fishing buddies

Here I am with my brothers and a nice catch of fresh water fish.  I am thinking this picture was taken up at the cabin by Lake Villard.  I appear to be about three years old and my brothers would then be five and seven years old.  That lake was a great place to fish and it was a very good place to teach kids to fish using a drop line or a simple rod and reel while sitting in the old row boat in the shallow, marsh-y end of the lake.  I have fond memories of that place.  I always will.

state park camping

Whitewater, Sibley, Lake Shetek, Itasca.  These are just a few of the names of state parks in Minnesota where my family spent weeks during the summer enjoying the outdoor life of camping.  We got up early, ate breakfast and then we were off for the days adventure.  At least twice a day we went swimming.  That was our favorite past time.  We were able to freely roam the campground and find things to do on our own. The only requirement was to show up at meal time.  I loved the evenings even more than the days.  That's because we spent time in front of the campfire and that meant we were roasting marshmallows and making s'mores.  There was singing and storytelling.  Ghost stories were abundant (and embellished).  What a fun time we had and what a lasting memory was made of life in the outdoors.

baby Jean

I was about a year old in this picture.  The photographer came to my parents house and this picture was taken in the living room.  I was sitting on the piano bench.   A lovely cloth covered the bench and I was given a small rubber ball to hold.  This was my official baby picture and copies of this picture were framed and hung in both of my grandparents homes.  What a cutie.

the Airstream

Here is how I describe the metamorphosis of our summer vacations/road trips.  tent, tent trailer, trailer   Or, Coleman, Higgins, Airstream  That really sums it up perfectly.  We started out as a family in the early 1950's with a tent and all the gear that went with it.  In the mid '50's we moved up to a tent trailer and hit the state parks and other roadside camping venues in comfort...or so we thought.  Then, in 1959 we acquired the top of the line mecca of house trailers--the Airstream (also known as the silver bullet).  How grand is that?!?  With the Airstream came the opportunity to join the Wally Byum Caravan Club (named after the guy who invented the stainless steel aluminum wonder on wheels).   With that, we were now able attend local camping events around the state of Minnesota and also participate in the national rally held every summer somewhere in the USA.  My Dad was president of the Minnesota chapter the very year that the national rally was held in Bemidji.  We got to park our trailer in presidents row.  Now that was special!!  Other traveling opportunities became available following the rally.  Attendees could join a trailer caravan and travel as a group to destinations inside or outside of the US.  One summer we were able to jump on a caravan traveling throughout eastern Canada.  What fun.  Anyway, this is what we did as I was growing up.  Coleman, Higgins, Airstream.  Each experience was different.  Each  experience was great fun.

four friends

Here we are, all four of us, in the Fellowship Hall after services on Confirmation Sunday.  Yes, there are four of us in this picture.  Unfortunately Sheri is lost in the shadows.  Sheri, Linda, Janet and I have been friends since we were babies, basically.  Even though we lived in different communities (suburbs) and we went to rival high schools, we had church in common.  Sunday School, choir, MYF--all of it.  And what a blast we had!!  Now it's Confirmation Sunday and we were just confirmed into church membership.  What a great day to share with friends.  Nice hair, everyone.

a special April morning

Look at me.  I'm wearing my confirmation robe.  It's a beautiful Sunday morning in April of 1962 and I am posing for the camera in the living room of my home on Alabama Avenue. Photographs always record the special times and this is one of them.  It's confirmation day.  This is the first time I have worn a ceremonial robe.  I feel so special.  Hey, look at my new shoes.  I feel pretty.  And special.  And very happy.  And pretty.

confirmation day

On a Sunday morning in April of 1962 I was confirmed into the church.  I was fourteen years old.  I was part of a large confirmation class that met every Saturday morning at the church and after much study, memorization and testing, we were deemed ready for church membership.  This is my special dress that I wore for the first time on that special day.  The cotton dress had puff sleeves and a fitted midriff and it was a beautiful light aqua in color.  High heels, oh yes!  Do you like my corsage?  Carnations.....my favorite.  Being confirmed was one of those right of passage moments for me.  I now belonged to something big.  (It was a good hair day for me, too)