintings of Fredericka Foster exhibit at the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries with a dialogue of the creative process with the artist planned for Saturday, 4/12 at 5pm.

 

Snow showers or not, it's time for another walking tour of Main Street before it comes into full bloom and well before parking becomes nearly impossible!

Beacon Bits -- America's Bounty

Looking back a year, I see that I spent the day doing similar things: catching up in the kitchen with all the items that I’ve been gathering at Common Ground Farm’s weekly harvest so that they don’t go to waste. It seems as though a critical mass accrues by this time in July. It’s been a year of bounty on the farm. We’ve had a most wonderful variety of lettuce, arugula, turnips, beets, fennel, celery, green onions, radishes, broccoli, kale, mustard greens and other greens, kohlrabi, basil, cilantro, dill, cucumbers, bok choy, scapes, patty pan squash, green zucchini, peas and garlic thus far. Despite the blanching of greens and freezing for future use, the best salads I’ve been eating for lunch, and the sharing of some of the harvest with friends at work, I found myself in the kitchen today preparing several dishes so that I could be on top of the bounty. Given I did this on Independence Day last year, it felt like a tradition was emerging; a tradition that seems to be rooted in the rhythms of the Hudson Valley where local farming has taken root.

Of course there are other traditions for 4^th of July. And where else to feel so connected to them but living along the Hudson River where bombs did indeed burst in the air! This year, I’ve been invited to a barbecue and a chance to see the Beacon fireworks in Memorial Park up close and personal. So spending the morning in the kitchen was a simple and centered way to begin the holiday.  Cooking is a flow experience for me. I never feel as present in the moment as I do when I wash, slice, cut, chop, sauté, stir, whip, season, bake, broil, and taste. Even the anticipation of the finished product doesn’t distract from the tasks at hand. It’s a wonderful experience to feel rooted in nourishing the body, mind and soul---all at the same time.

I’ve had years of being inspired by great chefs on TV shows: the Frugal Gourmet, Julia Childs, Jacques Pepin, Lidia’s Italy and now Andreas Viestad and Tina Nordstrom of New Scandinavian Cooking. I call it inspired cooking because there are times that the only measurements are done by eye and taste, not spoons and cups that are exact; inspired because it is the spur of the moment-- what is lying in wait in the cupboard, refrigerator or basket on the counter and what has been purchased that needs to be used up before it spoils. I’m not sure if the only motivation is getting to prepare something that is worth eating or if it’s the challenge of analyzing and predicting what will actually taste good. Either way, it’s a great outcome.

I guess that’s why I find barbecues boring. There is only so much you can do on the grill. From start to finish, it is a bit more precise. So I think I’ll continue to leave the grilling to those who may not want to spend hours in the kitchen, lost in the moment, grounded in the present, and in no need to rush.

Some food for thought: Traditions are important. They are anchors, touchstones, bookmarks and the rituals we create in our lives. How many years does it take to have an event become a tradition? I think it depends on how important the task or the routine is. Sometimes it takes a while to see the pattern of repetition. Other times, it is evident from the start that this is something to return to over and over again. Guess I’ve found my 4^th of July tradition: connecting to the earth’s bounty and identifying with the work of farmer’s wives who pickled and ‘put up’ food for future use; feeling independent from fast and processed foods; and being content with the here and now. And after tonight's fireworks with new local friends, Jens & Betty Ann, Steve & Barbara and Mindy [a.k.a. "Princess WOW!"] & Roland (among others), and good food, I hope this new tradition lasts for years to come.

To the right of Beacon's fireworks, which were delayed after a quick and fierce moving thunderstorm, nature had it's own display of lightning behind some nimbo-cumulus clouds, competing and outlasting the colorful and beautiful manmade version

 

America's 4th of July Bounty

Roasted Beets

Wash beets and trim. Place into tin foil. Sprinkle with tarragon vinegar and salt. Close foil. Bake at 350 degrees until tender. Rub skins off. Beets are ready to be a side dish or as an add in for salads.

Quick Pickled Cucumber

Place 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Add 2 tbs. chopped onion, a handful of celery leaves, and 2 sprigs of dill. Bring to a boil. Add 1/3 cup tarragon vinegar and 1 generous tbs. sugar. Simmer for a few minutes. Set aside to cool. Slice cucumber into container. Pour vinegar over cucumbers. Refrigerate.

Farmer’s Delight Vegetable Soup

Chop ½ cup yellow onion, 1 white turnip, ½ large green zucchini, 3 stalks celery including the leaves, 3 stems basil, 1 stalk of fennel, 2 garlic scapes, 4-5 large beet green leaves, peas and 1 dried cayenne pepper. Heat 2 tbs. olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onions and the garlic scapes and sauté until onions are transparent. Then add turnip, zucchini, celery, and fennel to the mixture. Finally, add the peas, basil, greens and pepper flakes. Saute together for approximately 15 minutes. Then ½ cup wine (whatever you have open in the fridge) and 32 oz. Pacific Foods organic beef (or chicken or vegetable) broth. Bring to a boil; lower and simmer for up to 1 hour. Halfway through, open a can of cannellini beans, rinse and add to the soup. Add salt to taste.  This can be frozen for a rainy day. (The cayenne pepper is something that was leftover from last season; I was afraid to use it. It reminded me of the red pepper flakes on the counters of pizzerias that I avoided. But it seemed appropriate to add the ‘heat’ today being 4^th July.)

Roasted Vegetables du Jour

Chop onion, turnip, patty pan and green squash, fennel, basil and celery leaves and place into a roasting pan. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle salt, chopped cayenne pepper pod and toss to mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr. or until tender, depending on how much you prepare. This is a great way to have vegetables ready ahead of time for several days.

