How Chippewa Boots Are Made

I found the following video made by Justin Brands, the owner of Chippewa Boots.  The video gives a tour of a facility where Chippewa boots are made and demonstrates the the combination of both human attention to detail along with machine processes to manufacture mass-market boots in the United States.

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Mom and a Gay Son

I will depart from my usual dialogue on this blog to recognize my Mom who would have been 94 years old today if she were still alive.

How did a mother deal with the realization that her son was gay?

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Out Riding Again!

Woo-hoo! I can't believe it... Sunday, November 27, and it reached 70F! (21C). By early afternoon, my partner and I had done all we could do on our home project. He said, "it's so warm and sunny, why don't you go for a ride?"

He didn't have to ask twice.

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Out Riding

This post could have been posted yesterday, the day before, or even on Thanksgiving (Thursday). Man, we have had a wonderful streak of delightful weather.  I am sorry about seeming to rub it in to my biker buddies in locations where the weather has not been nearly as cooperative, but whenever I get a chance, I ride...

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Small Business Saturday

Here in the U.S., today, Saturday November 26, 2011, it is "small business Saturday." While this "event" is sponsored by American Express, the intent is to encourage people to make purchases at small businesses over big-box retailers.

My favorite boot store, Stompers Boots of San Francisco is one of those small businesses. My friend Mike, the Founder of Stompers Boots, refers to his shop as a "pop-and-pop" shop (LOL!) I strongly support this store (as my motorcycle boot collection will attest!)

Why do I support small business?

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Black Friday

Black Friday!  The day in the U.S. after Thanksgiving is known to be "the" day when stores offer many sales for Christmas. I shan't say "to start the holiday season" because many retailers put up holiday displays back in late August. Bah, humbug.

Anyway, what I am I doing today?

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Busy, busy, busy today! I have been up and at-em since 4am, preparing for our annual Thanksgiving Holiday senior's pot-lock bash. Throughout the day, we anticipate seeing about 100 guests, 10 or so family members, some senior elected officials, and who knows what else...

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What Thanksgiving Means To Me

Tomorrow is the date when we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, and by those who serve our country in distant lands across the world. Whether we agree or disagree with the politics of what places U.S. Service Members overseas, we must remember that they are separated from family and friends during a time of traditional reunion. I extend my thanks to them for their sacrifice and service.

What does Thanksgiving mean to me? Turkey, all the trimmings, football games on television, seeing Uncle Whazzisname but once a year? Nope....

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Ostrich Biker Boot Deal!

Being a biker who is also fond of cowboy boots and the various types of skins that may be used to make them, I was intrigued to find a pair of Chippewa harness boots that have an ostrich foot and traditional leather shafts, along with good-quality Vibram lug soles.

So when I saw them on a website back in March, (continued after the jump)...

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Cowboy Boots Rubbing Legs

Occasionally, I receive questions from visitors to my website or this blog.

A recent question was, "do any of the cowboy boots that you own rub your legs and cause sores or blisters?"

My answer to that question was...

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Grrrrrr!ay Leather

I had a chance to take a ride yesterday while the weather was sunny and pleasantly cool. It was about 50°F (10°C), which was perfect weather to break in my custom gray leather jacket and my matching gray leather pants that I bought earlier this year from Johnson Leather of San Francisco, California, USA.

These leathers are thick and warm, and are made for cold-weather riding. They are very comfortable, and look great. Funny thing happened on the ride, too....

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Sports-Talking Seatmates

On a recent airline flight, I was seated at a window and two other guys were next to me in the middle and aisle. These guys knew each other, which was easy to tell by their familiar form of speaking with one another.

As the plane was loading and took off, they continued chatting. They asked me a few questions about routine stuff. I politely answered questions like, "where are you going? What will you be doing?," and so forth.

Then their conversation turned to sports.

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I'm Surprised They Let Me In

Recently, I traveled to a conference and went through four airports along the way -- my home airport, Philadephia, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, then back to my home airport.

