It would have been only a matter of time…but I was talking to Stephanie Ferguson last night…I’ve got THREE weekends while I’m on Coleman, not two!…what was I thinkin’? That’s what happens when you worry about the details of gettin’ there and lose track of the trip itself. Stephanie & I might team up for a field-trip, although she’s callin’ them “boot missions.” I’m in a really good mood this morning.
Today, I went back to the Berkeley Flea Market. I was there yesterday and I met Bill Peterson, he’s the one with all the boots. People I talk to around here had told me he had lots of boots…actually they have no idea. He has about 7,000 pairs. He sets up a booth at the Ashby BART station most weekends…every weekend but the second weekend of the month, then he’s down at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. He carts around a few boxes of used boots, sells the cow leather ones for $35 (same price as they’ve been for the last fifteen years)…the Lucchese ones for $60, and the exotic ones for $100 to $125. All kinds of vintage…’40s, ’50s, ’60s on up. He sells boots by the hundreds to Japan, and to anyone else who wants them. They’re all in good shape, he polishes them up and puts new heels on the ones that need it. You can call him at (775) 843-5683 or e-mail him at allcby@aol.com.
When I started my webpage, about 3 years ago, it was supposed to be “a chronicle of my own journey towards bootmaking.” I think that lasted right up to the point when I figured out somebody actually was reading the thing. Now as I’m headed off to Coleman, I’m ready to give it another try. I’ve got some high hopes for this weblog-thang. The blogger.com “software”/service is free, I can “logon” from anywhere and just post a few words without messing around with my FTP software. I’m haunted by an old diary of mine I found at my parents’ house…2 pages written on…the rest blank. A couple days ago I read an article on the metajournals.com, and it got me a little clearer about my expectations… Why a weblog? I want the weblog to be an easy place to put my thoughts and experiences…a place where my friends can keep up with me.
