Happy Birthday Vance!
Today is my husband Vance’s birthday so right off the bat I want to wish him a very happy birthday!
Another thing I can tell you right off the bat is that we had a pretty eventful weekend since my blog arrived in your inbox last Friday.
View of the bay from Legion Park.
Me, the birthday boy and Buddy (Connor’s Dad), at the Marlins game.
Saturday was a fun-filled day, starting with a Legion Park Farmer’s Market visit with Vance where we brought plenty of goodies home and spent some time reflecting while looking out on the water. Then we picked up Nick and all went to the Marlins game where we unfortunately watched them lose to the much better Cleveland Guardians team. We still had a great time and it was nice running into Buddy Shrago, who sat with us for a while (Buddy is Connor’s Dad, one of Michael’s best friends from high school). Then on the way out we ran into our friend Ita, her parents and her son Tommy. It’s always great seeing them. And happy for Ita who just flew first class today to visit her friend in Atlanta and enjoyed several mimosas on the flight. Have a great time Ita!
And to end the eventful day, Vance and I walked just a few blocks from home to support Susie K. Taylor, who I mentioned last week was opening a new space The Creative Shelter on NE 125th St. and 7th Ave. in the heart of Downtown North Miami. Her artwork in on display and she told us she plans to host performances there too. Susie is an actor/dancer/performer/playwright and I’ve known her since our kids played sports at Ed Burke Recreation Center in Biscayne Park where she lives. Years later, I saw her act in a few Juggerknot Theatre Co. immersive plays and made the connection that it was the same Susie from the park! Welcome to North Miami Susie! Click the link above to view a Facebook video of Susie describing her vision for the space.
That’s Ricky J. Martinez, introducing the actors before the Miami One Acts Festival last Sunday at the Sandrell Rivers Theater. If you like an intimate, black box setting for your theater experience, this is for you. There wasn’t a bad seat in the house!
On Sunday, I was out supporting another group of local artists, the Boom Ensemble theater organization on the last day of their Miami One Acts Festival, which they’ve been producing since 2011. My friends Ruben Diaz who is their marketing person and I helped to get publicity for the festival, and Ricky J. Martinez the founder and Producing Artistic Director, once again chose a very Miami/305 selection of six short one-act plays, that truly represented everything all us Miamians love and also laugh at, about our city. They’re putting on another festival later this year and if you like original, homegrown writing/acting/directing and producing, I encourage you to follow them on Instagram and attend. I also want to applaud Ricky and his Board and supporters for creating their BE! Apprentice Program with the mission to mentor and nurture young local talent to keep Miami’s theater scene alive and thriving. I’m also proud to announce that they have asked me to join their Board of Directors which will be a first for me!
The water was cold and soooo refreshing on that sweltering day and it felt great to swim a few laps too.
Monday, after visiting my sister Susy and her adorable grandson Jojo, who as always wowed me with his amazing vocabulary and smarts (the kid isn’t even 3 yet and he’s quite the conversationalist!), I went to Jose Marti Park and swam, relaxed and got refreshed in their pool, reminiscing the whole time to my college days when I spent many days there not only swimming in the pool but shooting hoops too. Oh the memories!
Then that night, before I went to Panera for my weekly food rescue run, I stopped by my neighbor Ericka’s house where she gifted me with a generous amount of star fruit from her tree. Thanks Ericka!
Tuesday not much happened except that at the suggestion of my friend Margaret, I decided to watch the 2014 Christopher Nolan film “Interstellar,” with a fantastic all-star cast and although the movie is quite long (in typical Nolan fashion), it was worth the time. Even though it did have a very similar theme (essentially, saving Earth) to “Project Hail Mary,” which I recently watched and loved, the approach to that theme is quite different in each film.
A driverless Waymo car on Alton Road in Miami Beach that obeyed all the rules of the road.
Wednesday, as I was driving from Trader Joe’s on Miami Beach with a food rescue haul, I saw one of those driverless Waymo cars on the road (there are soooo many of them around now), and made an observation. I noticed that unlike most human driven cars in Miami, the Waymo obeyed the speed limit, signaled to change lanes AND make a turn and I can tell you for sure no one was texting and driving. Those cars still creep me out a bit but I now look at them differently after that experience. And I also saw one on the highway just this morning.
Today and this weekend, it’s all about Vance and whatever he wants to do to celebrate. And I will definitely be watching the World Cup final match on Sunday and yelling Vamos España the whole time!
Now here are some recommendations on things to do and see around Miami and also in Broward…
Save the Date… July 25th and go to the FIU North Miami Campus to get a free tree, click here for details
Visit MAD Arts in Dania Beach and check out their latest exhibition “What the Hands Remember,” which includes work by textile artists Lisu Vega who has become an acquaintance of mine and Marina Font who I profiled for Artburst Miami many years ago. You can click here to read that profile.
Pay attention if you happen to be at Miami International Airport, especially at Gate D31 where my other artist acquaintances Claudio Marcotulli, who I also profiled for Artburst and Kristen Thiele of Bridge Red Studios, have work on display in the exhibition “Beyond the Pitch: Artists in their Field, celebrating the World Cup.
Go see “Todo Lo Que No Te Dije” (“Everything I Didn’t Say”) Miami New Drama’s latest production playing at the Colony Theater on Miami Beach through Aug. 2. Click here to read the Artburst Miami review by our Editor Michelle Solomon. I’ve seen several Miami New Drama productions and they are top notch!
Get a discounted spa treatment at one of dozens of hotels/spas during Miami Spa Months and have a nice meal out at either Coral Gables or South Miami and take advantage of discounted meals during their designated restaurant months.
Little birdies in the bird feeder.
That’s all I’ve got for you today, I’ll see you right back here next Friday.
