Category: Profile

Retreat Owner Profile: Dr. and Mrs. Epsilon

Editor’s Introductory Note:  It has been several years since we’ve posted any retreat owner profiles. Here is one that illustrates what can be accomplished when someone consistently plans and prepares, over the  course of several years.  It has just been added to our Profiles page, as Profile #24. – JWR — Present home/retreat: 14-year-old stucco one-story home on 18 fenced arable acres with plentiful irrigation rights and a perennial stream in Western Colorado; 3,600 square-foot house; heated by solar, propane furnace, and 2 wood stoves; fenced 25-tree orchard and 150-vine vineyard plus two gardens; 5 outbuildings; 2 miles from nearest …


Making It Count – Part 5, by Pat Cascio

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article.) As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, from 1990 to 1993 I worked for the late Colonel Rex Applegate as his assistant, on numerous projects. I also maintained his gun collection. He had more than 850 guns – many were prototypes and one-of-a-kind. It was a great honor working for the good Colonel. He taught me a lot about a lot of things, especially when he served in WWII for the military. He told me a lot of things that he said that he’d never mentioned to anyone else. He also taught me …


Making It Count – Part 4, by Pat Cascio

(Continued from Part 3.) In 1989, I took a job as the police chief in a small town in Eastern Oregon. I had also completed my training with Executive Security International (ESI) at that time, the world’s best place if you wanted to do bodyguard work. I had completed their 650-hour home study course and then needed to complete two weeks at their school. There, I met John Farnam, who taught the firearms training portion, and to this day, I honestly believe that Farnam is probably the best firearms trainer there is. At the end of my training, I was …


Making It Count – Part 3, by Pat Cascio

(Continued from Part 3.) I dated one girl at our store and her sister who worked at the other store, and they didn’t seem to mind it in the least that I was dating them both. Yes, I was a horrible womanizer, and I’m ashamed of myself for that. If I could only change the past – that is one of the things I would change. One girl I was dating worked in the back room, in accounting. I didn’t even know her name when I first asked her out – and didn’t really care. Sadly, I ended up marrying …


Making It Count – Part 2, by Pat Cascio

(Continued from Part 1.) Went I turned 13 years of age, I attended Luther South High School – a private Lutheran school. All the rest of my friends either attended a public high school or a Catholic high school. We didn’t associate with each other much after that. On a good day, it would take an hour and a half to get home from that high school – during bad weather it would take a lot longer. And many times I had some “interesting” bus rides home. I had to travel on public buses through a rough neighborhood and I …


Making It Count – Part 1, by Pat Cascio

Editor’s Introductory Notes: Several months ago, I asked our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio, to write a serialized autobiography, and scan some photos, to accompany it.  In reading this, you will learn that Pat has had a remarkable life, with the opportunity to “wear many hats.” The title of this series is an homage to the “Make It Count” tagline that Pat has habitually used in signing his letters and e-mails. Pat’s life has indeed counted for something. His influence has helped shape the lives, improve readiness, and provide spiritual guidance to countless others. Pat touched the lives of …


Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. & Mrs. WWW

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Editor’s Introductory Note: Today, after a long interval, we present another Retreat Owner Profile. This one is for Mr. and Mrs. Whiskey Whiskey Whiskey (WWW). They recently relocated to Idaho. — Present Home: 5 flat fenced acres with private irrigation and potable wells and river, 15 minutes from two  small towns in central Idaho. 50,000 pop city 1.5 hours and 200,000 pop city 2.5 hours drive time. Relaxed CCRs with no enforcement. 5,000 sq ft living space [1,300 sq ft in rentable apartment] and 2,000 sq ft storage. 4 horse stalls, barn, sheds. 3 gas furnaces, 2 fireplaces. Planning on 2 …


Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. & Mrs. Alaska

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Area:  Alaska (off-grid, fly-in access only, a 20 minute flight to the nearest rural airport) Present Home:  In 2007, we bought five undeveloped acres on a lake surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of state owned boreal forest in Alaska. One couple lives full time within 10 miles of us.  The nearest rural airport is a 20 minute flight away. No roads through the forest or across the mountains or rivers. The nearest river access to a road is a 3.5 hour snowmachine trip cross country.   Our home is a two-room, 750 sq. ft. log cabin (built from 106 …


Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. and Mrs. Smith

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Editor’s Introductory Note:  We have been posting Retreat Owner Profiles since the early days of SurvivalBlog, in 2005. Although the archive of these profiles is now essentially static, we always welcome more to add. In particular, we are looking for profiles of families living outside of the United States, or families that have unusual locales or ways of living off the land. For example, we still haven’t seen a profile of someone who lives full time on a sailboat. Nor a profile of someone who has an operating mine on their property, or of a fish farmer, or someone who …


Lessons Learned the Hard Way About Food Storage, by The Northern Prep

This is our fourth year of prepping, and we are planning to make a full-time move to our retreat location by spring. We believe the Lord is compelling us to move now, and we are working diligently to get there as soon as possible. By the way, if you have been paying attention, the world looks really bad. This weekend was a significant eye-opener, as we cleaned and inventoried our pantry for the move. I would like to share the experience. However, before we do so, you need to have a bit of our background for a full understanding, so …


Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. & Mrs. India

Mr. and Mrs. India Ages: 34 & 33 SOs: Three children 6 and under Profession: U.S. Military Serviceman Background: He: Grew up in Florida, raised in a self-reliant family, attend and commissioned from a military educational institution, married his sweetheart, completed pilot training, and is currently stationed at his sixth military installation. She: Grew up in Idaho, raised by a self reliant and second amendment loving family, moved off to school, took work as a nanny, worked as an accountant, is currently a loving mother and supportive military spouse. For the most part she lives the self reliant lifestyle with …


Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. & Mrs. Enfield in Canada

Background – I am a 40-year old male, my Missus is a year younger and we have three children. The children are active in school, church and 4H. The eldest is a known “good worker” in the neighborhood and during summer vacation is in high demand for haying, etc. Middle child is interested in chickens and sewing. The youngest is an all round good helper and loves to go to the woods. I have always been interested in farming and in non-electric tools and equipment. My off-farm job keeps me busy 50 hours per week. Missus does not work outside …


Overseas Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. and Mrs. Zephyr in Trinidad and Tobago

PRESENT HOME: A rental three bedroom roomy apartment in suburbs. One hour from capital city of 30,000 on a relatively large Caribbean island, with nearer smaller towns. Ten minute drive to large mall, and ‘Big Box’ mart. Ages: 44 and 28 SOs: Two children, 12 year old and 2 year old. ANNUAL INCOME:varies from $9,000 to $13,000. PROFESSION: Photographer/Entrepreneur and Seamstress/Homemaker INVESTMENTS: Various modest financial tools including stocks, CDs, savings, mutual funds, annuity, and Silver Eagles. VEHICLES: Nissan station wagon (2000), 18-speed mountain bike FIREARMS BATTERY: No firearms, due to excessively restrictive, outdated, draconian, colonial laws. Also, most government policy …


Two Letters Re: Mr. Romeo’s Retreat Owner Profile

Dear Mr. Rawles, I read Mr. Romeo’s retreat plans, and I would like to add a couple of things to his preparations list. The one glaring omission I see in his list is a lack of HF communications gear. VHF radios are line of sight communications, which is great if you’re planning on staying within range of the coast. If he plans on heading out to deeper waters though, HF gear becomes a lifeline to Pacific maritime nets, weather information, and other useful resources. Even if he doesn’t plan on transmitting, an HF receiver would allow him to listen to …


Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. Romeo

Retreat: Live-aboard 30-Foot Sailboat Age: One male 34 years old Background: Grew up in small town next to Vandenberg Air Force Base, watching missiles being launched and sometimes blown up [“flight terminated”] over the ocean. I always knew that seeing one missile being launched meant “test” and that two or more mean “imminent death”. Grew up with most “toys” being bought at army surplus stores. My brother and I were the only kids who when we played “war” dressed in full army gear, complete with combat boots, helmet with outer cloth cover stuffed with branches, belt with two canteens, belt …