Larry & Penny Thompson RV campground - Miami

 

The Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park is a beautiful, scenic and for visiting my granddaughter, Sara, most convenient campground. Well, sorta. More convenient than having her drive over an hour to visit me in the Everglades like she did last year. Still 30-minutes away, it's a better drive (?). 

This should be easy, right? Part of my route...just follow the GPS and the signs and the other drivers. Some time, let me tell you about Miami drivers...well, "they're nuts" aptly sums it up. I know, it's the same everywhere; speeding, weaving, no signals, no courtesy. Oh well, life goes on, so keep this in mind

Always good to be reminded now and then.

This county park is set in 275 acres of woodland, complimented by pine, lychee, mango and avocado trees of which 60 acres are dedicated to the 240 shady, RV sites with full hookups. As expected, nature trails, bike paths, kayaking, bridle paths, a beach with water slides and a freshwater lake populated with bass. Truly something for everyone.

Don't know why I was assigned a handicapped site.

Some views surrounding my site:

Clean, spacious and well maintained

Sara stopped by for a visit and prior to our leaving, she drove me around the non-camping area to see the mango groves and lake. After their death, son, Carl, petitioned Miami/Dade County to rename the park in honor of his parents. Larry Thompson was a Pulitzer Prize winner and humor writer for the Miami Herald. His wife, Gladys ("Penny") was an aviator pioneer in the 40's & 50's and flew blimps over the Gulf of Mexico searching for German submarines.

The property adjacent to Zoo Miami was originally a part of the Naval Air Station Richmond that housed the Navy's blimps.  

At the south entrance to the park there's a large concrete directional arrow in the ground, pointing north – a guide for blimp and airplane pilots who landed at the Naval Air Station.

In September, 1945, a hurricane and subsequent fire destroyed all three 17-story wood hangars and everything inside: 366 military and civilian aircraft, 25 blimps and more than 100 vehicles.

For the next 30 years, the land had varied uses including serving as the University of Miami's South Campus and a field research lab for 350 acres of fruit trees for the university.

The parcel for the Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park and Campground (and Zoo Miami) was acquired in 1974 as part of a 1,010-acre land transfer from the U.S. government to Miami-Dade County.

At Sara's apartment I was surprised to see another side of my marine biologist granddaughter. She dabbles in art. Some of her work.

And for those who have forgotten or never read my blogs of seven years ago, I dedicated one of them to Sara's younger and also talented sister, Beca and her art work. You can read that  BLOG HERE. Yup, there's good reason for my pride in both my children and their children.

Friday night we went to dinner at Plenta Queen. Be sure to check out their website. Their story from the website:

"At PLANTA, we see plants differently."

"Led by Founder and CEO Steven Salm and Co-founder and Executive Chef David Lee, PLANTA was born in 2016 to expand the accessibility and acceptability of plant based dining; dining as it should be — an unguilty pleasure. Creating a premier hospitality collective of 100% plant-based restaurants, PLANTA reimagines, reinvents, and revitalizes, providing flavorful proof that the power of plants can change the world."

Doesn't tell you anything about their offerings other than they're plant-based, surely Word Salad. I've added details to our menu choices in the captions below. It was a sharing evening...and quite delicious. I enjoyed it all. Thank you Sara for choosing your favorite.

• CRAB RANGOON (3 PIECES)

  spinach, hearts of palm, thai basil, sweet & sour

• CRISPY MUSHROOM HAND ROLL

  crispy mushroom, tamari, wasabi

• BAKED CRAB ROLL

  hearts of palm, spicy mayo, ponzu. This is my half

• SCALLION SESAME PANCAKE

  chili oil, hoisin

Dumplings contain:

Chickpeas, Garlic, Cilantro, Lime Juice, Curry Powder, Turmeric, Paprika, Coriander, Black Pepper, Cumin.

Tzahziki Sauce contains:

Sour Cream, lemon juice, garlic, mayo, canola oil, xanthan gum, chickpea, flour, pineapple, chili sauce, Fresno peppers, cilantro, vinegar, agave, salt, bell pepper.

