A Few Of FR's Finest....Every Day....06-24-03....Happy First Anniversary To The Finest!

jwfiv; dansangel | jwfiv

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, dansangel, dutchess, Mama_Bear

"A Few Of FR's Finest" was born one year ago today. Together with Mama_Bear and Daisyscarlett, Billie turned a dream into a reality. The three Finest "sistahs" worked hard to bring profiles of individual FReepers to the attention of those that came to visit the Finest on a regular basis. Following is a "History of the Finest" lovingly written by our own jwfiv. Kick off your shoes, sit back and relax, for you are in for a rich and detailed story, promised to entertain and to bring you closer in spirit to what makes the Finest well...."The Finest."

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"A History of the Finest ~ told by jwfiv

A light drizzle was softly tapping on my window, which was open just a bit to let the cool breeze in. I was hoping it might keep me from dozing off...to no avail, I confess. Between listening to the rhythm of the falling rain, and the hum of Maggie's beloved electric fan, I had become Little Nemo in Slumberland, and was working on the 21st of 40 winks when I was hit right between the eyes by the scoop on this caper , like a bird in the way of a Gary Johnson fastball.

Maggie was off on one of her solos, leaving me to mind the store. I don't know where she goes until she comes back, and sometimes not even then...it's on a need to know basis, and that's OK with me, cuz I'm just glad to be a cub reporter, and her sidekick. I caught reference to magic lariats, glass airplanes and someone named Condi as she spoke into her decoder ring before leaving that morning...she said something about "an errand for George", then whoosh, when I turned around, she was gone.



My little nap ended with a start when I heard the Mac chiming to announce that new mail was in the hopper. I was thrilled to find an anonymous source named Dick Morris, wogue and wapscallion, as the author of the message. I'd lately been watching him tattle-tale on the doings and motives of x42 and Senator x, and was skeptical that he seemed so eager to turn over what he considered might be clues to the origins of an unidentified conservative website called FreeRepublic, and specifically a part of it he referred to as "The Finest".

His message said that I would find a manila envelope containing photos and documents of interest, and possible scandal, waiting for me at the front desk of the Hotel Monaco.

I dashed out the door and into the rain, ran the four blocks to the bus stop and caught the 2:45 E Street run, which took me across Main to a part of town I'm not really comfortable in. What used to be a family neighborhood was now a place of shadows, known locally as the DeeYew. I never have figured that one out, so I just call it Creepsville.



Keeping my eyes straight ahead, ignoring the hawkers and liberal loonies, I walked the final two blocks to the Hotel, where the desk clerk handed me the envelope, just as I had been told would happen.

Not waiting for the bus, I blew my comic book money on a taxi and hurried back to the office to open the envelope and find within it several aged documents, receipts, old newspaper clippings, deeds and writs, as well as a couple of tintypes and time-worn photograph.



Going through the various scraps of info, I pieced together a story that began when America was still a young nation.

I don't know if the tale which follows accomplishes my source's purpose, however, I think it's one worth telling, and see no scandal or mischief, only charity and good deeds.

The documents tell of three enterprising young women who founded the San Antonio Rose, a saloon and café on the outskirts of San Antonio de Bexar, near the old Alamo Mission.

The only known photo of the San Antonio Rose, ca. 1855.

A deed with the names Wilhemina Himmelblau, Eleanor L'Orso Marrone, and Daisy "Red" O'Hara is proof of its founding, in June, 1840. There was also a photocopy of a census record for the Republic of Texas, from that same year, with their names listed as proprietors. Newspaper articles and a tattered one-sheet from 1848 attested to its reputation for "honest card play and whiskey that ain't been watered down".

Miss Willie, Miss Lori and Red, as the three were affectionately called, were known far and wide for their hospitality and good cheer, and hosted many a weary traveler and cowboy dusty from the trail

The three women were daughters of the South but loved the Union, too, and encouraged the discussion of politics and religion, which came natural to the pioneering spirit. In 1859, the Rose burned down when an argument between patrons became a brawl and a broken oil lamp lit the lace curtains on fire. No one was hurt, luckily, and in the aftermath, the penitent customers, and townsfolk, rallied together to build a new and more grand venue. To honor the community for standing with them, the ladies retired the name Rose and the first Finest Saloon was born.

Independence Day, 1876; a crowd of regular customers is pictured in front of the Finest Saloon, built on the spot where the San Antonio Rose stood before burning to the ground.

On the top steps to the right, standing from right to left, are Wilhemina Himmelblau, Eleanor L'Orso Marrone, and Daisy "Red" O'Hara.

