A few days in Goodhue County with the nieces

Your scrapblog editor enjoyed five delightful days in Lake City, Minn., last week with nieces Moriah and Elizabeth Miller. A few snapshots:

Every night we drove up to Frontenac State Park to see pretty views, deer and fireflies. Moriah took this photo of herself and me up at the top of the hill. In typical foggy-53-year-old-brain fashion, I forgot to take my camera on this trip, so all of these photos are from Mo's camera. Every night at the park we saw deer, too many to count.

One day we hiked out to Sand Point, the Wells Creek delta on Lake Pepin. The beach was flooded by recent heavy rains, but we still saw interesting things, including thousands of tiny frogs in the marsh beneath the boardwalk portion of the trail. Elizabeth, 6, did NOT like the frogs. She did like finding this feather, perhaps from an immature bald eagle, as well as buckets of rocks, shells and driftwood.

On the boardwalk portion of the trail to Sand Point.

Mo on the trail to Sand Point. Mo had her trusty cell phone at all times, which allowed instant communication with a delightful, handsome young man who visited us one evening. :)

Portrait of the young women as artists: Continuing a Miller family tradition, Moriah and Elizabeth painted the rocks they'd found on the beach in the evening on Auntie Pam's patio.

We visited Grandpa Bill Miller's memorial bench outside the Florence Town Hall in New Frontenac, Minn. (There is also a Bill and Alverna Miller memorial bench at the big field in Old Frontenac.)

The plaque on Dad's memorial bench.

Here's the house the Miller kids grew up in. The current owner has let the raspberry bushes go to weeds, which would have vexed Mom, but she's a fine neighbor to my Old Frontenac land.

Elizabeth picked a daisy on my land in Old Frontenac.

Moriah, ever the athlete, whacked a whiffle ball to kingdom come on my Old Frontenac land. That's the world's finest outhouse in the background.

Mo in Old Frontenac.

We visited the Old Frontenac beach almost every night, because it's Our Place (one of several).

Moriah executed a perfect cartwheel on the beach, just for fun.

The decaying, haunted old hotel on the Old Frontenac beach is going back to nature. Bats and swallows flew in and out of it. Elizabeth wanted to go in, but Auntie Pam didn't let her, because it's falling apart and probably dangerous.

We took a couple trips to the Colvill Aquatic Park pool in Red Wing, Minn. Elizabeth is a fine little swimmer, and Moriah a wonderful big sister lifeguard.

Everything Moriah does is athletic. Here she walked around the pool on her hands.

Waterski Days in Lake City

Uncle Joe provided this report from Lake City, Minn., Waterski Days 2010, which took place last weekend under sultry skies: "The Cookies [Sonya, Maria and Levi, children of Tanya and Levi Cook, grandchildren of Cindi Sprick O'Donahoe] remained undaunted by the pouring rain, and by the the time the parade was over, the sun had come out, they each had a bag full of goodies and were dry once again. Weekend highlights included a meal of bluegills, feeding the ducks, catching minnows, playing with Angela's girls as well as with the Miller girls, Great-Grandmother Mavis Sprick'ss cooking and desserts, a hike in Frontenac State Park and of course the two-hour parade with lots of candy being thrown around." Some photos:

That's mom Tanya Cook with Maria, Sonya and Perrin.

Maria, Sonya and Perrin.

Sonya, Perrin and Maria in Great-Grandpa Elmer (Joe) Sprick's immaculate Lake City garage.

The Millers' Memorial Day

The Millers got together to sit around and eat in Robbinsdale on Memorial Day with Pam's friendly neighbors. Cousin Chats weighed in by phone, and there were several toasts (most featuring ice cream) to the memory of Grandpa Bill and Grannie Alverna. Some snapshots follow: When the Robbinsdale ice cream truck drove by, everyone got ice cream. Elizabeth's was the Pink Panther.

All Millers like ice cream. Later on they shared root beer floats and ice cream cones with Pam's neighbors.

Noah, girlfriend Jamie and pal Ryan LaPointe also had ice cream bars from the truck -- Scooby Doo, Batman and Bugs Bunny bars.

Avamarie before her Shrek ice cream bar melted all over her and Moriah.

Sisters Avamarie, Moriah and Hannah.

Chris, Moriah and Hannah sat around, a favorite Miller family activity. Your scrapblog editor is sorry not to have a photo of Zachary, who was very much present and whose status as the first Miller of his generation to graduate from college was much celebrated. (Stout, engineering -- holler if anyone sees any jobs out there. Zack will be terrific at anything he does.)

At the Robbinsdale playground, Chris surveyed Avamarie for signs of the motion sickness that plagues many Millers. None showed up.

Noah's sunglasses were a hit with Avamarie.

