Yearly Archives: 2008

Boots on My Feet II

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From time to time, I post some pics of the boots I have been wearing lately.

Sunday, June 29: My Sunday-go-to-meetin’ new Dan Post Sand Vegas Cut Cowboy Boots that I wore to church with my partner.

When I got home, I put on my tall Chippewa Oil-Tanned Engineer Boots and for a short motorcycle ride to a quaint old mill town for a leisurely lunch.

After that, I changed from my biker duds to casual Sunday afternoon clothes, including my Nocona Ostrich Inlay Boots and went to a political strategy meeting.


When I was through with that, I kicked off the yuppie clothes, leathered up, and had some fun with my hunky partner. Oh, the boots? H-D Police Enforcer Boots. They work really well with chaps tucked into them (and nothing tucked into the chaps :-)).


On Monday, June 30, it was raining in the morning which meant that I couldn’t ride my Harley to the Metro. But it also meant that I could wear cowboy boots with leather soles that I ordinarily wouldn’t use while operating my bike. I chose my Largato Mexican full-quill ostrich cowboy boots which are as comfortable as slippers.
When I got home from work, I did work around the yard, and booted up in my ol’ comfy Harley Harness boots. They got a little dirty and muddy as I was helping a neighbor build a retaining wall in the stream behind his (and my) house. When I was done, I took the boots off outside to let ’em dry (and not track dirt inside the house, which is “frowned upon.”)

I changed to some boots I hadn’t worn in ages — my Tony Lama white Firewalker cowboy boots. I can‘t wear these for more than a couple hours ’cause they cause my feet to hurt due to the higher heel. I can’t really wear boots with a high heel. (Besides being a klutz, high-heeled boots just cause achy feet.)

Tuesday, July 1, dawned clear, so it was time to choose boots to use to ride to the Metro and which would look fine with dress clothes at work. I’m lookin’ again at my first pair of H-D Police Enforcer Boots… ah, so comfortable. And I really like how tall boots feel on my legs as I walk around during the day.

When I got home, it was time to mow the lawn. I changed to my Thorogood Station Boots which have become my knock-about work boots. They are comfortable and don’t get hot.

Then after a quick shower and having dinner at home (as usual) with my partner, I rushed off to a public hearing. I can dress casually for these hearings, but I like to wear nice lookin’ boots. Dan Post natural belly-cut python cowboy boots looked great with my dark denim jeans and black shirt.

Wednesday, July 2, was another typical ride-the-Harley to Metro morning, followed by a full day at work. Unlike some others, I don’t carry “work shoes” in my briefcase. I wear what I wear for the day when I walk out the door. Today I wore my Dan Post Black Cherry cowboy boots whose soles are worn enough that I could wear them while riding my Harley the two-mile distance to Metro. Mind you, if I were going to be riding a longer distance, I wouldn’t wear smooth-soled boots.

When I got home, I enjoying not having anything that I had to do, so I kicked back in my old comfy Chippewa Engineer Boots. Comfy as house slippers, but durable as heck. They’ve been through the mud, muck, and tens of thousands of miles on my (old) Harley. I grilled dinner for my partner and we ate it out on our deck. We enjoyed the evening, watching the sun slowly set and the critters in the forest behind us play.

Thursday, July 3, was a big day. I was joining five cop buddies of mine for a fundraiser. I left my house at 5:00am and rode with my friends to Ocean City, Maryland, and then we rode back west across the state. Knowing I was going to be booted all day long, I wanted boots that were comfortable, durable, and didn’t get hot. My favorite “biker boots” have become my Chippewa Firefighter Boots. Great sole, easy on the feet, and look great, too. What could be better?

I have to admit that when I got home, I was so tired, I took off my boots (and everything else) and sat in the hot tub with my partner for an hour, then went to bed.

Friday, July 4, was a busy day. I hosted a breakfast for two friends and their families who I had been coaching to become U.S. citizens. They were going to be sworn in as citizens in Baltimore. I put on my Dan Post black cherry Vegas cut cowboy boots, had a nice breakfast, then took off for Baltimore.

