a snapshot of all the cousins during an extended family get-together - a visit to the family cemetery, perhaps? I detect some facial similarities amongst the kids that would suggest kinship. One can only speculate about where life has taken Kermie and Janet since these wonderful snapshots were taken, or how fate chanced to drop these vignettes of life from the last century into Dave's hands, allowing all of us to enjoy them here on Shorpy!

My father owned a 1958 Plymouth similar to this one. It was about 7 years old when it quit running; something to do with the crankshaft. I was never quite sure what it was, only that he blamed it on what he said were "soft crankshafts in Plymouths." I was about 11 years old and he gave it to me to try and sell. A man down the street gave me $25 for it (remember this was 1965). A few years later that man's daughter became my first big love. She was the prettiest girl I had ever known (until I met my wife years later). A lot of great memories emanating from a car I never got the chance to drive.

The 55 Chev has a front bumper guard, not a custom grill, and was more than likely factory installed.

[It is a custom grille. No vertical members. - Dave]

Whoever owned the '55 Chevy convertible must have been a "car guy." Not only is it clean and shiny, it seems to have a custom grille. The '58 Plymouth, on the other hand, does not seem to have been shown much love. With a face like that, it's no wonder.

As a kid, being driven by my dad, if there was one thing more fun than driving on a dirt road, it was driving on grass.

Of course, in the back, a 1958 Plymouth sedan and a 1955 Chevrolet convertible.

I'm currently restoring a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere 2 door hardtop (hence my name on Shorpy).

You don't have to look too hard to see that these folks (unlike the dour campers in the previous photo post) are enjoying themselves, and having a good time, as there are smiles all around.

And what I wouldn't give to have even one of those magnificent cars behind them!

A 1958 Plymouth at left, quite possibly the single best design of 1950s American car from the standpoint of styling. It can be distinguished from a 1957 Plymouth because it actually has quad headlights, whereas the '57 had two headlights and 2 round parking lights mounted inboard that were designed to look like another pair of headlights but were slightly smaller.

This looks like a Plymouth Plaza, the lowest-priced model, from the side trim. However, Plymouth brochures for '58 don't show a 4-door in the Plaza line. All the 4-doors were higher-tier models like Savoys or Belvederes, with fancier side trim. '57 Savoy sedans had side trim like this. Maybe this is a fleet car or something? Something designed to use up leftover trim pieces from the previous year?

[The 1958 Plymouth brochure has a giant illustration of a four-door Plaza Sedan in "Misty Green with Iceberg White Sportone." -Dave]

On the left we have a 1958 Plymouth Plaza 4-door sedan, at the lowest end of their model lineup that year. Back seats were optional on Plaza models.

[The back seat was optional only on the two-door Business Coupe. - Dave]

On the right, a 1955 Chevrolet 2-door. It seems to be a convertible, which would make it a Bel Air, at the highest end of Chevy's line until the first Impala in 1958.

Someone's family might have been better off than their cousins. Or at least had more fun driving to the reunion picnic.

Most of them young enough to still be alive and active.

You might think at least one of them would visit Shorpy and have an OMG moment!