Shoe Story

You may have gathered that I am going on a trip.  The post on Oct. 20 had me practicing my Italian, apologizing for not speaking it well.  Florence and Venice and then a cruise to Turkey leaving from Venice.

After much consideration, here are the contenders for shoe space in my luggage.  From the left:

Agate Beach, Oregon

Tennyson.  This staple of the shoe inventory, known as tennies, sneakers, trainer, etc, is a must because she's a tried and true friend.  Many miles of happy feet.  Her claim to fame (or perhaps that of her fore-runner) is that she played on grass tennis courts at the Newport, RI Tennis Hall of Fame.   Such a star, and yet, so humble.  She also recently hiked in Sedona, AZ.

Merrill.  Comfy, black, and good for many, many steps.  She was put through her paces last year in Oregon as we walked the beaches along the coast.  It was a stormy few days and many of beaches were inundated and difficult to traverse.  No matter - she rose to the occasion.  Also she was right at home in the museums and galleries of Portland. OR.

Daisy.  This diamond encrusted flip flop is a study in contrasts.  She is equally at home at the pool and the opera.  In fact, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera of New York.  Because of her small size, she is able to fit snuggly into the small spaces of my carry on bag.

Etta.  This colorful embroidered shoe hails from Turkey and has wanted to revisit her homeland.  Since we will be headed there, she was a natural for inclusion. She isn't as well traveled as her companions, but she showed her true comfort as the go-to-gal for contra dancing.

Azul San Miguel d'Allende.  She just arrived from Mexico and is delighted to be included on this trip.  She is touted to be very comfortable and preliminary assessments are quite hopeful.  Her story involves a friend steering me to a local shop which had a different style of the San Miguel shoe.  Her cousin is a sandal, but I needed a closed toe shoe for November travel.  An on-line search found a supplier in Mexico who gathers 15 orders to the U.S. ships them to Florida where they are rerouted to the address here.  Not speedy, a bit cumbersome, but it works.