Amanda in Alberta: The Writing on the Stone (2 page)

Leah opened the fridge door to get the milk for breakfast.

“Good morning,” said an unfamiliar voice.

Leah leapt back and almost dropped the milk.

“You must be Leah,” said a slim man in a T-shirt and jeans. “I'm Don, Amanda's dad. Sorry if I startled you.” He took the milk from Leah's shaky hand and placed it on the table. “Sorry I wasn't here to meet you yesterday. Busy at the office. But, I have today off. I hope you've been having a nice time so far.” His smile was warm and welcoming.

“Oh yes. It has been good. I loved the Stampede parade and the visit to the ranch. This place is amazing. I feel like I'm on American telly.”

“I see you've finally met my dad.” Amanda appeared, straight from the shower, her hair almost dripping. “I'll have some of that cereal too.”

Amanda's mom walked in wearing a blue satin cowboy shirt with horseshoes embroidered on the collar and cuffs. “Great. Everyone's up. Today we're all going to the Calgary Stampede. How long until you're ready, girls?”

Amanda jumped off the breakfast stool. “I just need to dry my hair and get dressed.”

Leah watched Amanda as she put on her newest pair of jeans and a wide leather belt with a horseshoe belt buckle. A red and white checked shirt that matched her red straw cowboy hat completed the outfit.

“You look fab. But what am I going to wear? I don't have any cowboy clothes.”

Amanda threw Leah a Riley & McCormick bag.

“Try this.”

Leah pulled out a white western shirt with pearl snaps and a red yoke, collar and cuffs. The front was embroidered with colourful flowers.

“Wowza! This is terrific. It will go so well with my jeans and the white cowboy hat your mom gave me.”

Two young cowgirls emerged from the bedroom. Amanda's mom took a picture.

* * *

The sign above the entrance to the Stampede grounds read:

Welcome to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth

The grounds teemed with people. The smells of buttered popcorn, foot-long hot dogs and candied apples mixed with the scents of dust and livestock.

“This is like a huge carnival,” exclaimed Leah.

“What ride should we go on first?” asked Amanda.

“Let's go on the Ferris wheel,” suggested Amanda's mom.

“Kind of like a small London Eye,” said Leah as they got buckled in.

They overlooked barns and corrals, concession stands, games with stuffed animals for prizes, other rides and an Indian village as they got to the top.

“What's that building?” Leah pointed. “It looks sort of like a horse's saddle?”

“That's the Saddledome,” replied Amanda. “It's where they play hockey and have concerts; like Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.”

“Have you been to any of the concerts?”

“No, Mom says I'm too young.”

They went on a few more rides. Amanda's dad won a stuffed cow at a shooting gallery which he gave to Leah. They munched on corn dogs and candy floss.

“Now it's time for the rodeo.” Mr. Ross led them to their seats on the grandstand. They watched cowboys get thrown off raging bulls and rescued by clowns. Cowgirls rode around barrels with precision, waving their hats to the crowd when they finished. Bronco riders in leather chaps, and spurs on their cowboy boots waited their turn at riding a wild stallion.

“That looks dangerous,” commented Leah.

“It is. The cowboy has to stay on the bucking bronco for at least eight seconds. The one who stays on the longest wins and gets paid a lot of money. They figure it's worth it,” explained Amanda's dad.

Just then, the chute opened and a fierce horse emerged, trying hard to buck the rider off; which he did successfully before the eight seconds was up. The cowboy face-planted into the dirt. A clown immediately jumped off the fence, distracted the horse by holding up a pair of red flannel underwear and pretended to be a bull fighter. The crowd roared with laughter. The bowlegged cowboy picked up his ten gallon hat, slapped it against his leg and limped away. The clown took hold of the reins, whispered something into the horse's ear and led him in the opposite direction.

Amanda looked over at the fence where the clowns sat. One clown dug in his baggy pants pocket as if looking for something. She wasn't sure but he looked a bit like the clown at the parade. She reminded herself that all clowns look alike in their make up and costumes.

As the rodeo came to an end, Amanda's mom asked, “Did you girls enjoy that?”

“Yes, thank you very much,” said Leah.

“It was OK, but I didn't like that the people and the animals could get hurt,” said Amanda.

“I liked how the clowns rescued the cowboys and made the crowd laugh,” said Leah.

