2022 Plans

Hey there… long time no see! I am doing well, though tolerating the below freezing weather here in the Mid-Atlantic has not been that easy after spending a month in Puerto Rico from mid-December through January.

With it being so darn cold, full leather (shirt, jeans, boots, and even a leather tie for closing the gap at my neck) and my favorite Schott or Langlitz jackets are keeping me warm. Also helps to allow me to turn the heat in my house down a bit to save on home heating costs.

While I was in Puerto Rico, I totally “reset myself” and feel much more positive moving forward in my new life. Mind you, I still miss my husband; the grief is less acute, but still there.

For my “2022 reset,” I made plans related to my boots and leather gear. Interested?
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Dehner Patrol Boots: Wayfarer

Dehner patrol boot WayfarerAs I wrote on this blog on July 10, 2019, a long-standing boot retailer, Big Black Boots, closed up shop in July. This internet-only boot reseller company was very well known and respected in the “Bootman’s Community”, especially among those of us who admired a certain commanding appearance of certain brands of boots.

Big Black Boots specialized in fitting and selling Dehner motorcycle patrol boots and Wesco boots, in particular the logger, engineer (Boss), and harness boots.

In honor of the owners of this company’s contributions to my knowledge about these boots, and also having been a customer since the mid-80s when they first opened their business (via mail order), I bought…
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Five Tips for Boots (aka “Hacks”)–Part 5 Breaking In Tall Boots

This is the last installment of my “boot hacks” (or tips) series. This post addresses the most frequent question I have received over the years and also see in comments on social media and other places on the ‘net.

The issue of feeling discomfort, heel slippage, and calf tightness (or squeezing, especially if worn with breeches or pants tucked in) is frequently mentioned when guys get new boots and begin wearing them, as this cop (using a photo I took years ago) describes…
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Five Tips for Boots (aka “Hacks”)–Part 3 Maintaining Shine

Continuing my series about tips for boots after a busy weekend, when I pulled on a pair of my favorite motorcycle boots — Chippewa Firefighters — yesterday as I prepared to go for a ride with some buddies, I reminded myself about the easy trick on how to keep these boots ultra-shiny and good-looking.

So if you are a guy like me who likes good-looking boots but really hates spending time shining them…
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The Voice of Reason

As a life-long Bootman — that is, a guy who has worn boots during his entire life (well, since I was 10)… and with a boot collection in the hundreds, I cannot help but see some boots on other men’s feet (such as on cops at a recent police motorcycle riding competition), or in ads and other media and think, “man, cool boots… what about getting a pair?”

Then the Voice of Reason resonates. He says,…
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Tribute: “Stompers” Mike McNamee

I was saddened to learn that Mike McNamee, former owner of Stompers Boots of San Francisco, died on Thursday, August 23, after a brief illness.

His death was a shock to me. I had last spoken with him by phone in December. I feel badly that I had let so much time pass before trying to get in touch again.

I think it is safe to say that Mike was about the most profound influence on “booting Booted Harleydude” than any other. Read on for some stories…
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Culling the Herd

Loyal readers of this blog and my website visitors know that I own a large collection of boots. Cowboy boots, motorcycle boots, work boots, dress boots. Lots of boots.

I have stated frequently in the past that I wear (most of) my boots. No use in having such a large collection without actually wearing them, eh?

Well… things are changing. I had a look around this past weekend, and realized that…
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