Blog No. 50 of 2025

Just a few more weeks left until I’m headlining this blog “Blog No. 1 of 2026,” phew what a whirlwind! And… yesterday was my birthday, the big 6-0!

Now let’s get to it. I did end up going to the North Miami tree lighting on Friday night, I stayed for a bit watched a group of school kids perform and ended up leaving early but on my way home from Home Depot I saw the beautiful plaza all lit up! The City of North Miami also has some cute holiday displays at Griffing Park that I’m loving. You should definitely check out both of them. Here’s a link to other holiday displays around Miami.

Nick and his bud Geno at Coral Reef Park during the Best Buddies holiday event.

View during my walk at Coral Reef Park.

My view while relaxing and enjoying the view at Coral Reef Park.

Saturday, Nick had a Best Buddies event at Coral Reef Park down south in the Palmetto Bay neighborhood. While he was enjoying holiday crafts, fun and a DJ with his Best Buddies pal Geno and other friends, I took the opportunity to take several laps around the park. It turned out to be a great workout! He and I grabbed a bite at the park’s cafe before heading home. That night I finished decorating the Christmas tree and just hung out at home. I had every intention of attending a few Miami Art Week events but decided to pass on those. My poor friend Monica tried to get on to the beach to go to Art Basel and had to turn around and go home the traffic was so bad.

Surfside beach lunchtime view.

Fast forward to Wednesday when I finally got to the beach for a late day dip. It was lovely to enjoy the beautiful day, eat a simple sandwich and read my book while looking out on the crystal clear water.

Greynolds Park lunchtime view on my birthday.

Yesterday was a big day for me, I turned 60, 60 years old! I had a wonderful day doing the things I love from attending the Parent Support Group meeting at the Sandra DeLucca Developmental Center where we had honest conversations about the challenges of being parents of people with special needs to buying some delicious dumplings at Dumpling King in North Miami Beach, then going to Greynolds Park and enjoying them at a picnic table under a large tree canopy. From there, I went to pick up my free Publix bar cake which I will be enjoying today.

Baked brie at La Fresa Francesa

Chicken Vol-au-Vent at La Fresa Francesa, Vance’s order.

My baked branzino topped with crunchy hazelnuts and sauteed spinach.

Excited to dig in! The pot de creme was creamy and decadent and the sparkler so festive!

La Fresa wall decor.

La Fresa’s cozy bistro vibe makes for a wonderful dining experience.

I got home and was greeted by a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Vance and a few other lovely gifts from my sister Susy. Then Vance and I went to a wonderful dinner at the French restaurant La Fresa Francesa in Hialeah. It’s as good as I remember it and I can’t wait to go back! It’s a little hole in the wall in a tiny strip mall on Okeechobee Road. Just look at the photos above of the food and the ambiance there. After dinner, we took a drive through Enchanted Place in North Miami for another look at the beautiful holiday lights on the lovely cul de sac.

Tomorrow I’m going to meet my friend Monica at a Farmer’s Market up in Sunrise and then attending my great niece Kate’s performance on Lincoln Road. I’ll finish out Saturday with another birthday dinner, this one with Monica.

A few other things I wanted to mention are that I’ve been let go as Artburst Miami’s Outreach person but that’s OK, I’ll continue to contribute to the blog. And a BIG congrats to my niece Elena and her hard work on a stellar presentation as part of her Master’s Degree work and my great niece Isabelle who has been accepted to numerous universities. So proud of you both!

Also, wishing my sister Ana a wonderful trip to the Christmas markets around Germany, I can’t wait to hear all about it and see pictures.

That’s all for this week and below, I leave you with a picture of the gang from Miami Today newspaper back in the late 1980s, a great group I worked with during my time there from 1988-1996. It was my first job out of college and I thank my friend Antoinette who worked there and I still keep in touch with, for sending me this photo.

Oh… and if you want to find arts events to attend for this weekend and beyond, visit the Artburst Miami website and for Free and Cheap Things to Do Around South Florida, click here.

I’ll be back next Friday, until then, be well!