“The clowns have the hardest job of all,” replied Amanda's dad. “Many of them are actually bullfighters, hired to distract the animal and expose themselves to great danger in order to protect the cowboy. Others are hired to entertain the crowd. Under those bright, loose fitting costumes, they wear protective gear. They work in teams and have to be in excellent shape because what they do is dangerous.”

Amanda wanted to visit the Indian Village, so they went around the back of the rodeo grounds and past the barns. Angry voices could be heard near one of the barns. As they got closer, they saw two rodeo clowns arguing. The taller fellow pulled on the shorter clown's suspenders.

“Where is it? I know you have it. I want it now.”

“I don't have it, I tell you. I must've lost it.”

“Well, I don't believe ya, you lying son…”

“Excuse me,” interjected Mr. Ross. “There are children here.”

Both clowns turned around, surprised.

“Sorry sir, madam.” The taller clown tipped his battered cowboy hat, revealing red hair. “We were just practicing a routine we plan to use tomorrow. Enjoy yourselves now, folks.”

They both turned and walked into the barn, but not before Amanda made eye contact with the short clown. She recognized his sad eyes.

Amanda's parents walked the girls over to the entrance to the Indian Village.

“Your father and I are going for a coffee,” said Amanda's mom. “We'll meet you back here in an hour.” The girls smiled at each other, thankful for a bit of time alone together and turned towards the entrance.

“
Oki.
Welcome to our Indian Village.” A young man wearing a feather headdress greeted them with a welcoming smile. “My name is Dan Crow Feather and I will be pleased to show you around our village.”

Twenty-six colourful tipis sat arranged in a circle just as they would have been hundreds of years ago.

“Can we see inside a tipi?” asked Amanda.

“Of course, follow me.” Dan led them to a white tent trimmed in red, with a large black buffalo painted on the side. Small animals that looked like dancing dogs decorated the bottom. He opened a flap and said, “Grandmother, we have visitors.”

It took a couple of minutes for the girls to adjust to the dim smoky light. Bedrolls lined the circle and multi-coloured woven rugs covered most of the floor. In the centre an older woman sat near a small fire. She held a stick over the flame. A colourful shawl covered her shoulders and a long salt and pepper braid trailed down her back. She looked up and smiled as the girls entered.

“Welcome. Would you like some bannock? I just made some fresh.”

She took a round piece of what looked like a biscuit off the end of the stick, broke it in two and put it on a tin plate. She handed the plate to Amanda and Leah. They each politely took a piece.

Amanda bit into hers and asked, “What is bannock?”

“It's Indian bread, made with flour, baking powder and water, and fried in fat or cooked on a stick over an open flame. It has long been a staple of the Indian diet,” explained Dan.

“It's very good, thank you,” said Leah.

“I see you come from England,” said the grandmother.

“Yes, I am here visiting my friend, Amanda.”

“When I was a young woman, I met your Queen Elizabeth. She came to the Calgary Stampede and visited the Indian Village. She was very nice and said it was her favourite thing she saw.”

“That is awesome!” exclaimed Amanda.

“Grandmother loves to tell everyone about meeting the Queen. She used to be a Jingle Dress Dancer when she was a girl your age.”

“Can you tell us more about the tipis and what it's like to sleep in one?” asked Amanda.

“Well, we don't sleep in tipis anymore, but use them for occasions like this when we re-enact life as it once was. Surprisingly, they are quite comfortable. They are very durable, providing warmth in the cold prairie winters and coolness in the hot summers. They also kept the rain out during our heavy downpours. They were originally made of animal skins but are now made of canvas. Tipis are designed to be taken down and packed away quickly when the tribe had to move. This happened often for the Plains Indians as they searched for food.”

They finished eating the bannock and said goodbye to the grandmother. Once back outside, Amanda asked Dan, “What about the paintings on the tipis?”

“Not all tipis are painted. They can be decorated with images of celestial bodies like the brown tipi with orange circles representing the sun over there.” Dan pointed. “Often they represent personal experiences such as a war or animals that a family member hunted successfully like deer, buffalo or bears.”

Amanda looked closely at the paintings on Dan's family tipi. The huge buffalo took up one side. The smaller animals she thought were dogs looked more like wolves close up. Around the wolves were small marks similar to the V on the stone in her bedroom.

Dan looked at his watch, “If we hurry, we can catch the Jingle Dress Dance at the Stampede Pow-Wow Stage.”

“What's a Jingle Dress Dance and what's a Pow-Wow?” asked a puzzled Leah.