Thank you, Alejandro, our server, for providing the ingredients.

After a very early start of their day, Aaron, Silvia, Chuck, Ryan and Sara went to Key Biscayne to participate in a 5K Fund Raiser on Chuck's birthday which he dedicated to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley. Hopefully, you can open the link and donate if you so desire.

Aaron, Silvia, Chuck, Sara, Ryan

Saturday night it was dinner at the Green Street Cafe, a very busy venue with a European feel and outdoor dining; "Coconut Grove's premier 'seen and be seen' restaurant founded thirty three years ago by Sylvano and Maida Bignon." Their MENU reflects the diffiuclt choices. I, of course, went with an old stand-by.

In addition to a lemon-touched Hummus bowl, Chorizo Macaroni & Cheese were
the appetizers for the table - thought too late to get this photo; sorry for the dirty plate.

Lobster ravioli with red pepper pesto

Vegetable Lasagna: Eggplant, red pepper, portobello, zucchini, goat cheese, pesto 

A proud Poppa with a terrific grandson who will be studying on exchange at Bocconi University in Milan. He also picked up the tab for his old man's birthday. Thank you, Aaron.

And to conclude my all too short visit here in the Miami area, I'll share yet another terrific dining experience with loved ones. Our Easter Dinner get-together (Silvia, Sara, Aaron, Ryan, Chuck and me) was at Doya Restaurant, a Modern Aegean restaurant in the Wynwood section of Miami featuring the cultural cuisines of Greece and Turkey. First impressions when entering: Friday night crowd, a packed house. The high ceiling acoustics made for a very loud environment with a young crowd (for me, that's anyone under 60). Upscale warm feeling with tight seating and a large wait staff. At night, the very low lighting made for difficult menu reading especially for the Turkish cold/hot meze (small dish) specialties. Our server explained the concept and recommended an approach for our selections. This included treating the menu like you would tapas, ie, small plates or portions for snacks or appetizers. A good choice as we were able to choose one we liked but shared and tasted everyone else's. Three photos that follow are from Internet which show the beautiful but empty dining areas.  

Arrow points to our cozy corner table

The restaurant boasts over 100 different types of gin;
even a book of mixed drinks was available.

View from my corner of the world

Sara's Espresso Martini

It was too dark to get some of the photos of the meze choices for the table. But from the menu and memory we tried small portions, shared and enjoyed:

BRANZINO CEVICHE: orange and lime zest, mustard sauce

DOYA OCTOPUS: garlic, Cretan extra virgin olive oil

SPICY TOMATO: tomato, onion, walnuts, parsley, sumac, isot, mint, pomegranate

ROASTED BEETROOT: pureed with Turkish pistachios, Greek yogurt

KOFTE: grilled Turkish meatballs

BUTTER SHRIMP: mozzarella cheese

Closer to the center of the table, Sara was able to capture these for me.

GRILLED HALLOUMI CHEESE

Arugula, cherry tomatoes, fresh mint

KOPOGLU

potato, eggplant, pepper, zucchini, garlic yogurt, tomato sauce

MUSSELS

white wine butter, garlic, parsley

YOGURT MOUSSE

Kadaifi, White Chocolate Yogurt Mousse, Fresh Citrus Salad,

Cassis Foam, Thyme Ice Cream

MASTIC PUDDING

Mixed Berries Compote, Mastic Pudding, Balsamic Honey Caviar,

Sable Cookie, Fresh Berries

PISTACHIO BAKLAVA

Homemade

And a big thank you to my wonderful granddaughter, Sara, my sea turtle marine biologist and Education Manager for the Miami/Dade County Sea Turtles Conservation Project, for the use of her car that allowed me to come and go the 16-mile trip to be where the action is.

I hope you enjoyed my Easter Weekend. My next week-long stop will be Long Key, FL at the Fiesta Key RV Resort and Marina. See you there. Meanwhile, stay safe and happy.

Love is a fruit in season at all times and within reach of every hand.

~~Mother Teresa