Temperatures plummeted into the mid-50s Friday night as Isaak raced his first Junior Honda points event in the New Smyrna Quarter Midget Racing Association.

The cold track meant slick conditions, which led to a number of spins on the track in nearly every division. Isaak had his turn in the first lap of his B-main race. Luckily, it didn’t mean much because he already was at the back of the pack no thanks to a poorly designed gear hub that forced him out of his heat race after only eight laps (and he was running third, ugh).

By the B-main, which began at 10 p.m., Isaak was sleepy and his foot hurt. When we told him the top two advance to the A main race, he said he’d prefer to finish in the back four. But he went out there and held his lines and made his passes, claiming fourth in an uneventful race.

Isaak groggily watched the A main from the stands. Congrats to Trever Taylor, the race winner and Junior Honda points champ for 2009.

Fox & Friends Weekend co-anchor Clayton Morris has his viewers and fans wondering exactly what his marital status is. For, at least, the last three weekends he has “ditched” his wedding band. Why? Perhaps, he and colleague Dave Briggs have simply switched inclinations: Formerly, Dave rarely had his on and now he seems to never leave home without it whereas Clayton used to always wear his and now cannot seem to find it.

On the other hand, there may be a less hopeful reason. Of late, he has tended to not publicly discuss his marriage to Sarah Morris. In August of ‘08,  Clayton proudly introduced Sara to the F&FW audience in a U-Report photo of his beautiful bikini-clad wife displaying a shark she had landed in New Smyrna, Florida. Almost exactly a year later (August ‘09), he conspicuously avoided mentioning her during a “Love & Marriage” segment when co-hosts Dave and Alisyn Camerota readily discussed their respective spouses. The last three weekends have done nothing to dispel the suspicions of his viewers.

Clayton, of course, has a right to his privacy. As such, he is more than free to ignore any questions that people may have. But, he should consider that many of these come from his real fans who care about him and hope for the best for him and Sara.

Isaak got his first real introduction to the New Smyrna quarter midget race track wall during his Junior Honda debut Friday evening.

He was riding in seventh of eight, just off a restart after eighth place C.J. Gentry spun out. That was quite an unfortunate yellow, too, because Isaak had just made a sweet move to grab fifth place but had it called back. He had been in seventh, approaching the sixth and fifth place cars of Braden Nash and Morgan Matheny. All were making their way to pass C.J., and Isaak got in there for the move. Then came the spin.

Back to the crash. Isaak got off to a quick restart and was challenging Braden for sixth. Isaak stayed low going into turn 1, Braden went high. They collided and skidded right into the wall — Isaak nose first, Braden rear in. It was neither boy’s fault, so they both were sent to the back of the race. Braden escaped relatively unscathed, Isaak had mangled his right front rods and needed repairs.

Luckily, so, too, did the wall need some fixing. So Isaak came into the pits — he wasn’t giving up any position, as he’d be starting last regardless — and Lyra got some help to replace the rods and put Isaak back on the track. It soon became evident that his car would not turn properly to the inside, as he kept drifting to the wall despite his best steering intentions, but that didn’t stop him from sticking it out.

A few laps after the restart, Braden spun in front of Isaak, giving Isaak the seventh spot back. When green came back again, Braden moved inside up the field to fifth, leaving Isaak to work on C.J. Isaak couldn’t turn in, so he ultimately passed on the outside into sixth. He couldn’t catch Braden, but he held his own even with what we later discovered to be a bent steering rod. The lead two cars of Sandor Sundem and Trever Taylor overtook Isaak in the final lap, but Isaak made it through to the end in sixth.

He was thrilled. Again, his word for the day was “awesome.” Why? “Because I passed on the outside and I got a trophy. It’s really cool.” Crashing into the wall didn’t faze him a bit. “No matter what, with a crashed car, I finished,” he said with a smile.

Lyra’s hard at work fixing the car so Isaak can race in Tampa tonight. He’s resting up. Wish him luck. (Thanks to Pam Nash for the photo.)

