IT IS SOOOO HOT!!! WHO WANTS TO COOK?!?!?

USEPPA'S SUMMER FARE....

Brian is all about "Boating for Food" and puts a lot of thought into which of the 20-something restaurants, within boating distance of Useppa, we should visit next.  However....there are some very creative cooks on Useppa. But, with the weather being so HOT,  who wants to cook?!?!

Enter Suzy T, "Chefette Extraordinaire" with her answer to our steamy summer meal quest.

 GORGEOUS AND DELICIOUS APPETIZER

              With some tasty grilled chicken

          ....spicy grilled corn on the cob

                       
   ...and some fresh-baked, store-bought bread 

                          YUMMMMMM!!!!

An easy, cool and beautiful feast fit for a hot summer's day...and only a two-minute golf cart ride away.  (too hot to walk)

Plus.... with any left over fruit, you can make a tasty and healthy morning treat...EASY!!

    Suzy T Says...."Make Fruit Smoothies!"                                     (Makes Two)

"I use 1 fresh banana and about 1 cup of mixed frozen fruit...I always freeze my leftover fruit.  You can also buy packaged fruit in the frozen food section.  Add 1 cup of orange juice and ½ cup of cranberry juice and blend on high for two minutes.  If too thick, just add more orange juice.  This is a simple, wonderful-tasting smoothie.  And, it’s healthy and filling.  Drink with a straw!  For some reason, it always tastes better through a straw."

Hope everyone is having a grand summer...and staying in the kitchen as little as possible.

Erika Steams Toward Possible Test of Florida’s Unproven Insurers

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. – Aug. 27, 2015 – Erika stuck her projected cone into South Florida's business Wednesday, threatening to bust up a peaceful decade without landfall by a hurricane and prompting the state's top insurance official to urge readiness.

"With the possibility of Erika's impact to South Florida, I would like to strongly encourage residents in those areas and across the state to begin making preparations now and to have a plan in place for their family and pets," Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said. "A well-thought out plan will help to mitigate the effects of any storm. Property can be replaced, but lives are what really matter."

Whether Erika veers off, weakens, or plows right into South Florida early next week as a hurricane remains to be seen. But she represents more than a prospective test for individual homes and businesses. It also marks what could be a shakedown cruise for an insurance market where nearly all the growth in the past 10 years has come from small, unproven carriers.

As The Palm Beach Post reported at the start of hurricane season June 1, some insurers approved for offers to take customers from state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. can measure their existence more in months rather than years – not unlike toddlers.

One company, Mount Beacon Insurance Co., was so new its name was not even on a sign in front of its official address in state corporate records as the season began. It offered a St. Petersburg street address shortly afterward.

Another company that did not exist three years ago, Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance Co., cites trade-press reports declaring it the fastest-growing property insurer in the United States. It is now the state's fourth largest.

Industry groups and state officials alike have expressed confidence the companies are ready, thanks in part to beefed-up state standards and enhanced reinsurance coverage.

Still, many have never faced a hurricane. A record exodus from Citizens to homegrown Florida companies – by way of state-approved letters that automatically switch customers unless they refuse – has seen the state-run insurer shrink to less than 600,000 customers from a high near 1.5 million.

Florida Realtors August 27, 2015

A Visit to Useppa Island - Paradise Without a Passport

Paradise Without a Passport

We enjoy giving visitors the grand tour of Useppa, as we introduce them to incredible natural beauty and remarkable island lifestyles.

On a recent visit to Useppa Island, Luxury Realtors from Fort Lauderdale, Florida found the tranquility and charming allure of Useppa Island contagious. We invite you to Find Your Key to Paradise.

"We took the short jaunt west across Alligator Alley to discover another tranquil paradise—Useppa Island—many notches slower, accessible only by boat... What was supposed to be an exceptional vacation get-away became an exceptional discovery for vacation real estate investment opportunities! A boater’s dream-come-true, Useppa is a self-sustained, private island, with Old Florida Charm, breathtaking sunsets and intoxicating sunrises."

PARADISE WITHOUT A PASSPORT – Useppa Island’s Historic and Private Hideaway on Florida’s West Coast

By Kathy Pickering, REALTOR
Florida Luxurious Properties – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

From the August Newsletter - Under The Florida Sun - Florida Luxurious Properties

Aaaahhhh! Island Life - Chart Your Course for Useppa Island

Enjoy the stunning sunsets on Useppa and exploring with our preferred method of transportation. Useppa's friendly atmosphere welcomes the entire family.

Tranquility and Charming Island
Lifestyle are Contagious!

Postcards from Useppa

Postcards from Useppa circa. 1990

Getting Large Home Loans Just Got Easier

Getting a Large Home Loan Just Got a Little Easier

Chase bank is easing the lending requirements for its jumbo mortgages, which tend to be loans in excess of $417,000 in many markets and $625,500 in more expensive areas.