After the ceremony (which was great!), my partner wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go back home. When we got there, I changed into casual clothes. The boots I picked were my short black Wesco harness boots. I rode the Harley to my brother’s for a crab feast. I saw most of my family, had a great time, but then it looked like it was going to rain. I came home (and got there just as it began to rain. Whew!)

I found my hungry partner in the basement when I got home. I fixed him dinner, then we settled back in our rec room and chilled out. I kinda have to admit, I took off the boots and relaxed, in socks! (Me!). We cuddled, talked about the day, watched the Capitol Fourth show on TV, and then went to bed.

Hope you enjoyed this visit to about a week in a bootman’s life.

A Happy Independence Day

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Today the United States celebrates its birthday of 232 years since it declared itself independent from Britain. I prefer to call this day “Independence Day” because it the true name of the holiday. I mean, we can always wish someone a “Happy Fourth”, but then again, we can wish them a “Happy Fifth,” too. All days should be happy, but today is a great one to celebrate the birth of this great nation (with all its faults, it’s still a great place to be.)

I had been coaching two friends to become U.S. citizens for about a year now. They passed their citizenship test a few months ago. Today, they were sworn in as our newest citizens in Baltimore. What better way to enjoy this particular holiday but welcome new citizens to our country, and sign them up to vote!

Shortly after the ceremony, we celebrated at Fort McHenry, where the famous “Star Spangled Banner” flew during the bombardment of the fort during the war of 1812. Francis Scott Key was held aboard a British ship and watched the bombs bursting in air and the illumination of the flag throughout the night. Thus, he penned a poem which was put to music and became our National Anthem.

We will enjoy a traditional Maryland crab feast at my brother’s home with all of my humongous family this afternoon. Then if the weather permits, watch fireworks at Baltimore Harbor. It was the bombardment of Baltimore by the British during the War of 1812 that caused fireworks to be related to our country’s birthday celebration. What better place to enjoy fireworks but where that relationship was born?

I love this holiday, and hope you do too. Happy Independence Day, and Happy Birthday, America!

Dumb and Dumber

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I took the day off from work today and rode 212 miles with some cop buddies of mine. We had planned this ride for several months. We got people to pledge an amount of money (ranged from US$0.05 to US$1.00) per mile that we rode. My haul in pledges (computed for all the miles ridden today) was $2,819.60. Once collected, that will be donated to a charity that supports families of officers killed in the line of duty.

While riding across our beautiful State of Maryland, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and almost to what we call mountains way west of the bay, we observed a lot of people on the road, including other guys on motorcycles. I really can’t call some of them “bikers” because they weren’t. Dumb-dumbs wearing shorts and sneakers on a motorcycle are, well, dumb. Then there were the ding-dongs on bikes wearing (off all things), flip-flops. For a short jaunt into Pennsylvania to have lunch in Gettysburg, there were the [deleted] not wearing any helmet at all, since Pennsylvania repealed its mandatory helmet law. My jaw just dropped when I saw a guy on a big Harley like mine with his woman on the back seat riding happy-as-you-please way above the speed limit in shorts, sandals, no shirt, and no helmets. Oh my gosh. What stupidity.

Then I can’t begin to say what I think about the dumb-dumb drivers yakking away on hand-held cell phones, not looking where the heck they’re going. I really wish my state would adopt the cell phone laws that were enacted and took effect in California and Washington on July 1, which ban the use of anything but hands-free cell phones while operating a vehicle, and ban them completely for drivers who are under 18. Eventually… but our part-time legislature that looooooves to yak on their cell phones are hard to convince. I’ll keep workin’ at it.

I was booted as shown, in my Chippewa Firefighter Boots which are sooooo comfortable and they don’t get hot at all. I didn’t wear leather; it was above 90°F (32°C). Long jeans, shirt, and my full-face helmet, which is well vented and quite comfortable.

