Hosts in Tucson floating on the thrill of Bush visit

That's one perk of inviting the leader of the free world over for breakfast.

President Bush was in Tucson last week to help raise money for Republican congressional candidate Tim Bee and attended a fundraiser at the Bells' Foothills home.

On Wednesday, the couple and event planner Louise Thomas — now recuperated — shared the adventure of planning the 450-person event with only five weeks' notice.

It began with a phone message in early June.

"Would you like to have breakfast with the president?" was the message left on the couple's answering machine from Bee's campaign folks, Jackie said.

"We'll need to check our calendars," Graham said he jokingly replied.

The Bells are such fans of Bush that they named their beloved Maine coon cat George W.

The next call was to Thomas, co-owner of Events Made Special, who canceled her planned vacation and got to work.

Along with input from the Republican Party and the U.S. Secret Service, many details had to be hashed out: the menu, the decorations, the lighting, the flowers, the placement of the airport-style screening machine and accommodating the motorcade.

The latter two items were a first for her, Thomas — who has owned her event planning business for 25 years — said with a laugh.

The Bells' 8,700-square-foot home, with 14 rooms, a four-car garage and an observatory tower with a 360-degree view of Tucson, was crawling with Secret Service agents — both human and canine — for six days before Bush's arrival.

Agents installed secured phone lines in rooms throughout the house, which sits on the corner of North First Avenue and East Ina Road, in case the need arose for the president to make a telephone call.

"He didn't get any calls. ... That's a good thing," said Graham, who worked as a federal agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Defense Investigative Service for 30 years.

He is also a descendant of Alexander Graham Bell, who is credited with inventing the telephone.

The patio was sectioned off, the trellis and tents had to be a certain height and weight, the guests had to provide Social Security numbers and be shuttled to the Bell home.

Jackie inspected every nook and cranny at the main entrance to the house, determined to make a good impression on the president.

Then, the day before the breakfast, there was a change in plans.

"The Secret Service said he would be coming in through the garage," Thomas said.

Jackie gasped.

"I hadn't cleaned that out," she said with a shrug of the shoulders. So they moved the Christmas-light boxes and mopped the garage floor.

By 3:30 on the morning of the event, more than 60 people — from caterers to electricians — converged on the house for one last chance to get everything just right before guests began to arrive at 6:30 a.m.

The Secret Service sent everyone except the Bells out of the house for 90 minutes to do a security check.

Once the house was secured, the staff was allowed to return.

Then came the big moment.

Graham and Jackie watched in awe as President Bush walked through their hallway toward them.

"You have a wonderful home; I know what it takes to get ready for these events," Bush told Jackie, to which she replied: "We did a lot of vacuuming."

"Oh, he laughed," she said. "He's very down-to-earth."

The couple had the opportunity to visit with the president for about 20 minutes before escorting him to the patio to meet donors.

As he passed the kitchen, Bush popped in and surprised the caterers and the event staff.

"Are you all waiting for little ol' me?" Bush asked the stunned crew, Jackie said. He shook everyone's hand and took a picture with the group.

Bush also posed for pictures with the Bell family before turning his attention to the $10,000 donors who paid for the opportunity to get their pictures taken with the president.

For Jackie, one of the biggest thrills was getting to put the spotlight on her 10-year-old grandson, Robbie.

"I told the president, 'Robbie is the only member of our family to ever hit a grand slam,' " she said.

Bush responded by giving Robbie a high-five.

"He'll remember that for the rest of his life," Jackie said, referring to her grandson.

During the event, helicopters hovered over the house, and paramedics from Northwest Fire/Rescue District manned an ambulance in the driveway.

Once Bush was gone, the guests cleared out, the decorations taken down and the federal agents off to another assignment, Graham and Jackie came down from the elation of the experience.

"It was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I would do it all again," Jackie said.

George W. — the cat — relaxed by a window, no longer locked away or getting sniffed by Secret Service pups, Jackie noted.

"He's the only one who's glad it's over," she said.

The menu

What do you serve when the president of the United States comes over for breakfast?

Graham and Jackie Bell, along with event planner Louise Thomas, served up the following, catered by Dakota Cafe, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road (in Trail Dust Town):

Skewered fresh summer fruits and strawberries

Cheddar, tomato, potato and chili quiche

Scones of fresh peaches and cream

Morning glory muffins

Banana walnut muffins

Scones of fresh oranges and blueberries

Cinnamon streusel filled with sugar and spice

Miniature bagels with cream cheese

Fresh orange juice

Coffee