Pages

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Dutch Mechanic

Yes, I really did wear my Klompen to work on my 914. They make for nice, warm feet and I don’t have to worry about stepping onto the soft dirt next the to driveway.

IMG_8723

It was 57F today, so it was a great day to get out and get some work done on the car.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Klompen

The last time we were in The Netherlands, I almost brought home a pair of wooden shoes. I ended up deciding not to because they would take up so much room in the suitcase, and I figured that I wouldn’t really use them that much so it just wasn’t worth the effort.

Today was Presidents’ Day and our local thrift store had a 50% off sale to “celebrate” the day. Being Dutch, we couldn’t pass up such a sale so we were there right after the doors opened. Linda found a pair of Klompen in the “appliance and decorative items” section – which was exempt from the 50% off sale. I tried them on and they fit a bit loosely, but enough that we figured it was our duty to rescue them.

We tried to convince the cashier that there were really shoes (and therefor should be 50% off), but she never took the hint. Since purchases at this store benefit Big Brothers & Big Sisters, I don’t feel too bad about paying the full price, but the Dutch in me feels slighted.

When we got home, I tried them on with the hand-knit socks that I had purchased in Staphorst – the Klompen fit like they were made for me!

IMG_8700Although I’ve often tried on wooden shoes, I’ve never before worn them for any length of time. I did not expect these to be uncomfortable, but I was quite surprised to find that they were very comfortable! I ended up wearing them most of the afternoon, and would often find that I had forgotten what was on my feet. Of course, I’d get reminded very quickly when I got out of my chair and my feet almost slipped out from under me!

So, I’ve finally got my own Klompen and I think they are my new favorite shoes and I’ll be wearing them just about any time I need to put on shoes for a trip outdoors for things like putting out the trash or getting the mail. Since this blog is the “Wooden Shoe Journal”, maybe I’ll have to wear them whenever I write a post.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Snow!

The Flagstaff record for the longest winter dry spell is 39 days. Flagstaff almost broke that record a couple of days ago, but we got just enough moisture for the record to still stand. I think the weather service was the only place to see that moisture because the rest of the area was still dry - until yesterday. We probably only got 2 inches of snow, but we need the moisture and it sure prettied things up.

Things melted off pretty quickly, but our street and Mt. Elden were both very pretty this morning.


A fuel pump issue has kept my car off the road lately, but with snow on the ground it would not be going anywhere anyway. Still, it provides a photo op.

A trip to the top of McMillan Mesa yielded this view of the San Francisco Peaks.

I've heard it said that you should turn around when you are shooting a scene, and see what you have your back to. The city cinder yard was behind me as I was shooting the photo of the mountains. A plow/cinder truck was in the process of being refilled. It gave me a chance to play around with some depth-of-field techniques. It may be my favorite photo of the day.