Author: Useppa

Winter on Useppa – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – It’s been a gentle beginning to a new year on Useppa. Residents, visitors, birds, and tortoises… we’re all taking it easy. We’re on Island Time and there’s no rush. Being here is a gift, and we all know it.

Island Images – Photos and Thoughts by UseppaGin – Sometimes just looking is enough. Sometimes just stopping and focusing on a painting by nature is all we need to remember how lucky we are to be on Useppa. The birds know. Ospreys bring fish home to their nests. An Egret wades in a pond. Ducks flap their wings going from one spot to another. They live in the moment. These pictures are the quiet Useppa.

Useppa Families and Friends Welcome 2021 – Pictures and Thoughts by UseppaGin – The smiles were genuine. No one posed for a picture. Oh sometimes they looked toward the camera, but their smiles were there before any picture was taken. Bocce, leisurely relaxing poolside, lunch on the patio, walking down the dock, riding jet skis, holding puppies, holding Dad’s hand – New Year’s Day 2021 on the island was a gift everyone enjoyed.

A Quiet End to a Tumultuous Year – Pictures and Thoughts by UseppaGin – People walked the island, ordered a pizza, families sat together on a beach. The last few days of 2020 were soft and serene on Useppa. The last sunset of the year was nature’s gift.

Useppa Duathlon 2020 – Pictures and words by UseppaGin – Even in the Pandemic certain traditions could continue. On Tuesday December 29th some people ran, some swam, and some did both in the 6th Annual Useppa Duathlon. Jack Bound was the First Male and Jessica Carroll/Young was the First Female to cross the finish line with only twenty seconds separating them. Nico and Louisa Bound were the Winning Team. Thanks to Simon Bound for once again organizing the event. Profits from entry fees were divided between the Useppa Fire Department and the Useppa Historical Society.

Santa Kept His Promise!!! – Pictures and thoughts by UseppaGin – Being COVID safe, Santa couldn’t come onto Useppa, but he waved Merry Christmas from a boat. Fire Chief Maria Silva and Deputy Chief Chris Wilfong led a golf cart parade from the Fire Department down along the beach. Keeping safe distances families waved to each other and Santa. There was a cake to share and enough Christmas Spirit to go round. Next year we hope Santa can walk down the dock again, join his friends, ride the Firetruck with Island kids and share some cake and ice cream – a twenty year long tradition that Santa likes as much as we do.

Useppa Celebrates Its Employees – Written by Jim Manz, Useppa Comptroller, with photos by UseppaGin – This year had presented so many challenges for the Club, it seems only fitting that we had to cancel/postpone the Employee Holiday Party due to COVID-19. In a normal year we provide a catered lunch, present the years of service tenure awards, hand out the cards from the Homeowners and Members Christmas Fund, announce the Employee of the 4th Quarter and Employee of the Year, and hold a raffle of 35-40 stockings on the Tarpon Bar Christmas tree. Stockings include an assortment of $50 bills and $25 gift cards. The party ends with a group picture celebrating another year. This year, due to unusual circumstances, things had to be reconsidered. The Employee Party was going to be held outdoors on the Collier Inn patio, where we could maintain proper adherence to the CDC guidelines. Last week we had to abruptly cancel the lunch gathering. We also had to make the announcement for the Employee of the 4th Quarter and Employee of the Year awards via an email blast to the staff. The selections were Carl Stanley in the Service Department for Employee of the 4th Quarter and Annie Pyle in the Accounting Office as Employee of the Year. In discussion with Tim Fitzsimmons and Donald Beckstead, Tim decided that the spending that would have gone towards the catered lunch would be added to the “normal” amount of stocking raffle, nearly doubling the amount to spend. Instead of limiting the raffle to about half of the staff, we were able to ensure that each employee received a random raffle prize. These were set in all cash denominations of $25, $50, and $100 that were sealed in envelopes, placed in a box, mixed up, and drawn to an employee’s name. It was then included in the Employee’s envelope with the Christmas fund card and check. The cards, raffle cash, and service tenure awards were then sorted by Department and given to their respective Department Managers to be handed out to the staff. Would we have preferred to have our annual gathering? Absolutely! But, given the cards COVID dealt, this was the best way to ensure that all Employees were able enjoy their Useppa Holiday experience.

Fish and Boats Everywhere – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – It was a good day for fishing and a good day for a boat trip to Useppa. Children on the dock fished in the Thanksgiving Izaak Walton Kids Fishing Tournament. Grownups and families arrived on their boats for lunch on Useppa. It was hard to tell who was having the most fun. Five year old Hadley caught the BIGGEST FISH thirteen inches long. Seven year old Emmerson caught the MOST UNIQUE FISH, a beautiful ten inch Sheepshead. Hudson only two years old won the YOUNGEST FISHERMAN TROPHY with ten fish. Six year old Harper won MOST FISH for a GIRL OVER SIX with eight fish. Tristan Fernandez caught the 2nd BIGGEST FISH at 12 inches and MOST FISH for a BOY OVER SIX with 12 fish. Thanks to Angela Vaughn and Captain Ken Horney for making it so much fun.

Thanksgiving Island Style – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – It was different on Useppa this year. Families and friends celebrated more quietly but with real and thoughtful smiles on everyone’s faces. Being together with loved ones was a gift. For some it was dinner in the Collier Inn or out on the patio by the pool. For others it a takeout turkey picnic on the beach or on a neighbor’s back porch. For everyone, thanks to the hard work of Island employees, it was a day to remember.

Welcome Back – Thoughts by Useppa General Manager Dakota Likewise and pictures by UseppaGin – Useppa Island’s tradition of a November ‘Welcome Back’ for our members was a beautiful evening outdoors on the Collier Inn Patio. Not only was the stage set with lighted tiki torches, dueling pianos, our partners from local Fat Point Brewing Company with the new Useppa Logo beer and Southern Wine & Spirits with French and New Zealand fine wines, but the food was delicious. Shrimp Cocktail, Gnocchi to order, carved leg of beef, and an array of desserts to finish it off.
The evening was planned with thoughtful intention. Tables were spread apart and additional dining areas were set up by the pool. There were no multiple touch items. Masks and sanitizer were provided. There was plenty of room to enjoy inside or out whether with close friends and family or in the distance appreciating the interaction between dueling pianos. It’s a great feeling of things getting started, the season of tradition with Thanksgiving, December Holidays and a New Year approaching. Generations of families and friends coming together creating memories of Useppa Island through our new normal.Though things will look and feel a little different this year in our efforts of safe and caring service, we will continue our favorite Island traditions in a thoughtful way.