Category Archives: Wesco Boots

It’s Not Wesco’s!

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I was just reading a blog that amuses me. It is called Apostrophe Abuse. Its tag line states, “Links and visuals illustrating an orthographic pet peeve.”

I continue to be annoyed but try not to let it bug me (too much) by the number of educated adults who add an apostrophe and an “s” to make a word plural.

No joke, here is something from an email that I received the other day:

I want to thank the volunteer’s who helped out at the (event) last week. We had a great showing! Thank’s also to the RC’s who led ride’s.

Or this one:

I have always wanted a pair of Wesco’s. Those boots are cool. I have some questions about Wesco’s.

Worst but funniest example yet:

Its a good picture of your Wesco’s. I like it’s composition.

Okay, enough already. The plural of Wesco is Wescos. That’s it. I have many boots made by Wesco. I refer to them as “My Wescos” or “My Wesco boots”.

We will not be able to take adults back to elementary school to learn the simplest of lessons about what an apostrophe does in the English language. Primary uses are either to indicate possessive form of a word (This blog is BHD’s Musings) or a contraction, such as it’s a nice invitation but I can’t get away since I have much to write about the abuse of the written English language.

Think of it this way: if you would not write boot’s as in I like to wear boots, then you do not need an apostrophe in the phrase, those are great looking Wescos!

The examples above were written by people who were born and educated (?) in the United States (who should know better.) I am forgiving of typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors from those who write to me from other countries where English is not the primary language.

But theres no ‘scuse for Merkuns to get it so rong so offen.

Life is short: dump the apostrophes!

Pre-Ride

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I took my Harley out on Saturday on a route that I will be riding again. What I mean by that is that I did what’s called a “pre-ride.” I laid out the route electronically on a map, then translated it to paper, and then rode the route to check it out. I wanted to check that the mileage indicators were accurate, to ensure that the turns were correct, to see the lines of sight at those turns (and what safety precautions to suggest to other riders), and to and to check the condition of the surfaces of the roads after a long, cold winter.

This is a practice that leaders of motorcycle rides do, in order to make sure that the ride will be safe and fun for the other riders when we go.

Before I headed out, I checked the air in my tires (it was okay), the oil and other fluid levels (all okay), as well as all the cables, brakes, lights, chassis, and everything else. While I have been riding the Harley through the winter, I haven’t ridden it much, so I did a thorough check of my trusty iron steed to make sure it is okay and my own ride is safe. I also cleaned the windscreen, lenses on the lights, and even my helmet. The bike itself is spotless with just a little attention from a cleaning pad.

It was only about 48°F (9°C), despite predictions for warmer temperatures and more sunshine. Full leathers were the order of the day, including my LAPD leather breeches, leather shirt, motocross jacket, and my (new) tall Wesco Motor Patrol Boots.

Predictions for Sunday’s weather are for temperatures to be about 62°F (16.5°C) and sunny, so it should be great “leather weather” for a motorcycle ride. Can’t wait! The winter has been way too darned long. Fortunately, I did get a chance to go riding on a rented Harley while in Arizona, visiting my best friend, AZ. Now I can go ride here at home. The weather is finally breaking, and it’s time to return to doing what I enjoy most for my free time.

Leather Weekend

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On Thursday, I received a new pair of All American Blue Knight Patrol Boots, (photo left) followed by a delivery on Friday with a pair of traditional Wesco Motor Patrol Boots. (photo right).

The LAPD uniform and leathers came on, which I wore all weekend — including as I went about my daily activities, visiting family, doing grocery shopping for some elder buds, and even attending a meeting related to a local political campaign. One nice-looking guy at the grocery store complimented the outfit, as I stood in line to pay. He is a fellow biker, so we might go riding together when the weather breaks. One of the store clerks who I know rather well complimented me on the leathers, and said, “new boots? They’re nice!” But that was all the boot talk I heard, not that I expected anything else.

Unfortunately, the grocery store was packed because the weather predictions are for accumulating snow — so everyone and his sister was raking the store shelves bare. Good thing was that I got through rather quickly.

My partner and I are having a spirited discussion about boots — with laces (The AA boots have a bal-laced instep) and without. He says both look good on me, but from his “excitement” on Friday, I think he likes the AA boots better.

