Just a pair of boots…

[LGOberean]

Yeah, this pic, taken 7 years ago the day before my birthday, shows me playing my old #1. It’s my old MiJ Hohner dread, model # G-940, bought new in the Spring of 1983. I’ve talked about it before.

However, as the title indicates, this thread is about a pair of boots, specifically, the boots I’m wearing in that pic.

The boots—Tony Lama’s—weren’t brand new in that pic, I don’t think. I don’t remember now exactly when I bought them, but I don’t think it was that year. What I do remember is that the next time I got together with my son, he happened to be wearing a pair of them also.

Anyway, I put those Tony Lama’s on this morning to go do chores before breakfast: feeding/checking on chickens, quail, rabbits, harvesting some okra, bringing in a 50-lb. bag of feed, etc. After all that and breakfast, I got on TDPRI to pass the time as I was finishing my first cup of coffee, and discovered that @Tommy Biggs had “Liked” my post in the thread “Specific Guitars. The Length of Time You Owned Them?”

And my post in that thread included the pic of me with my Hohner dread, and when I saw the boots, I was kinda shocked to see ‘em looking so good.

I then looked down at my feet because I was wearing the same boots, 7 years later.

Obviously, years of scuff marks, and the heels are worn down, unevenly so. (That always happens; after years of wear, my boots get bow-legged.) After they get to a certain point, I don’t polish them or even treat the leather. They get put on strictly for $#!T-kickin’ work. Or a nicer way to put that is for “farm” work. (Even though we live within the city limits, we “farm.”)

I go through a predictable pattern with every pair of boots I buy. A pair will start out as my Sunday-go-to-meetin’ boots.

Then after a while they become my everyday boots, but they’re still in good shape and relatively good-looking.

Then they become my $#!T-kickers.

Past that, the left boot of an otherwise useless pair becomes my “tip” boot. Like “Phillip” in the pic below, posed next to “Mini-Me.”

 

[Preacher]

I am like you. I currently have a pair of white leather tennis shoes. For the last two months I have kept them "bright" by wiping them down after wear so they look like new.

I picked them up the other morning and noticed that they needed cleaning and put them on anyway, skuffs and all.

I will say that there is nothing better than a pair of broke in boots to walk around in. My boots haven't been out in a while (I haven't had to do any poop kicking in a couple of years) but when I put them on they just conform to my feet like a long lost lover.

 

[johnny k]

 

[Toto'sDad]

I am like you. I currently have a pair of white leather tennis shoes. For the last two months I have kept them "bright" by wiping them down after wear so they look like new.

I picked them up the other morning and noticed that they needed cleaning and put them on anyway, skuffs and all.

I will say that there is nothing better than a pair of broke in boots to walk around in. My boots haven't been out in a while (I haven't had to do any poop kicking in a couple of years) but when I put them on they just conform to my feet like a long lost lover.

And the congregations said: Tell it all brother, tell it all, AMEN!

 

[Peegoo]

You've heard for many years that tone is in the hat. That applies only to guys that are losing their hair and need to hide their shame over it.

For the rest of us--we know the truth: tone is in the boots.

Everybody needs at least one pair of tone boots. These are customs, made by J.B. Hill in New Mexico. I wanted them to match my seafoam green Strat. They are bull shark leather and as comfortable as a pair of fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

 

[HaWE]

I am like you. I currently have a pair of white leather tennis shoes. For the last two months I have kept them "bright" by wiping them down after wear so they look like new.

I picked them up the other morning and noticed that they needed cleaning and put them on anyway, skuffs and all.

I will say that there is nothing better than a pair of broke in boots to walk around in. My boots haven't been out in a while (I haven't had to do any poop kicking in a couple of years) but when I put them on they just conform to my feet like a long lost lover.

This are my old german army boots.I have and wear them since 1977.Once I had a shoemaker put on some new soles. I wear them riding my motorbike, they also have seen mud,rain,snow and sun, festivals, parties and camping.
By the way, the shoelaces are new

 

[posttoastie]

 

[backporchmusic]

^^^ Is that Billy Ray Cyrus?

 

[buster poser]

You've heard for many years that tone is in the hat. That applies only to guys that are losing their hair and need to hide their shame over it.

For the rest of us--we know the truth: tone is in the boots.

Everybody needs at least one pair of tone boots. These are customs, made by J.B. Hill in New Mexico. I wanted them to match my seafoam green Strat. They are bull shark leather and as comfortable as a pair of fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

Didn't realize they were in NM. Great looking boots anyhow, wow

 

[gimmeatele]

View attachment 1042478
This are my old german army boots.I have and wear them since 1977.Once I had a shoemaker put on some new soles. I wear them riding my motorbike, they also have seen mud,rain,snow and sun, festivals, parties and camping.
By the way, the shoelaces are new

I had a pair of these for work boots, upto 10 hours a day and 6 days a week, one re sole and over 15 years wear, superb boots

 

[Kandinskyesque]

If you're ever in Scotland Larry, bring the boots round here and I'll have them looking like the first photo.

Ever since the boot/shoe cleaning chore was given to me as a kid, I've became a bit obsessed with cleaning/repairing footwear.
Even my excrement kickers have a shine you could see your face in.

I spend about an hour per week cleaning/repairing the family footwear. It's a bit of a hobby of mine.
I look forward to getting the "shoeshine box" out, sitting in front of the fire(winter) or the garden(summer), putting some music on and accompanying it with the rhythmic sound of fox hair on leather.

