Message from the President

By Lee Blackwell, President
First of all, I would like to offer my thoughts and prayers to all Americans as well as all the people around the world -- but especially to those families who have been directly impacted by the events of September 11, 2001.

Now, on a positive note the Board of Directors of Cypress Isles would like to thank the following individuals who have contributed to the success of our neighborhood:

· Dennis Bode, who designed and maintains our web site;
· Sandy and Dennis Horazak, the editors and publishers of our newsletter;
· Jean Thomsin, the community Master Gardener, who has spent numerous hours researching and writing articles to keep our neighborhood growing;
· Chip Crane, the independent handyman who is always willing to help;
· Eddie Magnell, who has been to almost every meeting as far back as I can remember.

I would also like to thank all the members of the Board for the continued input to maintain our neighborhood.

Before I go, I would like to address the tree issue in the neighborhood. About 44 letters have been sent out to homeowners who have lost trees between the sidewalk and curb. In the documents you received when you bought your home it states that if you lose a tree it must be replaced. We are aware that there are numerous reasons why some trees are missing, which is why we sent out a letter addressing - “How to Plant a Tree in Bad Soil.” After years of research and numerous discussions with experts, we asked Jean Thomsin to compile all the information into that letter; the BOD then decided on the best trees to plant and maintain. We believe that if all residents replace their fallen trees it will assure all of us the increased property and resale value we are looking for in the years to come.
Positively Lee

In This Issue
Message from the President.......1
Come to the HOA Meetings......1
Neighborhood Watch................2
A Few Seconds........................2
Contact List..............................2 (Removed from Online Newsletter)
Trick or Treat!..........................3
Oh Say, Can You See?.............3
Help for Trans-Plants................3
HATS OFF..............................3
New UGT On The Block!........4
Cypress Isles On-Line..............4
Real or Fake?...........................4
Holiday Decoration Contest......4

Come to the HOA Meetings
The next three HOA meetings will be at 6:30 PM on November 20 and December 12, 2001; and January 15, 2002, (3rd Tuesday of each month) at the Orange County Library, Alafaya Branch, on E. Colonial Dr. (SR 50). Synopses of previous meetings are posted on our website (See "Cypress Isles On-Line").
Anyone and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings! So, c'mon down!

Neighborhood Watch
By Cookie Symons
- Neighborhood Watch Coordinator
As you all know by now this summer was a very busy one for all of us. Perhaps the kids were out of school and looking for things to get into. I hope by now you've all met your block captains. They are important people and they are the ones who will keep you informed. If you are new here to Cypress Isles and don't know them please call one of us at the bottom of this article and we'll be happy to get you in touch with them.
There are a few things to remember. We have to keep those garage doors closed when we're not in front of our homes. Remember to tell a neighbor when you are away. They can look out for your investment. They can bring in those newspapers and deliveries that alert the bad guys of your absence. Lock the doors to your home from your garage when away. We had an incident where a power surge opened a garage door while the homeowner was away and the inside door to the residence was unlocked. Thankfully nothing was taken. Cars parked in the driveway all night have been entered and things taken. You must lock those cars. Maybe a suggestion is to install motion lights. They make coach lights that turn on when motion is detected. They are very nice and cost about $50.00 a piece. A small price to pay for piece of mind.
We don't live in a bad area but these are things that happen in the best of areas. We all need to stay alert. We all found something we liked in Cypress Isles to invest our money in this development. Now we just have to protect it together.


A Few Seconds
By Art Gordon,
- Orange County Sheriff's Office
Just a reminder from experience, if folks would spend a couple of extra seconds locking the car and making sure that nothing enticing is in plain view in the interior in the vehicle, many burglars will pass the vehicle up. Burglars, who are often unskilled, look for unlocked doors and things easily taken without looking conspicuous. As an aside it may be a good excuse to clean the car!
Because the holiday season is near, car burglaries will increase as burglars find packages stashed in the cars, often with the receipts in the bags. How convenient to get a cash refund, and prove to the cops that they own it if stopped and questioned. Keep vigilant -- and the emails are a great way of doing it!


Trick or Treat!
Trick or Treat night will be on Wednesday, October 31st (a.k.a. Halloween), starting at 6 PM., ending at 9 P.M., or whenever the treats run out. Turn your porch lights on and meet your neighborhood goblins.
Where to go? I’m glad you asked. Good rule of thumb, or foot, is: Porch light on – go there. Porch light off – don’t go there. Of course, as we all know, sometimes the lights are on and no-o-o-body’s home...
Trick-or-treaters: Watch out for vehicles and be extra careful because your costumes can make it hard to see. Carry a flashlight to make it easier for you to see, and for others to see you.
Drivers: Watch out for trick-or-treaters and be extra careful because behind every bag of goodies is an excited child.
Moms and Dads: Those costumes are great; we have no idea who they really are.
Everyone: Don’t forget to check those goodies before eating them.
Watch for our January issue to find out when Groundhog Day will be.