Being a true “Bootman,” I wear boots for their functionality, as well as design and appearance. I really like both of these new pairs of boots. As soon as the weather breaks, they each will get tested while riding in my leather breeches on my Harley.

I had a good weekend. Got lots of stuff done. I updated my website quite a bit, computed six more tax returns for senior friends, and did some work with my partner on our small business. We even had time to do some batch cooking of some pasta dishes and home-made sauce for the week ahead.

I enjoy hangin’ out in leather — just wish I could transport myself to my various destinations on my Harley. Soon enough, though… soon enough.

Life is short: wear your boots!

Motorcycle Boot Guide

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It is nice to have friends in the boot world. BootGuyOH and WescoBear did me a big favor and reviewed the latest tutorial that I wrote, a Guide to Motorcycle Boots. These guys are fellow booted bikers, and know their boots like I do. I give each of them a very warm and public “THANK YOU” for their help, which improved this Guide.

What inspired me to create this Guide? I was noticing that a number of people were entering keywords into internet search engines looking for “best motorcycle boots” or “motorcycle boot reviews” and things like that. Some would end up on my website. Then one guy a few weeks ago sent me a question about motorcycle boots and which ones were “best.” I gave him a rather long answer, then thought to myself, “that information should be retained on my website so I won’t have to repeat it again if someone else asks, and perhaps it would be helpful to others.” Thus, once more, was borne a “Guide.” I have a half-dozen of these types of Guides on my website now. I will wait a few weeks to see if search engines do a better job of directing people who have questions about motorcycle boots, their style, comfort, design, durability, and cost to my website.

Meanwhile, visit my Guide to Motorcycle Boots. I hope you find it helpful.

Tall Boots for Cold Weather

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So like the rest of the United States, the DC area is bracing for the coldest temperatures yet this century. By Friday evening, it it forecast to be in the single digits (F). I know it is colder further north, but it’s all relative.

I am wearing many layers, including a leather vest at work today, and my tall black Wesco harness boots. With corduroy pants that stack nicely on top of them, these boots don’t look so huge.

I can’t wear any additional leather at work — it doesn’t fit the dress code and considering that I have my performance appraisal today, I’m not going to attempt to challenge it (at least for today LOL!)

I will “leather up” more completely when I get home from work. But what will keep me warm is sitting with my wonderful man, holding his hand, and keeping close, then snuggling under the covers when we go to bed. Thank goodness, no meetings tonight!

Oh: the typical DC-area “brain death” or “snow freaking-out” is going on. Most school districts in the area are having a delayed opening because they saw a few flakes of snow this morning. OMG, they’ll never learn. And to think, when I was a kid, I had to trudge up hill (both directions!) for miles through mountains of snow to go to school. Or so it seemed.

Nowadays, all they have to do around here is to predict snow, and the yuppies run to the grocery store to buy everything in sight, whether or not they need it, then put on their tassled loafers, top coat, no hat, no gloves, and feel invincible driving their four-wheel-drive vehicles to work. I just love it around here; seriously, I do. It is soooooo amusing!

Life is short: Wear your boots! (keep warm, and keep smiling among the ditzy-ness!)

Wesco Boots and Gay Culture

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There seems to be some interest and a bit of mystery about Wesco Boots and gay culture. Several internet searches using the keywords “Wesco” and “gay culture” have landed searchers on this blog. [UPDATE: As a result, I received some comments and blogged about this issue again, here].

I am a confident, secure, masculine man. That’s how I was raised, and how I behave. I enjoy typical “guy things” like riding my Harley and wearing clothing for the activity, including sturdy motorcycle boots and leather. I also enjoy home remodeling, repair, and construction. While I am not interested in organized sports, that’s just a preference — or lack thereof. It is the objective of this post to describe more about how preferences, stereotypes, and culture are not one-and-the-same.

And yeah, I am gay. Am I “attracted to” Wesco boots because I am gay? Nope. I like Wescos because they are the sturdiest boots around, made to exceptional quality standards, and present a great appearance on my feet. They fulfill the type of image of the guy that I am — a confident biker. That’s it.

As my friend Maf said the other day:

Gay is only who you are programmed biologically to desire sexually and to love. People whether straight, gay, male, or female span a great spectrum that goes way beyond stereotypical traits.

He is absolutely right. Because I love a man and choose to live with him as my partner, treating him as an equal and a mate equivalent to a man-woman marriage — that has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I am a masculine man who likes sturdy, rugged boots.

