About

Harold Fenske, a retired science teacher, lives with his best friend/wife, Jayne, on 60 acres of conifer forest that overlook an ice-block lake in northern Minnesota. Jayne works as a media specialist and they have three grown children, two springer spaniels, and a twenty year old  Arabian horse. Harold holds a Masters degree in science education and taught eighth grade earth science for 38 years. He has been awarded numerous grants and awards including Minnesota Middle School Science Teacher of the Year. At the conclusion of most school years, a Kevlar canoe was strapped to the top of his or a friend’s vehicle for “a wilderness paddle to restore sanity!” He has canoed the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness, the Quetico, the Blood Vein River in Manitoba, and the upper stretches of the Missouri River. He is a dedicated participant in the winter sports of dark-house fishing and cross-country skiingOther interests include rocks, baseball, and Ernest Hemingway. Harold writes stories that examine the generations of families, both European immigrants and Native Americans, who settled in northern Minnesota. The stories focus on how the landscape shapes people’s attitudes socially, spiritually, and economically. He believes there exists a direct relationship between the landscape—the rocks, trees, and lakes of this rugged land—and the people who choose to make northern Minnesota their home. His book, The Rainy Year, is available at Amazon.

A special thank you to science teacher and good friend, Jim Nissen. He created the illustrations in Carl’s notebook. These drawings came to life as he sat in faculty meetings while thinking about the beauty and magic found in the landscape of northern Minnesota. His love of all creatures in our natural world is spiritual and cannot be matched or described with my common words and descriptions.