Not all the motorcyclists on the road were dumb-dumbs. Many wore boots, long pants, a shirt, and a helmet. But there were far too many in sneakers, shorts, and helmet-less. Uggggghhh… sorry, guys, I just can’t abide by the fact that even though the law permits it, some people have to be so thoughtless. Their medical bills cost all of us in higher insurance premiums and tax dollars spent at public hospitals to care for those who are injured and uninsured.

Who am I Now?

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I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, and musing with some friends and my partner… asking myself, “who am I now?”

My life is settled. I have a wonderful partner; regular full-time job that I enjoy; nice home in the quiet suburbs; a Harley (and a 4-wheeled vehicle too); great family, good friends, and a wonderfully accepting and tolerant community. I lead a busy civic life, and enjoy having opportunities to help make others’ lives just a little bit better each day. I am a fortunate man in many respects.

Am I the guy dressed in leather going to a leather bar? Not (any more.) Am I the cowboy entering the gay rodeo? Not (any more.) Am I the guy showing up at the gay pride festival? Not (any more.) But you may find me in boots and leather around my community and at home, and perhaps on my website or a few other places around the ‘net. I may not get out much, but I’m not dead (yet).

I am… the colleague who explains where to meet when the fire alarm goes off… the neighbor who helps you fix that broken window… the friend who commiserates the loss of a pet cat… the Road Captain who leads you on a fun and safe motorcycle ride… the homeowner’s association President who gets the county to repair your broken sidewalk… the civic activist who will be with you at a public hearing on local development issues and who testifies before local and state legislators about issues that will improve our community… the “nice young man” who escorts you to the polls to exercise your privilege to vote or who helps you compute your income tax return and file it… the fundraiser for local charities… the gentleman who organizes volunteers to install safety items in your home, and twists arms of local vendors to supply the materials… the cousin who shares your joy at the birth of your latest grandchild and updates the family tree… the nephew who takes you grocery shopping… the brother, uncle, and great uncle who loves you more than you’ll ever know… and the partner in every sense of the word to his one-and-only man.

Yeah, I guess I have changed, from a guy who played a bit in leather, but uses it now for riding his Harley than going out to leather bars. The former cowboy who if he rode a horse today couldn’t walk for a week. The guy who might sit and watch “CHiPs” re-runs on TV but now is so involved in the community, with friends, and with family, that he doesn’t even know what’s on any more (and doesn’t care).

My focus and interests have changed. Is it maturity? Is it age? Is it accepting that I am fulfilling my parents’ desires for a life fulfilled? I dunno. I muse. I wonder. But you know, I love my life and for that, I thank God, my family, my friends, and most of all, my loving and abiding partner. He really made it all happen for me, more than he will ever know.

Life is short. Wear your boots. Love those you love even more.

The Demise of Frye Boots

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As I was doing my routine review of the pages on my personal website that are viewed each month and tally the results from the logs, I continue to see that for 24 months running, my pages on Frye Boots remain the most visited on my website.

In June alone, there were more than 16,000 unique visitors who viewed one or more “Frye Boot” pages on my website. About 70% of the visitors were referred by a Google search, another 15% by other search engines, and the remaining visitors came from other pages within my own website. That’s pretty good, considering this is just a gay guy’s personal, non-commercial website. But that number is an indication that lots and lots and LOTS of people are searching for photos and information about Frye Boots.

Frye Boots sure have a huge reputation. Those of us “about my age” remember fondly seeing guys in Fryes while in high school, and perhaps getting a pair of our own. Man, I went “Frye-crazy” when I was in high school. There was this cool-looking dude that everyone admired who strolled into class one day in olive Frye campus boots. I swear, the next day, ten more guys had on Fryes!

The classic and unique look, the sound of their clunkly heels on the floor, and the feel of those boots was just something else. Even today, searches for “Vintage Frye Boots” are what’s driving lots of visitors to my website, to eBay, and to other sources on the web.