On the far left, second row, is Ladimier Tekcz and his two sons, Shane and Clint; and standing to his left is Travis Meek, one of the first of the famed Texas Rangers.

The two women in top row center, wearing the similar hats, are Lady Margaret Exington and her sister, Lady Nanette, reunited after the former's brief time as captive of the Comancheros, and subsequent rescue by Marshal Meek.

In front center, hand on hip, is Arthur O'Naughtt (who earned a mention in the history books serving as a balloon observer for the North during the Civil War, and afterwards as a detective for Wells Fargo). To his left are, respectively, Louis deWolff, gambler and merchant; Don Carlos Ounaeoli (frontier chef and early Tex-Mex cuisine enthusiast); and Daniel McForty, the Fifth Earl of Kirkaldy (Scottish arms merchant, horse trader and, later, Colonel in the Confederate Army, First Georgia Volunteers).

This is believed to be the earliest extant photograph taken by Valerie Kloop, an immigrant from Holland who traveled the breadth of her adopted country, capturing images of Her pioneers and the cities that sprang up in their wake as they moved West.

The Finest thrived in the years that followed, not just as a saloon and café, but as a steakhouse famous for its barbecue, Cajun and Mexican cuisine (thanks to their brilliant chef and chief bottle washer), and as a community meeting hall, polling place and even a classroom, when the river was high.

In 1881, the three founders decided it was time to let go their hostess duties to devote more time to their loves and families. After turning over the building to a local church and temperance union, they each spent time travelling the world to visit the places from which so many of their guests had come, before settling down into their comfortable later years.

The three founders of the San Antonio Rose, sipping
hot chocolate in the Chicago Train Station,
Easter Sunday, 1899. The man in the middle,
seated at a table behind the ladies,
is identified as none other than Th. Inman,
the famous, some say notorious, chief copy
editor for the Chicago Daily Herald.

Friends to the end, they always kept in touch, by post, telegraph, and, much to their delight, "Mr. Bell's telephone"...and would yearly have a breakfast together, sitting by a window or at an outdoor cafe, sharing fond memories of days gone by...and wondering what joys the future would bring.

The story of the three founders would seem to end here, with the mention of their annual reunions...exept for a torn page from a 1936 issue of Look Magazine which was in the mysterious package. On that scrap of old paper was a brief article about a Fourth of July Picnic at the Tres Hermanas Rose Garden and Park in San Antonio, on the site where once stood the Finest Saloon.

The Garden was said to grow the most beautiful of yellow roses and, to that day, bluebirds nested year 'round in the tall cottonwoods that stood watch over the San Antonio Rose.

Well, that may not be exactly the way "A Few of FR's Finest" began, but a little poetic license never hurt.

