A Few Of FR's Finest....Every Day....09-17-03....Florida~The Sunshine State

dansangel

[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, Aquamarine ~

~The "Sunshine State"~

Florida became the 27th state of the Union in 1845.

To me, Florida is the most beautiful and compelling state in the United States. Of course, I'm just a *tad* biased. Although I wasn't born there, I consider myself a Floridian after spending most of my adult life there. After this current (and definitely temporary) leave of absence, I intend to make Florida my home state once again.

The Florida peninsula itself boasts approximately 1200 miles of coastline (source: NOAA). Factoring in the coastal area of all of its islands and keys, this total grows to over 8,000 miles (source: the U.S. DEA). From Jacksonville in the north to Key West at its southernmost tip, Florida is packed with history and rare beauty.

Are you a history buff? Take a trip to St. Augustine. Located in northeast Florida, it is our nation's oldest city. On March 27 1513, Don Juan Ponce de Leon sighted land while sailing towards the "New World" from Spain. He claimed this land for Spain, naming it "La Florida," meaning "Land of Flowers."

In 1564, the French succeeded in establishing a fort on the St. Johns River, threatening the safety of Spain's treasure fleets. In 1565, Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles arrived off the coast of Florida. Eleven days after the Feast of St. Augustine (August 28) he founded the city of St. Augustine and set about reclaiming the territory from the French. With the help of a hurricane, he defeated the French, destroyed their fort and fleet and began building the city of St. Augustine.

Today, St. Augustine is a popular tourist spot due to its many museums, its lighthouse and, of course, the oldest house and the oldest schoolhouse in the country. With more than 4 centuries of history to share, St. Augustine is a must-see on any trip to Florida.

Key Deer

The Florida Keys comprise the southernmost portion of the Florida territory. Stretching out over the ocean beginning just south of Homestead, the keys serve as a gateway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. From Key Largo to Key West, all of the keys connected by 113 miles of U.S. Highway 1 boast their own beauty and attractions. Key deer, no larger than a large dog, can be found on Big Pine Key. Swim with tame dolphins off of Islamorada. Or, visit Ernest Hemingway's house in rustic and festive Key West. The sunset viewed from Mallory Dock off of Duval Street is like none other viewed anywhere else in the world.

Florida Everglades

Finally, the Everglades and their own delicate and unique ecosystem is described eloquently by Jeff Ripple as found on the Florida Everglades Website:

"The Everglades and the Ten Thousand Islands is a rare and beautiful place. It is one of North America's unsung wild places - a beautiful, rugged, subtropical landscape experienced by a relatively few adventurous souls each year. Many who appreciate the unique qualities of this wilderness will argue that it is a place better kept secret. Perhaps, in my quest for solitude and a deeply personal communion with nature, I might ordinarily agree. But I also feel that it is a resource important not only for its natural heritage and spiritually enriching powers, but for its commercial and recreational values as well."



The peace and serenity in the Everglades is beyond description. Once you venture out, it is difficult to return to civilization. We have a duty to preserve the delicate balance of flora and fauna so that generations to come will benefit from its beauty.

There are many other points of interest in Florida not mentioned here. From the white sands of its pristine beaches to the protected habitats of the Everglades, Florida is definitely one of those places where, once you visit, you may just want to call it "home."

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 09-15-03 Military Monday 09-16-03 This One's For You T Man

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.
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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; Aquamarine 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 StarCMC......................brother Atomic Conspiracy...........half-brother Atomic Conspiracy............niece, nephew

Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons Mama_Bear...........2 nephews 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 kimmie7...............brother Tiffee4Bob.............boyfriend Explorer89............brother TexKat...........son and stepson

[Calpernia]

ROFL! Officer Spellgood is a changed man from yesterday's thread!

[dansangel]

Wasn't that just the funniest thing? I thought I'd *die* laughing....

Hey!

Maybe that was his plan!!!

:-)

[Calpernia]

That is a wonderful childhood!

[LadyX]

"I found that the people who hated FL after going there to live were the ones who had made up their minds beforehand that they were going to hate it."

And most of them who hated Florida, had left behind the other things they hated!!

Shoveling snow and driving on ice and all those heavy clothes, and children in wet, soggy snowsuits - their Endless List grew wherever they had been, were, or went!!..:))

They have no idea how tiresome their whining is.....why can't they just look around and total up the GOOD THINGS that drew them there?

[Calpernia]

>>>We have both drunk from the one in St. Augustine and we both have gray hair - LOL!!!

