Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post featuring five things that caught my attention this week. I took last week off because we were in Florida with friends, having a wonderful time. The weather was perfect, sunshine and warmth. We return to NYC and it was 95+ degrees for four days! Here now, the Florida edition of the Friday 5ive:
1) Numerous people have told us that the Beach Bistro restaurant on Anna Maria Island is a fabulous restaurant. We decided to celebrate our anniversary there, and it was everything we were told it would be. They gave us a lovely table right by the window, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. It's more than a dinner, it is an experience. They started us with a shooter vodka cocktail and a small scoop of vanilla praline ice cream. There are four courses after that, the most interesting was Roberto's Farm Salad, pictured below. It came with mixed greens, roasted vegetables (the butternut squash was so tender and delicious), grilled fruit (strawberries, blueberries), a small ball of mozzarella drizzled with balsamic glaze, and topped with a scoop of lemon sorbet. You may think this combination sounds strange, but it worked so well together. We will be returning soon.
2) We replanted a firecracker bush two years at our Florida house and this is the first time we have been there to see it in full bloom. It's so pretty!
3) We took the boat out for a sunset dinner cruise with pizza from Venezia restaurant and a bottle of Caymus Cabernet. It was gorgeous evening, and there were dolphins following alongside the boat. They must have heard how good the pizza was. 
4) While the guys golfed, the ladies headed to the Longboat Key Resort beach club. The water was so warm, and the rum punch was so refreshing. My friend took this great photo of the beach club.
5) I didn't do a lot of reading, just two books. The first was Emilie Richards' novel, The House Guests (my full review is here), about Cassie, a woman who invites a stranger, Amber, and Amber's teenage son to move in to her home with her and her teenage stepdaughter. The two woman slowly form a friendship and we learn that Amber is on the run from someone and Cassie's deceased husband spent all of their money and was involved in something she knew nothing about. It's such a great book, wonderful characters with an intriguing storyline. 
I hope you all have a very enjoyable 4th of July holiday!
I continued with Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series of spy novels set in England during the Napoleonic War with The Temptation of the Night Jasmine. Once again we have swashbuckling action, spies, and a romance between Robert, a Duke just returned from India wanting to avenge the murder of his superior officer by a comrade, and Charlotte, a bookworm who loves romance novels. One of the most interesting plot points involves King George III, who, if you only know him from Hamilton, is a somewhat different person here. I am so enjoying these delightful novels and the monthly Facebook Live discussions with Lauren Willig and special guests.
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