Please feel free to add your own personal story of what the Finest has meant to you over the past year. Meanwhile, thank you all for being a part of the Finest Family. May God Bless you all.

~~~ Billie, daisyscarlett, Mama_Bear,
dansangel and dutchess ~~~

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 06-23-03 Military Monday

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

God Bless Our Military

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Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Dansangel; Dutchess; Mama_Bear; and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation’s leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~

We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult and devastating day that faces each of us and our country. Protect and guide our Military that are now being called to duty, strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Pippin....niece,nephew,loved one Doug from Upland......son-in-law weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon..son-in-law,grandson BeforeISleep...................son The Mayor........................niece LadyX.........................grandson fawn796.....................nephew ValerieUSA................2 sons Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells..................activve duty LongCut..................active duty Trish.......................active duty

Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons Mama_Bear...........nephew gator girl............husband severa................husband MozartLover......son, nephew LBGA........................son SpookBrat...........nephew Himyar.....................son boxerblues............2 sons the piper...................son sheeza...............husband kemathen7...........husband Diver Dave................niece deadhead................cousin JimRobinson.....2 nephews Armymarinemom.....3 sons Consort..2 daughters,son-in-law Darheel..................niece dixie sass.............nephew BeAllYouCanBe.........son AgThorn...............2 sons homeschoolmama.......nephew kneezles.................son

[Pippin]

(((HG)))!

Good to see you again!

[LadyX]

You can perhaps imagine how delightful is our collaboration, after working with Johnny Mac on this thread, dansy.

We kept the cyberwires humming, zinging things back and forth daily - afraid our laughter would wake everyone between the Atlantic and the Pacific!

'Cub Reporter' is so misleading - as I told him, he is The Foundation of our joint efforts, and I merely toss out ideas, and watch him snare and embellish them and fly!
Every now and then I serve a cup of tea; pry loose the log jams; add a Lincoln log or two, and some Legos..:))

His charming and gracious ways are exceeded only by his so wonderful imagination, and ability to put that on paper for us.

Feeling it would be the 'expectation' for us to concoct some sweeping "America The Beautiful" grandiose thread, I proposed we veer in a totally different and UNexpected direction.
I had a Euripides Moment at 0130 one night, and conceived the idea of doing Ancestral Bios for Freepers, and he elevated that to new heights, and made it work...:))

Johnny Mac - the 'molasses' is beginning to flow again, thanks to your 'surprise!'
LOL

Yes - Johnny Mac is a truly special guy -
The Very Finest of the Fine.

~ Maggie Malone ~

[Libertina]

I have missed being here! What a beautiful story you weave (poetic license or no) :) Happy anniversary to the FINEST and your lovely FR oasis.

[GailA]

[humblegunner]

Howdy Pippin! Happy to see you, too!

[JustPiper]

Check my homepage for 2008 ;) What you say?

[Pippin]

Okay! Checking! :O)

[Pippin]

Just one thing

BUSH in '04!

CONDI in '08!

[JustPiper]

That's too cute! (and just the stuff that the Finest is made of, too - cute, sweet, pretty, funny, friendly! LOL)

Then I reckon I found me another new home!

The "I couldn't leave FR if me life depended on it" Piper
Made by me Diva Friend LindaSOG

[LadyX]

"Unfortunately that noble quality will prevent you from ever becoming a hostess. Billie would never stand for it. :)"

Sighing...yes, but I shall not waver from The Cause.
Underneath my Ladylike Exterior, I am not only a Marine,
but a Southron Woman-with-iron-fists-in-velvet-gloves.

Martin_fierro, in fact, has created an appropriate new gif of that persona - depicted in Reply # 173...:))

[LadyX]

So glad you broke away from The Evil al-Clayda Wahrs to grace us with your presence, gunner...:))

Here's a Welcome Home gif(t) for yew....

[JustAmy]

I am proud to call you friends!!!

[Mama_Bear]

So sorry I am late getting here. Got a late start this morning. Yes, it was still morning here when I started typing this, LOL! Of ALL days to be late arriving, it shouldn't have been this one.

First of all, a standing ovation for our creative and eloquent historian, jw! Thank you for filling me in on our history here. I smiled through the whole thing! I was here from the beginning, but my memory isn't what it used to be. A big 'thank you' to our Dansy for her beautiful presentation. You did an excellent job, especially considering your 'Lexus' was in the shop. ;-)

Billie, Daisy, Dansy, Dutchess, JH2, and Free, I what an honor and pleasure it has been this past year to have been part of this Sista' and Brotha'hood. I have had a hard time keeping up with all of you; your talent and creativity and dedication is amazing. Thank you, Billie, for bringing me into the fold early on. You will always been my creative mentor. You have set the bar high and kept me reaching just a bit higher with each post.

Ladyx, Aquamarine, and FreeTheHostages, your daily contributions add so much to the color and texture of this Fine place. Thank you for all you do.

Louie, what can I say about our resident lovable wolf that hasn't already been said? I can't think of a thing.....so I'll just give you a hug and assume that you know how special you are. ((((((((((LOUIE)))))))))))

And, to our wonderful FRiends who never fail to stop by daily, weekly, or whenever time allows, to bring flowers, kind words, prayers of support, or smiles and jokes, news of the day, or 'whatever'......where would we be without you? YOU are what makes this thread such a warm and happy place to be.....a family with it's arms wide open welcoming all who enter. Thank you, each and every one, for helping to make the Finest Thread - the 'FRiendliest thread on the net'. :-)

Aquamarine, I am so very proud and pleased that you are officially joining the hostess team. (I always KNEW you were a sistah, it was only a matter of time before Billie could make it official. LOL!). Thank you for the music. I love Ragtime and Honky-Tonk. What you have chosen today is perfect to go along with jw's Finest story.

Let's all raise our glasses to each other and to ourselves in a congratulatory toast with best wishes for another Finest year! To US!!!

[firewalk]

You're welcome (-:

[Mama_Bear]

I have missed being here!

And we have missed you too! Nice to see you here today, FRiend.

[Feiny]

I love the embellished story. That is a saloon I could hang out in...I know the pies would be delish!

[dansangel]

Wow.....

The monitor is awfully blurry, but thank you for bringing that *gem* from dear, sweet whoever.

[Feiny]

I can'r believe it has already been one year....it seems like only 365 days ago!

[humblegunner]

Thank ya kindly LadyX! I can use those pistols for
when them pesky al-Claydas get the drop on me.

They might, someday, I guess! ;-)

[Mama_Bear]

Hi, you two. Haven't had a chance to give you an official Mama_Bear welcome to our thread, so..........