Joined Aug 2007
2K Posts | 28+
Somewhere down in Texas
As several of you know, I have been a custom cowboy boot maker apprentice for some time. My apprenticeship is almost over, and I will be making boots hopefully for a living some day. I have been very fortunate to have one of the top boot makers in the country teach me. The deal between us is that when his customers can't tell the difference between his work and mine, then the whole thing becomes mine. There are maybe less than a hundred people in the county who do this for a living. This man is at the top. I guess it would be like having Ernie Ells teach you golf or Eddie Van Halen teaching you how to play guitar.
Two years ago he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. He is doing well considering, and builds boots every day. My life has had ups and downs and I haven't been able to be in the shop as much as I would like. I went through a divorce, got remarried, had a son, lost a daughter, list my dad, then was diagnosed with Miller Fisher syndrome. My illness had a very long recovery time but I am a hundred percent now. The past few months I have been putting as much time as I can into the shop and it seems to be paying off. He likes my work and always makes comments "when the shop is yours, do this" or "do that".
We are at the point where I am top stitching boots that sell for $1,500 dollars. And his name is in the boot. That makes me feel pretty good. At any rate, I don't know how much time he has left. Today he looked so good that you couldn't even tell he is sick.
So anyway, here is a thread featuring what I am passionate about. This is the card that life has dealt me. I am happy about that.
I side-seamed this pair today.
Two years ago he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. He is doing well considering, and builds boots every day. My life has had ups and downs and I haven't been able to be in the shop as much as I would like. I went through a divorce, got remarried, had a son, lost a daughter, list my dad, then was diagnosed with Miller Fisher syndrome. My illness had a very long recovery time but I am a hundred percent now. The past few months I have been putting as much time as I can into the shop and it seems to be paying off. He likes my work and always makes comments "when the shop is yours, do this" or "do that".
We are at the point where I am top stitching boots that sell for $1,500 dollars. And his name is in the boot. That makes me feel pretty good. At any rate, I don't know how much time he has left. Today he looked so good that you couldn't even tell he is sick.
So anyway, here is a thread featuring what I am passionate about. This is the card that life has dealt me. I am happy about that.
I side-seamed this pair today.