Before joining the Junior Honda division of the New Smyrna Quarter Midget Racing Association, Isaak had to officially prove to the novice judging committee that he was ready. Boy, was he ready.

He started fourth in the feature race, but snuck between the two lines of traffic on the start to go three wide in the middle and steal first place before passing Turn 2. He dueled Jamie Evans for the lead, with Braden Nash and A.J. Freitas in hot pursuit, until the first yellow flag of the race flew as Joszef Sundem spun out.

It took nearly 4 minutes to get the six boys all back in position, as the flag man seemed to have difficulty signaling each driver to his proper spot. That accomplished, the drivers took off again, with Jamie in the lead, Isaak right behind. But it was Isaak and Braden who blew Jamie to the side to battle for the top spot. Joszef and Jamie then spun out, drawing a second yellow. This time, Isaak had the lead.

At the restart, Isaak again flew out front, cutting off A.J. and Braden to hold it. Then Braden took second from A.J. and looked to challenge Isaak. The two danced around the track, trading the top spot back and forth. Isaak would dive under Braden entering Turn 3 to take the lead, and then Braden would make the same move coming out of Turn 1 to take it back. Joszef spun out yet again, along with Ty Nevins on the other side of the track. Isaak kept the lead. And that’s how it ultimately ended.

Coming toward the final green flag, with time running out, Braden jumped the gun to pass Isaak early, prompting the flag man to hold the yellow flag until racing time expired with nine of 20 laps completed. Isaak took the checkered flag for his second time at New Smyrna and, also of note, for the first time against Braden in almost a year of racing together.

“I won, and I really wanted to win here again,” an effervescent Isaak said after taking his victory lap. “Braden and I sped up on Turn 2 (of the restart) and then he passed me and then it was yellow, then it was checker. That was my favorite part. And when Braden and I were going back and forth.”

It was especially sweet after practice and Isaak’s heat race went so dismally. During practice, he didn’t seem to have much oomph in his car. We made some changes that should have helped lower his lap times, but in the heat race, he wasn’t moving with any speed. In fact, his car kept slowing as the motor refused to fire. One new spark plug later, though, we were back in business. Three cheers for a $6.50 fix instead of some of the more costly ones we’ve experienced lately.

The win made the evening exhilarating. It even made the nearly 3-1/2 hour wait for tech, followed by a 2 hour drive home, acceptable, getting home after 2 a.m. Next time we visit New Smyrna, Isaak will be racing with the competitive Junior Honda crowd. He’s ready.

Next up: Isaak’s second Tampa Junior Honda race around noon on Sunday. Hope to see you there.

On the ride to New Smyrna on Sunday, Isaak admitted to being a bit nervous.

He hadn’t driven that track with his faster blue plate yet — not to mention with the faster drivers who also run the blue plate there. Yet he knew he had to give it a try.

At first, Isaak’s runs were less than smooth. He had trouble finding his line, and he tended to oversteer his quarter midget, causing him to spin out quite a bit. Lap times, well, let’s just say they would not have made him competitive in Junior Honda.

But as the evening progressed, so, too, did Isaak’s driving. His breakthrough moment came at 9:45 p.m., during a round that he almost didn’t stick around for. Out on the track with Stetson Lail, Isaak began to find his groove as he followed Stetson’s smooth line. Suddenly, Isaak sparked. His lap times dropped by half a second, and he drove like he meant it. Not as fast as Stetson, mind you, but still great for his first effort on blue plate at New Smyrna — and way better than just three hours earlier.

Isaak drove himself to the brink, in fact. He practically fell asleep in his car after coming into the pits. But he stayed awake long enough to tell us how excited he was to finally start to “get it” as he approaches his first Junior Honda races.

I ventured over to New Smyrna today to catch the remaining swell from TS Danny.
It was one my best days of the year…the waves were very clean and peaky, so I surfed
a few hours and shot photos the rest of the day.

