A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day...06-27-03..."Oh, The State I'm In!" ~ Pippin's Maryland

Mama_Bear and Pippin

[Mama_Bear]

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

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

Fasten your seatbelts and hang on, folks. Pippin is taking us on a whirlwind tour of Maryland.

As we take in the sights and sounds, and the flora and fauna, let's listen to Pippin's own words as she proudly tells us about her 'Finest' state.....

"Maryland is one of the original 13 colonies, having been founded in 1634 by Cecil Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore. It was the 7th colony to ratify the constitution, thus becoming our 7th state in 1789."

The Maryland state flag contains the family crests of the Calvert and the Crossland families. The black and gold representing the family of the 2nd Lord Baltimore.

"Maryland is richly steeped in history and is a great place to visit, whether it’s to find the perfect vacation spot or if you are interested in discovering America's roots. As I have said before, Maryland is a diverse state ~ an 'America in miniature'.

We have the beautiful Catoctin Mountains southwest of Baltimore, site of the Camp David Presidential retreat, and we have many lakes and rivers where fishing is the main sport activity. If you like boating, there’s the Chesapeake Bay and it’s tributaries. Every February, in Annapolis, the state capitol, they have a boat show at the Annapolis harbor where the latest in recreational boats are shown."

Annapolis Harbor

Annapolis is also home of the U.S. Naval Academy.
GO NAVY!!

"Like seafood? Maryland is famous for it’s seafood. In Baltimore we have the world’s famous Lexington Market, the oldest continuing marketplace in the country! Lexington Market started out as an open-air market for fishermen and other merchants to display and sell their goods in Baltimore City in 1789."


Lexington Market - of days gone by.

"We have Phillips seafood restaurant, with it’s really out of this world baseball crab cakes located at Lexington Market. Speaking of crab cakes, what about our famous steamed crabs and cold beer!"

"If you are into sports we have Baseball, Football, Soccer, Lacrosse, and even Jousting (I kid you not). Every year, September thru October, we have the Renaissance Festival in southern Anne Arundel County, where there is Jousting and feasting and fun 'Elizabethan style'!"

"We have our baseball team, the "Orioles" and Camden Yards, our new ballpark, built in the early 1990’s on the grounds of the old Camden train station. The main building still stands. This is must see (as well as seeing an Orioles game.) For football lovers, we have Ravens stadium just a mile from Camden Yards. The Ravens were named for Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, “The Raven”."



"Want to spend some time at the ocean? Take a trip across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Ocean City. There are condos to rent for the summer and shops to look through as well as the famous boardwalk and fantastic beaches.


Boardwalk Cam - Downtown Ocean City

I hope I’ve managed to whet your appetite and have made you curious enough to come to my state and find out why I’m so proud to be a Marylander. There is so much more to Maryland than meets the eye."

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

And, finally........

Now, as we thank our tour guide, Pippin, for introducing us to her beautiful state, why don't we all sing a rousting chorus of......
"Maryland, My Maryland".

Thou wilt not cower in the dust,
Maryland! my Maryland!
Thy gleaming sword shall never rust,
Maryland! my Maryland!
Remember Carroll's sacred trust,
Remember Howard's war-like thrust,
And all thy slumb'rers with the just,
Maryland! my Maryland!


Thank you all for coming. Hope to see you again when we tour another Finest state in this great land of ours. ~Mama_Bear

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 06-23-03...Military Monday 06-24-03...Happy Anniversary to the Finest 06-25-03...Hall of Fame in Review #4 (& Billie's Birthday) 06-26-03...John's Two Cents "Don't leave the smoking gun behind!"

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

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
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[WVNan]

Hi Mayor. Back to cold country eh? Hope you have a good job.

[WVNan]

Good night Jen. Good to see you again. God bless.

[deadhead]

Good Night All! Nice to see you here AntiJen, Prayers for your Mom. Hi Nan!!

[GailA]

I try not to miss a day..I might not be posting as much as usual, but I do read the Thread. My hands are healed of their bruises and scrapes, but the shift in the disc in my neck affect my hands much like carpal tunnel, it is getting slowly better.

[deadhead]

Hoping you feel better real soon! Get Well Prayers for you, GailA

[JustAmy]

Come on ...... after all it was her first time to commit murder. Why didn't they take that into consideration? /sarcasm

[JustAmy]

You big tattletale!!! All I was trying to do was get a little inside info.



Hey Bro ....... I am not whining!

[JustAmy]

Like I said above ...... My Bro is a tattletale and a troublemaker!

(((( Bro )))) Not will you please hush!

[knighthawk]

Everything is all right.

[Mama_Bear]

We're over HERE. Come on over!

[LadyX]

Seeing the picture of the Chincoteague ponies was a treat this morning, jw!
I actually lived in a house right on Main Street not many blocks from the center of town. A large two-story house built by a sea captain right on the Bay side had been divided into two side-by-side residences.

The Annual Roundup of the wild ponies, thinning the herds on the adjacent island, was held the last July of each year.
(Necessary to control the size of the herds so there was enough grass to eat - overpopulation meant they might starve.)

They were herded right past my house to the pens just two blocks beyond it, so I had an excellent vantage point. Chincoteague itself, incidentally, is just 2 x 7 miles long, with fishing and raising chickens the main livihoods....very superstitious locals with a distinctive English accent.

A few years ago, one of my sons (born at the Naval Station on the mainland near there) went there on vacation and was able to locate not only the house, but a person who could tell him its interesting history. It had been restored - somewhat dilapidated in my day, without central heat and air....no insulation....slanting kitchen floor!
Wondered if he built it that way deliberately, to simulate the rolling deck of his ship!
LOL

[jwfiv]

Good day to ya, Miss Maggie...Chincoteague is a magic name...when I was a little shaver, I read the book about Misty, loved it immensely.

Your story of living in a sea captain's house is wonderful...how lucky to watch the ponies run.

jwfiv, wishin' you a most wonderful day...)