Beat the Heat

When I was younger, we didn’t have air conditioning at home. Back then, you had to think creatively to beat the heat. Growing up in Brooklyn, my brother and I joined our friends by the open fire hydrant or walked over to Tony’s Pizza around the corner for Italian ices.

We loved rainbow flavor ices but couldn’t have them all the time. Mom yelled at us when we bought anything other than lemon flavor because that was the only “natural” flavor (a.k.a. no food coloring). Nevertheless, rainbow has remained a favorite of mine over the years.

On a 90-plus degree day such as today, I still think of a rainbow ice as the only way to cool down. Ices are more substantial than a cold glass of water but not heavy enough to weigh you down like ice cream or yogurt.

Since it was only a short drive away, we decided to try Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices on Park Blvd in Massapequa Park. They had numerous sizes from small all the way up to pint and quart sized containers. I usually like to eat ices the old school way by pushing them out of small paper cups. However, this time, I have to forgive myself for ordering the larger size Styrofoam container and eating with a spoon given that a heat wave is going on.

Ralph’s serves water ice flavors such as cherry, lemon, cotton candy and, of course, rainbow. The rainbow flavor tastes a little sweeter than the pizzeria ices, but it’s still good and refreshing. They also have cream ice flavors such as coconut, vanilla chip, spumoni and cremalata which I haven’t tried yet but plan to. It would be nice to have a good spumoni ice without having to drive to all the way to Brooklyn!

A Few Things for a Dollar

I have to confess that I have never been in a dollar store before. It’s sad, I know, but I could never think of a reason to go in other than “let’s see what I can get for a dollar.” That reason alone wasn’t enough to compel me to visit a dollar store. If I needed something for a craft, I would usually purchase it from eBay, way cheaper than a dollar.

Some of my friends and relatives get great things from dollar stores –toys for kids and dogs, vases, plates, bamboo plants (yes, plants). These are people who also have the patience to scour racks of clothes or shoes to find a good deal. I am more of a quick shopper because some stores make me claustrophobic (ever been to Macy’s Herald Square during the December holidays?) and I prefer to shop online (with coupon codes, of course) to save time and get exactly what I want. Now that I have slowed down my career to pursue my writing dreams, I have time to actually drive to a store.

A couple of weeks ago, when I needed a plush toy and large plastic toy car for a baby shower basket I was making, I decided to go to Marshall’s in the Holiday Park Shopping Center on Hicksville Rd. When I got out of my car, I saw the Dollar Tree and decided to take a look there first out of curiosity.  

It was a fairly large store with many glass vases (I bought one), cheap toys for kids and dogs (I bought a Rubik’s cube and bag of squishy baseballs), lots of plates and cups, and even groceries. I found packs of blue rattles, blocks and baby carriages and spools of ribbon that I used to decorate a diaper cake I was making.

Here’s a picture of my creations: a diaper cake, a car filled with books and toys and a Yankees plush toy basket. I created them using supplies from the Dollar Tree, Marshalls, Costco, Party City and Babies R Us.

Fourth of July in Massapequa Park

For the second year in a row, we attended the Massapequa Park fireworks show in Mansfield Park at Walker Street which was held on Friday July 1.

The show had originally been cancelled this year due to Massapequa Park Village budget limitations; however, the event was brought back and sponsored by Supervisor Venditto and the Town of Oyster Bay.

When we arrived, we found the park packed with people. We walked by chairs and blankets on the grass, children running around and extended families sharing snacks.  Vendors sold things to eat and drink and glow necklaces and swords for the kids (and adults) to play with.

A concert by Time Was Productions was performed before the show. The fireworks show started after sundown following a few words from Massapequa Park Mayor James Altodonna and Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto. The fireworks were accompanied by music.

Here are some videos:

More fireworks…

And the grand finale!

In memory of our dear friend Anthony whose favorite holiday was the Fourth of July.