Review/Preview of Chapters
The Eagles' Nest, Women of the Rathskeller Inn
Alabama and Its Influence on the Rathskeller Inn
The chapter that follows, beginning in 1964, provides a deeper understanding of The Eagle’s Nest storyline. It is a historical account of the days and times of Rathskeller and the ever-changing social changes during the 1960s and beyond.
The chapter is important for two reasons. For some, it is a walk down memory lane. Second, Chapter 15 provides insight into the complexity of the times and how women firmly established themselves as businesswomen in the 1960s. They were survivors, courageously fearless, and while they did not do everything right, they did many things well. A lifetime of trauma had made them warriors. In their fight to overcome, ignore, and/or maneuver laws that hindered them as women and businesswomen, they often had to fight to build and maintain the success they had rightfully earned. Along the way, Jackie and Ann did far less harm than Lolly.
The upcoming Chapter 15 may seem like a detour from the story. It is not. It is integral to the women’s journey and the Rathskeller's path regarding the social changes occurring at the time. The events you will soon read about in the summer of 1964 deeply affected and forever changed Jackie. It also deepened the already solid foundation on which the Rathskeller was built, one of tolerance and inclusivity.
Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” could have been Ann, Jackie, and Lolly’s anthem. The poem depicts the agony of decision-making and the rewards (or consequences) of forging one’s path. The poem is shared at the end of this post.
In 1964, the consequences of that summer became another less-traveled path. It would also keep the three women forever tied and involved in each other’s lives until their respective deaths. Over time, this slight but significant detour will become clear and provide even deeper insight into the complexity of their lives, both as business partners and as a family.
Thank you for reading and supporting The Eagle’s Nest, The Women of the Rathskeller Inn. I am grateful. They, too, may be grateful.
If this is your first visit to The Eagle’s Nest, The Women of the Rathskeller Inn, here is what you have missed so far. The early chapters are complimentary to all subscribers.
Introduction
PART ONE
Chapter 1 - The Grand Dame Anna Brass & the Wallace Bordellos (Ann McIntyre’s mother)
Chapter 2 - The Many Faces of Ann - (matriarch and mother to Lolly and Jackie in the Eagle’s Nest)
Chapter 3 - Verla Lolly Wheeler - The Hammer (Ann’s oldest daughter in the Eagles’ Nest)
Chapter 4 - Jackie, The Redheaded, Blue Eyes Outlier (Ann’s youngest daughter in the Eagle’s Nest)
Chapter 5 - The Men Who Made the Difference
Chapter 6 - Those Who Served - Members of the TGIF Hall of Fame
PART TWO
Chapter 7 - The Heart of It All
Chapter 8 - A Cataclysmic Change of Heart
Chapter 9 - 1323 Lakeside, 1324 Sherman - Two Different Worlds
Chapter 10 - Day to Night - Darkness to Light
1964
Chapter 11 - Wallace Comes to Coeur d’Alene
Chapter 12 - A fairytale with a Fiery Ending
Chapter 13 - Run, Run, Run Away
Up next:
Chapter 14 - A Red-Carpet Grand Opening
Chapter 15 - Alabama, Fudgsicles, and Many Unhappy Returns (Part One and Part Two)
1965
Chapter 16 - Candle, Candle Burning Bright - A Debt Became Due
Chapter 17 - A Million Gallons of Beer to Drown Your Sorrows
Chapter 18 - They Left Their Hearts in San Francisco
…. still more to come … stay tuned!
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.