Below are a few of my best photos from the day…click here to see more!

Ricky Pasternak

Ricky Pasternak

I have a good sequence of this one.

Peaky!

Isaak returned to New Smyrna on Friday to take another shot at winning there. This time, his crew got in the way.

During practice, Isaak tore up the track, passing everyone and logging in great lap times. While waiting for the heat race, Lyra made just a few minor adjustments — Vega tires on the right side for grip, and a new K&N air filter to replace the old ratty one that was falling apart. Let’s just say, oops.

Isaak started the race in the third spot, and immediately charged for the lead. Yes, charged. He cut inside C.J. Gentry coming around turn 4 and pulled wide into C.J., getting the call and being sent to the back of the pack. On the restart, Isaak easily passed Jozsef Sundem for third, but looked sluggish as he angled for second.

In fact, Isaak’s lap times fell off by 0.2 seconds from practice during the race. And it turned out that his new air filter was rubbing his brake disc, something we discovered only after the fact when we saw the deep groove. Isaak grumbled after his third place finish that he drove his best but the car was slow. “It was Mom’s fault,” he lamented. Lyra accepted the blame and fixed the situation for the main race, which never happened because of the rain.

At least Isaak got to carry the colors for the National Anthem, and he made it for the group photo. Tomorrow, Tampa.

Coming off an exciting quarter midget win at Tampa, Isaak couldn’t wait to continue his streak at New Smyrna. He gave it his all but fell a bit short, running well ahead of the field for much of the race but in the end being unable to hold off the faster car of C.J. Gentry.

Like usual, Isaak didn’t do as well as he could in qualifying. After running laps close to 8.0 seconds in practice, where he looked good but crashed with Jamie Evans at the end, he logged in an 8.38 for the qualifier — third best of the five novice drivers. That actually suited him well, though, because they inverted the top four cars, placing Isaak on the outside pole for the 25-lap feature.

For this race, the novices actually lined up perfectly with little fuss (though there were a few false starts), and they went the entire time without a single yellow flag. Isaak was slow to fire at the green, but still was able to slide into second behind Jozsef Sundem, who had the pole. Within five laps, Isaak had overtaken Jozsef for the lead. He hit all his marks, with none of that jerky steering that had plagued him at this track before. (The novice committee praised Isaak’s driving and said he’s ready to move up the ranks whenever he’s ready.)

Behind him was the fastest car of the night. C.J. Gentry was blazing, though he struggled to get past Jozsef nonetheless. Once he cleared the second spot, C.J. put Isaak in his sights. And with laps of 7.9 seconds, he reeled Isaak in. That doesn’t mean Isaak didn’t put up a fight, though. Around lap 18, C.J. made his move, taking the lead from Isaak going into turn 3. Coming out of turn 4, Isaak crossed over to the inside rather than following his race line to take first right back. (We call it the Stetson pass — thanks Stetson Lail for showing it to Isaak.)

He held out another lap or so before C.J. came back with another pass, and Isaak got loose trying to retake again. After that he couldn’t catch up, finishing about two car lengths back in second. Isaak was upset. Thought he would win. But by morning, he decided he was proud of coming in second, and that his tears were tears of joy for such a strong finish. (Yeah. Sure.) Either way, he’s primed for another set of races next weekend, Friday at New Smyrna and Saturday at Tampa. See you there.

So, for those of you who don’t know, I’ve been driving a 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier since August of 2001. I loved that car. It is small and cheap, but it ran and ran and ran. Only major issue was that the fuel pump went out while I was on my way to work with Phil Collins, but was under warranty. Recently though, it was starting to show its age. A small coolant leak. Squeaky brakes. Finally the transmission slipped a couple times and it was in need of some good work. But at 135k miles, how much money could I justify pouring into it versus what its worth?

My old baby!!!!

