A Few of Fr's Finest...Every Day....01-31-03..."Focus on jkphoto"

Billie and Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

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

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   I can remember lurking when there were only a few regulars who posted, and now there are over 60,000 who have registered for posting privileges. 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 November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I can no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I've been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that doesn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why, in addition to seeing FR's Finest Military Personnel every day, I thought it might be fun to feature a different FReeper (or FReepers) each day. If you would like to be pictured, or know someone who would, please FReepmail me and we'll turn the spotlight - on YOU - for the day!

And do let me know if you'd like your picture added to the groups of Veterans/Active Military below. I will keep this page updated, and continue to add them to the comment section of the original Veteran's Day thread as well.

<

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

We now have eleven groups of veterans/active military; we will post each group of three or four twice a week, with thumbnail/links of the remaining seven or eight groups on each thread. Click on any of the thumbnails below to see the group full-size.

         

GROUP 1A: TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

GROUP 2A: TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

GROUP 3A: TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

GROUP 4A: TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

      

GROUP 9A: TOP: Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog. MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son. BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

GROUP 10A: TOP: dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon. BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

GROUP 11A: TOP: ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son. BOTTOM: AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset); WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

                     

Today's FReeper in the spotlight is jkphoto. He signed onto FreeRepublic a little over two years ago and enjoys his position as photographer for the Central Valley Chapter. JK attends many of the FResno "Support Our Troops" rallies, but you might not see much of him on the post rally threads. If you do, he'll more than likely have a camera growing out of his nose, because he is always on the 'other' side of the lens.


JK at the Tailgate Party Barbecue

He also enjoys a secondary position with FreeRepublic for which he is extremely proud. His "to-die-for" Tri-Tip, which he fixed for over 50 people at the FR Tailgate Party last July, has earned him the title of "Barbecuer-in-Chief", a titled bestowed upon him by none other than JimRob himself.


I could easily write a book about this FReeper who is near and dear to my heart, extolling his virtues, achievements and exceptional dedication to his faith, his family, his country and his profession, however, I am going to do my best to keep this short and the 'bragging' to a minimum. First of all, for those of you who may not know, he has been married to the same lovely lady for over 35 years......ME!! (And if that ain't an accomplishment, I don't know what is! LOL!)

JKPHOTO was born and raised in a military family. His father, a Commander in the Navy, retired in 1967 after giving his country 32 years of dedicated service. From early on, JK was instilled with a love for God and Country, and a sense of responsibility in honoring those principles upon which the United States was founded.

JK enlisted in the Navy in 1966 and, much to his dismay, was released shortly after with a medical discharge due to severe back problems. Even though this was during the Vietnam war, when many people were doing their best to avoid the military, he wanted to serve his country as had his father and brothers. It seems fate had other plans for him. Shortly after graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, he bought an existing photography studio in the California Central Valley and has been operating it ever since. In the profession it is known as a "bread and butter" studio; creating high quality traditional portraits consistently and serving a clientele of loyal, repeat customers. Now, thirty-five years later, he has photographed thousands of families, babies, high school seniors, weddings, pets, and children. JK also has another love pertaining to his profession, and that is teaching. He received his credentials several years ago and teaches an evening class in photography through the Adult Education program.

I am very proud of the service he has given his community through his participation in Rotary and other service organizations, and his service on the City Redevelopment Board. He is currently a member of the Planning Commission, a position he has held for many years. JK lends a voice of conservatism and common sense to issues coming before the Commission. Often he is the only voice supporting property owners in an effort to protect their rights. Not everyone can be a Governor, Congressman or Senator, but JK believes that everyone can do 'something' at the local level to help promote the conservative cause and stem the tide of liberalism sweeping the country.


JK (center) with Speaker of the House,
J. Dennis Hastert and our newly
elected Congressman, Tony Nunes.

One of his pet projects, especially during the holidays, is donating time to his favorite charity, The Salvation Army. Yes, he was one of the 'bell ringers' standing out in the cold in front of Wal-Mart last Christmas. :-)


Now, I am going to brag just a bit more about a few of his professional achievements.....

JK has received many awards over the years, not only for his photographs, but for outstanding service to the photographic profession, among them the coveted "Paul Kennedy Award" and the P.P.of A. "National Award". A major milestone in his life was in 1980-81 when he was elected President of the Professional Photographers of California, an affiliate of the Professional Photographers of America. I will not list all of his professional achievements, but sum up by saying that JK has focused his entire life on being the best he could be; the best Christian, husband, father, photographer and, contributing member of his community.

---

JK, for your dedication to your country, your community and your conservative principles, you are indeed one of
FR's Finest!



Enjoy your day in
FR's Finest Spotlight!

Thank you, jkphoto, for being
the Finest FReeper I know!

