Happy Mother's Day, mama cousins!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in our extended family, birth and adoptive, as well as fervent good wishes to all the aunts who nurtured us! OK, uncles, too! Here's a delightful representative photo of cousin Cindi with hubby DanO, mom Mavis and dad Elmer Sprick.

Jumpin' Nick Flash

Whoa! Look at cousin Nick Broberg leap! He plays tennis for his Hopkins school's team. Nick with his tennis pardner, Eric.

Remembering Wally and Marion

Today would have been the 85th birthday of Uncle Wally (Wallace Martin Broberg, 5/10/24-4/13/89). Here's a toast to his memory! And this Mother's Day, cousins Dan, Sam and Sarah also fondly remembered their dear mom, Marion Gertrude Sprick Broberg (8/21/22-6/6/87). Here's to her wonderful memory, too!

Mo' of Mo

The scrapblog editor feels a tad guilty posting so many photos of Millers. That's what happens when you're a blog administrator, cousins! You can run amok and no one can stop you! Mwah ha ha, as the scrapblog editor's lovely niece, Moriah Miller, would say! Oh, the heady power! Anyway, here are yet more prom photos of said lovely niece Mo Miller. Mo, in kiwi green, book-ended by her mom and dad, Mary and Chris Miller, who thankfully did not accompany her to the prom. Mo and her dad, cousin Chris, whom she looks a lot like, except that she's female, young and beautiful. Mo with little sisters Hannah and Elizabeth, who wish they had a dress like that! Someday, girlses! The lucky guy, Eric, with our Mo. Mo with her dear friend Casey Olson in preprom photos at the Walker Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis. Mo and her lovely pals. Say, weren't they toddlers just a short time ago? How time flies!

Track, field, ouch!

Cousin Moriah Miller, a track and field competitor for Centennial High School, gracefully cleared a hurdle at a recent track meet. And look at her jump! But, ouch! Here she stumbled and fell during a race, scraping her legs and spraining a wrist. Oh no, Mo!

We present ... another stash of photos!

Just when you thought the scrapblog had settled down in the absence of any more old photos, we found some more! This time, they were in photo albums even deeper back in Anna's closet. Given the fresh photos and a rainy day off from work, your faithful scrapblog editor set to work posting them and making up 100 percent true captions for them. At right, for no real reason except that spring finally seems to be here, is a photo of German cousin Britta Augustin's hollyhocks that we found in Anna's stuff. Read on, cousins!

A leisurely afternoon with the aunties

Cousin Janie relaxed on Aunt Emma's lap while Vi and Adelaide read nearby. The tall, cool drinks and radiant sunshine are so appealing in this photo, one of many gems we found in Anna's scrapbooks. We think this one was taken in Aunt Annette and Uncle Hart Kulseth's living room in Maple Grove, Minn.

The cousins play cards

Cousins Leah, Joe, Janie, Sandy and Darrell played cards during a family reunion at Aunt Annette and Uncle Hart Kulseth's place in Maple Grove, Minn., in the 1960s. Looking on was Aunt Katie. We think that's Patty and Karl back by the old-fashioned TV.

Four of eight sisters

"The shed needs painting," reads the scribble on the back of this old photo of Grandma Sprick with Anna, Adelaide, Alverna and Katie at her old place on Washington Avenue in Lake City, Minn. The shed is still there, and still needs painting, we noticed the other day on a walk through Lake City.

Anna's very good friend Jan

Anna in 1993 with her longtime neighbor and dear friend Jan Suhanek. She remains a wonderful friend, visiting Anna often in her Red Wing, Minn., apartment. Jan also has taken time to show Anna the blog. Thanks so much, Jan! You're wonderful!

A proud homeowner

Cousin JoAnne Schmidt keeps her place along Hwy. 61 south of Red Wing neat as a pin, with lovely flowers on the front porch. Here she is in August 1995.

Mr. and Mrs.

A nice portrait of cousins Steve and Patty Pepin.

It's hard to sing when it's so ding-dang hot

Sweet little cousins Moriah and Hannah Miller sweated through a performance of "I Have a Little Teapot" for their relatives at Grandma Miller's place in July 1995. Disembodied hand, at right, kept them from keeling over.

