Island Thanksgiving
Thoughts and Photos by UseppaGin
So much to be thankful for this year. Useppa was spared major damage by Hurricane Irma, and we know better than to take island life for granted.
On Thanksgiving, many of us gathered at the Collier Inn to enjoy a fest prepared and served by Useppa’s hardworking staff. In so many ways, each of us remembered Islanders who made Useppa a better place. We celebrated the gift of our ongoing Useppa friendships. We looked around our tables treasuring loved ones.
We are family here. Members, residents, and employees are all part of a community. We rejoice in each other’s good times and keep each other company through the hard ones.
Happy Thanksgiving to all who love this island.
Author: Useppa
Members Welcome Back Party 2017 Part II
The Members Cocktail Party
Part II
More thoughts and pictures by UseppaGin
Faces tell the story. Couples dancing looking at each other with love and happiness. People around a table enjoy each other’s company. Inside the Collier Inn, guests are served shrimp, stone crabs, salmon, prime rib. At the bar inside, Roxie and Rachel pour drinks, outside on the patio glasses of wine. Conversations, stories, laughter and hugs…A toast and thank you to the Useppa Island Club
Members Welcome Back Party 2017 Part I
Useppa Island Club Welcomes Members Back
For Another Season
Part I
Thoughts and Photos by UseppaGin
The votes are in. It was the best Members Party ever. The combination of food, fellowship, music and people made it a great evening. It was easy to have fun. There was a natural flow between the Izaak Walton Bar and the Collier Patio. Homeowners, back from up north, mixed in with boaters back from their summer adventures. Year-round members and residents enjoyed the new energy after a lazy Florida summer.
A thank you to Useppa Island Club is well deserved.
Island Ghosts and Goblins 2017
Ghosts, Goblins and More
Halloween on Useppa
By UseppaGin
Ghosts, Goblins and more met at the Collier Inn’s Izaak Walton Bar to celebrate Halloween. Children and grownups in costumes prowled around laughing and having fun during Friday’s Happy Hour.
Croquet with grandchildren Friday morning and Golf Croquet on Saturday for members of the Southwest Florida Yacht Club, lunch on the patio by the pool, Bocce and swimming – a weekend of fun for all ages.
Faces of Fall 2017
Faces of an Island Fall
By UseppaGin
Islanders returning for the season, guests for lunch, children decorating for Halloween, families staying with Island grandparents, a couple married sixty years visiting on a sailboat, Useppa is almost back to normal after Hurricane Irma. We all have something to be grateful for as another Fall begins.
Tide’s Edge Cottage
#522 “Tide’s Edge Cottage” is a wonderfully cared for two-bedroom two-bathroom attached villa located on the northwest shoreline of Useppa Island. Charlotte Harbor and Gasparilla Island are in full picture of the cottage’s kitchen, living and dining rooms. The upstairs master bedroom overlooks the water and offers a private balcony, presenting 24 hour opportunity to watch as manatees, dolphin, wading birds and fish come and go.
Ownership of this cottages comes with deeded access to a nearby community dock for boats of 24′ or less. Useppa Island Club offers all property owners the option of placing their home in the Club’s rental program and this is a perfect candidate. An open kitchen which flows into the living area makes entertainment easy and enjoyable. There is a bedroom on each floor, each with a private bathroom, which maintains privacy and offers an opportunity to have the master upstairs or downstairs. An outdoor deck is situated along the west side of the home and wraps around the south side, giving the owner plenty of space for a grilling area with patio furniture.
This is a wonderful cottage to be able to use as you please as a private island retreat for your family and friends. With it’s light and lively furnishings, stainless steel appliances, wood flooring and beautifully renovated bathrooms, “Tide’s Edge” is ready for your personal finishing touches.
Asking: $535,000 mostly furnished
Island Time Again
Thoughts and Photos by UseppaGin
A normal island weekend! Something to never take for granted.
Happy Hour at the Collier on Friday, a birthday party on Saturday, lunch on the patio, swimming in the pool, golf carts driving along the beach, neighbors and friends being together on Useppa…two weeks ago we wondered if this would ever happen again.
From Recovery to Clean Up
Useppa Rebounds
Photographs and Thoughts by UseppaGin
In two weeks, we have gone from Island evacuation to return, recovery, and now to clean up. When the last boat left Useppa, Hurricane Irma threatened destruction of the entire island. We were lucky, and spared her wrath.
But on the first few days after the storm, there was no electricity and no water. Bit by bit recovery began. Machinery and manual hard labor began clearing the debris. Electricity came back on and then water. The amount of work that needed to be done was daunting. Buildings were structurally sound, but trees, branches, and thousands of coconuts littered the island.
Hard and thoughtful work by everyone – homeowners, management, and employees insured our recovery. Thanks to their efforts, we have moved from recovery to clean up.
Congratulations Useppa!
An Island Tour After Hurricane Irma
Water Views and Smiles
By UseppaGin
Pictures from the boat ride around the island and faces of Useppa recovery are proof the Island is well on its road back. Not every house can be seen, but this overview should let everyone take a deep breath. The homes on Useppa and its people are in good shape.
Hurricane Irma Recovery Continues
Pictures and Thoughts by UseppaGin
Team Useppa doesn’t give up. Members only take breaks. Happy Hour at the Collier Inn on Friday, Tarpon Bar crew meals, and first lunches served at the Collier were the times we stepped back and relaxed a bit. Then the job of hurricane recovery continued.
Cleanup of two reclamation ponds, a carefully controlled burn of debris, home inspections and repairs are ongoing. Everyone is involved and giving more than asked. Faces of homeowners, employees, construction workers and management smile despite exhaustion.
Another hurricane, and Useppa’s winning record continues.