At the Lake

Summer at the Lake, it's beautiful!

circa 1979

I just love this picture of my parents

they look happy and relaxed -

which is what a vacation is all about!!

More from the Lake

At the lake, among all the motorhomes

Jeff enjoying some good eats, looks like Buffy is trying to be patient!

Jim and Karen

and Julie too!

Kids at the Lake

All these little ones .... all grown up now!

(If you recognize anyone, let us know who's who!)

Boatin' Time

Uncle Jim .... always good eats when family gets together!

More from Potato Lake

More from Potato Lake, around the campfire

Dan, Uncle Rodney, Aunt JoAnn

Julie and Marge, cousin Rick and Lori

Aunt Margie, Aunt Donna, Aunt JoAnn

I remember every day, she re-painted her fingernails!

You can't keep the men in our family from stopping to fix

whatever needs fixin' !!

Is this Lori skiing?

Beautiful on the water, just beautiful!

At the Lake

What's a vacation without a trip to the lake?

camping, swimming, boating .....

Great lookin' fins, David! 

A tower of tubes, and a pile full of cousins! 

And no day at the lake is complete without a nap -

Sweet dreams, Uncle Rodney! 

Someone's going skiing - but just look at that 

beautiful sky and puffy clouds!

More Manteca

 Here's Lori, we're back at the Manteca Waterslides

one last camping trip in the fall before it's too cold to slide.

You can see that in just a few months' time,

it became really popular!  There was some kind of contest.... but I don't recall. 

Participation flags??

Time to go tubin'

You can see where the waterslide lands in the lake in the distance.

Oakwood Lake

Let the Summer Begin!!

Here's our new tent trailer -- a better alternative

to actually sleeping on the ground in a tent!

Note Buffy's backside as she snoops!!

After a few trips out, we had it down to a science to set up

and break down camp - we all had our jobs, which made it so simple!

Our "inaugural trip" was to Manteca Waterslides!  

Also known as Oakwood Lake, it opened in 1974.

Backwards or forwards, oh what fun to slide in the water!

Oh the many hours we spent sliding,

or just floating on an innertube in the lake.

We enjoyed this place a lot!

(As you'll see from more and more photos.... lol)

July 4th, 1927

1927, Fourth of July, somewhere at a Lake in Minnesota.  So many are wearing hats!  And the clothes...  I think that's one of the fascinating things about old photos.   The girl in front is holding an American flag.  Relatives, for sure.  Makes you wonder how we're all related, though.  I think the tallest man in the back, right, is my grandfather Robert Pape.  I think the man in the back on the left is Joshua Laidley.  **I could make many more assumptions about the folks in here, next to Joshua is probably his wife, Susie.  Near my Grandfather should be Louella, as he married her two+ years after this photo was taken.

In 1927, the Fourth of July was on a Monday.  I looked it up, wondering if they're all dressed up so because it fell on a Sunday.  But nope, I guess it was the thing to do when you're having a get-together, getting all gussied up in your finery!

If this is a duplicate posting, my apologies!

**7/29/2017 Update:  I just learned that this photo was taken at Maple Lake, Polk County, MN

• "Maple Lake is a natural lake, and is the westernmost significant lake in the Red River Valley of Northwestern Minnesota. The lake appears on 19th century historic maps of the area, and developed as a summer home and resort community as early as 1910."

4th July Picnic

This photo is dated July 4, 1927 on the back. Note the flag the little girl holds in the front. This must be the Pape family, and I'm assuming that the tallest one in the back is Robert. He would have been 18 or 19 ? The man on the far left, in the hat, looks like Joshua Laidley. The lady in the hat to the right of Robert looks to be Luella. And because none of the others stand out to me as far as the Pape line goes.... maybe this is a Laidley family photo??? 83 years ago. Amazing.