The Road Home

The Road Home
There is no place like home.

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Frank & Fern Feral

Here are a few glimpses of some of the experiences we have had, things that make us who we are. We published another article like this about a year ago covering the time we lived in Barrow, Alaska. Questions, comments and discussions are welcome. We all have pasts that have brought us to this point. What are some of the things you have experienced that have prepared you for what is taking place in our lives right now? Please share.

The house we built, 1998

First goats, different homestead, about 1998

When we were law enforcement, about 1996

Summer driving to Oklahoma from Alaska, about 2001


When we lived in Dillingham, Alaska on Bristol Bay, we were able to set a gill net out on the beach to catch salmon. We set the net at low tide, went back the next low tide and harvested the catch. One year we canned 96 pints of salmon, our first canning experience.


Frank's largest catch, a 60 lb. king salmon

Summer trip to the lower 48 in our 21sq. ft. home, 2002

Our 20th Anniversary trip

We went camping at Lake Nerka, about 40 miles north of Dillingham, Alaska where we lived, 25 miles by road, the rest by boat through some connected lakes. We went with another couple and only saw two other people during our three day camp out.

Snow on the lake's edge during our August camping trip

In 2004, Fern's 45th birthday present was her one and only hunting trip, on the Nushagak River about 30 miles from Dillingham, Alaska. That was a fun trip. She got a young bull moose within an hour of the start of opening day and was back in town by 1:00pm. It was good timing because the return trip had to be timed with the tides.


Church camp out on a island on Aleknagik Lake

Floating through a herd of caribou


Next up is Nunam Iqua, Alaska where we moved in 2005. Frank was the principal and Fern was the special education teacher. The only way to get to this location at the mouth of the Yukon River on the Bering Sea is by air. The first leg of the trip was done on a plane that holds ten people, usually a King Air. The second leg was completed on a plane that held six passengers, landing on a gravel runway with no buildings or services.


Boat ride on the Yukon River to the store at the next village

The school in Nunam Iqua

Frank the principal

You never know where the experiences of your life will take you or what you may learn from them. We feel we have been preparing for this time in our American history all of our lives. Alaska taught us a lot about ourselves, what we are capable of in extreme circumstances.

And by the way, tomorrow (July 2nd) is our 38th anniversary!

Draw from your experiences, put your skills and knowledge to good use. Keep your wits about you and your powder dry.

Until next time - Fern

8 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary. thank you for sharing pictures of your life in Alaska, I was born and raised there. Mostly in SE Alaska. It still holds a special place in my heart. We go to visit every couple of years to Ketchikan. I do miss the ocean, esp here in the high desert of Utah. At 78 I still work in my yard and have a large garden. My yard has been my calming place with all the turmoil in the world. Thanks for sharing your world with us. Have faith, life will go on and there is lots of good in the world, I see it everyday in my family, neighbors and friends. Well it is time to head to the garden before the day heats up. Keep the posts coming.

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  2. Happy anniversary! May you enjoy many more.

    I was blessed to have parents who took the time and had the patience to teach me a variety of skills. Dad taught me how to change a car tire, how to paint a house, how to use tools. With my newly minted drivers license in my pocket, he turned this country girl loose in the middle of Minneapolis. He calmly sat in the passenger seat of the family car, never saying a word. When I managed to get through the city unscathed, I asked why he hadn't offered advice. He replied, "Because I knew you could do it." He passed on to me his love of gardening and his work ethic that was second to none.

    Mother was an extraordinary seamstress. She sewed her own dresses, clothes for me and my siblings and shirts for Dad. She sewed her sister's wedding dress and once cut apart one of her old winter coats to make a warm coat and bonnet for her two year old daughter. And she had the patience to teach me those skills that have served me well over the years. She suffered the crippling effects of rheumatoid arthritis and when it became apparent that dealing with preserving the harvest from the family garden would be impossible for her, she taught me how to can and freeze food. Money was not abundant and food preservation meant that our family would eat through the long, cold Minnesota winters. By age 13, thanks to her teaching, I was able to take care of the preserving of the food that sustained our family.

    Both of my parents instilled in me the love of God and family, the importance of honesty and intergety and a love of and loyalty to our great coutry. I will forever be grateful.

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  3. Happy Anniversary, Fern and Frank! You have done well together too. I enjoyed your pictures from your past.

    I grew up in a city, but ended up marrying a farmer. Family is grown up, and I'm retired now. About 10 years ago, I realized the im-portance of preparing for what is now quite evident. It has been a time of learning to garden, preserve foods by canning and dehydrating, and so forth. It has been a real blessing for our family.

    Thank you for your willingness to share your experiences. Take care, prepare, and be aware...CW

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  4. Happy Anniversary!

    Our 20th was yesterday, July 1.

    Thanks for sharing a bit more of who you are and how you got there.

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  5. What delightful and interesting photos! They made me smile! {in spite of the blue faces ;)}. My husband and I have spent a short time in Alaska. It was so intriguing and I would have moved there for sure. We just had out 41st anniversary....so a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you both! I love your posts!!! Keep writing please!

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