Time to go, after five years!
A sad goodbye…
There was a garbage can next to the car. 🙂
New beginnings…
Ready to roll… and still going strong after one year!
This is my contribution to this week’s Wordless Wednesday link-up.
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May 27, 2020 at 13:42
I can’t believe you had a pair for 5 years! I just replaced the ones I bought a year and a half ago last month. I should have tossed them in February but I wanted make them last longer.
I’m glad your new ones are still going strong!
May 27, 2020 at 14:05
Yes, five years for a pair of hiking shoes (and I always only have one pair of walking shoes) was a long time. I stumbled upon that pair when in dire need in New Zealand, in April 2014. Miraculously, they fit and were comfortable, waterproof, and affordable!
I find it hard to replace good shoes. I think those lasted so long, because we wore flip flops a lot and didn’t hike as much as with my newer ones. Like you, I always try to make everything last as long as possible. I just threw out a pair of shoes that I started wearing in Belgium 20 years ago!! Same with clothes. Until they’re rags, they remain a part of my wardrobe and I don’t have to buy more clothes, which I hate. 🙂
May 27, 2020 at 13:45
You’re still a young pup, Liesbet. When you get older you must replace shoes more frequently to prevent injuries. 🙂 Yes, I’m speaking from experience. Keep on trucking!
May 27, 2020 at 14:08
A young pup!? Haha! If only. But, I hear you… we have to adapt to our bodies and adjust shoes and activities over the years. I actually have bad knees and a bad back, but I never have changed any of my shoe ware for that. I’ll pay the price later, for sure!
May 27, 2020 at 14:31
My old hiking boots started to come apart while we were wandering through a rain forest in Alaska. I couldn’t replace them until we got to Seattle and could visit the huge REI there. But, as sad as I was to say goodbye to my old boots, I am thrilled with my new ones. They are so lightweight in comparison. I hope you enjoy your new ones as much!
May 27, 2020 at 16:49
Lightweight boots that are sturdy and comfortable can’t be beat, Janis. Hurray for stores like REI. The ones I have now are lighter than my “New Zealand” boots, which was an “urgent buy” as the previous pair gave me wet feet! Luckily, the replacement worked out (for five years) – a rare treat!
Talking about rain, humidity, and rain forests… When we lived on our sailboat in the tropics, we were disgruntled about hiking shoes and hiking sandals losing their soles in that kind of environment. That’s when we swore we would never buy Merrells again. Even my Texas sandals lost their soles in Grenada at some point! Tricky stuff.
May 27, 2020 at 14:47
You must get some really tough shoes to last five years. The ones I walk and jog in don’t even last a year.
May 27, 2020 at 16:49
It sounds like you are much more active than me, Alex! 🙂
May 27, 2020 at 15:36
Liesbet, it’s supposed to be Wordless Wednesday. Geeze, these bloggers that can’t resist putting in words 🤣
Anyway, now onto the subject of boots. The newer variety are certainly lightweight. Which is a godsend after tramping for hours and when lifting your feet becomes harder.
I’m pretty rough on my shoes so they don’t last long. Impressive to last 5 years. Though my running shoes last only about 6 mths to a year.
May 27, 2020 at 16:54
You are so right, Suz! I’m a woman of “more than a few words” and “one of those” bloggers. I don’t think I have ever been able to do a completely wordless Wordless Wednesday. I should practice. I’m taking your advice and deleting the first (and only) paragraph of my post and let the photos (and their captions) tell their story. 🙂 (Don’t tell me captions aren’t allowed either.)
It sounds like you’re a much more serious hiker (tramper) than me! We like walking/hiking in nature, but depending on our lifestyle (house sitting, sailing, RVing), this happens more or less. I don’t think my current pair will last five years. They are more light weight than the previous one.
May 27, 2020 at 17:00
Though I do quite a bit of walking say around 30 kms + a week.
You’re a writer so I can see how hard it is not to include words 🙂 Have a good night my day is about to start with a haircut in an hour. I haven’t had one since the beginning of March. It’s the small things in life I look forward too 🙂
May 27, 2020 at 17:06
Enjoy the haircut. Such a splurge! 🙂 Mark and I have been doing our own. I could really use a dentist and an eye doctor. It’s becoming urgent, but these “essentials” aren’t open yet, as opposed to churches, gun shops, coffee shops, and… hairdressers!
May 27, 2020 at 23:47
Les was cutting mine at the back and I was doing his. The problem with having short hair it needs a skilled person. Hairdresser was impressed with Les’s efforts 🙂
Liesbet, don’t get me started on how America has handled this virus outbreak, I may not have any more followers LOL The hairdressers, cafes etc opened the same time as the dentists. Drs etc were open for emergencies during Level 4-3 NZ has been very fortunate to have not been affected as much as many other countries.
