Snowed in

Sun and Sands Restaurant - snow storm - late 60's maybe even early 70's Here in the upper part of Missouri where I live we have had one heck of a cold spell. It started snowing Wednesday evening and kept it up all day Thursday and into this morning. We got about 4 inches but the real issue was the wind. We had terrible wind, which is unusual for us, and that brought the temperature with the wind chill to about -10 degrees below zero.

I stayed home from work yesterday and thank goodness I did - about 11 o'clock in the morning my heater went out. Luckily I got a repairman to the house in short time and the repair was both easy and inexpensive. I would hate to think what it would have been like to have come home from work to a cold house and possibly frozen pipes.

By this afternoon the sun was out and it seemed like I would make it through all of this nasty weather after all.

But all this caused me to think about what it was like when we got our big snow storms in Santa Rosa. I can remember being in school and the minute I opened my eyes in the morning I would would jump up to see if it snowed and then turn on the radio to listen for the announcement that every kid prays for - NO SCHOOL TODAY! YEA!!!!

Because of its location on Route 66, the highway would often be closed at Santa Rosa in order to give the winter traveler some options before proceeding toward Cline's Corners where they would certainly get stuck in the snow. My father had owned several restaurants and one of them, Sun and Sands Restaurant, was on the east side of town. (Just at the bottom of Sunshine Hill for those of you who know what I'm talking about). At that time my dad had the only restaurant with gas grills instead of electric. This was important because the first thing to go back then in a snow storm was the electricity. This was back in the times of streets lined with poles and wires. During the heavy snows the lines would become heavy with wet snow that turned to ice that they would eventually snap.

Since my dad had gas grills he could open his restaurant and offer gallons and gallons of coffee and a very limited menu. I clearly remember him serving breakfast and grilling the bread since the toaster, being electric, didn't work. This rare type of toast was such a treat to me and I can taste it even now. I am amused at my current age to realize that what he was serving was what is now served at every steakhouse across America - good ol' Texas Toast. Just the same, I thought my dad was the most clever man on the face of the earth.

Since we were the only game in town, as far as eateries go, our place would be packed with tourist. Businessmen, families, college students, truck drivers, all strangers caught in a snow storm waiting for the highway to reopen, trying hard not to look scared,

My dad charged 15 cents for a cup of coffee and refills were free. I would bet my life that each man, woman and child drank ten gallons of coffee for 15 cents while waiting out the storm. If day turned into night calls would be made to find lodging for the stranded. Motels were filled with those who could pay - preachers would be called for those who couldn't.

Frozen, scared, frustrated and more times than not, irritated travelers were taken in, treated like family and cared for. Times were different then...better....