Back after a needed break
My homemade mini capreses
As you know, my blog did not hit your inbox last Friday and that’s because I couldn’t muster up the energy to sit and write. I was recuperating from being overheated on Fourth of July coupled with indulging in too much food. I was better by the following day thankfully. My contribution to the Fourth BBQ at the Wutzlers is pictured above. Those were very refreshing and enjoyed by all!
Sushi from Embarcadero 41. BTW, there are Embarcaderos all over South Florida, find one near you and you too can have this deliciousness.
So, let’s take it back to Saturday, June 29 when Vance and I had a fun evening out with our friends Rick and Adina. After a cocktail and some appetizers at their beautiful house in Davie, we went for Peruvian food at the nearby Embarcadero 41 restaurant in Sunrise. My sushi there was fantastic (yes, it’s a Peruvian/Japanese fusion there) and the mussels we all shared were fantastic as well.
A few nights later I went to my usual spot on Tuesday nights, the Naked Angels cold reading workshop where I actually got up on stage and read my poetry to open and close the event. It felt good to share my very personal musings with that group, they were so supportive and receptive. I got some wonderful compliments and feedback. I also had a juicy reading role where I played both the narrator and Hades.
Friday, I met Monica for a late lunch/snack at Neverland Coffee Bar in North Miami Beach near Aventura where I had their avocado toast with salmon. Their bread is so crunchy/crispy, the avocado spread nice and creamy and the salmon pure perfection.
Nick front and center throwing up the U sign with fellow Special Olympics athletes and their coaches (Cabrera on the left and Guzman on the right).
The next day on Saturday Nick was off with his Special Olympics friends/athletes for a morning of fun at the University of Miami training facilities where they ran through drills and got to meet the UM coaches and players. I love that Special Olympics provides these amazing opportunities for him and all the athletes.
Vance and I at the game, Vance is wearing a Copa America inspired soccer jersey that they gave away at the game.
Then on Sunday we went to the Marlins game (yes, we keep torturing ourselves watching them I know!) but this time they beat the Chicago White Sox 7-4. We got to see a three-run homer, a shot that sailed out and got them the win in the 9th inning! Go Fish! Amazingly enough, Nick did not get on the big screen this time LOL.
This was taken as I sat and did a little creative writing while looking out on majestic Biscayne National Park.
Boardwalk at Biscayne National Park
View at Alabama Jack’s in Key Largo, it’s located on the quieter two-way Card Sound Road into the Florida Keys so it’s definitely a hidden gem.
Lunch at Alabama Jack’s in Key Largo. After I took this I finished another one of the tacos and then packed everything up and brought it home. Elizabeth had the last taco yesterday and I’m currently enjoying the leftover fish dip right now!
And now we’re caught up and I can tell you about this week which was pretty quiet up until yesterday when I decided to take a day to enjoy myself. After dropping off Nick I went to Biscayne National Park where I’d never been. I took in the surrounding views and the quiet beauty of this natural wonder. On the website it’s described as a “Watery Wonderland,” and that it truly is. Once I’d visited the gift shop where I bought a t-shirt and chatted with the gentleman at the Visitor Center, I went a little further south and decided to have lunch at Alabama Jack’s in Key Largo where I sat at a table by the water and enjoyed their fish spread, shrimp tacos and a nice cold Sam Adams beer. Not linking AJ’s because their Facebook page is ridiculously outdated but just put it in Google Maps or Waze and go there!
View from one of the many lush, tropical courtyards I meandered through while at Cauley Square.
Then on the way home from there, I decided to make one final stop to visit Cauley Square Historic Village in Homestead. I loved meandering down the tree-lined street and checking out various courtyards and visiting their lovely little chapel to enjoy a moment of prayer and reflection. It was a spectacular day and I am reminding myself right now to do that more often!
Yo Space Miami in Little Haiti has a really interesting wall display and lots to look at. The warehouse space was opened in 2011 by Yuval Ofir, a creative who opened it as a means to provide affordable space for artists and creatives like him.
This morning to cap off the week I attended another Creative Mornings talk, this one at Yo Space Miami, a cool art studio/gallery/event space in Little Haiti. I tip my hat to David Verjano who runs Creative Mornings Miami for always finding the coolest spaces in the city to host these talks. I always have great conversations and meet interesting new people when I attend and today’s talk was another great one led by the space’s founder Yuval Ofir.
Tonight I’m looking forward to dinner with my friends Gema and Monica at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. The last time Gema and her family were in Miami (they live in Virginia) we went there and had a lovely time. The food is great and there’s a cool used/rare books bookstore across the street, the Old Florida Book Shop.
Finally, here are links to a couple of my articles. Click here to read my latest for Artburst Miami, an Arts Leader Profile on Gendry Sherer and click here to read my article on Bridge Red Studios for Biscayne Times.
And as always, a parting shot, this one of the lobster tails Vance grilled for dinner this past Sunday.
See ya next week, promise! Until then, stay cool out there, hydrate and enjoy life!
