Judi Morgan, San Antonio, TX Real Estate

San Antonio, TX is in the middle of celebrating FIESTA! Well, actually, we're on the downhill side FIESTA and tomorrow is Battle of Flowers Day. How do we celebrate -- with a parade of course. The first Battle of Flowers Parade was held in 1891 to honor the heroes of the battle of The Alamo and San Jacinto. The first parade had horse-drawn carriage and bicycles decorated with fresh flowers and the participants pelted each other with flowers. The parade has been held every year since 1891 with the exception of 1918 (World War I) and 1942 thru 1945 (World War II).

The Woman's Club of San Antonio is one organization that participates in The Battle of Flowers Parade. Each year 3 members are chosen (by the club President) to ride in the parade. The past 8 or so years, members have ridden in a Red, 1928 Ford Touring Car. This year is no exception -- the car was at The Woodward House (home to The Woman's Club) today undergoing it's transformation.

This is what the car looked like when "she" arrived at The Woodward House about 10:00 AM this morning.

This is what the car looks like tonight and during the Parade tomorrow.

Isn't "she" beautiful? All dressed up and ready to be in The Battle of Flowers Parade. :) Oh, I almost forgot the best part. I get to ride in this car in The Battle of Flowers Parade! I'm so excited, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight. We three ladies have coordinated our outfits for the day to go with the theme assigned our "float" -- "Texas Wildflowers". My hat is all decorated and ready -- a friend, Laura Sistrunk, decorated it for me this morning while I took care of some things at the Clubhouse.

Before. . .

After. . . :) Isn't it beautiful?!?

You'll be able to watch The Battle of Flowers Parade LIVE right here -- it'll be on from 1:00 to 4:00 PM tomorrow, Friday, April 24th -- which is Battle of Flowers Day. Oh, we're at the end of the parade -- yep, 3rd from the end (of the parade).

The Woman's Club of San Antonio's Annual Official FIESTA Flower Show was held at The Woodward House (home to The Woman's Club) on Wednesday, April 22nd and Thursday, April 23rd.

Here are some photos of the Ribbon Cutting and some of the beautiful floral arrangements entered in the Flower Show.

This one is entitled, "Designing Women" (The TV Show)

This one is entitled, "Dallas" (the TV Show)

I didn't get the name of this one -- but isn't it beautiful. :)

This one is entitled, "The Bold and The Beautiful". (yes, like the soap opera.

This one is entitled, "Gone With The Wind".

Ahhhh, FIESTA in San Antonio, TX -- there's nothing like it! Live here for a few years, and you can't help but get caught up in the fun and the history of FIESTA.

I'm a member of The Woman's Club of San Antonio -- which is a Charter Member of the San Antonio FIESTA Commission. Our Club hosts several FIESTA Events every year. Back in October of 2008, a committee was named to design our Annual FIESTA Pins & Medals. I was fortunate enough to be chosen to be on the committee and was chairman of the committee. We had a short meeting and decided to use a sculpture created by a former member of our club, Waldine Tauch. We placed the sculpture in front of a floral arrangement of white roses (our Club flower) and took pictures at different angles. I then, emailed the pictures to a graphic artist who created the initial design from the photos and emailed it back to me. After several meetings and changes, we had our final design which I presented to the Woman's Club Board of Directors for approval before placing the order.

We started with this. . .

Here's the 2009 FIESTA Pin/Medal for The Woman's Club of San Antonio. . .

Waldine was born in Schulenburg, Texas on January 28, 1892, her father was a photographer. The family moved to a ranch in Menard County and their home was a stop for the stage hack, or rental carriage. Her uncle supplied fresh horses and her mother cooked breakfast for the travelers. Waldine's carvings were displayed on a shelf around the dining room. Two travelers were so impressed with her work they influenced the family to move to Brady so the budding sculptor could have an artistic education. Mrs. F. W. Henderson, who had induced the family to move, wrote Pompeo Coppini about taking a new student. He declined. "No! Girls are not good pupils. They work one or two years, then quit. They get married. I lose all my labor." Mrs. Henderson persisted and eventually sent him a piece of Tauch's work-small enough to be easily mailed, yet intricate enough to be impressive. When Coppini received the box, opened it, pulled out the padding, and found still another box full of padding, he thought at first that a trick had been played upon him. But when he finally reached the tiny piece--depicting Little Red Riding Hood with her basket and the wolf-he accepted her immediately. Coppini invited her to live in the spacious home he and his wife had in San Antonio. Waldine came to town on June 10, 1910, just a few weeks before she graduated from high school. She feared that a postponement might change Coppini's mind. She made a promise to her mentor that she would give up marriage and family so she could give her complete devotion to her creative work-a promise she never broke. Waldine never regretted her promise, one that brought her to recognition as an artist of national stature.

