Meetin' At The Cafe

Mom and Dad enjoyed desert living when they operated Saguaro Corners. The cafe bordered the grounds of the National Park and was far enough away from the city of Tucson, that the tentacles of civilization had not yet reached the area. The 'locals' were ranch owners, cowboys, and the few tourists that came to the park.

Adeline and her husband,Larry, with their children, Michael, Virginia, Mark and David lived in Tucson, but prior to their work at Hughes Aircraft, neither family had any experience living in the desert.

The desert is fascinating and beautiful, but laws of nature hold sway here like no other place on the planet. There are seasons, each with its own characteristic, but they meld, and if familiar with them one can appreciate the desert. The Saguaro and Occatillo cacti are only two of the many types of cacti in the area but they are the ones tourists think of when they think 'desert'.

On the occasions when my siblings and I met at the cafe we pitched in and helped Mom and Dad with their plans for expansion. They first created a large cement patio which later was turned into a glass enclosed room where patrons could watch the varied wild life come to a rock garden and drink from a shallow pool.

The original 6 stools where customers sat to eat burgers was turned into a small bar separate from the main dining room. It wasn't long before they added a small gift section offering turquoise jewelry and other mementos and souvenirs.

During their stay in Arizona, the folks acquired several horses and when we came to visit, riding was always at the top of our list of things to do. The cowboys helped Mom and Dad choose gentle horses so grandchildren could ride without worry, but there was one horse that only Mom and Dad could ride. It was a beautiful brown and white paint horse named Paint. If anyone attempted to ride, it just sat down. I had never seen a horse sit before but it actually sat on its haunches and wouldn't move. Uncle Pat thought he could ride it but as soon as he was in the saddle, the horse sat down. Our laughter didn't deter Pat from trying several times though. Misty was the gentlest of horses and everyone's favorite. Misty, aptly named because she was gray and slightly dappled had been used on roundups and was neck reigned.

It was always a pleasure to see a road runner and glimpse quail. One was always on the look out for snakes, especially rattlers. Coyotes were active at night. The hot sunny days took ones breath away and mare's tail clouds in the sky only hinted at something called 'rain'. When it did rain, water flowed down shallow ravines called 'washes' and could dangerously catch one unaware in a flash flood. I had heard stories of how dangerous those incidents could be but I only understood the power of those sudden rains when I saw the Pantano running. The force of the water was so great nothing would have stopped it. It was frightening just to watch and I understood how one could be drowned in seconds when the washes were running.

Flash Flood July 30, 2006 in Tucson, AZ
West of the Sabino Canyon Road bridge.