Fisherwoman

Aunt Mavis showed off a fine sauger she'd caught in this excellent photo from the 1950s. Thanks to E.W., who not coincidentally is standing next to Mavis, for submitting it. We hope you cousins are looking under your beds and in your attics for vintage family photos, because we ran out again.

Friend-o-rama

The scrapblog editor was madly typing away on an extremely important Star Tribune work document yesterday when she happened to glance up and see these three knuckleheads staring at her. Totos, Chris Welsch and Colleen Stoxen can always be counted on to provide a sane distraction from extremely important work documents. In this case, they had come by on an intervention -- to confront the scrapblog editor about her disturbing dependence on Tab cola and its key ingredient, caffeine. After they gave up on that noble effort, we analyzed the Oscars, the state of journalism, the music of Edith Piaf and several other trends and topics. They're terrific friends, and can intervene anytime.

A winter weekend getaway

Your favorite scrapblog editor and good pal Sabrina spent this past weekend on our annual February pilgrimage to Lake Superior. We stayed at the luxurious Grand Superior Lodge. Above, you can see the view out our suite's window; the great lake is mostly open this winter. Below, we bundled up for a walk in the wind in Grand Marais. At right, Brina-Bird in front of the fire, where she did grad-school homework and we read books, drank wine, ate spaghetti and played the Question Game, which you cousins may recall as a staple entertainment at the former Old Frontenac cabin.

A bridge too far gone?

Family friend Bill Hoffmeyer recently submitted this photo of the Celebration Belle steamboat toodling up our family's favorite river, the Mississippi, which you may have heard of. The bridge in question, the Hwy. 61 span over the river at Hastings, Minn., has a safety rating similar to the Interstate 35 bridge, and you-all know what happened there. When crossing it, cousins, drive real fast!

The cousin and the candidate

Who's running for president here? Perhaps Barack Obama did so well in this week's Wisconsin primary because he shook the right hands. Here, our own cousin Davy, aka University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Police Chief David Sprick, met Barack during his campaign swing into Eau Claire. A Secret Service agent took this photo. For all we know, Barack asked Davy to be his running mate. A Lamar as vice president??!! Hey! Weirder things have happened. Seriously, we're proud of Davy, and thrilled to have this photo.

Stanford-bound

Cousin C. is at Stanford now. How swiftly the years have flown since she celebrated one of her early New Year's birthdays! We love the hat, the hair, the hands, the smile. She looks just like her mom, her dad, her grandma and her grandpa -- and just like herself.

A whisper of a girl on a horse

That's little cousin K., now a high school student, channeling her inner cowgirl back in the 1990s. We love the pink dungarees.

When winter is harshest, they go campin'

It got really, seriously, dangerously, deathly cold last weekend, so naturally cousin Dan and son M., our very own Jack London and Jack London Junior, decided to go camping. Here's Dan's report: "We started at the Boy Scout base on Moose Lake and trekked north to the Canadian border. We camped on the American side of Sucker Lake. Also got a chance for a dogsled ride. Slept Saturday and Sunday nights in the quinzees we built. Total was only 14 miles round trip, but that was pretty tough (at least for me) pulling a sled in the snow." We fully expect them to report to us that on their next three-day weekend, they'll be climbing K-2 in the Himalayas -- "just K-2, not Everest."

The littlest member of our extended family

Thomas the Tank Engine, a favorite fictional character with many former children we know, is now popular with little P., son of cousin Tanya, grandson of cousin Cindi, great-grandson of Joe and Mavis. P.'s a darlin', and we hope he enjoys useful little Thomas and the evil Diesel.

Super sweet

This sweet cherub is Monty Leiser, son of cousin Cindi and grandson of Joe and Mavis. He's now a strapping, handsome, bearded college student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. And still a super kid!

More dispatches from the Western front

This telegram informed widow Maria Sprick of Lake City, Minn., and her other children that her eldest son, Edward Henry Sprick, was sufficiently healed of his Normandy wounds to plunge right back into the fighting in September 1944 in France, Luxembourg, then Germany. (Now, was that good news, or bad news?)

Uncle Ed, right, posed with three buddies in Rheims, in northeastern France. Rheims was a "rest area" for weary Allied soldiers during the fighting, and the city in which the Germans surrendered to the Allies on May 7, 1945. We're not sure when this photo was taken, but judging by the happy looks on the GIs' faces and the combat medals on their newly clean uniforms, it was around that time.

