Boots

How convenient -- if unexpected -- that we have a Dubarry store in West Nottingham, west of Oxford! To celebrate the completion of a rush editing project, I decided to splurge on a pair of their boots, but I really didn't want to buy them online without trying them on.
The friendly sales guy told me that the location of the retail store and warehouse is actually a strategic one because it's close to the port of Baltimore, where the Dubarry boots and clothes arrive from Ireland, and it's also a good central location for the various sporting events where the boots are sold. (The sales guy said he's the one who travels around to the events and stands in a bucket of water to advertise how waterproof the boots are!)
Coming home I thought I'd take the scenic route. Alas, that didn't work out so well: the "no outlet" sign along one-lane Glen Roy Road north of West Christine Road is quite accurate, no matter what my map said. And judging from the number of trees growing where the road used to be -- just past the "Road Closed" sign -- it has been abandoned for quite some time. I ended up on Route 926, where I got to drive past a farmhouse that always intrigues me: the ivy on the front wall  is so thick that it seems to play a structural role.
Update: The boots are as comfortable and waterproof as everyone promised. So far in the breaking-in process I've walked along a muddy road and across a marsh and stomped out some bonfire embers, and there's a little bit of chicken manure and cranberry sauce in the mix as well.