Pity that Frye as a boot-making company is no more. Yeah, that’s right. You can find the Frye website, and see them advertise their boots. But let me quote from what I wrote on the HotBoots “Tutorial” a while back:

“According to Frye, the Frye Company is the oldest continuously operated shoe company in the United States (Notice the careful choice of wording — they no longer refer to themselves as a shoemaker or bootmaker.) The company was founded in 1863 as the Frye Boot Company in Marlborough (or Marlboro), Massachusetts, and continued to produce their shoes and boots in that location until 2003, when they closed the plant, outsourced bootmaking to other countries, and relocated the company headquarters to Great Neck, New York.”

Yeah, that’s right. Frye boots available today are not made in the U.S. any more — they are mass-produced in China. Guys who have ordered the “new” Frye boots since 2003 have told me often how much they are disappointed with them. The quality is poor (compared with Vintage), the colors fade, the heels have come off, the threads have loosened, the insole is crappy, and the leather is not as thick.

So, if you are interested in Frye Boots, don’t buy new ones. Search eBay using the term “Vintage Frye Boots.” Then look carefully at the photos. Look for a “Frye” white label on the inside of the boot shafts. (Fryes made in the ’70s and earlier had a black label on the inside of the boot shaft.) Ask the seller when the boots were purchased. Don’t be fooled, and don’t buy boots from a company that now is merely a shell for what it once was — raking in money from a name, not the quality we once knew.

Choosing Boots

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Since I am an out an open Bootman, I have received a number of email messages asking me questions about buying boots. Over the past several months, I have been writing, on-and-off, my own “tutorial” version of things I consider when buying boots for my personal use.

You can find this information by clicking here.

Remember now, this is my own personal opinion. Every man who wears boots has different likes, dislikes, and preferences. For example, I don’t really like lace-up boots because I’m just too lazy to take the time to lace them properly. (And I guess it reminds me too much of shoes; yuck.) I wear cowboy boots primarily at my place of employment and for knockin’ around in my community at meetings and such. I wear motorcycle boots, of course, when riding my Harley.

I only wear boots, without a pair of sneakers or dress shoes to be found in MY closet (I won’t say what’s in my partner’s closet, but I love him anyway.) I change boots two to five times a day, depending on what I’m doing and where I am going. But to me, boots are functional footwear, as well as an avocation. They are, however, not a fetish. These sentences have links to past blog posts of mine that explain why. Visit them if you’re curious.

Meanwhile, visit my website page about choosing boots and let me know what you think. Stay booted!

Our County’s Finest

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Lined up, ready to escort us on a ride to raise funds for C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors), here are my county’s finest motor officers. They’re great men, easy to talk to, hard workers, and among the best at what they do.

I enjoyed the ride along Maryland’s byways, non-stop along the way. An officer would block traffic at stoplights and major intersections so the 1,200 or so bikers on the ride could just roll through non-stop.

Man, what a great ride. I kinda wish the officers would take some pride in their boots, because most of the boots were dirty and scuffy. A nice shine would look good on those Dehners and Chippewas. But other than that, their graceful style of riding those big Police Harleys was quite a sight to behold, and enjoy.

One wonders about how such a big bike is handled so well. If you look closely at this officer, he is looking where he wants the bike to go — not looking at the bike or its controls. His body is upright, over the center of gravity of the bike. He is countersteering — pushing against the bar as he enters his turn. This method of operating a motorcycle takes lots of practice, skill, and training. When done correctly, it looks quite graceful. Such training for us regular bikers (in the U.S.) is available by taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Experienced Rider’s Course, offered periodically. I continue to learn a lot while watching our officers ride, and enjoy the opportunity to ride with the best.