The Coppinis moved to New York in 1922 and Tauch joined them there the next year. She created a statue of the four LeSueur Smith children in Pelham Manor. The late Mrs. Eli Hertzberg traveled from San Antonio to New York to pose for a bust by Tauch. The piece is located in the Tuesday Musical Club building.

Twelve years later, the Coppinis and Tauch moved back to San Antonio because of the Texas Centennial and the great amount of work they received from it.

She became an internationally known sculptor of life-size statues such as Gen. Douglas MacArthur at Howard Payne U., Moses Austin in San Antonio's City Hall Square, the Texas Ranger of Today-now in downtown Dallas. Waldine lived to be 94; she was a Club member until her stroke in October 1985. Her biography is found in From Chalk to Bronze by Alice Hutson in 1978.

It's getting close, you can feel the excitement all over San Antonio as 101 Community Organizations prepare for FIESTA SAN ANTONIO 2009! The members of The Woman's Club of San Antonio are busy putting the finishing touches on their Official FIESTA Events and participation in the FIESTA Parades.

The Woman's Club's FIESTA Pins & Medals were designed in 2008 by a committee, which I chaired! They are now officially for sale. You can contact The Woman's Club directly, contact me or you can purchase them at the FIESTA Store on Broadway.

The Fiesta Teen Queen has been selected and has already begun attending pre-FIESTA Events. The FIESTA Queens' Reception is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2009, at The Woodward House (by invitation only). We spent the day today preparing food and decorating the house -- tomorrow we add the finishing touches and will open the doors to welcome the Queens of FIESTA to a beautiful reception...be watching for photos.

The FIESTA Teen Queen Coronation is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, 2009, at the San Pedro Playhouse. This is a FREE FIESTA Event - 2:30 to 5:00 PM.

Plans for The Woman's Club of San Antonio's Annual FIESTA Luncheon, Hat Contest & Style Show, scheduled for Tuesday, April 21^st at the Rivercenter Marriott on Bowie, are being finalized. Many Woman's Club Members as well as members of the community are busy designing their FIESTA Hats to enter the FIESTA Hat Contest -- the ladies take this hat contest very seriously and coordinate their entire outfit for the FIESTA Luncheon, Hat Contest & Style Show around their FIESTA Hat. Julie Jordan and I are Co-Chairing the Hat Contest - it's going to be soooo much fun!!! (I'm chairing the Hat Contest this year!) Make your reservations now and design your hat for the contest! Seats are $55 and $75.

On Wednesday, April 22^nd and Thursday, April 23^rd, The Woman's Club will open the doors of The Woodward House to the public once more for The Official FIESTA Flower Show. Floral arrangements, table settings and horticultural exhibits are judged and ribbons are awarded. Contact the Clubhouse to get the rules and list of themes and sign up to design a beautiful floral arrangement or enter the Horticultural Division of the Flower Show. This is a FREE FIESTA EVENT.

The FIESTA Teen Queen & Teen Princesses, members of the court and members of The Woman's Club participate in the FIESTA Parades too. The FIESTA Teen Queen, Teen Princess and members of the court will be on one of the River Barge Floats in The Texas Cavalier's River Parade on Monday, April 20^th. They'll also participate in the Pilgrimage to the Alamo on Monday, April 20th and be on one of the floats in the King William Parade on Saturday, April 25th. Three Members of The Woman's Club will be chosen to represent The Woman's Club in The Battle of Flowers Parade on Friday, April 24th - I am so excited to have been asked to ride in one of the Vintage Cars in the Battle of Flowers Parade!!!

For more information about The Woman's Club of San Antonio's FIESTA 2009 Events, contact The Woodward House at 210-732-4811.

I got up early one morning a few weeks ago and noticed this beautiful view out of my breakfast room window. I grabbed my camera and ran outside! I just couldn't pass this beautiful opportunity up -- thought I'd share it you all. :)