Throughout my travels, everyone -- I mean everyone -- had some sort of smart phone and was fiddling with it to check email and use various applications.

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Conversation Topics for Gay and Straight Guys

Somehow a search for "conversation topics for gay and straight guys" directed a visitor to this blog.

In case you are a new reader of this blog, or just stumbled upon it, I am a middle-aged gay man in a monogamous relationship with another man, and have been so settled for over 18 years. I consider myself to be a regular masculine man, with various likes and dislikes -- like anyone else.

The topic is interesting to me on several levels.

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Boot Daddy

Sorry, fellas ... not what you think. This time I am writing about something that a friend brought to my attention -- the marketing of a line of products (boots, hats, and cologne) for men that has been named, "Boot Daddy."

Oh...my...gosh. My first thoughts?

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I Clean Up Well

I truly enjoy public speaking. It is as much of an art as a science, getting important points out, emphasizing information that is critical to the audience, while making adjustments on the fly as needed based on a reading of the audience's information needs and interests.

Travel for events like this once was common for me to do -- 70 or so times each year to some 50 or so cities and towns across America. These days, I don't travel nearly as much as I once did, which actually I appreciate since traveling 35 weeks/year was grueling.

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Sometimes I am late to the party, mostly because I am what is known as a "slow adopter." I look at various technologies closely before deciding what to do about them -- implement, delay, or ignore. Finally, after two years, I have implemented a rather simple technology here on this blog -- used on many other blogs -- called a "jump break."

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What "Woof" Means

The following photos are of my partner. These photos demonstrate what, in my opinion, is what "woof" means when one guy says it to another.

My partner is wearing a new pair of Mr. S leather jeans that he wanted and with which I presented him on his birthday yesterday. These jeans fit him perfectly. Woofity-woof-woof!

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Milestone Birthday

Today is a milestone birthday for my beloved partner. I will be devoting the entire day to bringing joy to his life, and showing him how much I love him. I have a few tricks up my sleeve...

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Heroes

Today, November 11, is known as Veteran's Day in the U.S., Remembrance Day in Canada and the Commonwealth Nations, and Armistice Day in other countries. It recognizes the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.

Today is a holiday, and in the U.S., it is used to recognize veterans of military service. I also use it as a day to recognize the heroes in my life, who protect and serve me, my neighbors, and residents of the community, county, state, and country where I live.

My heroes are...

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Cities with the Most Masculine Gay Men

This was an interesting search that landed a visitor from South Carolina on this blog, "Cities with the most masculine gay men."

I do not know if any city in the United States, or the world for that matter, has more masculine gay men in it than any other. Honestly, I do not think masculine gay men use sexual orientation and masculine behavior preference to choose the location where they will live.

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Christmas Before Thanksgiving?

I so much agree with this cartoon that I "stole" from a friend who posted it on Facebook. Whatever happened to recognizing and sharing autumn holidays like Halloween and (U.S.) Thanksgiving?

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When a Stroke Isn't a Stroke

Sunday, my partner and I were tending to routine fall outdoor cleanup chores when he suddenly complained of being very dizzy and became nauseous. His speech was slurred and one eye was dilated while the other was not.

I kept my calm, but seriously thought he was having a stroke.

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What Masculine Gay Men Find Attractive

A search appeared on my blog reading (sic): what masculine gay men find attractive?"

I found that very interesting, and a different take on the usual search for where to find masculine gay men.

So, as a masculine gay man, let me describe what I find attractive in a masculine gay man:

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Why Would a Gay Man Wear Cowboy Boots?

Yes, another lovely internet search landed a visitor to this blog, with the query: "why would a gay man wear cowboy boots?"

Man, I have blogged about this a lot, but in this post I will avoid jumping to conclusions about implied stereotypes and answer it seriously.

Why would a gay man wear cowboy boots?

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What Do Gay Guys Wear Under Jeans?

Here's another internet search that landed a visitor on my website.  "What do gay guys wear under jeans?"

Answer: underwear. Yep, us gay guys wear underwear like anyone else.

