Oops…

Friday got away from me and I forgot to write this yesterday. But…here I am a day late.

It was a pretty quiet week but this happened…

That’s Kaitlyn on the left in the white t-shirt on stage with her bandmates.

Saturday night, in the sweltering heat at the Miami Beach Bandshell I, along with my three sisters, my nieces Elena and Tiffany and Tiffany’s oldest daughter Hailey, watched my great niece Kaitlyn (Tiffany’s daughter and Hailey’s sister), kick butt in her end of camp performance with her fellow Miami Girls Rock campers. She was shredding on the guitar while on stage with her bandmates as part of No Name. It was fun watching her run around laughing and smiling.

Food rescue from Panera and Aventura ready to be loaded in my car on its way to the Broward Outreach Center on Monday night.

Monday night I went to rescue leftover food at Panera in Aventura and drive it up to the Broward Outreach Center in Hollywood. It’s something I’ve been doing every other Monday on behalf of Good Samaritan Meals. I think it’s been over a year I’ve been doing this and I’ve got no plans of stopping.

Veggie roll appetizer at Reunion Kitchen + Bar in Aventura. This fresh rolls is made of avocado, cucumber, chive and takuan wrapped in kelp paper with caper aioli. I had half and saved the other half for lunch on Wednesday.

Cheesy, creamy and delicious artichoke white lasagna. I had half and at the rest for dinner on Tuesday night.

Luscious little French mini tarts filled with chocolate and hazelnut. I had one and Elizabeth had the other one I brought home.

Tuesday I didn’t waste any time and immediately took advantage of the Miami Spice restaurant month specials. The two-month long event that runs Aug. 1 through Sept. 30 features prix fixe multi-course meals at some of Miami’s best restaurants. I had a fantastic $30 three-course lunch at Reunion Ktchn + Bar in Aventura. I started off with a beautiful and very fresh veggie roll, followed by a creamy cheese artichoke white lasagna and finishing with mini French tarts filled with chocolate and hazelnuts. Multi-course meals range from $30-$60, click here to peruse the list of hundreds of restaurants.

Wednesday was food rescue day again, this time at Trader Joe’s in Coral Gables with a big load of food going to Village Freedge in Liberty City. It’s always a nice morning when I get to catch up with my nephew’s wife Patty and their son Mano who are now also helping with this weekly effort. Plus, seeing the smiling faces that unload my car at the Village always warms my heart.

That’s pretty much it. I also interviewed some amazing people in Miami’s arts community, including the leaders at Sandrell Rivers Theater in Liberty City about their upcoming event honoring their namesake Chief Sandrell Rivers, as well as the recently named Director of Cultural Affairs at Miami Dade College María Carla Chicuén, a powerhouse in her own right.

And yesterday, I had a semi-failed attempt to go to the beach. I arrived, jumped in the water, cooled off for about 15 minutes or so until the thunder rolled in. I quickly got out, packed up my stuff and then sat in my car until the meter ran out. While in my car, I read my book “River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida’s St. John’s River” by Bill Belleville which I’m really enjoying.

Today Vance and I plan to go see the film “Oppenheimer” and to dinner at Basilic Vietnamese Grill, a restaurant we’ve been wanting to try for a while now, and more of course, next Friday.

Thanks for reading!