Reviews from

Frankly, I'm With Frank

I used to dread visits from Frank

32 total reviews 
Comment from Brenda Strauser
Excellent
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This was a nice story. I could follow along easily. It was an interesting story. We all know people who are a little odd. I wonder why Frank didn't wash. Well written.

 Comment Written 12-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 12-Nov-2024
    Hello Brenda,
    Frank lived on his small boat in a remote harbor without any running water or other amenities that most folks feel that they need to make life comfortable. I imagine taking a shower would have been a real luxury. I'm sure he could have taken one at the cold storage when he visited town, but to the best of my knowledge never did. Folks that knew him years ago said that he used to be quite a dapper dresser, but I imagine so many years living away from people took a toll on him. I can't say for sure.
    Have a blessed evening gal.
    Tom
Comment from Sallyo
Excellent
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Well... an interesting character, to be sure! Obviously, hygiene or lack of it is no barrier to living a long time. My grandmother lived happily with lots of dogs, potplants, a soil sieve and buckets of liquid manure and she made it to 97. She did shower now and again... I think!

 Comment Written 12-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 12-Nov-2024
    Hello Sally,
    thanks so much for the delightful review gal. I don't know how much genetics plays a part in one's longevity. Frank wasn't exposed to other people very much, so perhaps that helped keeping disease away from him. I can't imagine just living on cornflakes, but I guess it worked.
    Have a blessed day.
    Tom
reply by Sallyo on 12-Nov-2024
    Thanks! I was certainly entertained.
Comment from GWHARGIS
Excellent
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You sure have a gift at story telling. I enjoyed learning about Frank. Sadly, I have several customers who have nauseating smells. I grab the Vicks vapor rub as soon as they come into the store. It's a lifesaver. Some people have no concept of their own body odors. I really enjoyed this. Gretchen

 Comment Written 12-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 12-Nov-2024
    Hello Gretchen,
    thanks so much for the wonderful review gal. I imagine if you're by yourself long enough, and don't have anyone around to bounce ideas or opinions off of, you just assume all is right with the world. I knew a fellow, also from Hoonah, that ate so much garlic that it came out his pores. He was inside a commercial freezer where we stored cases of pastries and bread one day, fixing it. I walked in to inquire about the status of the freezer and all I could smell was him. I didn't realize it at the time and asked him what that smell was. Of course he didn't smell anything. Ah well.
    Have a blessed day gal.
    Tom
Comment from joann r romei
Excellent
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Im sure Frank had some sort of mental situation going on, or he was on the spectrum. Reading this reminded me of ever stinky smell Ive experienced, lol the brain remembers. unfortunately.

 Comment Written 11-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 12-Nov-2024
    Hello Joann,
    I suppose living by himself for so long could have created a mental situation for Frank, I don't really know. Alaska has a long history of attracting people who want to move to the wilderness and get away from everyone and the rules and regulations that most of us live by. He was quite an accomplished man when he was younger, having worked for at least one fish cannery as a master mechanic. He also showed me some blocks of linoleum he used to carve for Disney for the making of cartoons way back when. He had to carve everything backwards, so it would come out right side up on paper. Fortunately, I've never run across anyone that smelled quite that bad again. Have a blessed day gal.
    Tom
Comment from Jim Wile
Exceptional
This work has reached the exceptional level

I love your stories, Tom. They are always peopled with interesting characters and unusual situations. You've led a colorful life with lots of unique experiences, and you write about them in such a humorous and sometimes touching manner.

Frank certainly did seem to live a minimalist life, but I guess he was happy the way he lived. It must have suited him well because he certainly had longevity. A shame no one wanted to be around him except for his dog.

I always learn some cool and useful stuff from your stories too, like how to keep bears away (shake a can with pebbles in it.) You never can tell when your little tips will come in handy. Great read!

 Comment Written 10-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 11-Nov-2024
    Hi Jim,
    I'm so glad you enjoyed this story. Thanks so much for the exceptional review. The biggest thing with bears is to make noise so they know you're around. If, however, they are on a kill or something that they consider theirs, I'm not sure that noise will be sufficient to scare them off. My two sons were hunting with me once down in Hoonah. We split up. I heard my younger son shoot, and then about fifteen minutes later I heard him talking to himself as he came over a rise in the muskeg. I asked where the deer was, and he said he'd killed on, and was in the process of gutting it when he heard a noise and looked up and a bear was right there. Brian backed away and the bear took off with the deer. It was the best thing he could have done.
    Have a blessed evening.
    Tom
Comment from Gayla putnam
Excellent
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You have painted a vivid picture of Frank. It left me wondering about his life, his hopes, and his dreams. You must have felt the same since you wrote about him years later. What an intriquing story that would be. Having worked in the medical field with the homeless, I fully understand the stench. Your story left me wanting to know more about the man. gayla

