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Halloween Fun – Thoughts and words by UseppaGin – The Island family gathered in the Tarpon Bar on November 1st to celebrate Halloween and the beginning of another season. Almost everyone back on Useppa stopped by and reconnected with old friends, met new neighbors, and weekend guests. The Collier staff outdid itself with a delicious buffet and prize winning costumes. The band was great. The party was just one more reason we are lucky to live on Island Time… even for a night.

A Bird, Bees, Boys, Bocce and More – Pictures and thoughts by UseppaGin – A sea gull by the water’s edge couldn’t move. A beehive in an Island home needed to be moved. Family and friends played games of bocce, and the battery died while a boy ran his three wheeler down the beach. The bird was found Tuesday and rescued by Islanders then taken by “Pet Taxi” to rehab. A beekeeper working with a Useppa contractor and his son Saturday captured the queen and her consorts then gently moved the community to join other buzzing hives on the old air strip. Friday night Happy Hour hosted buzzing Useppans talking about their summers. The pool on Saturday and Sunday was filled with members and guests. Bocce games were played all day. A boy whose three wheeler died was helped by the man taking care of the beach. Members of the Useppa Fire Department oversaw everything and helped when needed. Good-byes were said as friends and family said good-byes. Fall fun and frolic on Useppa.

Just Another Weekend on Useppa – Thoughts and pictures by UseppaGin – It began on Friday with families fishing, Useppa men and women working, and Happy Hour at the Tarpon Bar. On Saturday there were kids running through the rain playing in puddles while grownups in golf carts tried to stay dry. At night it was dinner at the Collier for some, home cooked meals for others. On Sunday the pool was filled with multiple generations enjoying the freedom to play and relax on an island. Any time on Useppa is special.

Fall Hospitality – Pictures and Thoughts by UseppaGin – Smiles everywhere. Families, old and new faces, all ages, spent Columbus Day Weekend on Useppa. The island and its employees welcomed everyone. Happy Hour and dinner in the Collier Inn was the official beginning for some. For others sipping drinks by the pool and just relaxing was the perfect way to end a busy week and begin the three day holiday. On Saturday and Sunday folks came and went from the pool. There were bocce games and children playing chess. Lunch on the Collier Patio and dinner in the Collier Saturday and Sunday was fun for all. Fall has officially begun on Useppa island.

This summer, Useppa Island Club was lucky enough to have Rob Hoovis on island for a spell. Rob is a very skilled photographer known for his dramatic landscape photography. His night-time work is unprecedented and ability to capture Mother Nature at her most violent or vulnerable is second to none.

Rob has made available to us an extensive bank of photos that the Club will be using to help promote the island to others who relish the beauty that can be regularly found on Useppa, but have yet to experience it personally. It’s hard to find a more photogenic setting and the results, as you’ll see in our gallery below, are impressive.

The photos provided here are just a glimmer into what was accomplished while Rob was on island but the full gallery can be found at this link: Rob Hoovis Useppa Gallery
Professional custom prints can be purchased through the same link and hope you are as impressed as we are with these photos and decide to support his passion.

Also be sure to check Rob out on Instagram, where his off-island work is regularly posted: Rob Hoovis Instagram

Early Fall on Useppa – Thoughts and pictures by UseppaGin – Spared any severe storms Useppa segued quietly from late summer into early fall. Families stopped by to enjoy slightly cooler weather and peaceful surroundings. A rescue dog found a home. The entrance and steps to the Collier Inn were painted. Operations Manager Dakota Likewise refinished the Tarpon Bar floor. Children played with new pieces on the poolside chess board. Timeless island serenity, but it’s time to begin another season.

Looking Back: Useppa 1999 and 2009 – Pictures and thoughts by UseppaGin – On a long lazy afternoon, sometimes it’s fun just to look back and remember old times, old friends. These pictures are just a few of those taken in 1999 and 2009. Familiar faces, memories of times gone by, reasons we loved Useppa yesterday, holidays with family and friends, croquet games, Izaak Walton, Santa Claus, pieces of Island history discovered and preserved….

Change of Plans – photographs and thoughts by UseppaGin – Labor Day Weekend was more subdued than usual because of Hurricane Dorian fears, but because of the men and women who work on Useppa, the Island was ready for whatever happened. As it turned out, Dorian stayed off the West Coast. Year round residents relaxed. Families came out for the day. People gathered around the pool. A young girl worked on her school project about the Calusa Indians. No one took the beauty, the serenity, and the gift of Useppa for granted. Thank you to all who worked to prepare the island just in case. Thank you to everyone who worked the Labor Day Weekend making Useppa a place of island welcome for homeowners, members and guests.

While Nobody’s Looking, Summer at the Useppa Service Department – Words and pictures by UseppaGin – Most resident Islanders are away during the summer months. Local Islanders boat over on weekends. But while Useppans are away, caretaking never ends. In fact so much has been going on that pictures are in order. The Reception Center and Fitness Center have been painted. Landscaping has been working from one end of the island to the other removing palm fronds, getting rid of coconuts a.k.a. Hurricane Missiles, and removing debris. A golf cart parking area is now next to the Tarpon Bar. Work was done on the Spa. All the water lift stations are being serviced and repaired, and pipes are being mapped. Eleven large metal containers in the Service Yard allow for removal of construction debris. Electrical work and replacements for the RO plant are being installed and there will be major upgrades to the electrical system. A big Useppa thank you to all the men and women making this happen.

Pig Roast Family Fun – Pictures and Words by UseppaGin – The food was delicious but the family fun was even better. In the pool, down at the Bocce Court, along the pathway on Calusa Ridge, and in boats at the Marina, everyone enjoyed the last free weekend before school begins and reality returns. Tides were high. Fish were biting. Kids and grownups alike were swimming. Thank you to the Collier Staff and all the men and women behind the scenes who make life on Useppa something to treasure.