Windwalkers

«As good as it gets» is right! Every year I always wistfully admired Angel’s custom hand-​made shoes and boots at the Oregon Country Fair. This year I decided it was finally time to order my own. She takes a duct-​tape measurement of your feet (both of them — which is great because my feet have almost a half-​size difference) and then crafts a pair of boots to your exact specifications. If you order during the busy summer season it can take awhile (I ordered in early July and my boots were finished in late October), but it was well well worth the wait. The quality and skill that went into making these shoes is obvious. Besides being beautiful, they are immensely comfortable beyond any shoes I have ever worn before. The soles are made of repurposed shredded rubber that allows your feet to really feel the texture of the ground while still protecting you from sharp bits. And you can patch them yourself.
Yes, they were expensive, but if you take care of them they should last decades. I don’t plan to buy any other daily wear or outdoorsy/​hiking shoes for the foreseeable future. Yay!

What I’ll be wearing as the sun changes its course. Big fuzzy handmade boots (the kind that stop traffic as people lean out their car windows to gape). I’ve liked Uggs too, but I’m a sucker for local. In fact, one of these coming days I really want to drive out and see her at work, and see if she can fix me boots up a little — they’ve worn through just a bit at the back because they’re slightly too big. When you order yours (as I’m sure you’ll do) then just make sure you send in a trace of your foot, so you’re sure to get the right size, no guessing. These keep me warm and cosy and feeling like I’m still wearing flip flops. It’s awesome in California.