He also had an old shack in the hills, but it wasn’t very protective from the often arcticlike winter weather on the prairies. Even though he preferred working there, his arthritis kept him away; but at the first signs of spring he moved himself totally out to the cabin.
After they passed the tiny town of Frontier, Daniel stared out at the large sloughs, mostly dried up now, but with random islands of pink flowers growing abundantly in them. Maybe there was a similarity between these sloughs and the low-lying marshes of the Cretaceous Period? From what he’d seen, it certainly seemed so.
Once they swung north onto the number 614 grid road, they drove for several miles on gravel again. Grass-hoppers swirled up from the ditches of long grass, splatting onto the windshield in a steady barrage along with other flying insects, smudging the glass and making it difficult to see. When the truck wheels hit the pavement again, Daniel heaved a sigh. They were almost at Eastend.
He never ceased to marvel at how the landscape changed from a relatively flat plain and then took a major dip into the valley, with Eastend nestled at the bottom in a long coulee. The town sprawled along the winding Frenchman River amongst a long sweep of lush trees. It had begun in about 1887 as the most eastern detachment from Fort Walsh, a North West Mounted Police (nwmp) post, and was at the east end of their patrol. The name Eastend had stuck, from the constant reference to the location of the post.
Daniel examined the town as they drove in past the Co-op Centre, the Super Thrifty Drug Store, and the grocery store. The extra-wide streets left plenty of room for angle parking on both sides, especially on Main Street. At the end of the block, Pederson parked in front of the Red Coat Booksellers store, one of Daniel’s favourite haunts.
“I’ll go to the credit union first and meet you back here at the bookstore,” Pederson said, heading across the street.
Daniel climbed the steps that led to the bookstore and opened the door. He stood in the doorway breathing in the slightly musty smell of old books, mingled with the crispness of ink and new paper, which he loved. The floor-to-ceiling shelves were loaded with used, new, and rare books on every subject Daniel could imagine. His prime target was the shelf in the back of the store that held all the paleontology books. Many were of a technical nature, some a little too technical for him to read, but that didn’t stop him from looking at them. He nodded at the young red-haired woman behind the counter as he passed.
He was so immersed in a book on the evolution of birds that Daniel didn’t hear Pederson come in until he spoke behind him.
“Something new, lad?”
Daniel jumped. “Yeah. Look at this!”
Daniel showed him the open page of drawings of successive birdlike species from the prehistoric periods to modern day. Pederson studied if for a moment.
“Hmmm! Some new theories at last.” Pederson gently took the book from Daniel and looked at the publication page, then the cover. “Bracken’s a good scientist,” he said. “Maybe we’ll just have to have this one for our library.”
Pederson handed the book back to Daniel. “What do you say?”
“Don’t buy it just on account of me,” Daniel answered, feeling a little guilty at prompting Pederson to buy the book.
“It’s for both us!” Pederson answered. “Anything else of interest?”
Daniel shook his head, afraid to speak out again.
“All right, then, we’re off.”
Soon they were heading across the little bridge over the river and up the winding gravel road to the T.rex Discovery Centre halfway up the valley. The centre had been dug into the side of a hill, following the long natural curve. Actually, the top of the hill had been cut away and then replaced with soil and native plants once the building was complete, so that it looked like it had been entirely carved out of the hillside. All that stuck out was the curved
After they passed the tiny town of Frontier, Daniel stared out at the large sloughs, mostly dried up now, but with random islands of pink flowers growing abundantly in them. Maybe there was a similarity between these sloughs and the low-lying marshes of the Cretaceous Period? From what he’d seen, it certainly seemed so.
Once they swung north onto the number 614 grid road, they drove for several miles on gravel again. Grass-hoppers swirled up from the ditches of long grass, splatting onto the windshield in a steady barrage along with other flying insects, smudging the glass and making it difficult to see. When the truck wheels hit the pavement again, Daniel heaved a sigh. They were almost at Eastend.
He never ceased to marvel at how the landscape changed from a relatively flat plain and then took a major dip into the valley, with Eastend nestled at the bottom in a long coulee. The town sprawled along the winding Frenchman River amongst a long sweep of lush trees. It had begun in about 1887 as the most eastern detachment from Fort Walsh, a North West Mounted Police (nwmp) post, and was at the east end of their patrol. The name Eastend had stuck, from the constant reference to the location of the post.
Daniel examined the town as they drove in past the Co-op Centre, the Super Thrifty Drug Store, and the grocery store. The extra-wide streets left plenty of room for angle parking on both sides, especially on Main Street. At the end of the block, Pederson parked in front of the Red Coat Booksellers store, one of Daniel’s favourite haunts.
“I’ll go to the credit union first and meet you back here at the bookstore,” Pederson said, heading across the street.
Daniel climbed the steps that led to the bookstore and opened the door. He stood in the doorway breathing in the slightly musty smell of old books, mingled with the crispness of ink and new paper, which he loved. The floor-to-ceiling shelves were loaded with used, new, and rare books on every subject Daniel could imagine. His prime target was the shelf in the back of the store that held all the paleontology books. Many were of a technical nature, some a little too technical for him to read, but that didn’t stop him from looking at them. He nodded at the young red-haired woman behind the counter as he passed.
He was so immersed in a book on the evolution of birds that Daniel didn’t hear Pederson come in until he spoke behind him.
“Something new, lad?”
Daniel jumped. “Yeah. Look at this!”
Daniel showed him the open page of drawings of successive birdlike species from the prehistoric periods to modern day. Pederson studied if for a moment.
“Hmmm! Some new theories at last.” Pederson gently took the book from Daniel and looked at the publication page, then the cover. “Bracken’s a good scientist,” he said. “Maybe we’ll just have to have this one for our library.”
Pederson handed the book back to Daniel. “What do you say?”
“Don’t buy it just on account of me,” Daniel answered, feeling a little guilty at prompting Pederson to buy the book.
“It’s for both us!” Pederson answered. “Anything else of interest?”
Daniel shook his head, afraid to speak out again.
“All right, then, we’re off.”
Soon they were heading across the little bridge over the river and up the winding gravel road to the T.rex Discovery Centre halfway up the valley. The centre had been dug into the side of a hill, following the long natural curve. Actually, the top of the hill had been cut away and then replaced with soil and native plants once the building was complete, so that it looked like it had been entirely carved out of the hillside. All that stuck out was the curved
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