midvalleyfarm

Whow, i don't remember any photo being taken of me at the desk.  

Thanks for coming by on our first day, hope to see you Saturday night for the party!

You were figuring out where the MF bandanas were in the system.

What time does the shop open up on Saturday?  I'll come down and make a HWDC/HWBC appearance!

I'll get the sexy pictures over the next couple of days.  

I'm realizing that I bit off perhaps a bit more than I could chew with the denim and boot comps, because I don't own a digital camera, and the one on my iphone is tweaked.  About a week in I thought to myself "I really should have thought about documentation more..."

Luckily, for the next couple of weeks, I've got free access to one.  After that, I'll be back to begging, borrowing, and, barring theft, a purchase.

God, has it been a while.  Time for an update.  Apologies on the lack of...anything.  Been a hectic few months working graveyard and seeing the sun in only spurts.  

Being a freightworker has its perks, though.  All the guys I work with are constantly amazed that I don't come limping out every morning.  Custom made, says I.

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HC-IH-32 back from the dead...

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God, has it been a while.  Time for an update.  Apologies on the lack of...anything.  Been a hectic few months working graveyard and seeing the sun in only spurts.  

Being a freightworker has its perks, though:

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Mass trans in the bay area is pretty good.  You can get a 10-day muni pass pretty cheap that lets you ride the bus and most streetcars as often as you like.  Bart is decent as well, but no passes since it's pay-by-distance.  Whenever I go down for a job thats all I do.

I went with the lug sole because a) I didn't want to have to worry about resoling for a loooonnnngggg time, and they attach with screws and could not be any more heavy duty than that.

Leathers are nat CXL for the upper and "Harvest Roughout" for the toe and heel.  Track down my post from the 4th.  All the details and hardcore boot porn are there.

It's a profound feeling, putting your foot into a boot that is 100% the correct size.  Like its not even there.

Full lengths as promised.

Yes, it was cold yesterday. Midvalleyfarm - any full front and backshots of those jeans? They look more like 2 years than 2 months old.

Full shots later today when they're finished drying.  Lots of bird crap and assorted gunk on them that just had to come off.  We farm folk play hard.  Also, I've got my competition boots rolling in later today, so hopefully they can be seen together for the first time.

Mid Valley - Asphalt will do a number on any pair of jeans. 25 yr or 30 yr shingle? Or older?

There used to be a shingle that used a glass type granule. Anything over 7/12 pitch and you better have a harness. Tear the shit out of your hands too. We don't have moss issues here unless there is a drainage problem.

On another note. Will need to take the MBBs in to get a repair. Will post pics tomorrow. My new knife has shredded the stitching along the pocket.

More like a 10-15 year asphalt shingle, so lots of abrasive life left in it.  Gloves and sunglasses were the orders of the day.  I don't usually do roof work, but I'm the guy who knows how to rig a safe roping system and can rappel down to the more inaccessible eaves.  Cheaper than renting a boom lift, I suppose.  Moss is an issue on anything but metal here because in the northwest, people love to put their houses under and next to large shedding trees, and visa versa.

hope someone does the mud bath. I am keen to do it but unsure of the washing after?

I promise you mud, sir. There will be mud.

HC-IH-32 finally getting into the game. MBB's with 3 days work wear. No out of the package pics, literally opened the bag, put them on, and went to work (graveyard). Tough to bend over the first couple of days, but much better now and exciting to see indigo starting to bleed where my phone and knife sit. Finally a day off to get pictures.

MBB's arrived yesterday morning, just as I was hammering the last rivets of the belt I made especially for them (details on that adventure later).

I've now spent something like 26 continuous hours in them, as I work an overnight shift stocking freight at a grocery store. Put them on yesterday morning, did some errands, sat down to take a nap, went to work, came home, finally took them off.

First impressions: You know that feeling of trepidation and concern when something that you expected to be one way, is different than you expected? The first half hour was like that for me, like staring into the unknown and wondering what lays beyond me, waiting to be explored. Once I learned how to move in them, and how to situate them on my body to stop the side seams digging into my hips, I noted how they as well seemed to learn how to be with me.

It is a strange thing to be totally aware of a garment which previously you had only passing knowledge of its presence.

Overall, the feeling is that of an adventurer, off to blaze a new trail. The quality is of absolutely the highest standard I have ever been witness to, so much so that I almost feel bad treating these as poorly as I intend to. But then I remember that the purpose of denim is to be a consumable skin so that our own is not injured by our daily tasks, a second hide to bear the scars of our lives.

And the prizes are good too.

To recap the day, whilst holding back on the fun specifics:

Today was classic Oregon: overcast, sun peeking through, bright clouds, reasonably warm weather for a Northwest March. My wife (interested to see the physical manifestation of many, many "how does this look" moments with my laptop thrust in her face) at the helm and me dressed in my selvedge and crafted best, we headed south down the Willamette Valley and further on to Eugene.

Baker's is nothing as one would expect. From the massive selection on their website, it would be easy to imagine a sprawling outdoor goods emporium packed to the brim with boots and Filson gear. Rather, Baker's is modest, small, even, and sparsely filled. It is the clean and relaxed little brother to Cabelas and the suave specialist to Orvis' lifestyle brand madness.

For the most part, we were the only customers in the store, and as soon as I mentioned the Heavyweight competition, both the highly-praised Kyle and the astoundingly knowledgable Josh sprang to life and got me sized, measured, sized again, and then dove into leather choices and soles and whatnot. In the end, we settled on Natural Chromexcel for the shaft and a leather called Harvest Roughout for the toe vamp and heel counter, a leather which Kyle said had previously been Japan-only, but that he had struck a deal with Whites to be able to offer it. Its something along the lines of a roughout Red Dog, but a little lighter in color. The conclusion was that it should darken to about the same as smooth Red Dog with some oiling and wear, should I choose to waterproof them like old school boots.

That's all I'm going to say about what I've got planned. Josh, Kyle, and I all decided that they'll certainly be among the most unique boots to come through Baker's, and that they certainly fit the spirit of the competition.

My thanks to Josh and Kyle, and my onlooking, bewildered wife. If, somehow, Oregon crosses your path, and by chance you end up several hours off the beaten path, then by all means, swing into Bakers.