50th Wedding Anniversary Reunion at Potato Lake, August 1971

The summer of 1971, the family had a reunion to celebrate my folks' 50th wedding anniversary. The sign above was painted by me (I had not had any art education yet, and my efforts were rather primitive...but I know they both loved the gesture...) We got permission to install the sign along one of the county roads that led back to the cabins, and this was where it was standing for the week of our reunion.

That same week, Jimmy Herman got married to Mary Hazlett on August 4, 1971. Here are Mary and Jim behind the red cabin (probably after they arrived at the lake...)

To celebrate their wedding, we had a party at Kozy Kove, where some of the family members were staying for our reunion week. Jean did her 'Corn Dance' (she was always the family clown, and this dance was taken from a native dance she had seen performed in Arizona...but with Jean's special comic touch...we all loved the fun side of the Cooper sisters...) 

Jimmy's marriage to Mary lasted about 8 or 9 years, and then they divorced. Marriage can be such a struggle...

We had several meals on the 'patio' outside the red cabin, and here is Merry taking a picture of the group. In the crowd, you can see (left to right, approximately) - Doug, Jeff Brookner, Jimmy Herman, Jean (in the red jacket), I'm not sure the name of the red-headed guy behind the tree, but next to him in the red top is Janey Brown. Jimmy seems to be looking down at Mary Hazlett sitting at the table. In front of her is Molly Eklund, then Dave Hansen, then Merrel, and then Margaret turned to look at Merrel. Then is Al, and way in the back is Steve Brookner, then me, then my dad, then Linda Eklund holding Megan with the navy outfit, then Aunt Rachel, and my mother, and then Jack. I don't know who the fellow standing to the far left is...maybe Reg Eklund...

 More of the same crew... now we can see Will (Dorothy Ann's friend of that time) with the camera.  The others are mentioned in the photo above.

Here are some of the younger people eating dinner on the picnic table. I think they are, left to right, Steve Brookner, Jeff Brookner, Doug, Megan Eklund, Janey's fellow, Janey (in the red top - short hair), then Dave, Diane, Molly and Marc Eklund. That's me in the gold slacks heading back into the cabin. Notice the white paper wedding bells hanging on the lattice trim on the side of the cabin...in honor of the wedding and the anniversary. (You can see the neighbor's boat house in the upper left of the photo...)

This is the anniversary cake I made for my folks. You can see that my efforts were not professional, but it tasted good, and we all enjoyed eating it!

We had some days at the reunion that were nice and sunny, and some of us went swimming and boating. I think there may have been some who also water skied. Here we are, crowding on the dock... Left to right from the back are Jack Brown, unknown fellow with Janey Brown, my sister Jean, Julie and Steve Brookner, Mary Hazlett Herman, Merrel, Jim Herman (in the water), my mother, my father, Dorothy Ann Herman, me (talking to my cousin Linda Eklund with the lime green top), then is Jeff Brookner (with the yellow life jacket), Doug, Marc Eklund, Diane (with Merry Goldberg - my sister - behind her), then Molly Eklund, Dave and Megan Eklund. I'm surprised the dock didn't collapse!

 Another shot of the 'loaded dock!' The guys taking photos are, left to right, Al Brookner, Will (I can't recall his last name, but one of his favorite lines was 'sunk in a ditch' - he's wearing the yellow shirt), and Reg Eklund in the red swim trunks. Those on the dock are in pretty much the same order as the previous photo... I don't know who took the picture of the guys taking the picture...

Linda always enjoyed chatting with everyone, and sitting in the sun, so that is her with Megan and Molly, and Mary Herman lying in the sun... on the dock, on pretty Potato Lake.

In this photo, Mary is holding a ski board, and it looks like Julie and Jim are to her left. In the boat are Janey and her guy friend. 

 This might be Janey getting read to ski, and Jack running the boat. That's Doug in the front.

That may be Janey skiing, with Doug in the boat, and looks like Janey's fellow driving. Dot is floating on an air mattress on the left (my sister, Dorothy Ann).

I think that's Janey doing tricks, and Jack is holding her up. Jeff is watching from an inner tube, and I think that's Steve out on some kind of pontoon craft...another beautiful day at the lake.

And, here are the Eklund kids with Diane and Dave, playing in the water...

Jack took a few gals out fishing...here he is with Merry and Jean holding up their 'catches!' ... or are those their 'cool ones'??? (I think Margaret may be behind Merry...)

...and, there's Dorothy Ann (we called her 'Dot'), just floating around and enjoying the peace of the lake...

Meanwhile, back at the cabins...we had a tent set up for the week when all the family was at the lake, and some of the kids slept out there. Here you see Megan and Marc Eklund, and Jeff Brookner out by the tent.

Here's the back of the tent... The Levenick cabin is to the right, and my folks' cabin would be to the left. 

Here are my folks, sitting in front of their little green cabin...this may be one of the last photos of them together, as my father died in 1975, just 4 years after the 50th anniversary reunion...

Here's Doug teaching Dave how to play horseshoes... We always had plenty of things to do at the lake...and a lot of space to do them in...

Here are the kids playing ball...Dave seems to be the pitcher, Doug will be the fielder, and Diane is the batter...

And...another summer, here is Doug being the catcher! 

Here I am, going down the steps to the red cabin a different summer...more of those steps that my dad worked so hard to make...they were really nice stairs...and fit into the mood of the cabins...

There's Doug, sitting on that pontoon contraption. I don't remember even seeing this, but there it is...and that is Doug sitting on it...

I don't know why I was being shy, and wanted Dave to 'shield' me from the camera... just more of that concern about my body not looking the way I wanted it to look. Anyway, there I am, with my 'shades,' my bikini, and my little boy 'protecting' me! (Of course, I had to pose!)

And, of course, somewhere in all of this silliness and laughing, we had to put the 'raccoon tail' on someone...and Dave didn't mind... 

And, to bring this reunion tale to an end, here's Jack getting ready to go out and catch that 'big one!' 

As you can see, we all loved being at the lake, and I'm sad those days are over... but life is like that. You think you have all this time, and suddenly, it has slipped away, never to return. But, we have the wonderful memories, and terrific photos to remind us of all that has transpired in our lives...and these are just the highlights! It's really pretty fantastic to think of all the years, months, days, minutes, seconds and fleeting moments that we are blessed to enjoy. So, keep your eyes forward, and take it all in, and savor those times... because 'we only pass this way one time...'