(Not to mention the Finest husband and my best friend.) ;-)

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 01-27-03 Aquamarine...A Gem of A Freeper 01-28-03 "The Taxman Cometh" 01-29-03 snippy_about_it 01-30-03 "My Two Cents" by JohnHuang2

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 an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[firewalk]

Good morning/afternoon everyone (-:

[jkphoto]

Thanks Louie, you are a good friend . . . It is soooo much fun to “poke” at you once in awhile.

I am getting hungry with everyone talking about my tri-tip. I think that I am going to have to fix some soon.

[Mama_Bear]

Oh, you said such nice things.......thank you so much. I know JK is going to be speechless over all this attention. :-)

One question, does that photo montage have pictures of your family, if so please identify. I thought I recognized "Bear"....

No, the only picture of our family is the one of Bear. Those are just some photographs that he has done recently and were already in digital format. There were others that I would have rather used, but there was no time to get them scanned. Cropping and reducing his photographs down so small really doesn't do justice to his work......but it's the best I could do.

and someday I hope to partake of that famous tri-tip (and Lori's cookies too).

Well, we'll just have to make that happen someday soon. :-)

Oh, no.......I just tuned on FOX news and am watching that mail truck hostage situation. How awful!

[ST.LOUIE1]

Excellent, fuzzy!!!!! You and your guy are special people.

Thank you, Louie. Well, if that's true, then I'd have to say, special people surround themselves with special people....
.....and you top the list! :-)
((((((((((((((((Louie)))))))))))))))))

Awwww.....the buttons just popped off my shirt. Thank you. : )

Would give you my special hug - but JK might be among us right now. LOL

And I don't like being poked in my fuzzy belly. : (

[jkphoto]

I “kinda” like her too.

It is an honor to be put in the spotlight today and I am glad that she has been put in the spotlight too for her contributions.

[Mama_Bear]

LOL! Doesn't he look soooooooo...........huggable?

Where are you finding these photos of Papa_Bear? (I thought by now I had seen every bear image on the internet.)

[ST.LOUIE1]

Thanks Louie, you are a good friend . . .
It is soooo much fun to “poke” at you once in awhile.

But...but....you poke so hard! LOL

I am getting hungry with everyone talking about my tri-tip. I think that I am going to have to fix some soon.

Don't forget to invite me. : )

Enjoy your day, Jeff!

[Marysecretary]

And God bless YOU, Lee'sGhost. Love,Mxxx

[Marysecretary]

Thanks, Mama Bear. That was a lovely tribute to your husband. Mine is also a veteran of the Korean War, although he was stationed in Germany at the time guarding Mr. Hess at Spandau Prison, and he's a patriot and fine Christian gentleman. It's nice to read a wife's glowing testimony!

[jkphoto]

Thanks Dave . . . I told Jim at the last FResno FReep that we need to set a time for the time for the next "Picnic".

[jkphoto]

you should see my photos...I cut heads off, etc.

It just takes a camera with bigger film. That way you have more space around the subject and you don't loose their heads.

Thanks for the honor.

[dansangel]

I thought maybe you were still worn out from the other day...
and this was just a copy and paste. LOL.

Never would I give you a *recycled* hug!! LOL!!!

Uh-oh....we're off again!

Maybe we'd better cool it. This is, after all, Mama_Bear's and jkphoto's time to "hug in the spotlight!"

LOL!!

[Mama_Bear]

Mama_Bear, your love for Papa is self-evident and I'm delighted you get to share him with us today.

Awwwwwww..........thanks, jw. You say the sweetest things.

It's kind of nice to bask in the glow of jk's spotlight a bit, BUT, (and this is in answer to your question, Pip) this is the closest I am ever going to get to being actually IN one of them. We have a rule around here......Finest hostesses operate the spotlight, we don't get in them. This is WAY close enough for me. LOL! :-)

[ST.LOUIE1]

I thought maybe you were still worn out from the other day...
and this was just a copy and paste. LOL.

Never would I give you a *recycled* hug!! LOL!!!

Well, I didn't 'really' think so. LOL

Uh-oh....we're off again!

Maybe we'd better cool it.
This is, after all, Mama_Bear's and jkphoto's time to "hug in the spotlight!"
LOL!!

LOL Maybe you're right....

...there's always freepmail....see ya there!

[Pippin]

We'll have to be content with that, then! :^)

But we all know you and the other hostesses contribut a lot to this thread! (don't deny it)

[Mama_Bear]

Hi, T Man......nice to see you here. Thanks for helping us spotlight our 'Finest' today. (Yep, I sure DO kinda like him.) :-)

[Mama_Bear]

I especially love this one showing him just before going to a Rotary Club Meeting:

My favorite too! He looks very spiffy in his red tie, I think. LOL.

[Lee'sGhost]

"Wouldn’t it be an interesting day if everyone posted what they are doing to support our President and our service men and women?"

Great idea!

[Mama_Bear]

I should have known you would come up with an elaborate congrats post for Jeff......it's wonderful! Thanks from both of us. :-)

[dansangel]

...there's always freepmail....see ya there!

ROFL!!!!! :-)

You've made my day! ;-)