{{{Angel}}}! Hush! That was a secret!

;)

[dansangel]

They have no idea how tiresome their whining is.....why can't they just look around and total up the GOOD THINGS that drew them there?

Amen. There wasn't a day that would go by that I didn't hear, "Up north, we do things ...." Or, "Up north, this is the way it was...."

All the while, I'd be muttering under my breath...."So, go BACK!"

:-)

[dansangel]

Hush! That was a secret

Only our hairdressers know for sure! LOL!

[Calpernia]

>>>Beginning with the arrival of the first cattle in 1521, Florida Cowman, A History Of Florida Cattle Raising, traces the founding of Florida's cattle industry by the Spanish rancheros up to the modern era of scientific beef production.

{There was NO TEXAS BACK THEN, gunner!!)

WOW! I hope you don't even try to retort this with anything other than a "yes ma'am". I even said 'yes ma'am' after reading it; and I didn't disagree! :)

[Calpernia]

>>>I thought I'd *die* laughing....

Hey!

Maybe that was his plan!!!


Maybe. But I'm subscribing to the theory that yesterday softened him. I could be wrong. I'll wait and see.

[Calpernia]

"I found that the people who hated FL after going there to live were the ones who had made up their minds beforehand that they were going to hate it." And most of them who hated Florida, had left behind the other things they hated!! ---------------------------------------------------------- I don't know, I've been tip to tip on the Coasts. So I'll give it a go. Florida has it's beauty and history. Won't take that away! But what I noticed immediately about Florida that I don't like AND couldn't adjust too was that lake of mountains. It is JUST flat. If I was lost, I could stand on the roof of my car and see where I needed to go (being exaggerative). I don't think I could ever live anywhere that didn't have a color splash fall either. I think that is my only disputes about Florida.

[Calpernia]

:o)

[The Thin Man]

Glad ya liked it. I was afraid it might be too highbrow for some. :-)

[dansangel]

It is JUST flat. If I was lost, I could stand on the roof of my car and see where I needed to go (being exaggerative). I don't think I could ever live anywhere that didn't have a color splash fall either. I think that is my only disputes about Florida.

Ah, but there are rolling hills as well as beautiful horse farms in north central FL around Ocala and Gainesville.

There are subtle seasonal changes in foliage in So. FL that only the discerning eye can see. For instance, there is more color (more blooming plants) in the winter when the weather is milder and less when the weather is hotter. However, things are much greener in the summer (wet season) than in the winter.

You just have to look! :-)

[dansangel]

I was afraid it might be too highbrow for some. :-)

We're all so *highbrow* here we are lost in the stratosphere!

:-)

[The Thin Man]

Maybe. But I'm subscribing to the theory that yesterday softened him. I could be wrong. I'll wait and see.

You need to rethink your theory!

:-)

[JulieRNR21]

LadyX...What a wonderful story about your cattle raising neighbors in Melbourne.

I was living in CA when I first learned about the many FL cowboys. We went to the Rodeo at the Orange County Fair and noticed that most of the cowboys came from FL.....many more than from TX & OK. We were amazed.

I meant no offense to TX, humblegunner. I loved living there myself at one time.....but now my heart belongs to Florida!

[Calpernia]

Does it snow? :o)

You can't have a winter without rolling around your front lawn with your kids building snowman, forts and snowball fights :)

Then coming in a warm house cold and white to hot steamy cocoa! I love snow :)

We don't see many of these though. Pelicans are a fun bird to watch.

[LadyX]

Laughing at your response, Calpernia - having sisters five and nine years older than I am had disadvantages,

Learned as a child the only way to 'win' against their teasing or in any argument was to gather facts and present them..:))

Being born in Florida in 1934, and from my parents' descriptions of Florida's early days, there are things newcomers just cannot imagine.

The same is true of a native of any region, of course, and I happened to live in cattle country.

[JulieRNR21]

>>>We have both drunk from the one in St. Augustine and we both have gray hair - LOL!!! {{{Angel}}}! Hush! That was a secret! ;)

No need to have 'gray hair'......Clairol has a 'fountain of youth' in a little bottle.....LOL

[JulieRNR21]

>>>We have both drunk from the one in St. Augustine and we both have gray hair - LOL!!! {{{Angel}}}! Hush! That was a secret! ;)

No need to have 'gray hair'......Clairol has a 'fountain of youth' in a little bottle.....LOL