I remember well, I first met Dale in Manhattan, Kansas when he went there to get Katsumi and me. It was March 5th, 1971, a cold and windy Kansas winter. (I had just arrived from Brazil). We had a meeting with some Kansas Farm Bureau members. It was a meeting for host families and trainees. After lunch we headed to Glen Elder, Kansas. During our ride to Dale's home, he tried to teach us some English words by pointing out things by the road, like: snow, fence, wheat, shed, cattle, hay and so forth. Everything was so fresh and new for Katsumi and me. We both could not understand anything in this strange new language. (We spoke Portuguese). When we got to Glen Elder, I met Dale's family: JoAnne, Diana, Mark and Scott. We met also for the first time, two other trainees, Arcidio (from Brazil) and Masao (from Japan).
At this time Dale was building a new house so we helped once in a while. Dale taught us how to paint. This was something we had never done before.
On May 22, 1971 Dale's parents, Donald and Verda Adell moved to the new house from Topeka, Kansas. I loved to have oatmeal for breakfast, so sometimes Verda would invite me to have breakfast with her and she would tell the stories of when she was a child, also she told me about her parents, grandparents and her school. I loved to hear those stories because I loved western movies, and hearing about the old west and learning more about how the west was won. Verda told me that her grandparents came from Ohio or Indiana. I am not sure from which state they came. One of the stories she told me was when Dale's sister, Alice, was born she cried lots (she was colicky) and Dale said to Verda, "Mom you better take back this baby." The events I am writing about happened 40 years ago, but I still remember well what Verda told me at those breakfasts.
In the beginning, when I first came everything was hard for us. English was difficult for Katsumi and me. (English is still difficult for me). The climate was very different than in Brazil. There were many differences such as the food and we were homesick.The American agriculture was much more developed than Brazilian agriculture. Americans use more machinery for seeding and at harvest, so Katsumi and I had to learn a lot to do our daily chores. Dale was very patient with us as he explained what we had to do especially since we didn't speak English well. Each season we had a different kind of work and more explanation was needed. Everything was HUGE: tractors, combines, fields - especially for short guys like us.
Our lunch was fixed by Dale. Every day we had TV dinners. There was three kinds of lunch: pork, beef and chicken with one hamburger and bun. We were young and weren't used to having breakfast because here in Brazil we weren't used to eating much in the morning so at lunch time we were starved. In the beginning we only had TV dinners, but soon we told Dale that TV dinners weren't enough for us so he increased one hamburger and bun for lunch.
Sometimes on Saturday night we would go to town to play snooker with Ivan (an American hired hand for Dale) and another guy who was the town's sheriff. It was fun. In the corner was a jukebox playing country music while we were playing snooker and drinking Coors beer. Every Saturday when we were leaving home, Dale used to say, "don't drink too much!" We answered, "we never do!" Katsumi would drive to town and I would drive on the return trip home. I never drank much beer, so this was safer.
Every Sunday morning we used to do our chores quickly and then go to the Methodist Church in Beloit, Kansas. After the church service we would have lunch at a family or friend's place. Sometimes we went to Aunt Mildred's, JoAnne's aunt who lived in Beloit. It was strange but every Sunday when I came back to Brazil, I felt that I was missing something because here I was not used to going to church every Sunday like in Kansas.
Dale was our boss, but also like our father, caring for us so kindly. After I came back to Brazil I never forgot the American life I had and I cherished those memories, wanting to go back one day. I did go back, twice.
My first trip back to the United States was in July 1982. I visited Dale and his family, we headed for Yellowstone and stopped at Dubois at Stewart's Trapline Gallery, Dale told me, "when I get retirement, I want to come here to live. I love this place." I was glad he did move there. Two years ago (2008) was my lucky day when I came to visit Dale and all of his family. I flew from Brazil to Atlanta, GA and then to Seattle (WA). I met Mark in Seattle and he took me to Victoria and Vancouver, Canada. I had wonderful days with Mark and his lovely family. From Seattle I flew to Salt Lake City, UT and then to Jackson Hole, WY. Dale and JoAnne were waiting for me. Dale was so happy to see me and took me to the best restaurant for dinner. The next day we went fishing for trout with Robert Tyson. A picture Robert took shows Dale's pants were wet because the trout we caught had not been tied up good enough and the six trout went to deep water. Robert said, "Dale just leave them." Dale wouldn't listen and worked with the short rope and brought the six trout back. When we were taking pictures he just laughed and said to Robert, "I had to bring back those trout because if I didn't Oswaldo would never forgive me.. ha ha ha ha ha ha." What a GREAT TIME WE HAD - just a dream ago.
One night he took JoAnne, Diana and me to see a country band, J Wranglers. We had a great dinner and then the show. I took pictures that night. Dale was so happy. (His smile was so true and happy. I was too). We went up the mountain on the four-wheeler. Up the mountain we stopped to rest and talked a lot. One thing I told him was, "The best thing I did during my young years was to come to America. It opened my mind and I could see more far away. I had successes in my big city, Curitiba. due to my stay in America. When I (redneck) arrived in Curitiba, I was able to catch an opportunity and be successful." Dale was a little bit surprised at what I had to say.
Next I went to Sheridan and Scott took me to South Dakota and then to Montana. Next, Diana took me to Casper and then we went to Kansas. At Glen Elder I did something I had waited 13 years to do. I wanted to visit Verda's sepulcher and I did because Diana was so kind to take me there. (Verda died in July 1994.) Verda was just like my own grandmother. Because Verda was not able to come to Brazil, I took some Brazilian soil and dried rose petals from my garden and spread them on her resting place. Now Dale is resting on Dubois hill, on a Wyoming mountain, the places he loved and enjoyed so much. I am so glad for him. I wish that one day I can visit his resting place and go fishing at Windriver - maybe with JoAnne this time.
I remember one night when Dale and JoAnne told me the ABC's of Salvation. Dale explained salvation and we talked about it a lot. I AM LUCKY I had someone caring for me so much and he wants to meet me again at the next stage. HEAVEN CAN WAIT FOR US. Oswaldo
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