Orchard Adventure

We weren't aware of the orchard owner's rules, or the fact that he backed those rules with a shotgun.

When we moved into a new house that backed up to an apricot orchard (yum!), with two more apricot trees in our backyard (double yum!), my brothers and I were in tree climbing heaven! We were not aware of the orchard owner’s rules, or the fact that he backed those rules with a shotgun.

My dad built a cool deck around the back of the house, and we could reach the tree limbs from the railing. He also had us make a rock garden with cacti and succulents, in the back corner of the yard. The summers were hot in San Jose, so we had ample time to observe lizards in our little desert garden.

Our elementary school was about a 4-block trek, if you took the long way, but we discovered a shorter route through the orchard. It cut our walk by half, so that was the way we traveled. We had no trouble going that way for a few days, but on the 5th day, one of my brothers and I decided to go exploring in the orchard. He was older than me, so I blamed it on him, even though he didn’t have to twist my arm.

All was going great! We found a couple of trees to hang on, and were making a little noise, laughing and talking, and tramping around. We hit he jackpot when we discovered an old, broken down hen house. We were poking around it, trying to figure out a way we could fix it up into something we could use, like a secret clubhouse. That’s when we heard a gunshot. We looked at each other, not blinking. My brother whispered, “Run!!!!” We began to tear out of there, when a huge man, in overalls and a dirty white t-shirt, blocked our path. He did, indeed have a shotgun, and it was pointed at us! He told us, “You damn kids better get the hell out of my orchard!” We didn’t need any more directions…we hauled out of there, running at a speed I never knew I was capable of, with him right behind us.

We got to our back gate, and our mother was waiting for us. She had heard the shotgun, and she was operating on a combination of fear and fury. When he began to tell her about her little hellions tearing up his orchard, she held nothing back, I don’t believe I ever heard her use those words, before or since, but she got her point across. There was no need for a shotgun around her children, and I think she may have told him where he could put it.

When we were settled down, we were disciplined, as well. Privileges were taken, and bedtime came early. But for the most part, My mother knew that the most effective punishment had come from our experience with the orchard owner.

Sharon Hudson 2025