So after cleaning out and washing my old car I met my parents at New Smyrna Chevrolet. My parents over the past few years have purchased both of their cars from New Smyrna and so we decided to try them for a third time. I had used their website (see link above)  to check out their new and used inventories of the new Chevy Cobalts (which happens to be the make that replaced the old Cavaliers). Being that I love my two door I decided that I wanted a coupe again and they had one 08 used one and a few new ones. Being that I’m not in a position where I have a ton of extra money I decided on the used one. It just happened that it also happened to have EVERYTHING that I wanted in the car, except the color.

I don't HATE the white...it is actually grown on me

When thinking about colors I would never PICK a white car out of my head, but this one does REALLY look nice. It is officially a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT. It had just over 20k miles on it and drives like a dream.

Monday I took the car back over to get it fully detailed (detail shop closed when I bought it) and to have a headlight replaced (noticed on the way out). They fixed her up and made her look pretty before I drove home through a thunderstorm (DOH!). When I got home I still took a whole bunch of dorky photos. Enjoy (or not):

At home in it's parking space

Got to get a plate for that...never had a front plate before!

Side shot

The interior doesn’t show up the best in the photos but I wasn’t going to take too much time screwing with my camera because the weather was turning bad. The seats are a light gray and the floors are a dark gray (pretty much black). The dashboard and doors are all also two-tone that match the other colors. It looks hot!

Drivers door

Floor...kinda

Steering wheel

I love that the cruise control is on the wheel. Also there is an “info” button on the steering wheel that scrolls through a TON of information that is displayed under the RPM guage on the dashboard. Everything you can think of from exterior temperature to the tires air pressure is on there. I LOVE IT!

The radio is also pretty kick ass:

Bad picture (sorry)

I love that it has an AUX jack so I can plug in my Zune. I also love that for my “fave” presets I can mix and match AM/FM on the up to SIX pages of presets. Six presets on each page, six pages, that is 36 presets!! I don’t know that we have that many radio stations!!!

If you are driving on the road with me this is the view you’ll most likely be seeing:

Love the spoiler. Love the round lights.

The trunk has a smaller opening than my old Cavalier, BUT it seems to have more room (definitely deeper).

Maybe the closest to the actual color of the carpeting in the car...

As I said before the car drives really smooth and has a definite boost in  pep over the old car (even though they have the same size engine). For the nerds who want to see this, here is the engine compartment:

Hot!

For those of you who are paying attention, something is missing. Where is the battery? It isn’t under the hood!!!

There it is!

Yup, the battery is kept next to the spare tire under the floor of the trunk. From what I understand, this should help keep the battery in its best operating conditions, which should extend the life of the battery. Don’t worry though, if you are looking to jump your car, there is still a place (that red tab) under the hood where you can connect to the battery for a normal jump!

So far (mind I’ve only put a couple hundred miles on it) I LOVE it. And I got a great deal on it thanks to the guys at New Smyrna Chevrolet. If you are in the market for a new car, check them out! I spent time there Sunday and Monday and I know that the place definitely wasn’t as busy as the salesman would like. This economy is hurting everyone I’m sure. To help do my part I’m telling you that there are some GREAT deals on their new and used cars.

Check out their inventory online and pick out a car and go buy it! If you do, be sure to ask for Skip Sage or David Meeks. Let them know that I sent you their way please!

We described Isaak’s latest New Smyrna quarter midget experience. Now you can check it out for yourself.

No, I don’t think it Christ-like and I actually think the connotation a bit trite, but that happens to be the phrase often used by veterans when alluding to standup paddleboarding. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you read correctly, SUP. It’s the thang out on the west coast in places like San Diego. And a few people do it here in the sunny waters surrounding and throughout Florida, mostly those who work at a magazine publishing company that got started by cranking out watersports magazines. I was grateful that a friend of mine who was turned onto it by a friend of hers (a windsurfer) felt so inclined to flip the switch for me.  I have embraced it fully, purchasing a board just weeks ago. Thank you friend.  This weekend I spent time on the water both days. Saturday found me on a nearby lake just after 7 a.m. and before the skiers and wakeboarders took to the waters. It was peaceful. The water, glass. A great way to come into the day, to be sure. Sunday I headed over to the inter-coastal waterway, about an hour’s drive from my front door, and, after taking the easy route down current, paddled my way back through strong currents and winds, getting a core workout. All the while dolphins cavorting nearby, including the local regular, Split Fin. I even got up close and personal with several manatees. And my friend who was kayaking got real close and personal with the curious creatures. Too cool.

