Aunt Anna's peaceful resting place

Aunt Anna Sprick Smith, who died Sept. 16, 2012 at age 91, now lies slumbering in the family plot at St. John's Cemetery in Lake City, Minn. No headstone as of November, but one is pending. She is buried near her parents, Claus Sprick (Oct. 13, 1874-Nov. 24, 1942) and Maria Augustine Sprick (April 27, 1887-Feb. 24, 1987), and two of her brothers, Edward Sprick (Oct. 28, 1910-Jan. 20, 1985) and Clarence John Sprick (Sept. 11, 1918-Jan. 20, 1929). They are all loved and honored by their family. Rest in peace, Anna.

The Old Frontenac place: Dec. 19, 2012

Slowly and steadily, my Old Frontenac dream house is finally taking shape. As of Dec. 19, 2012, it was 3-D! A snowstorm was on the way, though, so progress may slow a little. It's likely to be up and habitable by mid-spring.

The Old Frontenac place: Nov. 14, 2012

After catching this impressive batch of crappies at Old Frontenac pond...

... our intrepid anonymous spy-reporter, who can be spotted in shadow in this photo, took a couple snapshots of foundation-laying at the Old Frontenac home project site. Looking north toward Mom and Dad's former place ... 

... and looking south toward Gardners' home and treehouse.

In memory of our good ol' cat

Noah and I recently said a sad and very reluctant farewell to our second old cat, Turtle. Miss her lots, as we continue to miss Cat No. 1 Lucy, who died last year. Very different animals, both very beloved. Both are buried deep in the peony patch in our Robbinsdale back yard, the place they loved most on Earth. In honor of Turtle-icious, three photos:

Turtle on the last day of her life, Oct. 4, 2012. She was faded and matted, but I'd been determinedly brushing and grooming her, as if that would save her, which is why she looks so clean and shiny in this photo.  Like Lucy, who died last year at almost-16, she'd been diagnosed with a terminal condition (kidney disease in her case), and rather than let her waste away and die in our loving but medically bumbling home hospice as we did Lucy, we opted to have her euthanized before it got too terrible. Everyone who's ever had to say goodbye to a beloved pet knows what that was like. :(

A photo from Noah and Turtle's wild youth, around 1998. Turtle was 1, Noah about 8. I believe Noah was in time-out for some transgression (maybe wearing Green Bay Packers garb??!!) when this photo was taken. Nothing more comforting during a time-out than a sweet pet and Winnie-the-Pooh!

Taken in summer 1997. Turtle the then-kitten was trying to get Noah to play with her rather than reading about his hero, Superman.

The Old Frontenac place: Nov. 13, 2012

A few snapshots of my home project in Old Frontenac, Minn., taken on Nov. 13, 2012:

Looking west toward the field, up the driveway into the garage area.

Some pipes (water? natural gas?) are going in. Looking southwest.

This will be the sliding-glass door leading from the great room to the screened porch. Looking southwest.

Mike Willers' folks are making it happen.

Happy, happy birthday to a wonderful aunt

Our dear Aunt Mavis has a birthday today, Happy, happy day to her! Here she is with her longtime groom, Uncle Joe, and roses.

Diggin' in that good black dirt

More photos from the Old Frontenac home project, courtesy of Uncle Joe and cousin Cindi. The first looks toward the east, the first toward the west. Check out that good Hiawatha Valley black dirt (as opposed to frac sand) -- as Aunt Annette Sprick Kulseth used to say, "You could put a dead stick in the ground there and it would grow."

Hiking with an old friend

What a kind, beautiful, wise friend I have in Karen Swanson, whom I met at Lake City High School back in the 1970s and am in contact with to this day, though she lives far away now, in California, where she is an Episcopal priest. She is in town visiting her mom this month, and we hooked up last week for our favorite activity, a nature hike. This one was out to Sandy Point on Lake Pepin, on land owned by Frontenac State Park. It's an ever-changing landscape.

Swanie near the trail's end.

Beavers have been busy changing the landscape in the area where one loop of the trail opens up along the sandy beach. The water is low after this summer of drought, and the beach is wide.

A beaver's handiwork, or rather, toothy-work.

At last, the dream is unfolding

Your scrapblog editor is beyond thrilled to report that finally, after a summer of loan- and permit-gathering, construction has begun on my small, modest, wonderful little dream home on my land in Old Frontenac, Minn., where I hope to enjoy late middle age and grow old after retirement. As the cousins know, it is right next to Mom and Dad's former home in Old Frontenac and on the land I inherited in 2002 from Aunt Annette Sprick Kulseth, lucky me. A few photos from last week's groundbreaking...

Goodbye to the old outhouse and shed...they served us well. And, as Mom (Alverna Sprick Miller) used to say, "There's 50 years of history in that place!"

Builder Mike Willers after ground was broken. You can see Mom and Dad's old place, now home to good neighbors Nathan and Jeananne, in the background.

