Old soles

Mary often criticizes me for having lots of shoes, especially athletic shoes. Which seems cruel and unusual. One would think it would be readily apparent why everyone needs not just soccer shoes, tennis shoes, hiking boots, running shoes, and so on, and sometimes multiple pairs of each (different ones may be optimal for walking, yardwork, going on the roof, etc.)

In the run up to our big trip to Europe for Sophia Konanc's wedding and then after I've been thinking seriously about the correct footwear portfolio for the trip. Do I need new walking sandals, for instance? There on the shelf in the mudroom my eye espied some old Keene water shoes that I hadn't worn for a while, so I decided to walk in them some to see if my feet could get accustomed to them. Yesterday I was out in Duke Forest for my third such test/reacquaintance walk. About two miles in my right foot seemed to be dragging in front, hitting gravel with each stride, which struck me as odd. Until I bent down and saw that the bottom sole of the sandal was flapping from a hinge a couple of inches back.

Being a couple of miles out on a very gravelly road, there was really nothing to be done, so I kept going. Five or ten minutes later I noticed some flapping in the rear of the left sandal. By the time I got back to Whitfield Rd, the outer soles of both shoes had come entirely off and I walked back to my car on the insoles.

I'm pretty sure they can be glued back on. The question is whether I should take them in to the shoe repair place and have them do it or should I try it myself. One issue with the former approach is how the woman behind the counter will shake her head at me and tell me it will cost $40 and do I really want to do that, with that "fool white people" look on her face. And then I have to decide whether I should take them on the trip. I guess if they fall apart they do sell footwear in Europe.