Hangin' with the Neighborhood Kids

Maybe I’ll get bored with SUP sooner than later, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be later, if at all. I love being near or on the water (fair weather, of course), it’s an activity that has great portability with little fuss, I can do it on my own but can easily join others who kayak or SUP, and it’s a great low-impact exercise, so boredom will not come easy. And I shan’t forget to mention the zen-like effect it can have on one’s psyche (at least mine anyway), or I would be remiss in mentioning a key attraction to this ancient form of mobility. I’m finding it the perfect yang to the ying of publishing’s deadline stress. Or is it the the ying to the yang? Ohmmm…

Isaak’s second foray at the New Smyrna Speedway was, shall we say, a learning experience quite different than his first time out. It was frustrating at times, exciting at others, and full of lessons that we’ll take into future races.

Qualifying gave us just a hint of things to come. We got the gear ratio perfect, so Isaak should have been humming along. But instead he was grinding and slow — 0.5 seconds behind the leader. Problem? Broken clutch hub. Easy to fix, and ready for racing. Plus, they inverted the field for the main race, so Isaak wound up with pole position anyway. Good, right?

At first, yes. Isaak zoomed out to the lead in the feature and held it for nearly half the race. Lap times well below his creaky qualifier. Then Sam in the 2 car charged him from behind, driving over Isaak’s wheels. Suddenly the smooth running car sounded so wrong that we thought Isaak might have to leave the race. But he soldiered on, though significantly slower.

With his lap times down 0.4 seconds, he struggled to hold his lead, and was passed. As he tried to regain position, he got called for chopping the senior novice who was running with the juniors.  The wreck also popped his chain off. Into the pits he came. Lyra slid the chain back on in time (with just two burns on her arm from the tailpipe), but then the race director said we were too late to make the green flag. (We say, bad call.) Then, C.J. in car 3 spun, immediately bringing out yellow, and we were back in.

After the restart, Isaak attempted to regain his position, running an inside line in hope of pulling off a pass. Really, all that did was allow C.J. to catch him from behind. Then, C.J. moved to pass Isaak and hit the infield bumpers. He lost control and smacked Isaak into a collision course with the wall. Isaak corrected himself to avoid a head-on, instead just brushing up the wall on his side. He kept moving ahead, though again slowed by the action, and finished the race in third. We were so proud he finished after driving his heart out, never giving up. At first, Isaak was incredibly upset — not so much at the finishing spot, but that he could be pushed to the wall. He didn’t realize until we watched the video that his initial thinking  – that C.J. hit him purposely — was very far from the truth.

Later on, Isaak said he had figured out some things. The inside line didn’t work, but it was worth a try. Racing still is fun, even if you don’t win. He’s not “a star,” and there’s still more to learn. And as for the way things turned out, well, “That’s the way the world goes sometimes.”

No burying the lead here. Isaak won his first main race in his first try running with the junior novices in the New Smyrna QMA. He bested a field of five — the nine drivers were split into two heats — with his buddy A.J. right behind him. The Tampa boys made a clean sweep of Friday night under the lights, with Braden nabbing an easy first place in the second main, finishing a lap ahead of his nearest competitor.

“I tried really hard to come in first, and I did my best and I did it,” Isaak said after his first ever checkered flag victory lap. “Wow. I am so proud of myself.”

Truth be told, things didn’t look so hot as we arrived at the track. Isaak’s engine was crapping out and we weren’t sure he would get to race. With the amazing assistance of Team Freitas, who lent us a spare motor and helped Lyra install it, Isaak made it to the track with moments to spare before the first heat.