Zen and the Art of Shoeshine.

 

[Flaneur]

Red Wings. A bit heavy for Summer. Great quality, support and comfort for the Scottish Winter- all six months of it.

 

[Peegoo]

Didn't realize they were in NM.

J.B.Hill are in El Paso, Texas. I got 'em mixed up with my McGuffins. Doy!

 

[Chipss36]

note the pick pockets…..

 

[MickM]

You've heard for many years that tone is in the hat. That applies only to guys that are losing their hair and need to hide their shame over it.

For the rest of us--we know the truth: tone is in the boots.

Everybody needs at least one pair of tone boots. These are customs, made by J.B. Hill in New Mexico. I wanted them to match my seafoam green Strat. They are bull shark leather and as comfortable as a pair of fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

The first pair of cowboy boots were Tony Lamas with that same sharkskin (very tough) but mine have dark brown uppers without the cool Strat! Got 'em after working for 2 1/2 months in Dallas, over taken by peer pressure from the locals. Never had more comfortable boots.

 

[HaWE]

I had a pair of these for work boots, upto 10 hours a day and 6 days a week, one re sole and over 15 years wear, superb boots

Yes ,they are extreme durable.And at the end of the 70`s these german army boots all were brown.Later the army changed to black boots but I think brown looked better.

 

[LGOberean]

If you're ever in Scotland Larry, bring the boots round here and I'll have them looking like the first photo.

Ever since the boot/shoe cleaning chore was given to me as a kid, I've became a bit obsessed with cleaning/repairing footwear.
Even my excrement kickers have a shine you could see your face in.

I spend about an hour per week cleaning/repairing the family footwear. It's a bit of a hobby of mine.
I look forward to getting the "shoeshine box" out, sitting in front of the fire(winter) or the garden(summer), putting some music on and accompanying it with the rhythmic sound of fox hair on leather.

Zen and the Art of Shoeshine.

"The rhythmic sound of fox hair on leather." A line worthy of a Guy Clark song.

I wish more people around here were into boot repair. There were three places in this city of over 300K people that did that kind of work. But the last time I was in one of them, the price of re-heel/re-sole was higher than I wanted to pay. Not long after that, that boot place had closed down. Then another closed. So now there's only one place in this city that does boot repair, and the cost of such work is prohibitive to me. Maybe I'm just an old geezer that's out of touch with what things cost today, but if I'm paying more than half the purchase price of a new pair of boots just to get old boots re-soled, I kinda figure I might as well buy new.

I do relate to liking the chore of shining shoes/boots. When I was a boy, I willingly took on the task of shining our Sunday shoes. Even this year I've gotten compliments on the shine I have on my Sunday-go-to-meetin' boots.

BTW, I've posted this before, but here's my boot rack. I have more boots than space on that rack, but the three most used pairs go on the rack.

 

[LGOberean]

note the pick pockets…..
View attachment 1042642

Clever and cool!

I always stash picks in multiple places: in each guitar case, my gig bag, a pick pocket on a guitar strap, etc. On my person, I keep them in that little pocket on my jeans. Levi Strauss knew what he was doing when he added that little pocket to his jeans; he just didn't know what it was really for. It's a "pick" pocket, not a watch pocket.

Although truth be told, I carried a pocket watch in the '70s (never did like a watch on my wrist), so I've used that little pocket for both. These days, my "timepiece" is my cell phone, and I carry it on my belt in this, right next to my pick pocket...

 

[Kandinskyesque]

"The rhythmic sound of fox hair on leather." A line worthy of a Guy Clark song.

I wish more people around here were into boot repair. There were three places in this city of over 300K people that did that kind of work. But the last time I was in one of them, the price of re-heel/re-sole was higher than I wanted to pay. Not long after that, that boot place had closed down. Then another closed. So now there's only one place in this city that does boot repair, and the cost of such work is prohibitive to me. Maybe I'm just an old geezer that's out of touch with what things cost today, but if I'm paying more than half the purchase price of a new pair of boots just to get old boots re-soled, I kinda figure I might as well buy new.

I do relate to liking the chore of shining shoes/boots. When I was a boy, I willingly took on the task of shining our Sunday shoes. Even this year I've gotten compliments on the shine I have on my Sunday-go-to-meetin' boots.

BTW, I've posted this before, but here's my boot rack. I have more boots than space on that rack, but the three most used pairs go on the rack.

View attachment 1042962 View attachment 1042963

I love that boot rack.
My daughter has a couple of horses, one rescue horse and a retired steeplechase male that she's had for 12 years which means it's about 21 y/o.
She taught my granddaughters how to jump fences before they had even started school.
We've an abundance of horseshoes and riding boots and that rack has given me an idea.

As for boot repairs, the choice is appalling now, there's one traditional cobbler left in Glasgow and everything else are those awful heel bars.
I've taken to using online cobblers for big jobs like resoles or zip replacement and the price has gone up dramatically.
I tend to bite the bullet and pay the online prices because new seems either very expensive or a compromise in the leather quality.
One pair of my boots that I paid £200 for 25 years ago now cost twice that to replace, but the bootmaker (Joseph Cheaney) does a total rebuild for about £100. I last had that done about 5 years ago and it was like getting a new pair all over again with the added bonus of the uppers retaining their battle scars.
I've a few pairs of boots older than my kids and even my Converse (US bought) are 10 years old.

I imagine the quality of the leather goods will still be good if you live in the lone star state.

 

[posttoastie]