Happy 4th of July

And a happy 250th to the U.S.A. I’ll be donning red, white & blue this weekend and watching plenty of fireworks. And happy birthday to my great niece Kaitlyn whose birthday was on June 30th!

But here’s what’s happened since last Friday.

On Saturday, Monica and I enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch at Thai House II Restaurant & Sushi Bar in North Miami Beach, where we lingered over tasty bento box lunch specials and crispy gyoza dumplings while we caught up on life and enjoyed plenty of laughs too. Then on the way home, we popped into a cute little spot Pinkriver Cafe Bistro on Biscayne Blvd. where they’ve got an impressive selection of desserts, baked goods and emapanadas. The Argentinian spot is bright and cheery, has a legitimate parillada grilling setup in the parking lot directly outside their doors and what looks like a nice menu. We vowed to return and have a proper meal there next time we get together.

Thanks to the gorgeous Greynolds Park trees for all that shade!

I wasn’t able to photograph them but, the fish were jumping in the tranquil waters at Greynolds Park

Monday, after dropping off Nick and finishing up my food rescue run, I braved the heat and humidity and actually took a walk through Greynolds Park. It was humid but I managed to stay under the shade of all their gorgeous trees and felt so good when I was done.

Tuesday morning I met Vance’s former co-worker and friend of both of ours Frances for breakfast at Bagel Bar East where I had their amazing Florentine eggs benedict. We had a great time chatting and I was able to give her some pointers for her upcoming volunteer project. It was great catching up with her and I hope she’s reading this blog since she’s now a subscriber! Our plan is to grab lunch next time we get together.

Those are not beers, they’re canned water!

Wednesday, I met my buddy George Neary for a quick lunch and catch-up at Pizza Tropical on 70th and Biscayne Blvd. in the Mimo District. I’m sure you’ve noticed in this blog that I spend a lot of time in Mimo. Pizza Tropical used to be the spot inside Gramps in Wynwood that luckily for all the Gramps fans resurfaced! I’d never been there and loved the slice of mushroom I had and plan to return with Vance and Nick! And thanks for treating George!

Enjoying a prosecco at Garden on Grove in Merritt Island.

Garden on Grove entrance, love the Pueblo/Mission style structure.

Yesterday, after arriving in Merritt Island after a pretty long drive (leaving at 3 p.m. from Miami wasn’t smart), Vance, Nick and I got to check out a couple of great places on the quaint North Grove Street nearby. First, we checked out Garden on Grove Wine & Beer Bar, we sat at the bar and enjoyed chatting with a few of the locals. Afterwards, we walked just a few steps to Hola! Cuban Kitchen, a really nice restaurant with delicious Cuban food. Vance had the palomilla, I had the chicken with chimichurri and their black beans were very, very good. Nick of course had a cheeseburger and fries. Aside from the food, the ambiance is fantastic with dark wood beams on the ceiling, a cozy seating area with a fireplace, great bar and outdoor garden seating area.

Today we’re headed to Port Canaveral for their Smoke on the Water and Fire in the Sky event where we’ll get tasty food truck grub and watch fireworks. Then tomorrow we’re driving to Orlando where we’ll spend the day with our friends Phil and Margaret and see more fireworks. I’ll tell you all about these next week.

Also hoping at some point this weekend to catch up with my niece Nicole, her kids and my sister Ana who is also up here for the Fourth of July weekend.

Things to do around Miami:

Watch fireworks at any number of places on Fourth of July. Click here for a comprehensive list. And for a full South Florida list, click here.

Catch a play at Actors’ Playhouse on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. They’re currently presenting “Wizard of Oz” for kids and families and coming up July 15 they open “The Shark is Broken.”

Visit Casa Ylang Ylang in Homestead for their Summer Saturdays in the Garden that start next Saturday and run for five consecutive weeks.

And one final parting shot of a cute cardinal in my birdfeeder.

Have a great weekend and see ya next Friday!