Homage to Old Shoes

Homage to Old Shoes

This past weekend, walking home, I saw that one of my old, favorite pairs of shoes had finally fallen from the streetlamp where I had tossed them over a year ago.

I got the shoes at Schwab's Dry Goods

on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee in 1994... old vintage Keds with yellowing rubber soles and "1976" stamped on the label on the tattered box. Thankfully, due to their odd size, they had actually hung around that long, waiting for me to discover them. Thats just the sort of shop Schwab's is, I guess.

At the time, big green suede shoes weren't particularly hip, so they got relegated to the closet as an oddity. When I moved to New York, they stayed in the bottom of a storage box for a few years. Then, one day, I rediscovered them, and happily donned my newly hip footwear almost daily for a couple of years until they started to tatter. They saw many a night of dancing, and even figured prominently in a strange story involving my pet hamster.

A long bikeride home during a torrential spring rainstorm finally brought the shoes' last hurrah, washing much of the green dye out of the aged, scuffed leather and causing it to dry up and crackle along their major points of wear and tear.

The shoes went up on the streetlamp.

The shoes fell to the ground, where I photographed them.

I really should tie the laces back together and toss them up again...

This article has been viewed 4508 times in the last 3 years

Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 7th Mar 2006 - 16:27 GMT

I read your link to Charles the Hamster. Thanks man, for making me cry then shriek with glee in my office. There goes my street cred as being a badass.
And for God's sake, tie those shoes together and get them back up in the wire.

GGP: 7th Mar 2006 - 16:57 GMT

damn, peter--that hamster story is an amazing tale of loss and redemption. You gotta be careful with shoes. I remember being warned in Taos (home of the brown recluse spider) and in Costa Rica (home of many things) to check shoes before putting them on to make sure no scorpions or poisonous spiders were inside. On Gardenweb recently I read a tale of a guy walking around with a tree frog in his shoes (luckily, like Charles, the frog survived). As I kid, my pets were always escaping. I had a gecko that liked to hide behind the fridge. Much drama trying to safely move fridge w/o injuring said gecko. Here's to Charles, and your great storytelling skills!

jack: 7th Mar 2006 - 20:18 GMT

that is some story. i enjoyed it and found it amazing that the charlie lived through it. with your big toe and everything. i never had any pets. except for the two chickens. and the two snails, but i ate them anyways.

GGP: 7th Mar 2006 - 20:34 GMT

i had pet snails once; they escaped and slithered behind my bedroom mirror.

xep: 8th Mar 2006 - 01:56 GMT

hey i looked at that picture and before even reading the post, I thought "hamster shoes!!!" that's one of my favorite stories ever. this is a fitting ending.

Elicar: 8th Mar 2006 - 03:08 GMT

What happened to Charles??? Is he still around?

Toss those shoes up after St. Patrick's day. Someone may need a green pair.


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I got the shoes at Schwab's Dry Goods on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee in 1994... old vintage Keds with yellowing rubber soles and "1976" stamped on the label on the tattered box. Thankfully, due to their odd size, they had actually hung around that long, waiting for me to discover them. Thats just the sort of shop Schwab's is, I guess. At the time, big green suede shoes weren't particularly hip, so they got relegated to the closet as an oddity. When I moved to New York, they stayed in the bottom of a storage box for a few years. Then, one day, I rediscovered them, and happily donned my newly hip footwear almost daily for a couple of years until they started to tatter. They saw many a night of dancing, and even figured prominently in a strange story involving my pet hamster. A long bikeride home during a torrential spring rainstorm finally brought the shoes' last hurrah, washing much of the green dye out of the aged, scuffed leather and causing it to dry up and crackle along their major points of wear and tear. The shoes went up on the streetlamp. The shoes fell to the ground, where I photographed them. I really should tie the laces back together and toss them up again... www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3676/is_200310/ai_n9317423 This article has been viewed 4508 times in the last 3 years Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 7th Mar 2006 - 16:27 GMT I read your link to Charles the Hamster. Thanks man, for making me cry then shriek with glee in my office. There goes my street cred as being a badass. And for God's sake, tie those shoes together and get them back up in the wire. GGP: 7th Mar 2006 - 16:57 GMT damn, peter--that hamster story is an amazing tale of loss and redemption. You gotta be careful with shoes. I remember being warned in Taos (home of the brown recluse spider) and in Costa Rica (home of many things) to check shoes before putting them on to make sure no scorpions or poisonous spiders were inside. On Gardenweb recently I read a tale of a guy walking around with a tree frog in his shoes (luckily, like Charles, the frog survived). As I kid, my pets were always escaping. I had a gecko that liked to hide behind the fridge. Much drama trying to safely move fridge w/o injuring said gecko. Here's to Charles, and your great storytelling skills! jack: 7th Mar 2006 - 20:18 GMT that is some story. i enjoyed it and found it amazing that the charlie lived through it. with your big toe and everything. i never had any pets. except for the two chickens. and the two snails, but i ate them anyways. GGP: 7th Mar 2006 - 20:34 GMT i had pet snails once; they escaped and slithered behind my bedroom mirror. xep: 8th Mar 2006 - 01:56 GMT hey i looked at that picture and before even reading the post, I thought "hamster shoes!!!" that's one of my favorite stories ever. this is a fitting ending. Elicar: 8th Mar 2006 - 03:08 GMT What happened to Charles??? Is he still around? Toss those shoes up after St. Patrick's day. Someone may need a green pair. Comment on this article.. 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Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 7th Mar 2006 - 16:27 GMT

GGP: 7th Mar 2006 - 16:57 GMT

jack: 7th Mar 2006 - 20:18 GMT

GGP: 7th Mar 2006 - 20:34 GMT

xep: 8th Mar 2006 - 01:56 GMT

Elicar: 8th Mar 2006 - 03:08 GMT

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