Motor Officer Boots: Alternatives

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Continuing this week’s series on motor officer boots, I begin by exploring alternatives to the boots I blogged about on earlier days:

  • Chippewa Motor Patrol Boots
  • Dehner Patrol Boots

    • and

  • Chippewa Hi-Shine Engineer Boots


    • There are several alternatives available. Shown here are patrol boots     offered by Intapol Industries of New Jersey. One of the interesting features of these boots is a zipper along the seam of the boot shaft to facilitate putting them on and taking them off. They also offer various widths from stock, but do not offer custom sizing. They insert a plastic back stay to ensure the boot doesn’t “break bad” at the ankles. The “Amazonas” sole is about as goofy as the sole found on the Chippewa Motor Patrol Boot, in that it must have a low melting temperature and leaves black marks on hot motorcycle pipes. The boots shown here were made in Brazil. The current boot in production (with soft lug soles) is made in India. My opinion: a nice affordable alternative for a bal-laced boot but not really good for regular duty wear on a motorcycle. Quality is questionable. Fine for BLUF events when used with leather breeches.

    Another nice alternative bal-laced boot is the H-D Police Enforcer Boot which is made by Wolverine under the Harley brand. These boots were discontinued probably because motor officers wouldn’t think of going to a Harley store to buy boots. Also, the boots are made in China and it‘s unfortunate but true: Chinese-made boots lack a lot in quality. However, these are the most comfortable of all the patrol boots I own. The insole that comes with the boots is outstanding. They are also a bit wider naturally, so they accommodate a larger calf size well, including being able to have leather tucked inside them comfortably. The soles are somewhat soft, but haven’t left black marks on my bike’s pipes. I really like these boots, but since they were discontinued, they’re not available any more.

    Another beautiful boot is the Hartt Strathcona. It was made in Canada, but the manufacturer, the Hartt Shoe and Boot Company, went out of business. This boot is also exceptionally comfortable, and has a rugged, durable, lug sole. I got these boots in Vancouver, Canada, back in the ’90s and still enjoy wearing them. They have the widest calf of all of my motor officer boots, so I can wear them with the thickest of leathers. I am considering now looking at boots made by Rino of Toronto. However, because the U.S. economy is such a shambles due to mismanagement by this Administration, I’ll have to wait. Canadian prices for their products haven’t come down just because the value of the U.S. dollar declined by half in the last few years.

    The last boot I’ll blog about in this series is the Wesco Motor Patrol Boot. A photo of the boot from the Wesco website is shown here. I have a pair of boots that is sort of a hybrid between the Motor Patrol Boot and the Wesco Boss. That is, it has the design of a motor patrol boot but the sole of the Boss boot. These U.S.-made boots are rugged and work exceptionally well as designed. There are absolutely no flaws in construction. The leather is thicker than all other patrol boots I have seen, which is why the few cops I have seen wearing them have complained that they get hot while worn on duty. They are expensive, as well, competing in price with Dehners.

    There are other manufacturers of boots, too. I have yet to see a pair of All American Boots or some others, and I’ll keep looking.

    Hope you enjoyed this series on motor officer boots. I’m not sure what’s next. Tune in….

    Chippewa Hi-Shine Engineer Boots

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    Continuing the series of blog posts about boots worn by motor officers on duty, here is a photo of a pair of Chippewa Hi-Shine Engineer Boots with a (new) lug sole that I just had applied to them.

    Chippewa Boots have been around for years, and are now part of the Justin Brands group (a company owned by Berkshire Hathaway, whose owner Warren Buffet continues to profit from the diversity of his empire.)

    “Chip Shines” as they’re often called are 17″ tall and are made in the traditional Engineer Boot style, with a strap and buckle across the instep, and another strap/buckle on the top of the shaft to adjust the width.

    Some cops I know and ride with have been skeptical about adopting Engineer Boots for wear with a duty uniform. The old perception of “bad-ass bikers in boots” aka Jimmy Dean style goes along with it. A couple cops told me recently (blogged about here) that their old-school sergeant didn’t like Engineer Boots. The boots weren’t considered “traditional” or “appropriate.”

    But nowadays, if you closely inspect the galleries on my website featuring motor officers, you will see that many more than half of today’s motor officers (at least on the East Coast) wear Chip Hi-Shines.

