Friends have been photographed every 5 years since 1982

Five friends from California have been taking the same shared photo at Lake Copco for 40 years. Every five years they sit down in the same order, having previously taken an empty jar and a hat with them, and repeat the picture. Neither the pandemic nor the cancer experienced by one of the men could prevent them from continuing the tradition this year.

Here are all 9 pictures taken by Californians from 1982 to 2022, where right before our eyes five young people turn into men who have lived properly.

Whatever happens, they are going to recreate the original joint picture taken in 1982. Back then, they were high school kids hanging out in the Wardlaw family van.

The photo also shows the sixth member of their small company — a cockroach, which they caught in a jar and decided to keep for themselves. However, the cockroach did not make it to many subsequent photos…

We get acquainted with the characters from left to right. John Wardlaw is a filmmaker and photographer living in Bend, Oregon. Mark Rumer-Cleary is a software engineer who founded Occam Networks. He is now retired and lives in Portland, Oregon.

Dallas Bernie, a veteran of the US Air Force, begins his 23rd year of teaching in Northern California in the fall. John Moloney is a photographer from New Orleans.

Finally, John Dixon is the only one who still lives in Santa Barbara, where he runs a tourist website SantaBarbara.com

When the photos of friends went viral, a two-meter Rumer-Cleary with a special facial hair gained special popularity on the streets. Strangers often stop him, saying, "You look familiar, but I can't remember why."

Between 2017 and 2022, Dallas Bernie survived cancer, because of which friends were afraid that one empty place would appear in their next photo. But everything worked out!

Over the years, the back of the bench on which friends sit also gets older.

Now four of the friends are 59 years old, and Rumer-Cleary is 58.

Well, we are waiting for the next photo in 2027!