Beacon Bits -- Sweet Tweets

#alpssweetshop: Marzipan gone! Jellybeans galore. Milk and dark chocolate eggs, bunnies, lambs, chicks and truffles—who could ask for more?

#alpssweetshop: Easter sweets. Gifts for friends. Treats for children. Munchies for all. So many choices for one day alone. Happy to know it’s here year long.

#alpssweetshop: Hollow. Solid. Filled. With nuts or not. Bite size. Large size. Baskets, boxes, plastic sleeves, tissue paper. Waiting to unwrap one at a time. 

It was another busy morning for my annual pilgrimage to Alps Sweet Shop, a family-owned Beacon business since 1922. It's the closest thing to "Seebode's", a German chocolatier and ice cream parlor in Sunset Park Brooklyn that I remember from childhood. While photos are not allowed to be taken within the Alps' store (what a shame), the website captures all of the varieties of hand-made delights that are available seasonally and for other special occasions. It's certainly a case when a picture is worth a thousand words!

Food for thought: Old fashioned traditions emerge with the crocus and daffodils at this time of the year. Chocolates and eggs. An interesting balance of protein and carbs. But what would we do without the rituals and traditions that warm our heart, bring forth sweet memories, and allow us to indulge once again in the little treats that become associated with each passing season. It's a blessing to have the opportunities to explore new venues that evoke the places that only exist in our long-term memories. It's another chance to greet the community as they seek their own perfect treats to celebrate renewal and rebirth of spring.

Dyeing Easter Eggs with Natural Materials

Collect onion skins throughout the year. Place skins into a pot, nestle the white eggs amidst them and cover with water. Boil and allow to cool in the pot before removing. The longer they sit, the darker the color. Transformative.

Blessed Easter!

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!