Sandy and kiddos

Love this photo of cousin Sandy Kirkwood Turner when her wonderful kids, Paul and Kelly, were younger. They're all grown up now. Kelly's glamorous high school graduation photo, 2004.

Tres fab Flo

Florence Sprick as a young woman. We believe this was taken when she graduated from nursing school. Or maybe confirmation or graduation? Now that Flo has a computer and checks out the blog, she can let us know and we'll update it. Florence and Harry Greason welcomed in 2004 at the Beaumont German Club buffet and dance in Beaumont, Calif. A recent photo of Florence, who never seems to age.

Katie Jo get a visit from Aunt Anna

Katie Jo Sprick may have been one of the politest little kids Anna ever visited. First, they read a book. Next, they sang "I Have a Little Baby Bumblebee." Then they had a tea party! No wonder Katie Jo was elected prom queen last week! She has royal manners.

Reading to children

Cousin Danny read to Christine and David Pepin. Love Christine's cow-spot jammies and stuffed Holstein toy. Aunt Anna read to cousin Noah. We love it how little kids hug their stuffed animals whilst listening to a good book.

Stump-in scenes from Waldesruh

Not sure what Mavis and Joe were doing at this Stump-in, held at Waldesruh on their 25th wedding anniversary (1974?). Cleaning fish? What's even more disturbing is that they're using a Star Tribune notebook as a cutting board (click on the photo to make the evidence larger and easier to see). Several people who should be looking on -- Danny Broberg, Annette and Hart Kulseth, Margaret Lamont, Terri Lamont, Bobby Lamont and Patty Pepin -- are instead gazing wistfully upon the Burnt Wienie Award at right. Tuck, Grandma Sprick and Sammy prepared for an exciting program at a Stump-in in September 1977.

Runaways?

Not sure where this May 1994 photo was taken, but looks like some of our relatives were high-tailin' it for the Equator. From left, they are Mavis, Anna, Sarah, K., C., Bill and Alverna.

Fishin' buddies

The youngest Sprick auntie, Katie, was a favored fishing partner for older brother Ed before and after he fought in World War II. Out in Ed's boat on a windy summer day. Drinking -- er -- coffee from a Thermos in an ice fishing shack.

This one's for you, Christine!

All the cousins are pretty nice to the scrapblog editor, but none greets her with the same delight as cousin Christine Pepin, who also claps with happiness when shown the blog. Here are some great Christine photos, just for her! Hi, Chris! She wished us all a Happy New Year on Dec. 31, 1993. Christine danced in a spring bunny hop in early 1994. Sporting a truly magnificent smile and hair ribbon in August 1994.

Leah and Marion

Cousin Leah posed proudly with her Aunt Marion Sprick, looking sharp in her Army nurse uniform, in the mid-1940s.

A beautiful, brainy cousin

Delighted to find these photos of cousin Tanya Cook in Anna's scrapbooks. Here's to Tanya, beautiful like her mom and grandma and deeply philosophical like her grandpa! Tanya's 1994 high school graduation photo. No one makes denim look more feminine! Tanya with husband Levi Cook and their first child, Sonya, at Easter 2002. Sonya was joined in 2003 by little Maria. They've since welcomed Perrin, too.

The fisherman poet

In the tradition of Henry David Thoreau, Uncle Joe is both outdoorsman and philosopher. This past week, a reverie he wrote for us was published as a poem in the Rochester Post-Bulletin. The scrapblog editor, who will be magnanimous and decline to sue for copyright violation, can't seem to get into the Post-Bulletin's site tonight to nab a link to it, but will try again from a different computer. In the meantime, here are some photos honoring our fisherman-poet. Uncle Joe (Elmer Sprick) as a young fella, complete with wide silk tie. Found this photo of Joe and Mavis in Anna's old photo album. Not sure what the punch line referred to, no doubt something about the fine old tree behind them. Some fish Uncle Joe caught once. Basically, he catches this many almost every day. The caption on this undated photo read, "A good day's catch from Lake Pepin." In August 1995, Joe caught this impressive 40-inch northern.

Enter genius

Well, that's what Sid might say, anyway. Cousin Christopher Edward Miller was born on Jan. 21, 1958. Found these baby photos in Anna's old scrapbook: Dad (William Alton Miller) was pleased as punch. Sister Pam wasn't so sure. Little CMill made goo-goo faces at Aunt Anna as PMill looked on.