Ground is broken! Photo by old friend Karen Swanson, who is in Minnesota visiting family, and lucky for me, me.

My dirt! My dream!

Fishy business

It's been a while since we've published any family fishing photos. Herewith, a couple...

Moriah Miller! What a catch!

What can we say about this one? It speaks for itself...and it speaks for Uncle Joe! :)

Congrats to cousin Ashley and new husband Steven!

Happy, happy congrats to beautiful cousin Ashley Sprick, married recently to Steven Hensley. Here they are with Ashley's sisters and proud parents Sarah and Dave. The best of everything to you, Ashley and Steven!

Lavone Broberg revisits her longtime family home

Lavone Broberg, paternal aunt to Dan, Sam and Sarah and a friend of our side of the family, too, recently came to lunch at my place, and on our way back to her home at 7500 York we drove by her old family home in Edina. The house has a distinctive modern look -- that's because it was designed by her brother and our late uncle, architect Wallace Broberg. Lavone lived there with her late sisters until moving after their deaths to 7500 York, where she has a very beautiful apartment that reflects her personality, history and travels.

Reading in Wabasha

Two of your scrapblog editor's worlds collided in a happy way today when good pal Laurie Hertzel traveled to the Wabasha, Minn., Public Library to do a reading from her book "News to Me: Adventures of an Accidental Journalist." Laurie and her husband, Doug Iverson, met some people near and dear to us -- Uncle Elmer (Joe) and Aunt Mavis Sprick. Dr. and Lucy Sontag were also there. Wish I could have been there too!

Laurie read from her book, which is a memoir of her early years as a journalist in Duluth that parallels the broader history of women in journalism during that time.

Two of my favorite people -- Uncle Joe and Laurie.

And another favorite person of mine and yours -- Aunt Mavis, with Laurie. Such beautiful, fashionable, wise women they are!

Laurie and Doug liked the bluff and river country along Hwy. 61, and took this photo there.

Laurie relaxed in downtown Wabasha ...

... and at the National Eagle Center. Hey! What happened to her beautiful colorful outfit? She looks different!

Rest in peace, dear Anna

Anna Sophia Sprick Smith, Oct. 16, 1920-Sept. 16, 2012

Anna Sophia Smith of Red Wing, died on Sunday Sept.16, 2012 at the Lake City Care Center. She was born Oct. 16, 1920 in Lake City, one of 12 children of Maria (Augustine) and Claus Sprick. In 1939, she graduated from Lincoln High School in Lake City. In 1943, she enlisted in the WAVES U.S. Naval Reserve and served as a Pharmacist Mate 2/c at the San Diego Naval Hospital. She provided care for servicemen who had been wounded in the Pacific Theater until she was discharged in November 1945. From there she attended Winona State Teacher’s College, graduating in 1947 and received a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1957 she received her Master of Arts degree from the University of Michigan. She married Hal Smith on May 8, 1948. They later divorced.
As an elementary school teacher, she taught two years at Bremen in Wabasha County, eight years in Upper Michigan at Escanaba and Menominee, and  30 at Jefferson School in Red Wing, retiring in 1985. In her retirement years, she was involved in various activities; at Wise Penny, Fairview Hospital Auxiliary Senior Center, Goodhue County History Center, the Sheldon Theatre and the Goodhue County Red Cross. She was a member of St John’s Lutheran Church in Red Wing, where she was an active member of the Ladies Guild. She was a lifelong member of the National Education Association, Omega Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, and Friends of the Florence Town Hall.
She is survived by two sisters, Florence Bye of St. Paul, Kate(C.J.) Kirkwood of Lake City; one brother, Elmer (Mavis) Sprick of Lake City; two stepsons, Darrell Smith of St Paul and Donald Smith of Balsam Lake, Wis.; several nieces and nephews and a number of step grandchildren and step great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, five sisters, one nephew and her former husband.
Her funeral will be 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Red Wing. Burial will be at St. John’s Cemetery in Lake City. Visitation will be held from 5 to7p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012 at the Mahn Family Funeral Home's Bodelson-Mahn Chapel in Red Wing and also at the church one hour prior to the service on Thursday. In lieu of flowers memorial are preferred to the church or Goodhue County Historical Center. Online condolences can be sent at www.mahnfamilyfuneralhome.com
 

Noah's paternal grandmother passes away

Noah's paternal grandmother, Barbara Johnson, passed away Tuesday (Sept. 4, 2012) in South Carolina, where she and Noah's grandpa, Robert, lived. She was 79. She was a beautiful woman, and loved Noah very much. Rest in peace, Barbara.

