So I got this pair of Chacos, and I wore them for my entire first trip to Africa. They were with me during every experience - walking 3 miles each way into Mwange Refugee Camp and back, canoing down the Zambezi while watching out for hippos, swimming in a natural pool on the edge of Victoria Falls. Then I came back to Stanford and thought, "Hey, these are some great shoes... I'm gonna just keep wearing them around Stanford." Then the next year, when I was returning to Africa for 5 months, I decided that this would be the only pair of shoes I'd bring. And they were perfect the whole way. I kept wearing them when I got back to school again, and have continued to wear them most days for the past few years.
But alas, even the best-made shoes can't last forever. My poor Chacos had virtually no sole left, and the straps were fraying to the point that they might actually break soon. I realized that before leaving the country for another 3 months, I would need to get another pair.
So yesterday, I ventured back to REI and picked up a newly ordered pair. They're pretty - the new slim, double-strap look, a nice shade of pink, and with some pretty hard core grip on the soles. But when I brought them home, spent some frustrating time adjusting the straps, and then got 4 blisters after wearing them around an hour, I really started to feel bad. My poor old Chacos! I want to take them with me on another adventure!
I don't know if this posting really has a point (nice hook to get you all reading, huh?), but if you're wondering what on earth the title of my blog means, I guess you could say it's kind of a tribute to my dear old Chacos I'm leaving behind... :(
Anyway, the real stories begin tomorrow, so stay tuned!
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4 comments:
Meredith- I completely understand your Chaco love. When I accidently left mine at a friend's house and couldn't get them back for a week I missed them sorely every morning. They are hard to beat.
I'm excited about reading your blog. I have no idea what you are up to, so it is nice to think that this will allow me to know about your journey.
love,
Gab
Greetings, Meredith. Your thoughts on Chacos reminds me that my favorite footwear over the years has been boots -- mostly hiking boots. Every glimpse of my first blue gortex ones always reminds me of wearing them on my trip to the Peruvian Amazon. My current leather ones are more associated with hikes in Colorado. Either way, coming across my boots in my work-a-day life always challenges me in some way to do some more walking in out of the way places.
Well, a bit of news: I left your sister Audrey in Celo on Monday (after Jenks and Natalie had previously departed) feeling very good about having gotten her oriented a bit to western NC. I was particularly happy that we were able to meet the folks at the Green Toe Ground Farm near my house and that they agreed she could work with them after her initial gig with the 2 women farmers in Boone. I had hoped to post a picture of Audrey picking raspberries on the organic farm tour, but will need to do some more figuring on that. Do you know if I can post pictures on your blog? Anyway, I've invited her to Durham for her 20th birthday on Saturday and am waiting to learn if she'll come, or perhaps stay on her first farm. Either way, it seems both momentous and evident that her teenage years are now at a close. Meanwhile, I do hope you've arrived safe and sound, and EXCITED, in Mozambique and that you'll be finding a digital cafe soon. Love ya, Auntie Lark
Oh Meredith. I love you and your chacos too. And mostly I wish I was wearing chacos with you on southern African soil.
BE SAFE! MISS YOU! LOVE YOU!
hahaha! Meredith, I have a pair of double strap pink colored chacos! And they did me very well in the water snorkeling and hiking on lava rock on my trip to Hawaii, so Im sure they will do you well too! Miss you girl!
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