Keen shooz!

OK, I admit it, I've become a shoe hound. But especially about these hunky, colorful four-wheel-drive clunkers called Keens. My first pair, red webbed sandals that look like you're wearing rafts on your feet, were so comfortable from the first time I strapped 'em on that I immediately went on a 3-mile walk...with no blisters afterward! Yeah, the ladies at my mom's senior residence were a bit puzzled as to the reason I would wear shoes like that ("Are you in construction, dear?"), but I liked their utilitarian simplicity.

I just bought my second pair at Nob Hill Shoes on NW 23rd and, while they're still comfortable as all get out, I have to say they're a bit more femmy and even pretty in a certain way. And I'm so excited that the company has chosen Portland as its new headquarters! Of course I'm just thinking about the warehouse sale prices we might get but, heck, it's probably good for our reputation as a mecca for all things goofy...as the bumper sticker says, keep Portland weird!