    Why? Well, first of all, the boots are inexpensive (especially compared with Dehners). They have a leather lining. They are durable boots, and are very comfortable. Best thing (from my perspective) is that they have a naturally wide calf, so guys with a muscular calf can wear them over pants or breeches (even leather breeches) without a problem. These boots can not be custom-made, so perhaps that’s why they make the boots with a wider calf to begin with. It’s always easier to tighten the top strap to make them tighter than to have a cobbler do major work on someone else’s product to make them fit.

    These boots also break in well, and don’t tend to sag or “break badly” at the ankle like calf-leather Dehners and similar boots do. The boots maintain their shine easily, with just a damp cloth every now and then bringing them back to their shiny appearance. And while these boots have a patent leather plastic top coat, they just don’t get hot like their brothers (Chippewa Motor Patrol Boots) about which I blogged the other day.

    Many cops like these boots, and more cops are having lug soles applied to them (according to my cobbler). While the Vibram® rubber sole that is supplied on the boots by Chippewa is quite good, a lug sole provides even better traction and durability.

    While one opinionated person who posted a message on “Boots on Line” didn’t like the soles I had applied to these boots, the majority of opinion rules: real cops and real bikers do.

    Pros and Cons of Dehner Patrol Boots

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    Bootmen around the world visit my website and look at the photos of my Dehner Patrol boots. I’m not surprised, but if guys really knew more about these boots, they might choose alternatives.

    My first priorities for boots are that they function as designed. A patrol boot is supposed to provide protection to a motorcycle operator, be comfortable for all-day wear, sustain regular hard use, and have a good appearance.

    The good things about Dehner Boots, in my opinion, is that they do function as designed, and they have a striking and commanding appearance. No wonder many bike cops from years ago (and today, like CHP officers) bought and wore them. If broken in properly, they are comfortable for all-day wear. And when fitted properly, they feel good on the legs.

    The bad things about these boots, though, override the good. Today, like all companies, Dehner looks for ways to save money when making boots. They use a material called “Dehcord” made by Clarino on the boot shaft of stock boots. Beware: Dehcord is not leather; it is plastic! It cracks and breaks easily with normal wear in a relatively short time. More than a crease, those cracks cause white crevasses to appear starting at the ankle and then work their way up. Also, Dehcord can’t take the heat — a hot motorcycle engine will cause a Dehcord boot shaft to become discolored (causes it to turn gray) and the discolored areas can not be returned to their black and shiny appearance. A cop buddy of mine told me that he saw that as a “badge of honor.” Well, that’s one way to look at it; to me, a damaged boot is a damaged boot.

    And worse, the stock boots made of this plastic stuff are still very pricey — going for about US$400 MSRP.

    Then it gets worse, price-wise, from there. Dehner offers upgraded real leather for their patrol boots, either “Voyager” which has a matte appearance, or European Calf leather. The calf leather is excellent, looks great, doesn’t discolor, takes a great shine, and holds up well. The major issue I have with a pair of boots made from this leather is that they currently retail for well over US$700. What cop with a limited uniform allowance or Bootman on a budget can afford that? Especially cops who wear their boots every day and the boots are subjected to daily stresses of walking, running, and frequent stops >> foot down>> starts >> foot up motorcycle operation.

    One other consideration of Dehners is that the boots come in a fairly narrow calf width, made for spindly-legged guys. If you are like me, with muscular calves, you require a larger calf circumference. Dehner now offers a 1″ larger calf circumference option at no additional charge, as this had been a problem for many years.

    I’m all for supporting U.S.-based companies, which Dehner remains, still based in Omaha, Nebraska. But boot buyers also have to consider the affordability. That’s why, today, you will see so many cops wearing Chippewa Hi-Shine Engineer Boots. They’re much less expensive, all-leather, and made in the USA as well. The major difference is that they are an Engineer Boot, which is quite a departure from the patrol boot style.

    UPDATE OCTOBER 2008: Click here for a Guide to Motorcycle Patrol Boots.

    UPDATE JULY 2009: Click here for instructions on how to break in a new pair of Dehner boots.