Help Our Troops Call Home

The Naples Area Board of Realtors sponsored an event last week to raise money for prepaid calling cards to send to our troops.  The event at Noodles Restaurant on Pine Ridge in Naples was very well attended with approximately 200 local realtors and support businesses donating money to buy the phone cards.  It was very crowded and warm but great to see good friends again and make new acquaintances.  The summer is a slow time for realtor events so we tend to lose touch with our friends during these hot and rainy months. 

Our troops overseas need our help to call home and assure their loved ones that they are doing well.  Please visit www.soldiersangels.org and donate a calling card to this worthy cause.  Soldiers’ Angels is a non-profit volunteer organization with hundreds of thousands of volunteer giving aid and comfort to our troops.  I have just become a fan of their Facebook page where you can read more information about the sacrifices our men and women are making to keep us safe.  We should give thanks every day to these brave Americans.

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

The Toasty Team would like to wish our customers and friends a very happy July 4^th holiday.  The weather here in Naples Florida has not been the best for a July 4^th celebration with clouds and thunderstorms throughout the day.  Hopefully, the skies will clear this evening in time for the fireworks displays in downtown Naples and Sugden Park.

My favorite 4^th of July activity is watching the special presentations on TV from Boston and New York and the Capitol Fourth on PBS.  The fireworks displays are amazing and usually the talent is excellent.  One of my dreams is to attend the production live but, as I dislike crowds, I doubt that will happen!  At least I can relax in the comfort of my own living room and enjoy the spectacle in high definition on my TV.  It is almost as good as being there and no crowds to fight.

HAPPY 4^TH!

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

The First Day of Summer in Naples Florida

Today is the first day of summer and it dawned hot and humid in Naples Florida.  After a very cold winter, we are now experiencing a very warm summer.

This day marks the beginning of the summer solstice and is the longest day of the year.  It was very important in ancient times as it was a reminder that they had achieved a turning point in the growing season.  The solstice is a result of the Earth’s north-south axis being tilted and this allows different amounts of sunshine to reach different areas of the planet.   

It is certainly time for us here in Naples to enjoy our wonderful beaches with the summer stretching ahead of us.  The Gulf of Mexico at Naples is currently 87 degrees which makes for wonderful relaxing beach days.  The hot afternoons are the perfect time to head to the beach for some recreation.

We hope that you enjoy this first day of summer wherever you are  in this wonderful country!  You can be sure that we are enjoying the hot weather and beach days here in sunny Naples Florida!

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

Birthday weekend in Naples Florida

Where do you go on your birthday weekend when you live in beautiful Naples Florida? We thought about all the different places we could visit for a long weekend but what better place than to be at home and enjoy the delights of Naples. It was my husband's birthday weekend and he chose to celebrate with dining out in our wonderful town. Sunday was our best experience with dinner at the The Capital Grille. Visit http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/Locations/Naples/Main.asp for menus and information. The Capital Grille in Naples is located in The Mercado and there is plenty of parking. They are offering a new wine tasting selection for the summer months and the wines are excellent. For $25 per person you can enjoy a sampling of 10 wines from Italy, California and my personal favorite New Zealand. I have never tasted a New Zealand wine that is less than perfection!
Chef Gil treated us wonderfully and the food was fantastic. I can't wait to go back and enjoy the Filet Oscar! The filet was so tender and the crab and bernaise sauce were amazing.

We would certainly recommend a celebratory dinner at The Capital Grille at the Mercado in Naples Florida. If you feel like being treated like royalty and eating fabulous food spend an evening at this great restaurant. We will certainly be going back!

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

Royal Poinciana Trees

The beautiful Royal Poinciana trees are in full bloom on 5^th Avenue South in sunny Naples Florida.  We had to take a picture of these wonderful trees because the flowers are so amazing.  Usually the winter weather is much warmer on 5^th Avenue so close to the Gulf of Mexico but this year the trees were damaged by the cold weather that reached so close to the Gulf.   We were surprised that they have put on such a show this year as they looked dead up to a couple of months ago when their green leaves started sprouting again.