That heat was an unmitigated disaster.

The field couldn’t get organized for its starts (no fault of Isaak, A.J. or new buddy Ty), and ultimately ran three half-hearted green flag laps. Isaak lost a chain midway through and had to come off, putting him in the back. He moved up a spot but with so much time wasted lining up, it he never got a chance to test his skills. He finished fourth.

When the main came around, we just told Isaak to have fun and wished him the best. (We also gave him some pointers on the track after watching and talking to the other drivers.) Let’s just say, night and day.

Isaak started in the third position, second row, but benefitted from the 1 car’s inability to fire up. As 1 left the track, Isaak claimed the outside pole for the green, jumped out to the lead immediately and never looked back. The 2 car kept trying to challenge but Isaak denied him, holding his line firm and maintaining the lead. A.J. fell back for a while, spinning out once, but raced back to second. There were 5 yellow flags, and the race ended under caution with Isaak and A.J. firmly in the top two spots.

Sweet.

Once he realized he won, Isaak’s wide grin filled his helmet and he pumped his fist into the air repeatedly. He took the flag and made his victory lap (didn’t drop it, as he worried he might), then basked in the cheers of old friends and new.

Lots of work to do on the car. Next race, Sunday in Tampa.

Capt. Nathaniel Lemmon

Many captains lay claim to the fact they can put you on big redfish, after looking thru Capt. Nathaniel Lemmon’s photo gallery on his website you can see he is not blowing smoke. Capt. Nate specializes in redfishing in the Mosquito lagoon, Florida.

Capt. Nathaniel Lemmon is a professional, full-time, angler who spends nearly 250 days a year fishing and guiding clients from around the world. He guides clients on all inshore waters from Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach south to Cocoa Beach, covering nearly all Volusia and Brevard Counties in Central Florida. To learn more about these local water’s that Capt. Nate fishes, please click: Mosquito Lagoon, New Smyrna Beach, Indian River Lagoon. You can also click to view an aerial map

If you are looking for a guide in the Mosquito Lagoon area I would give Capt. Nathaniel a call.

1-386-212-4931

http://www.floridasightfishing.com

Florida’s east coast is packed with surf spots. From short and calm spots to the tall and rough, Florida has got it all.

When floridians talk about surfing, names like Cocoa Beach, St. Augustine and New Smyrna come to mind. These beaches are all said to have consistent waves.

But New Smyrna, just south of Daytona, usually have waves up to six feet. The beach is almost always packed with tourists and allows driving on the beach. The beach is long enough that driving is necessary. Watch out for rising tide, unless you have four wheel drive.

The beach was rated 7 out of 10 and is considered to:

• Be best at high-tide and with winds blowing west
• Be most popular in fall and winter
• Have hazards like sharks, angry locals and speeding cars 

The beach is the only one rated over a six on Florida’s northern coast and is considered intermediate. The water is usually crowded, but a bold surfer is guaranteed waves. Where Flagler Avenue meets Atlantic Avenue is supposed to be the best spot. Try surfing down to the beach and avoid the jetty.

“Paddling out along the jetty to the main peak is hardly suggested. These better nuggets are reserved for the hard group of locals who have spent their lives earning a cherished spot in this ruthless lineup. Unless you’re willing to put in the same time and effort over a few years, resign yourself to surfing down the beach,” said Strange Kaufmann in an article.

a (fall) day at the beach.

i love the beach.

this was the view from my beach towel on new smyrna beach, on the first day of october. it was perfectly desolate, wonderfully warm, and incredibly peaceful.

located just south of daytona, new smyrna is one of the few beaches where you can still drive your car right out onto the sand and park just feet from the atlantic ocean.

A 44-year-old man got right back on his surfboard to enjoy the waves off Florida’s east coast after paramedics treated him for a small shark bite.

David Logan was bitten Sunday at about noon near New Smyrna Beach. The bite made Logan the 23rd bite victim of the year off the coast of Volusia County. That breaks the county’s record of 22 bites in 2001.