Funeral services for Mrs. Barbara Reed Johnson will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Aiken, S.C. Interment will be at Fort Jackson National Cemetery on Monday, Sept. 10, 2012 at 10 a.m. Arrangements by George Funeral Home, 211 Park Av. SW., Aiken, S.C. Mrs. Johnson, 79, of Aiken, died Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, at Anchor Health and Rehab of Aiken. A daughter of the late Ralph Brown and Verna Bell Brown, she was born in Minneapolis, Minn., and had lived in McGregor, Minn., on Big Sandy Lake, for 37 years and on Hilton Head Island before moving to Aiken in 2000. While in Minnesota, she was active with the local Lions Club and was a member of Grace Lutheran Church. She was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Aiken. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by two sisters, Betty and Joanne. She is survived by her husband, Lt. Col. Robert R. Johnson, (USAF, retired), Aiken and four sons, Gary (Betsy) Johnson of Clermont, Fla.; David Johnson of Wheaton, IL, Steven (Ann) Johnson of St. Michael. Minn., and Glenn (Linda) Johnson of Mesa, Ariz. She is also survived by seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Barb and Bob, along with Noah's dad, Steve Johnson, helped him celebrate his high school graduation in May 2007.

Bob and Barb in 1990.

Bob and Barb at their wedding.

Turtle, the geriatric cat

Turtle, my geriatric cat, now pushing 16, doesn't have the same sweet and bright personality that dear departed Lucy did, but she's not so bad, really. She only acts up when I groom her, which I determinedly do daily to keep her looking lovely. She is reasonably social and likes to eat, sleep and sit side by side with me on the back stoop every night at midnight, watching the moon and listening to the crickets. She also enjoys watching cat and/or bird videos on YouTube on my iPad late at night, though "enjoys" may be the wrong word -- they generally appear to outrage her.
Postscript: Turtle died in October 2012, we are sorry to report. She contracted kidney disease very suddenly and was miserable, and I decided not to put her through a long decline, so we opted for home euthanasia. It was very hard, and I still miss her. Her ashes are buried in my Robbinsdale back yard next to Lucy.

Prodded by us, the Twins finally win

The Minnesota Twins have been terrible lately. But tonight, when Noah and I went, they beat the Seattle Mariners 10-0 in a game that was great fun. We always love going to Target Field, but it's even greater fun when they win, eh.

This Sid Hartman is a little quieter than the one I see at work every day!

Bluegill princess

Cousin Katie S. went fishin' with her grandpa, E.W. Sprick, this week near Wabasha, Minn. To no one's surprise, with such a great guide, she caught some very large bluegills. Nice work, Katie!

Sailor man Dan

Cousin Dan Broberg has taken up yet another challenging and exhilarating sport -- sailing. Here he is with some sailing team mates recently, competing for the Burton Cup on Lake Minnetonka. They didn't win -- this time -- but we don't doubt that with cousin Dan at the helm, or maybe it's the stern, they will eventually.

Two geniuses -- huh

We were remiss in not posting this stellar photo earlier this summer. That's Uncle Sid Hartman, or a facsimile thereof, posing with cousin Katie Hagberg outside Target Field in Minneapolis before a Twins game. Couple of geniuses, for sure.

And the 2012 Burnt Wienie champ is ...

... Mavis Sprick, of course! She won for some Dumpster-diving shenanigans behind the Lake City library, during which she rescued discarded books and got shooed away at least once. There were other good nominations: for Joe Kirkwood (live-trapping an angry skunk), Kate Kirkwood (locking out Katie Hagberg), Ben Pepin (leaving the water on and flooding his apartment), Tanya Cook (getting stuck twice in her driveway and losing her keys) and Moriah Miller (bikini top fail!), but in the end, Mavis nabbed the 2012 Coveted Burnt Wienie Award. And rightly so at the Lake City VFW family party held to honor Mavis and her pardner in crime and marriage, Elmer Sprick. Thanks for arranging it, Davy "Lamar" Sprick and Cyndi Sprick O'Donoahoe! And congrats, dear Mavis!

Marty, the Marine

He's now back at Camp Pendleton, in San Diego, Calif., but Marty Broberg, who just finished boot camp and is now in infantry school, was feted this month during a brief trip back home. Congrats, Marty, on doing so well in that tough place! (We're not surprised! :) )

Miller family portrait, 2012

How they've grown since last year! (Well, except for Chris and Mary, who still look young and fresh, don't they?) The Millers Seven are, from left, Hannah, 19; Moriah, 21; Avamarie, 4; Chris, 54; Elizabeth, 9; Mary, 29, and Zachary, 24.

Moriah turns 21, and everyone celebrates

Moriah Miller turned 21 Wednesday (July 25, 2012), and decided to celebrate in spectacular fashion -- with several friends and lucky relatives (her dad, me, Zack, Noah) on a Pedal Pub in downtown Minneapolis. Never mind that it was 95 degrees with a dewpoint of 72 and rush hour downtown -- we had a great, wild time. Some snapshots:

The Pedal Pub gang.

Zack served as bartender as we all pedaled the dang thing around downtown and Dinkytown.

Moriah with pal Nick Bradac.

Oh yeah! Moriah gets wild. What a happy girl our Mo is! And she makes everyone else happy, too.

Moriah gets down! Happy Birthday, lovely, funny Mo! You make the world a better, happier place.