“A Pow-Wow is a dance competition. You'll soon see,” explained Dan.

They approached a grandstand on which stood young girls wearing bright red, green, yellow, and blue dresses. Each dress was decorated with rows of shiny cones on the sleeves, tops and along the bottoms of the skirts. The dancers wore beaded leather moccasins on their feet, eagle plumes in their hair and carried feather fans. When drummers started to beat the drums; each girl placed a hand on one hip and began dancing in a pattern, feet close to the ground. As they danced around, the shiny cones made a cheerful jingling sound.

“Wow! This is incredible. If only I could dance like that,” said Amanda. “Those girls are only about eight years old and they are so good.”

“I love their colourful outfits,” said Leah.

“Some of these girls learn the Jingle Dress Dance when they are only three or four years old. They go all over North America entering Pow-Wow competitions. My sister is the girl in the green dress.” Dan pointed her out.

“What are the little bells made of?” asked Leah.

“The jingles are usually made of lids from chewing tobacco tins rolled into cones.” Dan laughed. “At least something good comes out of tobacco.”

Everyone clapped and cheered when the dance was over. Dan's sister came over to say hello with a huge grin.

“Sharon, I would like you to meet our guests, Amanda and Leah. Leah has come all the way from England.”

“I absolutely loved your performance. I can't wait to tell my mates back home,” exclaimed Leah.

“Would you like a picture with Sharon?”

“Would we ever!” Amanda stood on one side of the Jingle Dress Dancer and Leah stood on the other. Dan snapped a picture with Leah's camera.

“Thanks for showing us around, Dan. It was so great to meet you, Sharon. We must get back to the entrance to meet my parents.”

“Glad you stopped by. Enjoy the rest of your holiday, Leah.” Dan waved goodbye.

The girls got to the gate a few minutes before Amanda's mom and dad showed up. As they waited, two men in cowboy hats walked by involved in a serious conversation.

“Didn't that look like Andy from the ranch and the guy that was in the fight?” asked Amanda.

“Everyone here looks the same to me in cowboy hats and jeans,” replied Leah. “Now, where can I buy some of those chill cowboy boots everyone is wearing?”

“Mom, Leah wants to buy some cowboy boots. Can we take her shopping today?” asked Amanda the next morning.

“Sure, that would be fun. We can stop at the
Cowboy Boot Warehouse
on MacLeod Trail and then head out to your uncle's farm. They're expecting us for lunch.”

Amanda gave Leah's arm a squeeze. “You'll get to meet my farm cousins.”

“How many do you have?”

“Ten.” Amanda held up all her fingers.

“All in the same family?” Leah's eyes grew larger.

“Oh yes. Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Marjorie had one kid a year, except one year they had a set of twins. Uncle Jimmy said instead of hiring extra help on the farm, he produced his own.” Amanda giggled. “Uncle Jimmy is a funny guy. You'll see.”

“I have only two cousins and I never see them.”

“Well, you can share some of mine then.” Amanda grabbed Leah's hand as they headed towards the SUV.

* * *

The warm smell of leather greeted the girls when they entered the
Cowboy Boot Warehouse
.

Leah looked around in amazement. “I…I wouldn't know where to start.”

Shelves full of boots of all colours and styles lined the walls and filled the centre of the store. Boots even hung from the ceiling.

“Let's start with your size.” Amanda's mom led them to the correct area of the store. “You girls start trying on boots while I look at some in my size.”

Amanda had fun picking out boots for Leah to try on. Soon a mound of boots surrounded them. They giggled as they surveyed the assortment. Just then a young man appeared around a corner.

“May I help you?” He looked surprised. “Oh—hello again.”

“Hi Dan!” said both girls at once when they recognized the boy from the Indian Village.

“Do you work here?” asked Amanda.

“Yes, this is my part-time job. I'm saving up to go to university when I graduate from grade twelve next year.”

He looked at the boots scattered about. “Are you planning to buy all of these?”

Leah blushed. “I just can't decide. They're all so rad.”

Dan picked up a pink, pointy-toed boot stitched with swirls of flowers and a white top embroidered with pink flowers. “Try these on, Leah.”

Leah pulled them on over her skinny jeans.

“Walk over to the mirror and have a look.”

Leah viewed herself in the long mirror.

“You sure rock those boots, Leah,” exclaimed Amanda.

“How do they feel? It's important that they're comfortable,” said Dan.