Red-White-and-Blue Dessert for Betty Ann and Jens’ Barbecue

Make 1 pound cake from scratch. (I use a recipe, “Grandma’s Pound Cake”, passed down from a tried-and-true family kitchen, that gives ‘pound’ a new meaning – pound of butter, flour, confectioner’s sugar, eggs and flavored with vanilla and almond extracts.)  Rinse 1 pint blueberries and 2 pound strawberries, hull and slice the latter. Place ¾ cup white wine (I used a German, organic Riesling -- Weingut Heymann-Lowenstein Riesling Uhlen Erste Lage Blaufusser Lay Mosel 2006 from Artisan Wine Shop) and ½ cup maple syrup (I used the local Crown Maple Syrup) into a bowl. Chop 5 to 6 stems of spearmint leaves and add to the mix. Macerate the berries for several hours. When ready to serve, whip 1 cup of Hudson Valley Fresh heavy cream, and when the cream forms peaks, add 2-3 generous tablespoons of crème fraiche (I used Ronnybrook Farms), 2 tbs. powdered sugar and the grated rind from 1 lime. Slice the cake, spoon on the berries with lots of juice, and top with the whipped cream for a finish equal to the fireworks display.

Bon Apetit!

Beacon Bits - Second Saturday

On what would have been the night of August's Full Moon, "Second Saturday" night in Beacon was still buzzing with energy in spite of the rain that began to fall steadily as small groups of people walked along Main Street from west to east, and east to west, from gallery to gallery, from cup of wine to glass of wine, from conversation to chance meetings to the next visual feast for the eyes. This planned monthly event is part of a round robin of arts in the river towns along the Hudson (Kingston, Hudson, Rhinebeck, Poughkeepsie, Peekskll, etc.); each town rotating and hosting gallery openings and art enthusiasts on 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays respectively (http://www.artalongthehudson.com/).

Having visited galleries in Soho and Chelsea on opening nights, the feel of excitement and anticipation for viewing innovative creations on paper and canvas in oils, pastels, watercolor, along with collage and assemblages of metal, wood, and plastic sculpture, and for absorbing the artists' accomplishments and final product was very much the same.  A recent (and somewhat controversial) article by Peter Applebome (Williamsburg on the Hudson) alludes to the Williamsburg Brooklyn effect in the Hudson River Valley with young artists moving to greener pastures in search of inspiration and pursuit of art in the river towns.

My explicit intention for this 2nd Saturday was to hear the artist Emily Shiffer speak about her black and white photographic exhibit at Fovea. There was no disappointment in this choice as the attractive, flaxen-haired young woman sporting cowboy boots and a colorful A-line dress reminiscent of the 1950's, with idealistic dreams and sufficient action to support their development, leading to her wild success of being a Fulbright scholar and recipient of other prestigious awards, spoke about her work. Her images, capturing the playfulness and resilience of children living below the poverty line on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota were testimony to her passionate engagement in pursuit of her vocation, her calling, as educator, witness, collaborator, creator, mentor and photographer, as she empowers young people to develop their identity and self-efficacy and enlarge their vision of what is possible as they compose their life goals.

Next, a visit to bau confirmed Beacon's spirit of cooperation, youthful energy and shared space as the two artists (Michael Gaydos and Catherine Welshman) supported each others work by one curating the show for the other; courageously standing together with parallel works of art that mirrored each other in figure drawings and start portraits and caricatures.

The third visit to Marion Royael Gallery climaxed in a high octane showing of diverse artists in distinct styles from abstract expressionism to videography to realism on two scales -- ordinary but iconic city streetscapes like subway entrances and a now-defunct westside diner and larger-than-life fruits, vegetables, and even ladies' brassieres. A conversation with the latter NYC artist, Kathleen Erin Lee, revealed she would continue to show her work in Beacon, having just chosen to sign a contract with the gallery for the coming year. It was rewarding to know there would be multiple opportunities to see her works-in-progress, and perhaps to imagine the possibility of a small purchase.

Some food for thought: In his NYT article, Applebome voiced concerns about the economic feasibility of the river towns. He even quotes the pessimistic outlook of the proprietor of Morphicism gallery, Jay Palefsky (a resident of Garrison), who doesn't buy into the 'hype' about NoBro (the so-called northern suburb of Brooklyn) and doesn't "grasp the optimism" for business because of the failing economy. This is interesting commentary from someone who has a "successful" business in Beacon.

I guess it all depends on how you define success. One can operationalize "success" as the income generated during an evening of gallery openings or the amount of rent that the owner of the building which houses the storefront galleries can generate and even raise higher or the profits gained at the local eateries that stay open later to accommodate the patrons of art and culture, some of whom travel 20-30 miles from neighboring towns, such as Marlborough, across the river. My preference would be to define "success" as the sum total of all the events, gathering places, and opportunities for neighbors to connect over shared interests. This type of success, that is, the product of community participation is not measurable in dollars and cents, but in the enrichment of daily community life. It is this social enterprise that will be profitable for Beacon's long-term development of bringing ideas to fruition so that community building and social networking will enhance the qualify of life for its residents and visitors. The importance of social investment surpasses the more basic capitalistic needs of short term profit. If only big corporations would rediscover this principle, the inverse relationship of exorbitant profit and CEO salaries with low employment would be reversed.

I believe activities such as Second Saturday will enhance the staying power and resilience for the pioneer entrepreneurs who are laying the groundwork for a sustainable, social environment that will survive the recession and thrive once the economy recovers. We just need to keep showing up to provide the encouragement and social support needed to endure the current challenges. It will just take some faith ....and....a village...to keep it all going strong.