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.

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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

[Dubya]

Toora Loora Looral(That's an Irish Lullaby)

Over in Killarney
Many years ago,
Me Mither sang a song to me
In tones so sweet and low. Just a simple little ditty,
In her good ould Irish way,
And l'd give the world if she could sing
That song to me this day.

Chorus:

"Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don't you cry!
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that's an Irish lullaby.".

Oft in dreams I wander
To that cot again,
I feel her arms a-huggin' me
As when she held me then.
And I hear her voice a -hummin'
To me as in days of yore,
When she used to rock me fast asleep
Outside the cabin door.

Chorus:

"Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don't you cry!
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that's an Irish lullaby.".

[Billie]

Libby, it is wonderful to see you here. We've all missed you. Didn't jw and Dansy do a bangup job with this anniversary?! I'm not sure if you read jw's and LadyX's Finding the FR Archives not long ago, but if you didn't, then you really MUST! I'll put the 4th Hall of Fame thread up in the morning, and the link will be there. It is an absolute MUST-READ, I promise! (April 28th - LadyX and jwfiv Essay is the way it's listed)

Don't be a stranger!

[Dubya]

Marine Hymn VOCAL

[Billie]

Hear, hear (here, here with the champagne!), Cheers, and all that to your post, Lori! Thank you for echoing how we all feel about this little FR Family we've adopted (or they've adopted us, or something) :)

Daisy, if you're out there anywhere near a computer, we love you, Sistah! And thanks for being an important part of our beginning and a steadying presence for oh so many, many months! Couldn't have made this room without you!

[Billie]

Hi, feiny - thanks for coming - 365 days/12 months/1 year - quick! how many hours is that? :)

[Dubya]

MARINE BOOT JOKE
It was a hand-to-hand fighting exercise. "Have I done him any damage?" the recruit asked his instructor,
"No, but keep on swinging your rifle. The draft may give him a cold."

[Billie]

Well, you know, I read some of her early posts last week, too. She was a wonderful cheerleader for the Finest - her posts and some of the FR mails that I know you got and many of us got from her were proof of that. Yeah, I think she's probably still reading us. :)

[Dubya]

The instructor in a basic-training course asked a recruit what he would do if he saw a figure crawling toward his post while on assigned guard duty.
"Why, I'd help the Officer to his quarters." said the recruit.
Drill Sergeant to recruit: "Wipe that opinion off your face !"

[deadhead]

My Uncle Jimmy came over from Ireland as a young man. Always spoke with a brogue. Oh, and his sense of humor, he was a character. My uncle passed away last year. I can just hear Uncle Jimmy singing "When Irish Eyes are Smiling"

P.S. My Uncle joined the Army soon after arriving in the states, served in WW2 and was so proud to be an American :-)

Thanks for all your posts Dubya

[Billie]

Now that you're here, I'd like to thank you again for your posts, your support, your graphics (beautiful Anniversary card just now), your friendly presence. :)

[Billie]

Hi, Rus - I wanted to get to you, because I saw your post in My Comments. Thank you for checking in with us - know you're ready to get your family moved and settle back down, and we're ready for you to do that, too, because it means we'll be seeing that purple china cup filled with brimming hot coffee in the mornings.

[deadhead]

Hello Billie! Nice to see you this time of the evening :-) About ready to sign off and saw you post and wanted to say hello. Have a good night!

[Billie]

Hey, dutchess. Just saying hi to you individually. Thanks for being such a super hostess - your enthusiasm is so contagious!

[Dubya]

Great guy your uncle. We are proud to have him as an American. The rest of us owe a lot to his generation.

[Dubya]

Thank you Billie. I'm proud to be a part of this group of fine people. Thanks everyone for putting up with me.

[Billie]

I'm looking forward to working on that one too - got your mail and anxious to get started with it. :)

[Dubya]

The Marines were backing-up LAPD on a call that someone had broke into a store. At the scene, the cop told the Marines to "cover" him as he approached the store (to police, "cover" means to point your weapons in the direction of the threat, to Marines it means lay down a base of fire!). The Marines promptly laid down a base of fire. The Marines fired 178 rounds before they stopped shooting. The thief, probably a little scared at this point, called 911 and reported, "They're shooting at me!".

[Billie]

Thank you for waiting, Colleen. I wanted to touch base with those I didn't get a chance to earlier today. I'll be saying goodnight in just a few minutes myself. Sure appreciate you. :)

[Dubya]

The drill sergeant making his morning announcements to a group of newcomers in a training camp, stated: "Today, gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. First, the good. Private Buford will be setting the pace on our morning run.'
With this the platoon was overjoyed, as Private Buford was overweight and terribly slow. But then the drill sergeant finished his statement: "Now for the bad news. Private Buford will be driving a truck."

[sweetliberty]

Thank you Billie. Sorry I can't hang around. Had a horrendous day and barely have time to grab a bite and catch a nap before before I have to get back in the car and drive 2 more hours to work in the morning. Hope y'all have had a great day.