Olympics and Super Bowl

It has been all Winter Olympics in this house for me, starting with Friday’s impressive opening ceremonies. I sat there transfixed, watching the performances, both musical, interpretive and comedic, all of which I enjoyed.

That’s Nick on the bottom left there doing his thing at Marlins Fan Fest.

Saturday, I decided to visit the Surfside Farmer’s Market where I grossly overpaid for a delectable pistachio pesto and also brought home fresh pita and labneh balls. The weather was absolutely glorious and I love that the market is right next to the beach. After that, Nick and I went to the Marlins Fan Fest, the yearly free family-friendly event at LoanDepot Park ahead of the baseball season. We watched player interviews, had some snacks and just enjoyed the baseball park vibe. Nick of course, wore his mohawk wig and personalized Marlins jersey, which attracted the attention of Miami Herald photographer Al Diaz who had a field day snapping photos of him. One of the pictures actually made it on the front page of the paper’s local section.

Brothers Mazen (in pink shirt) and Ramzi next to him with blondie Jojo across the table, having fun at Susy’s house after dinner.

We then drove over to Tutto Pizza on Coral Way near my sister Susy’s house where we joined a dinner in progress with her, my niece Elena, her son Jojo, my other sister Mari and my great nephews Ramzi and Mazen. The pizza was tasty and watching the kids together was super fun. Afterwards we went back to Susy’s house and watched the kids make Valentine’s Day crafts. Look at those cute cousins having fun together in the picture above.

Crispy baked homemade bbq chicken wings were great snack for the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Sunday was quiet, just Nick and I hanging at home (Vance had to stay up in Merritt Island for work), so I basically watched The Olympics and then got busy making game time snacks ahead of the big game. And after watching the game I can’t get Bad Bunny’s “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos” song out of my head.

71 St. Beach on a gorgeous Wednesday morning.

Wednesday morning, instead of going straight home after dropping off Nicholas, I stopped at Cachito Coffee and Bakery on 71 St. just off Collins Ave. for breakfast which I then had while sitting on my beach towel and reading my book. It was a great way to start off hump day!

Nick and the Best Buddies gang getting ready for “Dear Evan Hansen” at Actors’ Playhouse.

That night, after I dropped Nick off at Actors’ Playhouse to attend the preview night of the play “Dear Evan Hansen” with his Best Buddies pals, I walked over to Coral Gables Art Cinema to watch the Colombian indie film “A Poet,” which I liked for it’s sad, comedic, melancholy storyline. I especially love this cinema because they show a nice blend of first run movies, classics, indies and international films.

One of Beth Bru’s images on display at the Main Library in Downtown Miami, part of the “Fruits of the Spirit” exhibition.

Yesterday, after spending the morning into early afternoon at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center covering the State of the Arts address which I was covering for Artburst Miami, I popped into the Main Library, something I always do if I’m in the area. I walked right up to the second floor where I saw they had an exhibition on display. There, I discovered the work of local artist Beth Bru, whose exhibition “Fruits of the Spirit” features her colorful, soothing, whimsical large-scale paintings that all have a wonderful message. It turns out Beth herself was there, chatting with local author Kimberly Grant who also works at the Moss Center in Cutler Bay. Turns out they were both at the State of the Arts too and had walked over to the library just like I did!

I’ll be rounding out the week with a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner date with Vance at Cafe Avanti on Miami Beach and that’s about it. And watching The Olympics of course!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

Speaking of library exhibitions, check out the one by Susan Feliciano at Westchester Regional Library click here to read about the artist and her work. I’ve known Susan since 1996 when I began volunteer at MOCA in North Miami.

Also this weekend, SOOO much going on in Miami like The Miami International Boat Show, The Coconut Grove Arts Festival but both have pricey admissions.

There’s also the Kite Days Festival at Haulover Park on Saturday and Sunday, the Smorgasburg Miami Chinese Lunar New Year Festival on Lincoln Road, and live music and a free movie this weekend at Normandy Fountain on North Beach.

That’s all for this week, next week I’ll be writing this from Merritt Island and for this week, I leave you with a picture of a cute black and white cat lounging on one of my patio chairs.

Thanks for reading!