The Rainy Year (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781981424931)

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 three Arabian horses. Harold volunteers for the Friends of Itasca State Park organization. Harold holds a Master's 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. A dedicated participant in the winter sports of dark-house fishing and cross-country skiing, he spends time building a hand-hewn Finnish sauna. Other 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.