There are a lot of men who like to wear Wescos. Some gay men have a fetish for them, some — like me — like the boots because of the utility and protection that they provide when I engage in my preferred outdoor activities of riding my Harley and working on construction projects or around the yard. Other men wear various styles of Wesco Boots for activities like logging, working on utility lines, wildland firefighting, and serving as a motor patrol officer. To them, the boots are more like “required” footwear; a part of a uniform — not anything else.

There is a range of traits and preferences that each person has. Some straight guys don’t like boots at all, and choose to wear sneakers in their off-time. Some gay men wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair of sturdy, rugged boots. Similarly and in contrast, I would feel very uncomfortable (and sick to my stomach) if I had to wear dress shoes. I’d rather go barefooted than wear dress shoes or sneakers.

It is really a matter of preference, not having anything to do with whether one is programmed biologically to love a male or a female. People just have to get over trying to apply stereotypes to link preferences for certain things like boots and being gay. The stereotypes cause people to respond in ways that don’t help matters much, and sometimes cause strife, negativity, and attacks borne from fear and insecurity.

Masculine men who engage in activities that require solid protection for their feet may choose to wear Wesco Boots. That’s really about it… what you see is what you get, no more, no less.

Pet Peeve Relief: The company that makes the boots that are the subject of this post is the “West Coast Shoe Company” of Scappoose, Oregon, USA. They go by “Wesco” and emboss “Wesco” on each pair of boots they make. Guys refer to their boots as “Wescos” — NOT “Wesco ‘ s”. My pet peeve is seeing an apostrophe used to make a word plural.

Life is short: Wear your boots and enjoy your Wescos!

Wescos: Old Friends And Memories

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Yesterday, I was rummaging around our attic, which my partner has claimed for his own, looking for something, but discovering something else: a old pair of traditional 18″ Wesco “Boss” Engineer Boots. I picked them up, looked at them closely, and thought, “what the heck are they doing here? My partner doesn’t wear boots — least of all Wescos.” My partner is definitely not the Bootman in the family.

I figure he just picked them up from our bedroom sometime and put them away, thinking I wouldn’t miss them. Well, he was right — they have probably been there for 7 or 8 years, buried under boxes, but for some reason, now were uncovered and visible.

I took them out, removed the boots I was currently wearing, and pulled them on. It was a bit of a struggle — the tall boot shafts were tight on my legs. Oh yeah, dummy, unbuckle the strap! That helped. Then I sat to muse for a while, to try to remember when and where I got them. My curiosity piqued, I got on my computer where I have anally kept track of every financial transaction I have done since 1983, and found the purchase. I got them at Mr. S. of San Francisco in December, 1989.

I remember that visit — I had been in San Francisco for months doing earthquake relief work following the big Bay Area quake of October of that year. I finally had my first Saturday off, and I set out to explore the city. I walked for what seemed miles through what I learned was called “South of Market” (SoMa). And along the way, there was this leather store… intriguing. I didn’t have much courage to go into such a place, but the boots in the window really caught this biker’s eye.

So I went in. I was frightened, awed, mesmerized, and aghast, all at the same time. I was almost ready to bolt from the place when a guy came up and asked me if I’d like to try on the boots. Okay, no one else was around, no one who may jump out to attack me seems to be hiding behind that rack in the corner… so I tried ’em on. They fit great! The sales guy said that the boots were on sale for just $200. I just had to have ’em. I was stuck in the city without boots suitable for the cold, damp, wet weather. (Cowboy boots only go so far…)

Then this really good-lookin’ guy about my age walked out of a dressing room. He had tried on a pair of leather pants — man, he was gorgeous! He only had the pants on, nothing else. His chiseled, well-defined chest, muscular arms, and great smile just captivated me. Then, not even seeing me staring dumbfounded, he walked past me, picked up a pair of Dehners, and slipped them on his feet, carefully tucking the leather pants into them. Man, umm, umm, umm. What a view!

My attention on the guy was rather obvious, though, because the sales guy smiled, laughed, and whispered to me that while that guy wasn’t for sale, he knew he was single….