That’s terrible you can’t get to the dentist, can’t you go to the hospital if you have pain associated with tooth decay? Tooth decay can cause major health problems. So, I hope you get it seen to soon. All the best, Liesbet.
May 28, 2020 at 09:13
I guess Les is ready for a new career, cutting hair! 🙂 I prefer my short hair to be “stacked” in the back, but that was above and beyond Mark’s cutting abilities. Before leaving Massachusetts I hope to swing by a SuperCuts.
At the moment, I have an old filling (a tooth fixed at full price in Canada last summer) that is very sensitive when I eat and drink cold and hot stuff. I’m not sure the tooth was fixed correctly, but I didn’t have dental insurance in the US until this year and I have to be in Massachusetts for any health-related issues (don’t get me started on how health care is run in the US). So, I’ve been in MA now for a month and a half, but have not been able to register at or schedule an appointment with a dentist. Same with an eye doctor. My prescription glasses are broken and older than three years and my vision is decreasing… Soon, I hope to fix these “issues”!!
May 27, 2020 at 16:28
Using things till they fall apart feels good, doesn’t it? My neighbor actually has his shoes taped together–and why not if it works? Yours did look beyond that, though, Liesbet.
May 27, 2020 at 16:57
Haha, Jacqui. Yes, my shoes couldn’t get fixed with duct tape anymore. At some point – whether it’s with clothes, shoes, or relationships – it’s time for something new! But, you’re right. It does feel good to manage with the same clothes and shoes for ages. It’s how we live and operate. “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it!” Or, discard it. Unless to downsize, which I LOvE to do.
May 27, 2020 at 16:37
I still have my hiking boots from my first Camino (2010). I still wear them now and then. It’s like visiting with an old friend! 😀
May 27, 2020 at 16:58
Oooh, that is so nice, Donna. You and those boots have so many memories and adventures together. Now, this obviously means you have more than one pair of hiking boots/shoes!? Ready to explain yourself? 🙂
May 28, 2020 at 03:31
Those boots look like they served you well!
May 28, 2020 at 09:07
Those boots were made for walking and walking is what I did in them. 🙂
May 28, 2020 at 14:55
Now that’s a well used pair of shoes!! I was just thinking about the fact that I have literally ONE pair of footwear with me here! A pair of $2 flip flops from the market. I came with a nice pair of cushy fit flops and a dog destroyed those at the beach. The funny thing is, all I need is one pair of flip flops…. And I am quite sure those were your one pair of hiking boots for five years. Maybe you should get them cast in bronze and use them as flower pots just as a tribute to all their miles?! Hahah…
Peta
May 29, 2020 at 10:47
Oh Peta, I’m so sorry about your fit flops! I know you really liked those. Darn dogs!! 🙂
I agree, when you live in the tropics or a warm year-round climate, all you need is flip flops. And, we love walking barefoot as well. The only problem is when you want to go on hikes… And, yes, those were my one pair of hiking boots for five years. We don’t have a lot of shoes either – hiking shoes, hiking sandals, and a pair of flip flops. I also have Crocs that were a birthday present from Mark in 2007. Still going strong! 🙂 And, there is a pair of white sneakers my sister-in-law gave me years ago, as they made her feet look too big. Those remain in MA with my in-laws. Funny about the flower pots… Now, if only we actually lived in a house with a garden!!
May 28, 2020 at 15:30
They served you well, Liesbet and they walked many a mile with you! Your new ones look like Keens!
May 29, 2020 at 10:51
They sure did serve me well, Terri. And, yes, they are Keens. Until finding out about these shoes, I thought Keens only made sandals, which I had before as well, but they caused me blisters, so now I’m back to Teva for my hiking sandals.
May 28, 2020 at 15:48
First thought at the photo: Cheryl Strayed’s WILD. The narrator loses one of her hiking boots which sets the story in motion. (It flips off into a ravine, irretrievable, as she begins hiking the Pacific Crest Trail all alone.) Perhaps you’ve read it.
Last week I bought another pair of Skecher’s walking shoes. After 2+ years they get worn down with 5000 or more steps a day. I keep the old because I’m frugal or nostalgic. Honestly, I don’t know why, but the odd pair would come in handy if I get the other ones wet.
I would think hiking boots may be a motif in your memoir. Nice job here, Liesbet!
May 29, 2020 at 10:56
Aha! I didn’t think about Wild when posting this blog, but now I seem to remember a similar photo (or imagine in my head) either from the book or the movie. Good eye and memory, Marian. I did read the book (and think I saw the movie).
If you have a house, it’s perfectly OK to have multiple pairs of shoes! 🙂 Although I can see holding on to clothes or footwear for nostalgic reasons as well. I had a comfy pair of shoes for twenty years or so (“in storage” the last fifteen) and finally tossed them last year, as the soles were totally cracked.
