A nice day on the ice

Bill, Anna, Ed, Hart, LeRoy and Arnold Johnson kicked back during ice-fishing on Lake Pepin. We assume that someone actually did some fishing. It probably was a fishing contest, given that they're all wearing tags, unless they were having one of those days where they couldn't remember who each other was and put on nametags. You never know, with this crowd.

Annetta and Harter

The cousins all longed to be adopted by Aunt Annette and Uncle Hart, shown here on at Castle Haven. They were always so good to us, and never made us do chores.

More pooped poopies

The Miller kids had a hard time smiling for this family photo at Fort Ord, Calif. Must parents take so many pictures?? Though the scrapblog editor is glad to have them now.

You can't smile ALL the time

Patty-Lou, ever responsible, tried to corral tired little Joanne for a family photo. Cousins Jane, Chris, Sandy, Cathy and Pam stood by.

A house for little nun-birds?

Old Frontenac's Villa Maria was the model for an elaborate birdhouse. Not sure where this one stood, or what happened to it, but it was pretty cool.

Marion in Paris

We love these slides of Aunt Marion in Europe in 1951-52. She and Alverna visited France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and England.

Fab focus

Senior cousin Leah has always had the most fashionable glasses. Even when she was out boating on Lake Pepin, she looked like a Vogue eyewear model. This photo was probably taken in the mid-1950s.

A walk with Grandma

Grandma Sprick took cousins Patty-Lou and Pam for a walk in Lake City, Minn., in fall 1957. Strollers in those days looked like a cross between a lawnmower and a shopping cart.

Brother love

Chris expressed his affection for Pam as she snoozled and sunned on the shore of Lake Superior during a Castle Haven vacation. She's gotten him back -- many times.

A good catch on the Zumbro

Uncle Ed held a nice catch during a fishing day on the Zumbro. Cousin Chris held Alfie, who was probably being a pest. (He's the sainted Alfie now, but he wasn't always.)

Family reunion in Baltimore

The little Brobergs hadn't yet been born when Marion and Wally visited the Millers in Baltimore in the early 1960s. No wonder they look so carefree! Aunt Anna also came along. Alverna was pregnant with Chatsie at the time.

Gaggle of cousins, another view

Cousins lined up, or maybe failed to line up, with Grandma Sprick and glamorous senior cousin Leah at a late 1960s gathering.

An outing with Marion

Marion shepherded Chats, Sam, Dan, Pam and Chris. We'll make a wild guess that this photo was taken at the Como Park Conservatory.

Lollipop lalapalooza

Cousins Sandy, Joe, Patty-Lou and Janie snacked on oversized lollipops in the late 1950s or early 1960s.

Kids on parade

Cousins Chris, Cathy and Pam and some friends imitated their marching dads during a birthday party at Fort Detrick, Maryland. The Miller kids always got wayyyy too much sun.

Campfire girl

If you click on this photo to make it bigger, you can more easily cousin Jane marching (near the back, prominent barrettes) with her Campfire Girls troupe. Brown was all the rage that year, we guess.

Winter fashion mavens

The Miller kids and Davy Sprick modeled winter fashions while ice-skating on Lake Pepin in the 1960s. We especially like Chris' two-hat look and Cathy's monster mittens.

Day of wine and roses?

Aunt Katie probably didn't drink all that herself.

Army buddies

Uncle Bill's Army buddies were his friends for life. At top, he's in occupied Germany with wild man Fred Ricker (now of Richardsville, Va.), one of his dearest friends and truly one the most colorful characters we've ever met. The Miller kids still correspond with Ricker, who lives in Virginia. Below, he's with Army friends he grew up with Winston-Salem, N.C., including Hope Miller (no relation that we know of), center. Hope's son, Chris Miller, whom Bill was holding, went into the Army himself two decades later and lost a leg in Vietnam.

Easy livin' in the summertime

Cousins Tuck and Chats kicked back on a summer's day in Wells Creek in Old Frontenac, Minn. Hope they washed out their own suits.

Once upon a time...

...the Millers had a picnic in a fairy-tale forest near their military-base home in Ansbach, West Germany.

You say it's your birthday (some cousin's)

Here are some more slides from the birthday party the cousins went to, but we still can't figure out whose birthday it was.

Power points

The Miller kids are pointing toward something in an inordinate number of old slides taken during their years in West Germany. Why? Alverna made us!!! :)

Grandma Sprick in a white hat

Grandma Sprick wore a white hat in this photo from an unknown time and place. Looks like it might have been taken at a state park.

Flower children

LeRoy, Ed, Adelaide and Vi posed with some lovely flowers (zinnias?) in the 1950s.

Cousins pamper a kitty

A kitty at the Schmidts' got some TLC from cousins Dan, Pam and Karl in the 1960s.

A quartet of Spricks

Joe, Mavis, Davy and Cindy posed for a family photo in the late 1960s.

At the zoo

Cousin Leah visited the Millers when they were stationed at Fort Ord, Calif., and went to the Monterey Zoo. When Chris and Pam got too annoying, she stashed them in a tree.

Brobergs visit Millers at Fort Detrick, Maryland

Marion, Wally, Sam and Dan visited the Millers during the time they were stationed in Fort Detrick, Maryland, in the mid-1960s. Here are some slides taken during their visit.

Classy friends get outta town

Old pal Laurie Hertzel and her husband, Doug Iverson, aren't Spricks, but we can't resist plagiarizing their vacation photos. You'll recognize Monet's bridge, which is not in Goodhue County, we'll tell you that right now. For some reason Laurie and Doug enjoyed getting away from their jobs at certain Twin Cities newspapers. We cannot imagine why.

A gaggle of Spricks

Another big family reunion in the 1960s. Fabulous prizes to anyone who can identify everyone in this photo. Even the scrapblog editor can't do it. (Click on the photo to make it larger.)

Cousins' ark

Cousins Karl, Sandy, Jane, Chris, Pam and Joe played in Ed's boat in the 1960s.

The Miller house's blue period

Remember when the Miller house in Old Frontenac was blue? When the Millers put up yellow siding, the kids were glad because they didn't have to house-paint every other summer, but the blue sure was pretty.