I'm back from my roadtrip...just went drivin' around for a couple of days. It was beautiful scenery....there was one mountain pass that had evergreens and rough white sand. It looked just like trees growin' on top of the moon. When I got home last night, I picked up my mail... and got my copy of Cowboys & Indians magazine. There's a feature article about boots, have ya seen it?

So, I was prowling around the web looking for stray bootmakers, and I came across this in my google.com search…. “eHow to Make a Cowboy Lamp” (using an old boot), and “eHow to Make a Cowboy Boot Christmas Stocking”. My favorite “eHowdy” hint was that you shouldn’t choose a needle-nose-toe for your boot stocking, if you want Santa to leave you lots of Christmas loot, they recommend a wide box toe. I’m already getting Christmas catalogues in the mail, so I guess it’s not too early to start worrying about these kinds of things.

(P.S. Just so you know, I’m going on a short roadtrip for a couple of days…and I’m leaving my laptop at home this time, so check back for a new weblog entry sometime after Monday. ..See ya!)

Do you think Johann Wolfgang von Goethe would've ever bought a lottery ticket? Not to say that a "committed" person would have a better chance than anybody else at winning...but just think of the spending spree.

So, yesterday I was minding my own business, in the middle of "The City" (that would be San Francisco in these parts). And I meet a woman named Karen Quest, we start off talking about hair color and I later come to find out that she is a Western star of sorts: a performer, a rope-twirler-spinner-type. Tonight, I was talking to my roommate...and I asked her if she thought that to be a little strange, I mean, what are the odds of me running into a cowgirl like this in San Francisco in the middle of a Saturday? Well...Ann passed this along, saying Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had an explanation...

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way."...hmmmmm, kinda makes sense don'tcha think?...it's the boots.

I'm back in California...back at my day job. Today, I feel a little less like a bootmaker...more like a cross between a computer geek and a bureaucrat. I'm sure my mood will improve once I'm back at home sorting through the tools and thread I brought home with me. I've been a little slow to unpack my suitcases after this trip. I think I miss Texas...or maybe I just miss being in a bootshop. It's hard to tell.

I stayed up way too late last night...talkin' boots of course. There was a "rather lively professional discourse" concerning gender and bootmaking that took place in lastmaker Carl Lichte's room. I believe it was somewhat historic...and something that was bound to happen sooner or later, now that you've got a posse of women bootmakers comparing notes on how the world works...and folks like Michael Anthony willin' to jump right into the middle of it. It was hilarious. (I figure today's stories should only make it better.)