As a result of the 2026 A-Z Challenge, I’ve been blessed with a few new followers. Casting aside their sense of fine literature to take a peek into the deranged goings-on at Penwasser Place, I felt it a good idea to bring them up to speed with what makes me tick.
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| "Yar! Me tick has gotten in me shorts!" |
Today, though, I’m going to explain where a strange little custom of mine has come from. Or, using proper English grammar, “from where has a strange little custom of mine has come.”?
Well, now, that sounds clunky.
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| "Well, it was proper English, boyo. Just to be safe, knuckles if you please." |
No, I don’t mean giving the toilets at Home Depot a test drive.
Anymore.
Anyway, I’ve been taking photographs
of me tying my shoe, quite often in front of famous monuments, locales, bag
ladies, etc.
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| "So that's why the little freak was bent over." |
This first started as a suggestion from my dear departed stepfather. A man with a quirky a sense of humor, he said that taking a picture of me tying my shoe would be funny. Little did he know that it would wind up being a “thing” for fifty years.
So, without further adieu, may I
present some of the more significant shots of me with loose laces.
If you’ve been a longtime follower of this blog, first, my sympathies. Second, you may know this already. But, even if you do, I’ve included new pictures and captions. So, this is like a used car. With a new car freshener.
 1976? Not me, but my stepfather before he talked me into it. |
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| Rome, Italy (Not to be confused with Rome, New York) You always remember your first. A friend took a picture of a friend taking a picture of me adjusting my shoes. |
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| DMV, North Haven, Connecticut. 1978 Might I draw your attention to my uber-sexy knee socks. |
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| Disney World 1981 The socks remained. But, I added the uber-suave yellow ballcap. I was such a chick magnet. |
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| St. Augustine, Florida 1987 I thought I was a daredevil. Until they told me the alligator was plastic.
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| Dead Sea 1997 How I managed to convince a couple friends to do this is astonishing. Or why we were tying our bare feet. |
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| Progressive Field, Cleveland 2010 They were still called the Indians and they won. Notice no more kneesocks. Still not a chick magnet. |
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| Kutztown, Pennsylvania 2014 I managed to talk the mascot of Kutztown University into taking a picture with me because "it's my thing." |
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| Hilltown Pennsylvania 2016 My Garage Hey, who says every locale has to be famous? |
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| Doylestown, Pennsylvania 2019 Muscle shirt didn't come with muscles. Eff. |
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| Blacksburg, Virginia 2021 The groom wondered how my laces got loose. |
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| Stratford, Connecticut 2024 In front of the restaurant where my father took us for chili dogs. The manager, remarkably alive, expressed amazement that I still couldn't keep my shoes tied. |
Unless I'm committed first.