“They feel like they were made just for me.” Leah beamed. “I don't want to take them off. My mates in England are going to be ever so jealous.”

“Great! What about you, Amanda?” He chose a red pair embroidered with small white flowers with stars as centres. “I think these would suit you just fine.”

“Have you found anything you like?” Mrs. Ross arrived holding a dark brown pair of boots decorated with blue birds and red roses.

“Dan helped us pick out the best in the store.”

“You are a fine salesperson, Dan. Where do I pay for all of these?”

“He sure is a good salesperson.” A man in a black cowboy hat slapped Dan on the back.

Dan jumped. “Uncle Ed, stop doing that. You scared me out of my wits.” He grinned at the man. “I'd like to introduce you to my new friends, Amanda and her friend Leah who is visiting from England. This, I assume, is your mother, Amanda?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry. Mom this is Dan Crow Feather. Dan this is my mom.”

“Nice to meet you, Amanda's Mom. You can take your purchases over to the counter in the middle. Make sure you mention that Dan assisted you.”

Mrs. Ross left the girls chatting as she paid for the boots.

Amanda noticed a bruise on Uncle Ed's face. “Weren't you at the Bar U Ranch the other day when we visited?”

“Ya, I was. Sorry you had to see the fight.” Ed looked down at his feet.

“Uncle Ed works at the ranch when he isn't being an artist or a rodeo clown.”

“Dan! Now you've blown my cover.” Ed punched his nephew on the shoulder.

“Sweet! I've never met a rodeo clown before. Isn't it scary being face-to-face with those ferocious horses?” asked Amanda.

“Naw. I know they won't hurt me. I just whisper sweet nothings in their ears and they calm right down.”

“What kind of art do you do?” asked Leah.

“Now that's my real job. The one I love. I do paintings and carvings. Too bad I don't make enough money at it.”

“Uncle Ed does some wonderful work. He has a small studio in Bragg Creek. You should visit it if you go there,” Dan added.

Amanda's mom arrived carrying three bags. “All set, girls. Let's get going.” She nodded her head, “Nice to meet you, Dan…Ed.”

As they turned to leave the store, Amanda heard Dan say to his uncle, “Have you found it yet?”

Ed replied, “No, but I'm sure that ranch hand took it. I just don't know how to get it back.”

On the drive out of town Amanda pondered what she heard and wondered if she should tell someone about the rock with the carving on it. ‘Am I wrong in keeping it? Is it valuable? Is that even what they were talking about?'

Her thoughts were interrupted when they turned into a farmyard. Yelping dogs greeted them along with a number of shouting children. Amanda jumped out of the vehicle, petted the dogs and hugged the small children. Leah, looking uneasy, stayed inside.

A young girl approached the SUV and said, “You must be Leah. I'm Sarah, Amanda's cousin. I've heard all about you. Welcome to our farm.” She reached out her hand to help Leah out of the jeep. “Don't worry about the dogs and kids, they're crazy but harmless.”

Sarah led everyone into the farmhouse filled with the smell of cabbage rolls, roasted ham and fresh baked bread.

Amanda introduced Leah to her Aunt Marjorie who was busy in the kitchen.

“Please sit down. Lunch is ready. Great Aunt Mary is here already.”

An elderly woman in a plaid shirt looked up from under her round glasses. A thick braid of white hair circled her head. Her weather worn face broke into a wide grin when she saw the visitors.

Amanda gave the woman a big hug and introduced her to Leah. “Aunt Mary is a palaeontologist. She knows all about fossils and dinosaurs and stuff. She used to work at the dinosaur museum.”

Just then a man in dungarees and a straw hat entered the room.

“What's this? I don't remember inviting all of you people for lunch. I have enough kids to feed as it is. And who is this city slicker?” He picked up Amanda and swung her around.

“Uncle Jimmy, you are such a kidder.”

“Eat up folks. Marjorie's been cooking all morning and we don't want any leftovers. If you clean your plates, there will be horse rides after lunch.”

The children squealed with delight as they dug into their food. Everyone talked at once. Leah looked confused by the commotion.

Aunt Mary leaned over and asked, “Do you come from a large family, Leah?”

“No,” she answered. “There is just me and my mom and dad. And Dad is often away working.”

“Then this hullabaloo must be quite overwhelming for you. We'll do something quieter after we eat.”

Amanda was pleased to see that Aunt Mary and Leah were chatting. She thought she might ask Aunt Mary about the stone later.