These boots

I work at a gold mine.  We have to wear steel toed boots when we are at work.  They are work boots with steel safety toes.  So if something should fall on your toes the steel will protect them from getting crushed.  There are other criteria too.  The soles have to be "aggressive".  What does THAT mean?  If it's a boot, it's gonna have lugged soles.   Lugged soles are aggressive, aren't they?  Also, they have to have a top that extends above the ankle.  No problem there.  Since I sprained my ankle as a kid i've always been prone to spraining.  So I look for extra tall boots.  Finally they have to have a heel.  What boot doesn't have a heel?  What shoe doesn't have a heel for that matter?  Well, apparently it has to be an extra tall heel.

The boots I got are made by a company called Chippewa.  I like them so here is their website:
http://www.chippewaboots.com/

 I like the squared off toes - fit my feet better.  Note the leather has been treated with a natural shoe leather treatment I picked up in Idaho last year called Obenauf's LP.  Very good stuff.  So good I am going to plug them as well:

http://www.obenaufs.com/lp.php?osCsid=3b3b105815c8d2e5fcc803be2b588cba

I only treated the lower part of the boot.  Here is a good time to mention that the very best boots have the fewest seams.  Fewer seams mean larger (and more expensive) leather pieces.  This boot is NOT an expensive boot (I got mine for ~$120 which is pretty cheap).  Eventually, the thread on these seams will fail and they will start to fall apart.  But I usually replace my boots annually and they should last that long.  You can put epoxy on the seams to protect them if it worries you.

Reasonably aggressive sole, I would say!

And finally, check out this heel.  It's like over 2" tall.  Simply amazing.


And finally, something from Nancy Sinatra...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyAZQ45uww