Blog No. 45 of 2025

First things first, below is a picture of my great niece Kate performing at the Open Mic at Gramps, which I neglected to include in last week’s blog, a glaring oversight. I had issues uploading photos last week and didn’t realize this one wasn’t included. Thanks to my sister Ana for letting me know I was missing the photo.

Kate on guitar performing with her Miami Girls Rock Camp band at Gramps in Wynwood.

Friday I drove up to Merritt Island for our sister weekend getaway. Nick, my sisters Susy and Mari and I stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way and then had a fun Halloween Night with my niece Nicole and her family. They trick or treated through a really cool neighborhood with great decorations. Here they are below all dressed up as the characters from the Disney show Gravity Falls.

L-R are Ana, Ramzi, Nicole, Mazen in the yellow costume and Tariq in the back in their Gravity Falls costumes.

Saturday, I spent the day with the sisters shopping at World Market in Melbourne with my great nephew Ramzi tagging along, where we all bought some great stuff, then we met Nicole, Tariq and Mazen at Grills Restaurant in Melbourne for lunch. We sat outside enjoying great food with a wonderful waterfront view. That was followed by a stop at Rockledge Gardens where I bought a couple of cute plants for the townhouse and took a moment to relax in my favorite spot there, the Japanese-inspired garden. That night I joined Nick and Vance at Rich Island Burgers just minutes from our townhouse for a really good meal. It’s a simple spot with really, really good homemade food.

Sitting for a moment of quiet reflection at Rockledge Gardens.

Sunday we all went to brunch at Nicole and Tariq’s house, enjoying time together, sitting outside on their lovely patio by the pool eating and chatting before Mari, Susy, Nick and I headed back to Miami.

Tuesday night I went to a VIP Opening reception at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Miami where they unveiled two new exhibitions. I mistakenly walked through the shows, one by local artist Diana Eusebio and the other by Pakistani-American artist Hiba Schabaz, loving the works in both of them, and completely missed the pre-reception in the courtyard. I reluctantly joined the VIP Tour and managed to sneak out to the patio without anyone noticing, where I enjoyed a glass of prosecco at the MOCA Paradise Courtyard.

After that, I decided I would walk over to Tomato & Basil restaurant just a few blocks away for dinner. There I had a mushroom and brie empanada and a slice of Margerita pizza, guess I was in the mood for carb loading. It was the right decision. It was a delight to sit in that cozy spot and be waited on by such a kind, friendly staff. I love that place.

Enjoying a glass of prosecco on the MOCA Courtyard on a beautiful cool fall night.

And yesterday was the most gratifying day of all when I attended a Visionary Artist Sessions workshop at the Miami Beach Regional Library. The program was founded by high schooler Lolita White, a passionate student who wanted to bring arts classes to public school students in underserved communities.

The program at the library was the first VAS program for adults with disabilities. I watched as the the adults who are part of Miami-Dade County Public School’s Project SOAR program worked with local actress and radio show host Carey Brianna Hart on developing a play they will perform at the library on Nov. 19th. It was amazing to watch them create the story with cues and prompts from Carey, similar to an Improv format, build on each prompt and then begin to rehearse the story they’d created. I’m excited to not only write the story but see the result of their hard work. I will be writing an article on this program for Artburst Miami and will share a link when it’s published.

Once that was done, I walked across Collins Avenue and took a walk on the sand, dipping my toes in the water and taking in the glorious weather and view.

This weekend I’ll be going to the North Miami Greek Festival which runs today through Sunday. I’ve been attending the last few years because I love the food, the vendors and the ambiance. And here’s a link to plenty of Free and Cheap Things to do around South Florida this weekend.

Have a great weekend, see you right here next Friday.