Hiking on the bluffs of their childhood

Ed, Alverna and Katie were among the Sprick siblings who took a sentimental stroll on the Spricks' former farm in the late 1940s. As children, they would play in this area. The scrapbook caption on this photo read: "Ed thought this was much more pleasant than scouting for Krauts." The scrapbook caption on this photo read: "Katie got in the way of the scenery." Alverna wrote that. Siblings! The scrapbook caption on this photo read: "Katie found the first crocuses. They were on "the first hill." Alverna picked flowers on "the second hill." Senior scrapblog correspondent and research historian E.W. Sprick describes the location of their walk, and the farm, thusly: "As a forester, I might describe it as E1/2 of the SW1/4 and the W1/2 of the SE1/4 of section 22 and the NENW, NWNE of section 27 of Township 110 north-range 12 west in Wabasha County. [Got that, cousins?] To the Sprick family, it was a 240-acre farm in West Albany Township about 10 miles south of Lake City and 1/4 mile west of County Rd. 4. The south end of the farm had two deep wooded coulees and bluffs overlooking the Zumbro River bottoms. In the spring, the first flowers to bloom in the snow were the pasqueflowers on the south exposure of the bluffs. We mistakenly called the flowers crocuses. Incidently, the bluff land acreage, once considered worthless except for firewood, is now selling for twice the price of the adjacent cropland to people who use it for hunting."

Leah and the WAVE

Anna, dapper and glamorous in her WAVE uniform, visited with cousin Leah and her doll in the 1940s.

A couple sweet notes Leah wrote to her aunt during Anna's Navy service in California:

Still all dressed up

The Sprick aunts continued their dressed-up ways into middle age. In this photo taken at Christmas 1977 at the Brobergs' Old Frontenac cabin, the glamour gals were Tex, Alverna, Florence, Annette, Katie, Grandma Sprick, Marion and Anna.

Hoola lalapalooza

Cousins Cindi and Davy played hoola hoops in the 1950s. Hope they didn't knock over the vintage TV or any priceless blue plates.

A summer day on the swings

Cousins Sandy and Janie Kirkwood played on some swings in the 1950s. Note how all the little cousins, no matter what generation they were in, had the same boxy little hairdo. Cute, though.

Stairstep aunties

Just when we think we've seen every photo there is of the aunts in a line, another one shows up. In this one, the aunties were arranged by height, just for fun. Adelaide, Alverna, Florence, Katie and Anna looked their lovely best, as always. Click on this one to make it bigger so you can see Katie's butterfly motif.

Anna and Emma

Anna and Emma posed in the 1940s. We think they're prettier than the movie stars of that era. Being Spricks, they probably never realized it, though.

Blue jean babes

The three daughters of cousins Dave and Sarah posed for a Christmas photo in 1996. A. was 11, C. was 8, and K. was 4. We see a little of Elmer and Mavis in their sweet faces (and some of their Heisler grandparents, too). Lovely, lucky kids.

"Say, Mom, can I get a mullet, too?"

Cousin Chris, resplendent in an early-phase mullet, and cousin Mare-Bear, with Farah Fawcett hair, held little Noah in 1990.

Rub a dub-dub, three cousins in a tub

Cousins Princessa H., Countessa M. and Noah, now all dignified teenagers, will no doubt be embarrassed to see this one. The Millers always conserved water by putting three-four kids in the bathtub at the same time. Then some aunt or uncle, acting as a lifeguard, would sit on the closed toilet reading the newspaper. When the newspaper was thoroughly soaked, you knew it was time to get the kids out of the tub and pop them into their jammies.

Dessert-orama

In this photo of delectable desserts and strong coffee served amid peonies on a genuine plastic tablecloth, you may also notice some Spricks. Everyone always smiled at dinnertime. Dining here were John, Wally, Bill, Chris, Marion, Hart and Anna. The time: May 1974. The place: the Millers' in Old Frontenac, Minn. The occasion: cousin Cathy's Lutheran confirmation.

Uncle-orama

Hart and Ed hung out during a family gathering in the early 1980s. We dig Ed's groovy shirt.

