Horse shoes (Sam the farrier)

Recently I spent time with the horse and donkey and while I was there Sam the farrier stopped by to tend to their hooves. Sam is very friendly and has been shoeing horses for 18 years now. 

I loved to see him at work, feeling like I was a witness to a very old skill. I bet most of the tools and techniques have not changed in his trade for a long, long time. He did, however, have a fabulous modern trailer outfitted perfectly for his needs. You can see bits of it in the following photos. Sadly I did not take a full picture of it, but it looked pretty much like this one. 

Sam's wide smile.

Sam's trailer is outfitted with a furnace, and anvil and a radio that blasted classical music while he worked.

Sam's trailer is pulled by a wonderful truck from 1953.

Alien Visitors (Glimpses).

Been dealing with a lot lately and have not had time to post.

Thought you would like to see some glimpses of my parents' visit.

Hope you are having fun in the sun!

Remains of Jack London's Wolf House.

My parents meeting the horse and donkey (with my sister in the background).

SFMoMA.

Coit Tower.

Blooming tea.

China Town.

North Beach.

Transamerica Pyramid with my favorite copper building in the foreground.

Sacramento's tower bridge.

Old Sacramento.

Sacramento Bee tile.

Shoe envy.

Growing up in Mexico City meant always being on the move, having to walk with a confident stride through its crowded streets, dashing after busses and jumping off of them while still in motion (literally!). And that pace implied having to wear sturdy shoes that could keep up. Dr. Martens boots were my daily companion for the longest time.

My life is very different now. Because I live on a small town without access to public transportation I have to drive everywhere, and while that is ironic since I have never had a greenest lifestyle as I do now, it has allowed my footwear to evolve and diverge. Since I relocated here I have acquired a fair amount of shoes. Dressy colorful shoes, strappy sandals, boots... I have allowed myself to wear high heels for the first time in my life.  I love my shoes and wish I could have more space to keep them.

Then I saw this:

Photos from pink kitten's shoe closet via copper + lace

I could not stop staring! It is surreal, crazy and intense and yet there is a creepy Imelda Marcos side of me that wishes that shoe closet could be mine. 

I just had to show it to J. 

J's reaction:   Wow...

Me:   I know... *sigh*

Him:   How many feet do you think she has?

And that, in a nut shell, is why I love him.