Robert Thoresen
On January 15 twenty PCQC members headed down I-19 to do a repeat photo shoot at the Paul Bond Boot Company in Nogales, Arizona. Bond Boots is a very high end maker of handmade custom cowboy boots and is known internationally for their quality and endurance. Paul Bond was a gifted rodeo rider and cattleman who created his company in Carlsbad, New Mexico, in the mid 1940s and then moved operations to Nogales, Arizona, in 1957. Members were given a very thorough tour of the working operations of the boot making process. Designs can be personalized. Fifteen artisans work specific stations that include sole and heal creation, toe box creation, piping, hand stitching design, inlay and ultimately the final assembly. All the component parts are custom measured for the purchaser. On average it takes two months to build the boot. Paul Bond Boots are not for the Walmart shopper. Prices start at $900 per pair. Alligator hide boots are close to $3,000 per pair. There is a retail section selling returns starting at $450. Assuming one’s foot does change over time, the boots’ soles, heals and piping can be altered or repaired. About twenty five percent of the business is taken up with restoration and refitting. A Bond Boot can outlast the owner. Many a cowboy has been buried with his pair of Paul Bond boots still on. Paul Bond Boots only makes between 1500 to 2000 boots a year. This company is where Clint Eastwood, George and Laura Bush, Ralph Lauren and Willie Nelson get their boots. The retail section also sells additional western wear and accessories. Elton Butler did make off with a $700 leather cowboy hat that was discounted $680. Now that’s a good deal!
After spending over two hours at Bond Boots observing boot making and taking photographs, PCQC members headed north to Rio Rico for lunch at the San Cayetano’s Santa Fe Grill. The luncheon menu is a mix of American sandwiches and Mexican entrees moderately priced. According to Trip Advisor, Christopher L and his girlfriend had a nice visit on November 22, 2014, indicating—“Service was excellent although the slow time of the year. Food was great; try the shrimp cocktail.” I didn’t see the shrimp cocktail on the menu; perhaps he was indicating the dinner menu. Trip Advisor has the grill at an overall rating of four out of eight restaurants in Rio Rico, but seems to be topped by Nickels Diner for breakfast and lunch. That one is on the club’s list for a visit in the future.
The PCQC was formed in 2009 and makes regularly scheduled field trips throughout the year. All Quail Creek residents are invited to the monthly meetings the second Wednesday of the month at the Madera Clubhouse. For current events and further details go to the club’s website at http://www.pcqc.org.