The R.J. Colt boots were really a value, purchased from SportMart in 1999 for $14 on a closeout rack.  They replace my GI boots from 1969 for beekeeping purposes.  With some built-in waterproofing they've proven to be some of the of most comfortable and durable shoes I've owned.

The red paid on the left shoe is from a partial repainting of the Lake Eleven cabin from 2000.

The speed laces are cool although I only use the top pair when doing beekeeping stuff.  The most recent exception to that was late November when winterizing my hives.  I was stung twice on the right ankle.  Remember to use all the speed lacing options when working with bees.

These make me think of the cabin and planting trees. 

Very, very dorky.  I wear these when running errands in the suburbs or going to Caribou or Starbucks.

They're good weekend shoes and Friday casual day shoes but periodic ventilation is needed.

These are Florsheim's and probably were about $100 new.  Looking at the bottoms I can see that I have new heels put on one or two times and half soles at least once.  Those were the days when you purchased shoes to last.  We're now in the replaceable mode of shoes.

When I put on the backup shoes I found that my feet have grown or spread.  The shoes were tight and the laces too short and I really did not feel very good about it.  In combination with a couple other events I finally went home a bit early.  I don't think I'll wear these again even in a 'backup' situation.  When I was younger they made me feel older, too. Now they make me feel old.

These look pretty bad but they've been in my backup shoe box at work for at least five or six years.  Technically they are 'oxblood' not brown.  Purchased from an L.L. Bean sale catalog they are really not very comfortable and if I remember, they make my feet sweat.  The sweat thing seems pretty standard now but I don't know if I'm just like that or if the shoes are cheaper.

Once again the L.L. Bean catalog has produced some pretty comfortable shoes.  The black cap toes on the left are from 2001 and were about $60.00 which seems to be my current price threshold.  I've worn these a lot and they're starting to show some wear.  I like the name 'cap toe,' although that toe style reminds me of my grandfather Fred Heggelund.  These look like old man shoes too.  I don't know why I'm surprised by that observation.

Like so many shoes today they don't seem to look bettor or worse if you do or don't shine them so I don't.  These are pretty good candidates to become my new yard shoes in 2003.  The progression seems to be wear them to work as long as you can, wear them for yard shoes which certainly wrecks them for anything decent, and then use them for painting shoes.  The old wing tips from the first photo of the shoe project are now painting shoes at the Finlayson House.  I really don't have any Shoreview painting shoes right now.  This winter I'm planning on painting our front hallway so I'll have to start thinking about sacrificial shoes.

History: In the early eighties retro-cowboy became pretty popular.  Linda was the COO of Caardvark on Lake Street.  Immediately next door was a boot store which, when it went out of business, sold off their inventory at 50% off retail.  These Dan Post working cowboy boots were $120 list, so you do the math.  These are not dress up cowboy boots and have neoprene soles begging for cow poo. They are worn 2-3 times per year for special occasions.  I'm planning on keeping these the rest of my life. 

Kohl's has a pretty good selection of sandals.  These were gifts on Father's Day a couple of years ago.  I wear them until the snow flies and then leave them out to remind me that winter is going to end.

As noted on the mushed down rear strap I never really hooked these up so that is why I was given the 'New #1 Sandals.'  These were pretty comfortable and are shot but I've left them in the closet for the past three years for some reason.

Impulse purchase in January of 2003 at SportMart.  They were discounted about 50% and there was a '40% Off Lowest Price' sign in the shoe section so these ended up being about $35.00.  My old higher Sorrel boots are too hot and too heavy for the wimpier winters we seem to be having.  I think these are pretty youthful.  

These are in the trunk of my car along with some mouse poison (green box), a Fisker's bypass pruning shears (KMart closeout @ $5.00), a bunch of old bags, some books and magazines and a notebook computer.

Another January 2003 impulse purchase from the L.L. Bean clearance catalog.  I felt that only having one pair of black shoes that I could wear to work was a bit light so I splurge and spent $59 for these.  They're pretty 'old' looking but who do I think I am anyway.  Thomas's outgrown Sketchers were OK, but admittedly a bit too youthful.  This age talk is depressing; the next thing I'll want are Velcro shoes.