I gathered my compsure and began to get up when Mr. Leatherman looked at me and said, “nice boots — you should get a pair of leather jeans to go with ’em! Ride a bike? So do I!” Again, I was all mush-mouthed and stammered, but to make a long story short, I did end up buying a pair of leather jeans, too, and Mr. Leatherman waited with me and chatted while my jeans were being hemmed. He explained to me some things about leather gear that I didn’t know before (and was afraid to ask! Remember, this is before the Internet was available.)

I put my jeans on with the new Wescos. My new friend nodded his approval. He decided not to buy the Dehners, so he put on his old boots — which were Wescos, too. We paid for our purchases, put our old clothes in a bag, threw on our leather jackets, and walked proudly out of the store down the street to get some dinner. I remember thinking to myself, “I’ve arrived as a Leatherman… here I am in boots and leather walking with another guy in leather here in SoMa.” What a powerful feeling. I really think this was the specific situation where I “came out” as a Leatherman — meaning, I wore my leathers and boots out and in the open more often from then on.

But for those thinking something more happened, it didn’t. My new friend had a date that night, and I knew I had a very early call the next morning, so we embraced, parted ways, and said, once again, “good to meet you, nice boots!”

Life is short: wear your boots!

Odd But Fun

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It was a beautiful day today in Maryland and nearby Delaware. I took a motorcycle ride to Bridgeville, Delaware, which was about 110 miles (177km) away, on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay. The morning started out quite chilly, so I wore my tall brown custom Wesco Harness boots, jeans, and my thick biker chaps and, of course, my warm leather jacket over a t-shirt and sweatshirt.

The reason for going to Bridgeville was to watch the World Championship “Punkin Chunkin” contest. At first I thought it was just a silly affair, but I see that lots of people take it very seriously. They spend all year manufacturing what they call “machines,” which are large air cannons. And I mean LARGE! Some of the cannons were more than 50′ (15m) long! One-at-a-time, a team would load their cannon with a pumpkin, and charge it up to fire the pumpkin across a large field. The winner, which will be announced tomorrow at the conclusion of this three-day event, is the team that fires a pumpkin the greatest distance. Today, one team fired a pumpkin over 4,200 feet! (1,280m)!

By early afternoon, the temperatures reached 75°F (24°C). That is quite unusual weather for this time of year in Maryland. It made for a delightful ride over the Bay Bridge and back, along Maryland’s uncrowded highways. A beautiful day, a beautiful ride, great friends, interesting destination. What more could you ask?

Well, today would have been perfect if my partner could have been with me, but alas, his disability prevents him from riding with me. I missed him a lot as my passenger. But when I got home, he and I sat in the forest behind our house to watch the sun drop slowly toward the horizon, and I told him all about it.

Life is short: wear your boots, ride your ride, and enjoy!

Messy, Messy (but fun!)

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I have a very wide diversity of interests when it comes to boots and leather. The only boots I don’t like are rubber boots, ropers, and Chelsea (dress) boots. (Well, I also find absolutely no use for boots that go above the knee). Other than that, you’ll find pretty much all other types of boots in my collection and on my feet.

A while back, someone whose photography on an on-line forum called “Boots on Line” reached out to me via email. He’s a rather private individual, and I respect his privacy. I admire him a lot though. We have much in common, except sexual orientation, but that’s neither here nor there. I have a partner and I’m not interested in any other guy for reasons other than making and keeping friendships. And even though my friend is straight, he isn’t narrow-minded.

“Bamaboy” is a very creative man in his photography and his skills with Photoshop. His photos are “legend” in some circles. He has been best known for photos of various tall boots in mud, with mud, around mud, and with dried mud. I know it sounds messy, but every now and then the boy comes out in both of us, and we take a walk in our boots through mud. (Not together; I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him face-to-face.)

Bama sold me a pair of his most well-used boots. They are 18″ black Wesco Harness Boots. They show a lot of character from all of his “Muddin’ Fun”. I received them in June, but had not had much of a chance to return them to their previous “enjoyment” until today. I went for a ride, stopped near a stream, and, well… got a little messy. See the pics that I took today at this link. It was fun! My internal “little boy” played for a bit.

Then I rode home, cleaned the boots, my bike, my clothes, and anything else upon which mud fell. I even scrubbed the kitchen while I was at it.

We all have times when we remember fun we had as kids, and every now and then as an adult, why not enjoy it? I sure did.

Life is short! Wear your boots! Enjoy and live life to its fullest!