That’s us last week at trivia, we won first place! Sitting next to me is champion pro wrestler Caleb Konley and next to Nick is a regular on our team Sean. And… we won first place this week too with our teammates Tony and Patty.
I want to start this week’s blog with a photo of our winning trivia team from last weekend and congratulate my great niece Isabelle for winning UCF Survivor at the University of Central Florida where she’s a freshman studying psychology.
Friday I drove up to Bradenton and went with my brother Mario to watch his son Chris coach his St. Stephen’s Episcopal Falcons to victory and a continued run in the playoffs. They play tomorrow night so good luck Falcons!
Saturday morning we all met for breakfast at Skillets in Bradenton then I headed back home, but not before stopping at Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey, FL. I spent time walking a few of their trails, checking out the nature center and watching a woman swim in Osprey Lake which made me quite nervous since there are signs to beware of alligators posted all around the perimeter. I did see her walk out of the lake so that was a relief. I will say, the sandy trail, in full sun, was quite challenging but it was time spent in nature so it was all good.
Sunday I spent a little time at the North Miami Greek Festival, my yearly tradition where I had a delicious Greek salad, a side of grape leaves while watching a traditional Greek dance performance.
Between Monday and Wednesday, I spent a lot of time taking photographs for my upcoming article, an artsy holiday gift guide, that I’m writing for Biscayne Times. That means…
View from the Perez Art Museum Miami in Downtown.
One of my favorite Picassos on display at PAMM.
Monday, I spent the morning at the Perez Art Museum Miami in Downtown then went to Wynwood Walls where I photographed their gift shops and then Wednesday I photographed Dale Zine bookstore in the Design District and the Rubell Museum in Allapattah.
Public art installation on the MOCA Plaza.
Thursday morning before I left to drive up to Merritt Island, I took more photographs for my article, this time at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami) and the Copperbridge Foundation arts complex gift shop. It was a lot of work but I’ve got all the photos I need and now am ready to complete my gift guide.
VIew of sailboats from Cocoa Riverfront Park in Cocoa Village. Photo by Vance.
Once I got to the townhouse, Vance and I went to dinner at Milpa Tacos y Tortillas, a great Mexican restaurant in Cocoa Village and then took an after-dinner stroll toward the water to Cocoa Riverfront Park where Vance took the gorgeous picture of the sailboats under a bright moon.
Patio at the townhouse in Merritt Island. It was a cool morning here and sipping a hot chocolate while enjoying the view was a great start to the day.
Not the best pic of Nick but here he is at the arcade, showing off his prize.
This morning I enjoyed breakfast on the patio and later I’m headed to Orlando to cheer Nick and his softball teammates on in the Special Olympics State Fall Classic at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Last night the team had fun at an arcade and Nick actually won a prize! Good luck to them in their games today and tomorrow.
Tonight, we’re going to dinner with Kevin, Michelle and Phil in Vero Beach so I’ll tell you about that in next week’s blog.
And just another reminder, the Miami One Acts Festival, which I’ve been helping with publicity, is happening next weekend. If you like theater, you’ll love these 10-minute productions/plays. Click here to read a synopsis, see dates and times and buy tickets.
Plus, early giving for Give Miami Day starts tomorrow and these are the organizations I’m passionate about that I hope you’ll consider supporting. Nourish Miami, Food Rescue US South FL, BOOM! Ensemble, Special Olympics and Best Buddies.
I leave you now with photos of my Tuesday morning on Surfside beach including lots of seagulls and shimmering blue water.
Have a great week everyone!
