Welcome June!
Flipping the calendar (yes, I still have one of those calendars!) on Monday to June was surreal and cool at the same time. It means traffic will be a little lighter, days will be even longer and I don’t know, life just kinda slows down and I love that. Even if it is soooo hot outside.
Jazz at MOCA crowd on Friday night enjoying the sounds of Claudens Louis & The CieL Experience.
Even though last weekend got off to a soggy start and sort of remained that way for the duration, I still managed to walk over to MOCA and catch the performance by Claudens Louis & The CieL Experience during the monthly Jazz at MOCA. They held it under cover in the Museum’s Courtyard which made it an even more intimate experience, something I welcomed. They performed for about an hour, covering several songs by jazz great Sonny Rollins who passed away recently and was a huge influence on the band.
Here we are, L-R Paula, me and my sister Ana at the Farmer’s Market event on Saturday morning.
Saturday I got up early and after making homemade pancakes my sister Ana came over and we rode together to the Little Haiti Cultural Center for a crazy morning setting up the Food Rescue US - South FL Farmer’s Market, the final one of the season until we return in October when the weather cools down. People were lined up on NE 2 Ave. and then came in to the center to shop with dignity for free groceries. We gave away so much food and laughed and enjoyed the music and dancing during the Haitian Heritage Month event that was happening around us. It was an exhausting and exhilarating morning.
That night, I made that amazing arroz con pollo recipe I made for the catering gig, for us for dinner and Vance loved it! Think that’s gonna be on repeat at our house.
My Asian noodles/Pad Thai turned out great!
Sunday, Vance and I dropped off Nick at his friend Geno’s house for an afternoon hangout and pool time then went to NE 163 St. and stopped into Carvel for ice cream, I had my favorite, vanilla soft serve with chocolate sprinkles. It took me back to my childhood! We then drove a couple of blocks and popped into the iFresh Asian Market where I bought a bunch of frozen dumplings, cellophane noodles and some other odds and ends. That night I made myself a bowl of noodles with homemade peanut sauce. They were really good. The next day I made myself a little plate of shumai dumplings that I got at the market. Those were really good too!
Monday, while relaxing at home after a busy morning with food rescue volunteering, I was graced with a visit from my former neighbor Kristen and her son RJ. It was so nice of them to come knocking on my door and stop by for a quick visit. They’re both doing great and I can’t believe RJ is going into middle school! It was such a sweet visit.
Wednesday, after getting some work done, I went to the Design District for a visit to ICA Miami the contemporary museum in the neighborhood where I was expecting to see the much talked about Dolce & Gabbana fashion exhibition. To my surprise (and bad research skills) that exhibition is in another building and does have an admission fee, whereas ICA Miami is free admission. I decided not to spend the $30 to see the show and instead, enjoyed the three floors at ICA Miami instead.
Nick and I at Cracker Barrel in Stuart.
Nick, Vance and I at Rich Island for dinner last night.
Yesterday, with Nick’s program closed we decided to head up to Merritt Island a day earlier than usual and hit the road in the morning, stopping at Cracker Barrel in Stuart (of course we stopped there for lunch!). Once we got to the townhouse and unloaded the car I managed to squeeze in a little exercise before we left to check out Thirsty Bones, a bar that’s in a plaza across Courtenay Pkwy. (the street we live off of) so we could walk. I enjoyed a Shock Top draft beer while watching Nick and Vance play pool then we grabbed dinner at Rich Island which is great little no-nonsense spot with great food. The only thing that irks me a bit is they make all their sandwiches on rolls or rye bread, no other choices. You read that right, they don’t have white bread, whole wheat, nothing other than rye and you guessed it, I don’t like rye bread. Vance says they have award-winning burgers and the one Nick had did look pretty good so I’ll have to try one next time. My black bean burger was really good, I will admit.
Today and for the rest of the weekend, we plan to have fun around here, heading to Orlando tonight for dinner with Elizabeth and then probably hitting the pool here at our complex, maybe the beach, a few spots for lunch and a little sightseeing maybe. We’ll make it up as we go along.
That’s all for this week, have a great weekend and I’ll see you back here next Friday. Now here are some parting bird feeder shots for your viewing pleasure.
