Counting Heads...

The Johnson's and our neighbors the Dieters family celebrated many birthday's together. Tracy and Mom's birthdays are a couple days apart, Carl and Dad's are also a couple days apart. As far as the kids go; Evelyn and Steve share the same date, one year apart and Glen and I share the same date, one year apart. Of course there are other close dates in the group but more often than not we shared the same birthday parties year round.
We lived 3 miles apart, rode the same school bus, went to the same country church, so it was natural that we also enjoyed family trips together. I remember taking off after church often with neighbors and church members for a picnic and afternoon of fun at Okoboji.

Here are some photos from 1959 of a Johnson/Dieters trip to Wall Lake, SD. Picture this: 12 kids, Two mom's swimming with the kids in the water, Two dad's with the babies and toddlers on the beach, everything wet, sandy and hungry. In my Dad's words, "We'd be constantly counting heads in the water". Not a relaxing day at the beach for the adults... but fun watching the kids have a good time.
In 1967, our parents were even brave enough to rent two campers and pull them out to Yellowstone via the Black Hills for an adventure we still reminisce about. Our car had to be put in for repairs on a buldging tire so the whole gang crowded into the Dieters station wagon for a trip to the Dairy Queen. On the way we pulled over for a hitch hiker to see if he wanted a ride... Imagine that, he turned us down! Well, there really wasn't any room with 15 people packed in the car already! I wish we had a picture of that, but I can still picture us in my mind. Here are the kids with a days catch after going fishing in Yellowstone.