Logan had a series of small puncture wounds about an eighth of an inch long on his heel. Paramedics bandaged it, and he set off back into the water.

Our vacation officially ended on Sunday.  It was probably the best family vacation we’ve experienced (not that we have a really long history.)  Here were a few of the highlights from New Smyrna in no particular order:

1.  The mattress in the master bedroom was THE most comfortable EVER!  Upon leaving we wrote down the brand and model – it will be our next mattress.

2.  My mondo chimichanga from Clancy’s.

3.  Bodyboarding with Emma.

4.  Jumping over waves with Ansley.

5.  Watching Jackson walk right into waves and not even care.

6.  The 46,000 jellyfish we saw on day 1 – unfortunately one of them found Amanda’s leg.  (Don’t worry, the lifeguard had vinegar – I didn’t have to, you know, relieve the sting in more natural ways.)

7.  The nights on the patio hanging out with my wife.

8.  Crab legs from JB’s Fish Camp.

9.  The pastries at Mon Delice (on 3rd Ave.)

10.  Not having to think about anything other than what time we were going to the beach!

I’m looking forward to getting back in the swing of things - so many people had great things to say about the launch of the Hey Jude series!  Can’t wait to see everyone this Sunday–

Considered the “High Season,” this is the BEST time to visit Daytona Beach, FL!!!  The water is warm enough to swim, and the weather is warm enough to provide you with a golden tan for the summer!

My family has enjoyed numerous vacations at the “World’s Most Famous Beach” and believe me, there are a lot of things to do…

Oceanwalk, Daytona USA, Aquarium, Inlet Harbor, Down the Hatch, Lighthouse Point Park, casino boats, fishing charters, night clubs, famous sunsets…etc.

We know where to stay for ANY budget.  Check out craigslist for some reasonably priced condos.  Here’s mine. 

http://daytona.craigslist.org/vac/631672075.html

BUY LOW, SELL HIGH…. invest in Florida real estate!

A beach condo is a fantastic way to take advantage of today’s housing market.  With prices at 10 year lows and with favorable lending conditions, why not invest in a beach condo in Florida?

NOW is the perfect time to invest your money in real estate.  Not to flip, but to enjoy.  Rent your condo year round to subsidize your expenses, AND allow you to OWN YOUR VACATION property. 

Oceanfront properties on Florida’s east coast (Daytona, Ormond, New Smryna, Cocoa, St. Augustine, etc.)  are affordable.  You can find a great 2 bed/2 bath condo for $350,000, and rent it weekly and earn $2000-$3000 each month.  You may not cover your mortgage and monthly association fees, but you will always have a place to vacation and you are guaranteed to build equity as the market rebounds!!!

Personally, I have had tremendous success, and a lot of fun, renting my family’s beach condo this year.  Finding respectful renters has not been difficult and we’ve provided a nice vacation for families. 

Curious?  If you interested in current real estate listings or renting a place on Florida’s east coast, just Post a reply and we will promptly respond. 

Don’t miss out on this opportunity.  For you.  For your future.  For your family.

Day at the beach

Originally uploaded by smittene27

As we all know I am a pretty smart 20 something (soon to be 30 something..) who is capable of taking care of herself. Unfortunately I had a very very bad mishap this weekend and am still paying for it today and will be for a few more days.

I went to the beach with some friends on Sunday. The day started out overcast and yucky, but quickly turned into a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. So I got up, got ready, put some SPF 45 on my face and told myself to get the 30 out of the car when I went to get my water bottle. Well needless to say I remembered the water bottle.

My friends did have some pump SPF 30, but it was windy. My back looks like a rare cheetah, red with spots of tan! I’m sure the going into the water didn’t help, and on the 3rd try I did finally go under, but it was so very cold. It felt great after, but brr.

I took some pictures with my cell, the battery died in my camera and I failed to realize it. I really had a blonde day didn’t I!