Cabelas in Owatonna had a huge stack of these on closeout a couple of years ago for about $25.  The sizes were weird but these fit well, are warm (too warm for Rosedale, etc.) but once again, good for wimpy winters.  In 2002/2003 I have not worn them a single time.

This was the first pair of low winter boots that I purchased, and I have no recollection of where I bought them or how much I paid.  We bought a pair for each of us so I'm thinking it was a closeout at SportMart for about $11/pair.  Thomas outgrew his w/i an hour or two.  Linda has never worn hers and Anne probably has worn her's once.  Since there are four pair in the closet they're always mixed up.  I should get rid of all eight boots, four lefts and four rights.

The 'other' pair of lightweight wing tips.  Currently in 'reserve/inactive' status.  I have not thought much about this pair of shoes and have no plans for their future.  Since I've decided to never wear ties or suits again there's not much purpose except to use them for funerals.

Back in the 1970's I purchased two pair of bona fide Sorrels, made in Canada.  The double boot was replacing the waterproof but sweat-producing 'pacs' of the '60's.  This is one of the original pair, and I'd estimate the purchase date around 1978.  the liners were replaced one time.  With the wimpy winters we've had through the 1990's I've worn these only a few times and as can be seen by the laces, I don't really do much more than pull them on.  They are great for snowshoeing in deep snow.

These were mail order from either LL Bean or Land's end.  They are clunky an look like old man shoes.  They make my feet sweat.  I dislike them as much as any shoes I currently have. They were stacked with the 'Goodwill' donations in the basement but I pulled them out to be 'yard shoes,' but even more degrading, I've started painting in them.  The yellow specks are from some oil-based yellow enamel I used to paint some bee hives on a 50 degree day in March 2003.

I love the color of these cheap shoes.  It appears that foot powder is leaking through the right one.  That's a pretty sad state when you actually use foot powder.

They are made in Portugal which I believe is famous for once controlling the world along with Spain and plundering the Indians of South and Central America.  For some reason I thing cork is a big product.

A great slip-on winter shoe.  No stories.  Winter of 2002-2003 was without major events.

Like the Haeflinger clogs, these are pretty dorky.  At 29.95 from Land's End they are unbeatable for cooler/wetter weather with the advantage you can slip out of them easily when things get steamy.  Highly recommended.  Nothing important has happened while wearing these shoes.

Several years ago one of my network administrators left to work for United Health Care.  After a while we decided that it would be good if he returned.  We met at a bar in downtown Hopkins.  I may have had a Reuben sandwich.  After talking about the future we departed.  Across the street I saw a neon sign flashing 'Minnetonka' and bought these 'driving moc's.'  They are slightly too small and now are left at  the Finlayson project.  Like most of my shoes they have some paint on them and mysterious stuff stuck on the bottoms and the insides.  They come untied all the time.  It's not clear why the right one has such a scuffed toe and the left does not; maybe it was a stroke.

Impulse purchase at Cabelas.  I like green.  I cannot keep these tied.  Currently on duty at the Finlayson project.  My left foot always gets cold; perhaps that's why they were in the closeout room.

For a long time I thought that water shoes were stupid.  At the cabin I'd just wear an old pair of athletic shoes when picking rocks or cutting weeds from the dock area.  At I've gotten older I really don't have as many athletic shoes; in fact, I probably have more pairs of slippers than athletic shoes.  Anyway....these are great and I wear them all the time when swimming, tubing, kayaking, etc.

I like to look at these sitting on the shelf and think of summer and jumping in the lake.

These are only worn from the cabin to the water and not so much since the previous water shoes appears.  They remind me of FT. Lewis, WA, where in 1969 I was attending Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training (AIT).  Lots of young guys in minimalist military wear but all with flip flops.  In fact, flip flops were the casual wear but of course there was not casual time.  What is the deal that they hurt your toes and the back part always pulls out.  These have probably been made obsolete for everything but public showers, replaced by water shoes and Teva-type sandals.

There's not much to be said except that I used to keep these in the trunk of my car when I spent every summer at soccer games.  A couple of years ago they were moved to the Lake Eleven cabin where I keep them on the Formica coffee table.