Beauty with a basket

In this photo of delicious picnic food about to be unloaded onto a table near Lake Pepin on a sunny day in the 1940s, you may also notice a Sprick. That's Aunt Marion, of course, looking glamorous, with her trademark Mona Lisa smile.

Leah and the aunties

Cousin Leah posed with her doting aunts, Anna, Alverna and Marion, in 1944. Marion was home on leave from her work as a U.S. Army nurse in Colorado.

Catching up with Grandma Sprick

Cousins Pam and Sam chatted with Grandma Sprick in this photo, taken we think at Christmas 1985 at the Millers' in Old Frontenac, Minn. All you other cousins should be as polite as Pam and Sam. (Right, Sammy?)

Cousin Chris apparently from Mars!

We have no idea when, where or why this outstanding photo of cousin ChrisMiller!ChrisMiller! was taken. But say, we like it.

Pam's hair, as styled by Alverna

How to style little cousin Pam's hair? Alverna had a lot of fun with the hapless scrapblog editor's early coiffure. In the top photo, taken in 1962, when I was 5 and in first grade at the American military school in Ansbach, Germany, Alverna opted for au naturel. In the bottom photo, taken in 1961 when I was a 4-year-old kindergartener at the U.S. Army school in Fort Ord, Calif., curly was the word. Perhaps the curls doubled as earmuffs?

Bathing beauties

Marion and Annette in 1944. We're not 100 percent sure who the woman at left is. She looks a little like Adelaide, a little like Alverna, but we just aren't sure.

An ideal young Lutheran

In the 1950s, the Minneapolis Star ran this photo of Uncle Wally Broberg, at left, before he met and married Aunt Marion Sprick. (Click on the clipping to make it larger and easier to read.)

Never-before-seen photos of Ed

We'd never seen these photos of Uncle Ed, which we found in his World War II scrapbook. Has any of you? There was no info on when or where they were taken, but the single strip on his arm indicates that it was early on in his military adventure, perhaps at boot camp.

A bright moment in a dark Christmas

How moved Grandma Sprick, who had recently lost her husband and farm and must have been very worried about her firstborn son, must have been to receive this Christmas card from overseas in the bleak winter of 1944:

Our dapper uncle

Dapper as always, Uncle Joe, here in his Navy uniform, posed with good buddy Hans Peters. Elmer could have given Hansie a few tips about proper pants lengths, we think. But seriously, we're so proud of our uncles and aunts and their service to our country during this pivotal time in its history.

Hair-raising

What's with the high hair in the 1940s? Several posts down, you'll find a hairdo like this on Uncle Wally. Here you see it on Uncle Joe, who thankfully remains alive and well and can defend himself. Well, Elmer? Was Bryl-creem on sale, or what? That's Uncle Ed with our Elmer, home on leave after boot camp and before heading out to the beaches of sunny, bloody France. Perhaps Elmer's hair was raised out of sheer worry for his older brother. We could sure understand that. Addendum: Elmer sent this comment: "It wasn't a hairstyle. I just never combed it."

Another mystery from our history

In Uncle Ed's World War II scrapbook, we found a page labeled "World War No. 1: How Times Have Changed." On it were a couple of World War I photos of this fellow, labeled Henry Sprick. Which Henry Sprick, we wonder? We're hoping our highly paid senior investigative staff (Elmer, Anna and Kate) can solve this mystery for us. Addendum: The scrapblog's senior historian, investigative reporter, photographer and Solomonesque spirit, E.W. Sprick, writes to us that Henry Sprick was the half-brother of our grandfather, Claus Sprick, and that he survived World War I only to be killed by a falling tree. Such are life's ironies. Addendum II: Nancy Sprick Kohrs, a distant relative, kindly sent us this information: "Henry Sprick is the son of Fred and Margaret Sprick ( Fred's second wife). He was my dad's uncle. I have similar photos of Henry. His full name was Henry William Sprick, born 08 Feb 1889 and deceased on 16 Feb 1961. He was married to Amanda Rademacher. Their children were Rogene, Richard and Kenneth." Thanks, Nancy!

Topless scrapblog editor wins beauty contest!

