Thursday, May 27, 2010

Shoes for the Extraordinary Taxi Ride.

Well my bags are packed,my shoes resoled
I'm gonna go where it ain't so cold
I'm gonna drive the Gibb River Road.
I'm leavin' on a taxi,
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh Babe it's gonna be extraordinary!
The extraordinary taxi ride
Yep, resoled my sandals, and made up a pair of rugged walking shoes pictured here-
And I'm packed and ready to go.Western Australia here we come, in my brand new shoes.But they are well worn in over the past month just so I can brag about how comfy they are.I've just redressed them after constant wear for a month and they look as good as new!
No doubt someone I meet will be so impressed he'll want them.And sure, someone will get them as I have a habit of leaving shoes behind at the end of my travels.Helps create that illusion that someday I'll go back there.There's magic invested in every pair I make.A special spell woven through every piece of leather I hand cut, or every stitch inserted, chanted to breathe a life into them.An incantation for the shoes and the wearer to be reunited someday soon in some exotic place.Hey that pair of boots in this story set off to Mali.see here If you don't believe me, just ask Edwin.He never knew he'd be heading there when I left him my boots but that magical spell soon had him heading that way!
Not everyone can wear handcrafted footwear, as they come at a cost, so every pair I make has a lot of care and attention imbued within them.Careful measurements are taken of the wearer's feet, lasts are created to get that exact fit,a lifetime's experience carefully used to pull all the elements together for customer satisfaction.And this pair will command attention wherever we go, because this whole Extraordinary Taxi Ride is attracting a huge amount of media attention.People are going to be asking about Reg and I, and what we do back home.So these shoes will get noticed.

All New Zealand leather uppers and linings.
Leather runners Blake sewn to ensure there's no lifting of the soles.
A lightweight well treaded rubber sole which is easily repaired when eventually needed.
The upper leather is dressed with a special water resistant dressing to enhance the natural look leather, and bring up a casual but smart look,which a quick rub over will bring back to near new  appearance.
Perfect for beer drinking as any spill will just run off!
Fitted with a fully moulded cushion footbed for miles of comfort.

Been crafting footwear for a good few years now.And when a customer comes in with shoes to be resoled and heeled,and he says I made them 25 years ago, I have great joy in telling him that sadly,the guarantee ran out last month!And we'll have a great laugh as he feels good about them, and I feel just great about having made them so well.Not unusual for that to happen.Quite a buzz to have a client that I haven't heard of for donkey's years ring up and ask if I'm still in business!And then order a copy of the pair she had made 12 years ago.And could I also resole the originals?

This boot we made for Lord Of The Rings trilogy .
Elven riding boot used in the horse chase scene used in the first film.

Currently I'm making a pair of replica Aragorn boots for a LOTR enthusiast in the USA.We made many other boots and shoes for the human and Elven characters in that series.Sufficient to say at this time that just send me an enquiry for costs to jimshu@xtra.co.nz and we'll reply upon my return from Western Australia.Around 14th June.





                                    Elven riding boots



Faramir boots




                                                   Aragorn boots







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