A quilt full of history

Grandma Sprick posed by a quilt full of family history at the Sprick family centennial celebration in Lake City on July 4, 1976. That was exactly 100 years after her husband, Claus Sprick, landed in New York Harbor with his family as a very little boy.

A beloved dog is no more

Our condolences to cousin Chats and Michael in Kansas, who are mourning the loss of one of their beloved dogs. Trixie, right, had four wonderful years with the Northrops, who gave her a home after she was found beaten and blinded in one eye. Knoxie, left, misses her too. No humans ever gave dogs a happier, cushier home than Michael and Chats. Here they are in 1994 (they look just the same -- how do they do it?) in the Millers' favorite color, red.

A lovely little trip to California

This past weekend, I visited my dear old high school friend Karen Swanson, her husband, David Ota, and their teenage son, Paul, at their home in Foster City, Calif. Karen and David are Episcopal priests. Had a great time catching up, watching Paul play football, eating great vegetarian food, hiking along the ocean at Point Lobos Park Reserve near Monterey and visiting haunts old and new around Monterey. Here are some snapshots: Hiking at Point Lobos Park Reserve near Monterey. A jadelike plant that grew everywhere on the rock cliffs. Off Point Lobos. Swanie at Point Lobos. Taking a lunch break during our Point Lobos hike. Sea lions on the rocks at Point Lobos. A beach at Big Sur, south of Monterey.

A trip into the past

This past weekend, the scrapblog editor and her friend Karen Swanson drove from Karen's home in Foster City, Calif., to Monterey to look for the Miller family's 1960 haunts in what used to be Fort Ord. We found them all right -- in a ghost town. The former Army residences are deserted and overgrown, and an entire military neighborhood that the scrapblog editor recognized as the one she lived and played in is now a haunted, haunting town. She found her old school too, Joseph W. Stilwell Elementary School, now a dual-language-immersion escuela. (You can find some of these very same places, in more vibrant days, if you do a search for "Monterey" on this scrapblog and its auxiliary archives blog. Here are some photos from this strange tour.

Pacific Ocean sights and signs

The scrapblog editor recorded these little videos during her weekend visit to California. The top one is the surf at Big Sur. The bottom one is sea lions aaaaarping noisily away at Point Lobos Park Reserve near Monterey.

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Groovy, man

Noah sent this photo for the blog from UMD. His style can best be described as Bohemian. We pair this photo with a stone peace sign we (his mom and old high school friend Karen Swanson) saw on the beach Friday at Point Lobos Park Reserve near Monterey, Calif. All the leaves were brown and the sky was gray in California, but it was wonderful nonetheless.

Scrapblog editor heads for California!

The scrapblog editor leaves Thursday morning for a whirlwind visit to her best high school pal, Karen Swanson, who lives in Foster City, Calif. That's Karen with cousins Jane and Pam in 1974, cooking up something in the Millers' Old Frontenac kitchen. Swanie's an Episcopal priest now. Can't wait to see her!

More glamorous aunts

Marion, Emma and Adelaide kicked back at home in the 1940s. Lovely as always, the young aunties, despite lives that were by no means easy.

Before scrapblogs, there were scrapbooks

Alverna and Pam introduced Noah to his family history, as contained in a fat scrapbook (old technology!) one summer day in 1991. Wow, wonder how they explained Gus, who behind them was taking a siesta from earning Amerikan dahlah and trying to get us boyfliends and girlfliends. Prrrrrroduccccction!!!!!

Kitten 'n' kids

Cousins Paul and Kelly Turner and their cute kitten star in this July 1989 photo.

The Broboys with Aunt Anna

Anna charmed little N. and M., cousin Dan's boys, on New Year's Day 1994.

Carbo loading

Cousin Chris made sure he got enough buns, brats, pickles and other essential foods at the July 4, 1976, Sprick centennial celebration in Lake City, Minn. We wonder if Claus Sprick, pulling into New York harbor exactly 100 years earlier, could have envisioned such a spread -- or such a grandson?

Mugging with their mugs

Spricks like their coffee. Here, Anna, Annette and Emma hung onto theirs for dear life whilst posing for a photo in December 1994.