 Comment Written 10-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 11-Nov-2024
    Hi Gayla,
    thanks so much for your interest in this story. What little I know about Frank is that he had been married once and had a son, whom he apparently never saw. I believe he lived down south. Frank was a master mechanic, and if I recall correctly, he worked for at least one of the fish canneries which used to dot every bay in Southeast Alaska, wherever there was a good stream where the salmon ran. He had mentioned he had worked for Walt Disney years and years ago cutting out linoleum blocks with Disney character on them. He had to do everything backwards, so that when they inked the blocks and put it on paper, it came out right. I don't know why he initially came to Alaska, I assume it was after WWII, but I don't know. Alaska attracted a lot of people who wanted to get away from the busyness of the lower 48, and could homestead a plot of land in the wilderness and be self sufficient. It worked for some people and others not so much. Frank was a commercial fisherman, catching salmon with multiple hooks dragged through the water in a process called trolling. By the time I came to know him, I think he was pretty much retired.
    Have a blessed evening gal.
    Tom
reply by Gayla putnam on 11-Nov-2024
    Thanks for the interesting bio. I enjoyed reading it. gayla
Comment from lyenochka
Excellent
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What a colorful character. Boy, you really had a wild bunch of customers. But with his lifestyle, how did he pay for his case of Kellogg's corn flakes? And how in the world did he live so long on such a diet? But it's good he had a faithful dog companion. Maybe mentally he was better off than we knew. Thanks for sharing.

 Comment Written 10-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 11-Nov-2024
    Hello Helen,
    You've asked some good questions, some that I wondered about myself. I suspect he got Social Security checks, so I imagine he probably went to the post office on his once a month trips to town. I wondered about the corn flake diet too. I like corn flakes, but not every day for years on end. He was mentally sharp for the most part, though he lived in the past a lot, remembering catching fish at different spots, using gear that no longer existed, much like the hot chocolate he always wanted me to order for him.
    Have a blessed evening gal.
    Tom
Comment from Esther Brown
Excellent
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Interesting story. I imagine there were quite a few old crusty fishermen you knew. The first paragraph seemed overly long. I had re-read the post before I realized you worked there. Can you tighten up the paragraph a bit? Does year around need a dash?
Working in Africa with lepers and with homeless individuals, I am (mostly) immune to smells. Good story. Esther

 Comment Written 10-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 11-Nov-2024
    Hi Esther,
    I don't know if year round needs a dash or not. Some folks think it does, and I guess some don't. I never know what's right. Even when I use spell check I get it wrong. I interviewed 9 fishermen for me second book. The stories were fascinating. Everything from being in terrible storms out on the ocean to being around when Hoonah burnt to the ground in 1945. One fellow said they used to hide behind the snow berms and pitch snow balls at the drum when the Salvation Army band used to march through town.
    I imagine you dealt with a lot of unpleasant situations in your time as a missionary. Have a blessed evening gal.
    Tom
reply by Esther Brown on 11-Nov-2024
    Gary's fishing stories when he fished in Bristol Bay are a hoot. I have a picture of him fast asleep on top of the day's catch. They had a crew of three. He fished for 4-5 years.
Comment from Wendy G
Excellent
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He was probably happy in his own way, living a simple life with his dog or dogs, who obviously were looked after well by him. He probably was unaware of his odor as he was so accustomed to it. Very well written, an engaging story with elements of humour as your descriptions were so vivid.
Wendy

 Comment Written 10-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 11-Nov-2024
    Hello Wendy,
    I'm sure he wasn't aware of how bad he smelled. If I recall, someone said he used to be quite a dapper man years ago. I suspect all that living by himself on that boat took a toll on him.
    Have a blessed day gal.
    Tom
Comment from Ric Myworld
Excellent
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There are lots of characters in the world and why they live the way they do it always a mystery, but Blackie or all the Blackie dogs loved him, so he must have been good to them. I've always taken up with those types, and they can tell some great stories. thanks for sharing.

 Comment Written 09-Nov-2024


reply by the author on 11-Nov-2024
    Hi Ric,
    I really should go and visit some of the old timers in the nursing homes around here. The stories they could tell would be fascinating. Thanks so much for the great review my friend.
    Tom