Yeah, no hiking boots in my memoir – not even a mention of it! That’ll be for a different story. Although, I don’t really hike that much; I just love being in nature more than anything else and sometimes, a decent trek is required for that.
May 28, 2020 at 17:03
I have a favourite pair of shorts that I’m so reluctant to let go. What’s a couple of small holes between old friends? 🙂 🙂 I keep saying, next time… every time I put another stitch in them. And I hate sewing!
May 29, 2020 at 11:00
Aaaah, favorite shorts… Don’t get me started on that. I have had one or two of those during my adult life and HATED having to toss them after many years, because the bum-part had thinned out to shreds. I find it even harder to find comfortable, cool, and colorful shorts than decent boots. You obviously love yours a lot if you’re willing (and able) to keep fixing them!!
May 28, 2020 at 20:33
Five years! Whatever the brand you could be the ambassador. If shoes could talk what tales that pair could tell. 🙂
May 29, 2020 at 11:02
Hi Sue! Not bad, right? I don’t even know whether this is a good or famous brand as I fortuitously stumbled across them (in the correct size) at a small adventure store in Queenstown, New Zealand, when my shoes then were soaking wet and destroyed from age and weather. That 2014-pair in the photo sure would have some stories to tell from all the countries it set foot in. 🙂
May 29, 2020 at 18:17
I remember one summer we both ceremoniously dumped our boots in a bin before we travelled home because they were beyond redemption. Made packing slightly easier too!
June 4, 2020 at 08:23
Oooh, I love that, Anabel. Such satisfaction to get rid of stuff that’s not usable anymore and to not have to pack it on that last leg. I remember doing similar things at the end of trips. More space for souvenirs. 🙂
May 31, 2020 at 14:54
There’s nothing more precious than a comfortable pair of hiking boots! 🙂
June 4, 2020 at 08:23
Hear, hear! When it comes to shoes and clothing anyway. 🙂
June 1, 2020 at 12:01
You really do Walk the Talk, Liesbet! I am also not wasteful and make my items last. Or trade off with daughters and friends. Shoes are a different category and a treasure when you find a good pair. Jill’s “young pup” made me smile. Also funny on the “Wild” comment. My favourite hiking shoe for all conditions “Salomon.” You remind me I should see whether I can order online my favourite running shoe “Saucony.” Reluctant to order any shoe online, even if it is the same pair I know I like. I like your “New beginnings…” xx
June 4, 2020 at 08:29
Hi Erica!
You know your stuff. Other than the main brands of my shoes, I have no idea what the model names are. Haha. And, with my clothes, I have even less clues of the brands. Like you, my clothes last forever and I rarely buy anything new. Maybe every few years some undies and shirts. Often, clothes are given to me at the in-law household, either as a gift or before they bring them to thrift stores. I’m all about recycling! 🙂
Shoes are indeed different in regards to trading with family members. That being said, all my shoes and sandals are either birthday gifts (from Mark) or handed down to me, because the first owner didn’t like them or bought them in the wrong size.
New beginnings are always exciting. I can’t wait for the post-pandemic beginning! I hope you and hubby and the kids and grandkids are doing well.
June 2, 2020 at 06:43
I admit to having shoe ‘issues’. I currently have 5 pairs of hiking shoes/boots in my closet of different weights and strengths. Without question, the Keens are my favourite.
June 4, 2020 at 08:30
Five pairs of hiking shoes!! Now, that makes a nice ensemble to choose from. Remember, I noticed your Keens? I felt connected, thinking that was your (only) pair of hiking shoes. Yet, I’m not surprised they’re your favorite. 🙂
June 3, 2020 at 10:47
Great picture book story. hehehe
Anna from elements of emaginette
June 4, 2020 at 08:35
An easy way out for a blog post when I didn’t feel like writing! 🙂
June 29, 2020 at 16:44
Bye-bye hiking boots. Since injuring my foot and developing knee problems, I’ve had to replace my shoes/boots more frequently rather than wearing them to shreds. That said, I have three pairs of running shoes (tennis shoes, athletic shoes, trainers). One ancient worn out pair that should be thrown out, but that I keep for gardening and wading in rivers when fishing; my everyday pair; and my “new” nice New Balance runners that I bought to go to Crete and save mostly for indoors or city streets.
Jude
June 30, 2020 at 16:49
When you live in a house – with plenty storage space – it makes sense to have different shoes for different purposes, especially when injuries are involved! You didn’t mention any hiking shoes/boots. Do you go hiking in a pair of sneakers?
August 11, 2020 at 17:40
Yes, I also have light weight hiking boots, and also sandals, dress shoes, winter boots, etc. As you said, lots of room for storage…
Jude
August 12, 2020 at 10:35
One day, I will have a shoe closet as well, with a choice of footwear. Although, to be honest, I kind of like the simplicity of flip flops, hiking shoes, or sandals. Unless something breaks! 🙂