The Royal Poinciana Tree was introduced to North America by Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy on St Kitts in 1642 and has been named in his honor. The Poinciana is the national flower of St Kitts and Nevis. It is native to Madagascar where it is found in the dry deciduous forests.  As we do not have an extensive dry season in Naples, the tree usually keeps it leaves all year.  This year because of the frost the trees lost all their leaves during the coldest part of the winter. 

Another very interesting fact about this beautiful flowering tree is that the seed pods are used in the Caribbean as the percussion instrument we know as the maracas!  A very useful and beautiful tree, we are very lucky to have the Royal Poinciana tree in our wonderful paradise!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

Happy Hour at Shulas's Hilton Naples

We are enjoying happy hour at Shula's in the Naples Hilton on US 41. On Wednesday's they have excellent free appetizers as well as 2 for 1 drinks. Dave Elliott from 98.9 FM radio broadcasts live on Wednesdays from 3 to 6. This is a great mid week get away for a couple of hours. Remember we always welcome your sale or rental referrals!

Mike and Chris Dike
"The Toasty Team"
cell: 239-601-3174
fax: 866-505-5235
www.toastyinNaples.com
mikechrisdike@toastyinNaples.com
Amerivest Realty Sales and Rentals
500 5th Ave. S
Naples, FL 34102

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

BNI presentation today

We belong to the Catch the Buzz chapter of BNI in sunny Naples Florida.  We meet at the Inn of Naples on US 41 and this morning I did a presentation on the designations that I have worked very hard to attain and how that education will assist people when they send us referrals of people who would like to buy or sell real estate in Naples or even rent.  The presentation was very well received and everyone agreed that it is nice to know what all the letters after my name mean!

It was very exciting to be able to tell them that this weekend I finished my CRS – Certified Residential Specialist – designation which is one of the most prestigious designations a realtor can achieve.  Everyone can be assured that I will be able to help any buyer or seller who is interested in real estate in the Naples Florida or Bonita or Estero area.

It was a great day in Naples and I hope you had a wonderful day also.

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day to everyone.  We watched the Memorial Concert from Washington last night and found it very moving.  How lucky we are to have such wonderful men and women in military service in our country.

It was a wonderful sunny day in Naples Florida this morning and now we are having our daily summer afternoon rain storm.  Welcome to the summer in Naples!

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve

Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, on Janes Memorial Scenic Drive, is part of the Big Cypress Swamp. June is a popular time to visit Fakahatchee Strand when the very rare Ghost Orchid begins blooming and park staff conduct guided walks. Southwest Florida’s Big Cypress Swamp is a flat, gently sloping limestone plain. During rainy season (June through September), water flows slowly south over this plain into mangrove swamps bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Water also flows below ground through the porous underlying limestone. In places, limestone has dissolved, forming elongated sloughs or channels, accumulating organic soils. These channels or sloughs have spawned cypress and other trees, creating swamp forests standing in contrast to open prairies and pinelands. The local term for these linear swamps is "strand," as in Fakahatchee Strand.
On State Road 29, just west of Copeland. (239) 695-4593

- From Attractionguide.com

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

The Toasty Team

Here is a picture of our new team! This great picture was taken outside our office on 5th Avenue in Naples Florida. This great Naples real estate team is ready to help with all your Naples area real estate needs!

Emailing: Chris and Toasty

The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:

Chris and Toasty

Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent
sending or receiving certain types of file attachments. Check your e-mail
security settings to determine how attachments are handled.

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous

Untitled

Beautiful day in Naples Florida.

 

Remember, we always welcome your sale or rental referrals!

 

Chris  Dike

Broker-Associate, GRI, RSPS, PRM, TRC, CIPS

CDPE - Certified Distressed Property Expert

Member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing

Mike Dike

Sales Associate, TRC

"The Toasty Team"

cell:  239-601-3174

fax:  866-505-5235

www.toastyinNaples.com

mikechrisdike@toastyinNaples.com

Amerivest Realty Sales and Rentals

500 Fifth Ave S

Naples, FL 34102

Search the multiple listings like an agent!  Sign up for our new FREE service at www.toastyinNaples.com

Posted via email from toastyinnaples's posterous