Blog No. 27 of 2025

Happy Fourth of July! Hope you all enjoy a relaxing day with barbecue, maybe some pool time and fireworks at night.

We were Merritt Islanders last weekend where we spent time…

Going to dinner at Long Doggers in Cocoa Beach with my niece Nicole and Tariq and their kids. We had a fun time at this casual spot where we had fun conversation and enjoyed watching the boys have fun together.

That was Friday night and the following day, Vance and I went and did lots of thrifting again and during that time we discovered this cute little place Bobalicious where we had a nice, cool afternoon drink. I really enjoyed the iced mocha latte I had there while Vance enjoyed a cool lemonade drink.

After Bobalicious the three of us went out on a boat ride with Cocoa Beach Dolphin Tours where we boarded a pontoon boat and took a leisurely two hour ride on the Banana River where we spotted lots of manatees and dolphins. It was a great afternoon and we made it back right before it started pouring. We waited out the rain at Island Time Restaurant & Marina just a short walk away where we listened to a great live band and had fries and fish dip. You can see photos of the scenery on the boat ride above.

Sunday we decided (well, I decided for us LOL) to take a drive to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge where we again, dodged the raindrops while we walked the Palm and Oak Hammock Trails which were nice but after a while, the mosquitoes started attacking us. The photos above show the beauty of the trail (and those two guys in one of the photos walking it are pretty cute too!) The minute we got in the car it started pouring but we were hungry so I Googled for nearby spots and found a fast casual spot BB Rad’s Coastal BBQ in Titusville where they serve a really good smoked turkey sandwich. See pictures of the decor above.

And the remainder of the week from Monday through Thursday, I spent it picking up lots of food rescues because a lot of the regulars who usually do the pick ups are out of town this holiday week. I plugged away at work although it wasn’t very busy and started reading a new book. It’s a very vanilla, beach read type book but it’s entertaining.

Tomorrow we’ll be at Casa Wutzler for barbecue, pool time and fireworks then Saturday Elizabeth, who is in town this weekend, will be joining us for the day when we plan to maybe hang out at South Pointe Park on Miami Beach, that is if it doesn’t pour. On Sunday, Vance and I want to check out Gramps Getaway on Key Biscayne, a waterfront spot opened by the same guy who runs Gramps in Wynwood.

And here’s a parting shot of an adorable cardinal in our bird feeder in North Miami.

That’s it for this week. Toodles, see you next week and have a great and safe Fourth of July!