Oh Say, Can You See?
Feel free to fly the flag of the United States to honor and respect the principles that make America great. Unlike SOME associations, neither the Waterford Lakes Community Association nor the Cypress Isles Homeowners Association has any restrictions against appropriately displayed US flags.
What's appropriate? This is: if the flag is on a pole, the union field (stars) should be closest to the top, or free end, of the pole. If the flag is against a wall or in a window, the union field should be in the upper left for the observer. The flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during hours of darkness. The illumination, however, should be installed so as not to annoy or be a nuisance to the neighbors. Annoy them in other ways.

Help for Trans-Plants
If you're like many of us, you're a transplant from somewhere else, where the trees and grass look and act very differently than central Florida trees and grass. Fortunately, Cypress Isles has two experts to help us cope with pesky plant problems – a master gardener and an accomplished webmaster.
Jean Thomsin, Orange County Master Gardener and Cypress Isles HOA Board Member, has several good suggestions to help our trees and grass. And Dennis Bode, Cypress Isles Webmaster, has put Jean's advice on-line at the Cypress Isles website, http://home.cfl.rr.com/cypressisles (That's CFL, as in Central Florida). This well designed website is easy on the eyes and easy on the mouse. From the home page, you are only two clicks away from Jean's articles about several types of trees (planting and care, establishment, recommendations and facts) or common problems with St. Augustine grass. Check it out.

Not into the 'Net? Then contact the editor (see directory) and get a paper copy.

HATS OFF
Your Architectural Review Committee, i.e. A-R-C, which consists of other homeowners in Cypress Isles, does more than just hand out "violation letters" and "friendly reminders", in an attempt to enforce the duties and responsibilities of the ARC as outlined in the Master Documents.
The GOOD NEWS is that they are also now handing out "Hats Off" letters of commendation to homeowners for "a job well done", after having fixed what was previously a violation. To date, one "Hats Off" letter has been delivered. Please know that not only the ARC, but also your neighbors, appreciate your efforts in maintaining your property! We expect more "Hats Off" commendations to be forthcoming.

And…..
Beginning in January, 2002, a Yard-Of-The-Month award will be given out to homeowners with exceptionally well maintained lawns.

New UGT On The Block!

(This has been corrected, thanks to our Board members and any residents that contacted Adelphia.)
Have you noticed the new Ugly Green Thing by the wall of the east entrance? So have we. The Board is working with Adelphia to find a better-looking solution to new cable service.
Feel free to write and tell Adelphia how you feel about their eyesore at our entrance. That address, folks, is:

Adelphia
Attn: Alan Shrofe, Operations Manager
4305 Vineland Road Suite G-2
Orlando, FL 32811

Cypress Isles On-Line
Attention web-heads: Visit the Cypress Isles Website – http://home.cfl.rr.com/cypressisles/. Cfl is CFL, or central Florida. The Architectural Review page includes selection and care of recommended trees and care and tips for handling pests and diseases that damage St. Augustine grass.

Real or Fake?
That question no longer applies just to that big ring he plunked on her finger, or to….uh, other things.
If you have e-mail, you probably get cryptic rumors about computer viruses or other scary social atrocities that happened to “a friend of a friend of a friend”, and have been fwd:fwd:fwd:fwd-ed to you. Is it real, just a hoax, or an urban legend? Here are some websites that know:

Hoaxes in general:
www.snopes2.com
www.hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBOtherHoaxPages
www.urbanlegends.about.com
www.datafellows.com/hoaxes
www.ciac.org/ciac/

Computer viruses, hoaxes:
www.hoaxinfo.com
www.vmyths.com
www.symantec.com/avcenter/index
www.datafellows.com/virus-info/

Human health-related hoaxes:
www.cdc.gov/hoax_rumors.htm

Chain letters:
www.cs.rutgers.edu/~watrous/chain-letters.html

Please refer to these sites, then instead of just fwd:fwd:fwd:fwd-ing the problem, be part of the solution. Look around your keyboard, locate the “Delete” key, dust it off, then use it. It’s very simple.
If you don’t like those sites, go to any search engine and type in “hoax”, “virus”, or “urban legend”, and you’ll be answered with thousands of sites.

Holiday Decoration Contest
Decorate your property and win 1st, 2nd or 3rd prizes of $75, $50, and $25, respectively -- plus bragging rights! (We may call it “The Griswald Award” after we check with legal.) Judging will be at a secret time when you're not ready. (KIDDING!) Actually, judging will take place the weekend before Christmas, between December 21-23. The official date will be announced at the November meeting and posted on signs at the entrances.
We will swap judges with another community to discourage bribery and pressure. So start untangling those strings of lights and look for that 1 daggone burnt out bulb.
Good luck, and…

This page was updated on 10/30/2001