Actually, that shocking headline is true. This 1957 photo of cousin Pam won a contest and was featured on the cover of now-defunct Baby magazine. What can we say? It was Alverna's idea.

Scrapblog editor graduates from high school!

Well, actually she graduated in 1974, from Lincoln High School in Lake City, Minn. This was her graduation photo. Her hairstyle (or lack thereof) was exactly the same as every other girl's in her class of 103.

Miller kids in blonder days

The Miller kids in 1961... Pam before braces and three eye surgeries to fix that exotropia thing. Chris still pretty much looks like this, only is taller and more cynical. Back then, neither of them had to spray Blonde-In hair lightener on at the beach, like they do now. Chats was quite cute (still is). We think she looks a lot like her nephew Noah did as a baby, except of course he was a boy, and grubbier.

Another treasure chest of family history is found

Cousins and elders, we're thrilled to report that another priceless stash of dusty family photos has been unearthed, this time in cousin Dan's cabin in Old Frontenac, Minn. He found Uncle Ed's World War II scrapbook and several Broberg family collections. We've posted some of these treasures below, and will continue to do so in the days to come. We'll start with these items: World War II: Our uncle, Sgt. Edward Henry Sprick, 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. We don't know if this photo was taken during his training in Tennessee in 1943-44 or in Germany's Hurtgen Forest in the winter of 1944-45. Given the smile on his face and the relative neatness of his attire, we'll guess the former. The Spricks must have been beside themselves when they got this telegram (click on it to make it bigger and easier to read). The word "slightly" is misleading; Ed was badly wounded and evacuated to England to recuperate for almost three months before being sent right back into even fiercer battles. Bad as it was, it could have been worse -- much worse.

The funny Sprick

Uncle LeRoy's unmatchable smile and humor shone through in this April 1977 photo in the Lake City Graphic (click on it to make it bigger and easier to read): Uncle Joe sent this story about LeRoy: "Doc Sontag, who lived next door to LeRoy, was called over when LeRoy had his fatal heart attack. He told me that he was able to briefly revive LeRoy and that his last words were, "I didn't know you made house calls, Doc."

Our own Marion in a newspaper photo

On Dec. 30, 1944, an Associated Press photographer snapped this photograph at Fitzsimons Hospital in Denver, Colo., which served severely wounded soldiers from the fronts in Europe and the Pacific. The patient was one Sgt. Emory Hurd, wounded when he was shot down over France. The nurse was Marion Sprick. That's Aunt Marion to some of us, and Mom to others. Sweet as this guy looks, with his imposing model airplane and all, we're glad she went on to marry Wally, and not him.

To wounded veterans, an angel in nurse's garb

Aunt Marion trained as a military nurse and cared for wounded veterans in Minnesota, Texas and Colorado. We found these photos and snippets in her old scrapbook: Marion as a nurse-in-training at Northwestern College of Nursing in Minneapolis. The young military nurse in Texas. Marion clearly treasured this nurses' prayer, which she kept tucked in a place of honor among her old things. As prayers go, this one is primo, and we think she lived it out very well.

From a nurse's scrapbook

It was 1944, and a young blond nurse from Minnesota was caring for wounded soldiers at Fitzsimons Hospital in Denver, Colo. She kept a scrapbook... Our own Marion, whose skills and gentleness as a nurse led many a wounded young soldier to write her a note or poem or to sketch a picture. She kept many of them in her scrapbook. Among the wounded in Marion's ward were a number of young Japanese-American soldiers. She kept this newspaper story about them along with a note about getting to know them and several photos of them (click on the story to make it legible). All her life, Marion shunned racism and stereotypes, serving as a model to us all. While at the Denver hospital, Marion met, "conversed with" and shook hands with Helen Keller, according to her scrapbook notes. She kept this newspaper clipping.

Another sunny day, another Sprick picnic

In this photo of delicious picnic food, you may also notice some Spricks. Young aunts Florence, Annette and Marion chowed down in this 1940s scene.

Lake City, then and now

Aunt Marion sent this postcard of Lake City, Minn., to Uncle Ed, serving in the U.S. Army in Europe, in 1945. He carried it around with him. If you go to the main street of Lake City now and squint, it still looks a little like this.

Like father, like son

Just like his rock 'n' roll dad, cousin Sam, at his age, young A-Bro plays the electric guitar. He even loves some of the same '70s and '80s stuff his dad dug.