Boxers or briefs? Answer: yes.

Life is short: ubi sub sub ubi. (An expression in Latin for "always wear underwear" LOL!)

Hilarious Internet Search

Readers of my blog know that I look at how people find this blog, and I often comment on some of the more interesting search results -- some of them are serious, and some are downright silly.  Here is an example of the latter:

Yep, you read it right -- the inquiry was, "how many pairs of jeans does a cow make?

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Hol(e)y Leather!

They always say to look for sales in the off-season. Such advice led me to find a sale on a pair of perforated leather jeans that go well with a perforated leather shirt (photo left) that I bought via eBay from NCBootdude in early 2011. I bought a pair of perforated leather jeans from CJ's Leather in Denver, Colorado in September and received them, custom tailored to my size, in October.

What is perforated leather?

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Dehner Boots Go To Work on the Harley

When I woke yesterday morning at 4am, I felt chilled. I reached for the remote control to adjust the thermostat for more heat while snuggling closer to my partner for one last warm embrace. Dayum! It felt like winter. I'm not ready for it. Not ready at all.

There was a prediction the night before for some rain. I thought, then, that with wet roads and cold temperatures, that riding my Harley to work would not be an option.

We threw off the covers and went about our morning routine. As I dressed, I pulled on a pair of cowboy boots to wear with my dress clothes to work.

I stepped outside to retrieve the morning newspaper, and thought, "hmmm, it doesn't feel that cold. It didn't rain after all!" I went back inside and checked the thermometer. It was 43°F (6°C) -- above my riding threshold. Change of plans for the vehicle to use to drive to work -- the Harley! "Switch to motorcycle boots" was my immediate thought.

I went back to my bedroom, pulled the cowboy boots off, and as I was putting them away, I saw my tall, Vibram lug-soled Bal-Laced Dehner boots in the closet and said to myself, "sure, they will be perfect!" I pulled my socks up over the ends of my pants, then pulled the Dehners on over my pants. Comfortable! Great traction! Terrific feel!

I went downstairs to the kitchen. I handed my partner the lunch that I made for him, wished him a great day, and kissed him goodbye as he ran out the door to get to the Metro for his job in the city.

I got my lunch and other stuff that I needed to bring with me to work and went into the garage to get the bike ready to ride. I pulled out my truck and rolled the Harley out. After my usual T-clocs safety check, I donned my thick leather chaps, warm biker jacket, put on my full-face helmet, warm gloves, and off I went.

Okay, some of you may be wondering, "did he really wear his pants tucked into his Dehner boots around the office?" While I did tuck my pants into my boots before taking off on my ride, I did that in order to keep the pants clean. Somehow, road crap tends fly around and make my pants dirty, even if covered with chaps. However, when I parked the Harley and took off my chaps, I pulled my pants out of my boots and pulled the ends of my pants down over the boots. That way, my boots look much like laced dress shoes, and unless I sit across from someone and cross my legs, no one is the wiser.

It is possible, therefore, to wear Dehner boots at a typical business office with dress clothes and not have the boots be noticed (as an ostentatious display.)

Sorry for no photo -- I tried taking one with my cell phone, but I could not download it directly into my computer due to some technical problem which I do not have the time to figure out, and I am not about to pay the carrier's exorbitant fees to send photos to myself. (I will not pay for a data plan or a per-usage fee.)

Life is short: wear tall boots to work!

Boots and Suits Reprise

A recent internet search on this question [sic], "can u wear cowboy boots with a bussiness suit?" directed a visitor to my "How to Wear Cowboy Boots" page on my website.

Well, yes, a guy can wear cowboy boots with a business suit. No problem.

But whoever searched this question needs to learn how to write and how to spell. Oh well, with so many people texting these days and using abbreviations, I can understand (though I still dislike) using the letter "u" to represent the word "you." However, if the guy can't spell "business," then he should just go back to wearing his boots with his jeans and return to school.

Life is short: lern hw 2 spel n compleet sentensses (nd uz apostrophe's rite. Employerrs notis itt.)