A potential buyer now only needs a credit score of 680 and a 15% down payment to qualify for a maximum loan amount of $3 million for a primary-residence home. Borrowers used to need a 740 score and put 20% down.

By easing its standards, the bank is hoping to gain more customers. "The performance we had on jumbo loans ... has been fantastic. We think we are able to make high-quality loans to high-quality customers," said Steve Hemperly, head of mortgage origination at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Second Home Loans

The standards for second-home purchases requiring a jumbo loan have also eased to a 680 credit score and a 20% down payment. Buyers used to have to put down 30% to 50%.

The bank claims it's the only lender allowing a 680 credit score with smaller down payments for primary and second home jumbo mortgages. Loose lending practices helped bring down the housing market in 2008. In the wake of the Great Recession, credit markets froze and the mortgage industry upped their loan requirements.

While the standards have started to loosen, mortgage availability remains relatively tight and first-time buyers have been noticeably absent. However, jumbo loans have performed well in the recovery. Hemperly said there's been an increase in these large loans in California, the Northeast and Chicago.

Standard Home Loans

It is getting easier for some buyers to land a house with less money up front.

More lenders are lowering down-payment requirements, allowing borrowers to commit 3%—or even less—of a home’s purchase price to get a mortgage. Many had been requiring down payments of at least 20% since the recession began.

Some lenders also are waiving mortgage-related fees, and more are allowing down payments to be made by other parties, such as the borrower’s family.

The deals are aimed at buyers with good credit scores and a steady income who have been unable to save enough for a sizable down payment. They are often targeted at buyers who live in expensive housing markets, where even a small down payment can equal tens of thousands of dollars.

CNNMoney August 2015

A SNEAK PEAK AT SEA LEVEL LIVING....SERENE MERMAID

Serene Mermaid ...

Nestled in tropical fauna and flora, this waterfront home sets the mood!

Whether you come upon this home by water or on foot....

...you know you are in paradise.

            At ground level, walk in the door....

                     ...and down the hall.

     Look outside and you will actually see...
      a Mermaid, beckoning you to join her.

     Check out the Oh-So-Tropical Bedrooms!! 
                Nothing but Tropical Foliage...

Sunshine.... 

...and Water, outside!

Then, gather everyone in the family room for conversation, games, TV...

                          A Tropical Drink....

                      Enjoy the Sunset....

                       Sit back and relax!!            
               YOU ARE IN PARADISE!!!

The Tarpon Lodge - Part 1 in the Boat for Food Blog Series - Useppa Island

BOATING FOR FOOD FROM USEPPA ISLAND, FLORIDA

To the Tarpon Lodge, Pineland, FL

Tarpon Lodge Pineland Florida

Once again it is time to search for the perfect place to dine. This time, rather than a lunch run we are going for dinner. My choices re extremely limited because Mary has already made reservations at the Tarpon Lodge. This destination is the second most convenient restaurant to Useppa, the other being Cabbage Key. We call the Lodge “upscale” compared to Cabbage, to which we can kayak, but Cabbage has a charm of its own.

The Four Star Tarpon Lodge, owned and managed by the same family that owns Cabbage Key, is located in Pineland, a small burg on the western shore of Pine Island that, in a previous era was a stronghold of the Calusa Indians. They built huge mounds from shell and earth to serve as temples and, I presume, strongholds in the event some enemies were silly enough to attack them. Calusa’s had a way of dealing with that problem; they ate those that they captured-or at least, the prime parts. That tends to diminish the number of enemies.

Which is probably not why there is a restaurant in Pineland today, but it makes you think. By the way, the Randell Research Center, dedicated to preserving the remains of this notable center of Native American history, is located across the street from the Lodge and is part of the Florida Museum of Natural History. Take a tour at www.flmnh.ufl.edu/rrc/

The Tarpon Lodge, located adjacent to the 24-rooms that make it a Lodge, is well known as the best quality and service on the waterfront. The staff is well led and openly friendly, eager to serve and they do it well. No matter if the restaurant is full; you will always receive the best service. Unlike the wait staff in many restaurants, these pros know what’s in each dish. 

The food, especially the fish, is always fresh, fresh, fresh. Like one review on Google stated “THE best fish I ever had”. The chef’s preparations are creative and the presentation wonderful. Our dinner that evening was the Special, a delish hunk of grouper in a light cream sauce on a bed of Jasmine rice and sautéed spinach. It sounded so good all four of us ordered it, and we were not disappointed.  Unfortunately, that means all the plate photos look the same.

Grouper - Jasmine Rice in a light cream sauce

The lodge is a favorite place for Useppans to visit, for lunch or for dinner. Just an 8 minute run from Useppa via the well-marked Pineland channel, there is always sufficient dock space right along the seawall and docks behind the restaurant.  

For more information visit their website www.tarponlodge.com