Then it was off to the playground to do some gymnastics. Elizabeth worked on the monkey bars under the eagle eye of her big sis, athlete and all-around awesome Moriah.

I stepped in to offer some monkey-bar advice.

Then former cheerleader Mary Miller got into the act. But she was a little out of practice, and had to be rescued by Moriah.

Two great days off

Your scrapblog editor likes her job, but likes her days off much, much more. Here's how I spent my "weekend" (Tuesday and Wednesday) this week: After a feisty little thunderstorm, the evening skies over Lake Pepin grew mild, so Uncle Joe got his boat out and kindly took me out fishing. We caught a few saugers, gawked at a bald eagle that swooped low over the boat and admired the lake in the evening light.

The "First Creek" delta as seen from the boat.

The mild evening sky.

Earlier in the day, we fished for bluegills at the Lake City marina. I pulled in this lunker.

Uncle Joe always makes the hard work of fish-cleaning look easy.

On Wednesday evening, back in the Twin Cities, it was time for dinner with my old Duluth friends, Laurie Hertzel and Kristi Fuller, at Caffe Biaggio in St. Paul. An excellent evening that capped off a perfect "weekend."

A major May for Marty

Cousin Marty Broberg, he of wrestling and rugby fame, looks good as a gentleman, too. Here he is with prom date Sammi. Marty, 18, will graduate from Hopkins High School this month. Congrats, Marty!

Congrats to Zack on his college graduation!

Congratulations to cousin Zachary Miller, 22, son of Chris and Mary, nephew of the scrapblog editor, on his graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie. Zack, who has a keen mind and a bottomless good heart, graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. Jobs are scarce these days, but we don't doubt that he'll find one before too long. Some family photos from his graduation this past Saturday: Zachary William Miller, 22. Wouldn't Bill and Alverna have been proud of their handsome grandson? Zack and his siblings: Moriah, 18; Hannah, 16; Elizabeth, 6, and Avamarie, 2. With his siblings and parents, Mary and Chris. Elizabeth sure looks up to her big brother! With sister Moriah, 18. Moriah just finished her freshman year at Minnesota State University-Mankato. Zack with his proud parents, Mary and Chris. With sister Hannah, 16. With little sis Avamarie, 2. Oh, that zany Elizabeth! We don't doubt that someday she, too, will wear the graduation cap. Zachary and Elizabeth. Zack was the one who first charmed Elizabeth into becoming a Miller. Elizabeth communed with dandelions during the graduation photo shoot. It's good for us adults, so intent on eradicating the dandelion from our yards, to remember how much kids love the fragrant little weed. Izzbee snoozled in the car after a long day of graduation festivities.

Good grief, Charlie Brown! A Mother's Day moment

Your scrapblog editor, the Strib's weekend editor, had to work Mother's Day, but enjoyed a nice visit with son Noah, 20, and his girlfriend, Jamie. Jamie took this shot of us posed with Charlie Brown in front of the Strib building.

A new address for cousin Sarah

Cousin Sarah Broberg, who has kept us all hopping for decades (as in this classic "Akaba!" photo from the 1960s), is slowing down a little, having a few health problems that are sadly common for people in their 40s with Down syndrome, including possible symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Recently, brothers Sam and Dan saw Sarah moved into a new group home in Richfield that can provide more intensive care better suited to her current needs. Sarah's new address: Sarah Broberg 6241 Thomas Ave. Richfield, Minn. 55413 612-861-7335

A tableful of cousins and elders

Your scrapblog editor was delighted to have learned via top-secret sources about a gala impromptu lunch of cousins and elders Wednesday at the Chickadee in Lake City, Minn., a glamorous event she enthusiastically crashed. It's rare to find that many relatives together in the same place, so your scrapblog editor whipped her camera out of her oversized pink purse faster than you can say "Sprick-o-rama." A couple of snaphots: Awaiting their delicious entrees were Uncle C.J. "John" Kirkwood, Kate Sprick Kirkwood, Harry Greason, E.W. "Joe" Sprick, Mavis LaMont Sprick, Florence Sprick Bye and Patty-Lou Pepin. Everyone was fairly well-behaved.

Florence Sprick Bye, Patty-Lou Pepin, Christine Pepin, C.J. "John" Kirkwood and Kate Sprick Kirkwood shared the latest family news. Much of it was about esteemed elder Aunt Anna Sprick Smith, whose memory is failing but whose good heart remains intact in the nearby Lake City Nursing Home. P.S. Almost everyone ordered a menu item called "The Old-Fashioned." Figgers, eh?

A cousin who can fly

Here's a YouTube link to a delightful little film clip of cousin Moriah Miller's flight at a recent Mankato State University track meet (the photographer she hugs at the end is Mary, her mom).