Sentimental Sunday: Bartram Cousins

I've always loved this photo! It's of my mom, Rebecca Elizabeth Bartram, her siblings and some of their cousins. My grandpa, John Bartram, was one of 17 kids, so there were a lot of cousins in Mom's generation. This isn't even the half of them!

L-R: Charles Frager, George Frager, Jackie (Frager) Partain, Brenda (Bartram) Cairo,
Clay Bartram (little guy in front), Jim Bartram, Becky (Bartram) Brittain Santos,
Patty (O'Neal) Pasini, Bob Bartram (in back), Sharon (O'Neal) Pasini,
Delbert Smith (in back), Georgianne (Bartram) Hammes, Don Bartram

The picture was taken in Sunol, California, at the ranch owned by Grandpa John's sister, Grace, and her husband Carl Zwissig. Grace and Carl didn't have their own kids, but their nieces and nephews spent a lot of time out at the ranch.

Cousins have always been an important part of my life. My sister, Cindy, and my cousins (Debbie, Leslie, Dee Dee, Glenn, Vikki and Stacey) were my first best friends. We spent a LOT of time together: either just hanging out at each others' houses or going with our parents on many memorable adventures. When I see pictures like this, and hear the stories my mom and her siblings and cousins tell about their childhoods spent together, I can tell where we all got our love of family.