These are my cowboy boots. I count sixteen pairs, including the two that were packed away in the attic (the blue Lone Stars and the old-timey red Noconas.)

I can’t take much credit for “curating” this fine collection, because so many of my boots were gifts. My closet has been a true group project, the result of happy travels, generosity, and more than a little luck.

Here they are (approximately) in order of acquisition…