"I lent Kelly a pair of my boots for that first game of hers, " said Powell.

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That is why after going the local artist route many years ago, I have gotten my last three pairs of boots from Surefoot, the biggest, and in my mind best, national retailer of custom ski boots.

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Until 1953, short of arctic parkas and thermal boots, many of my dogfaces sustained frostbitten feet (incredibly painful).

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An SUV in the wintertime feels like a comfy pair of UGG boots and my Burberry jacket, but the only trouble is that it was 60 degrees in January in New York City.

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My first ride out was delightful (and reminded me of my first time out with custom ski boots).

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These boots have been the mainstay of my wardrobe everywhere from grunge bars to La Grenouille.

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The other day, I was holding up my 16-year-old pair of black Via Spiga half boots pondering the inevitable.

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As a security officer looked through her belongings, she was "patted down" by a female officer - she was also asked to remove my shoes, which were examined, but the pair of boots she had put in the bag to wear in New York were not.

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Her hair obscured her face somewhat, and my migraine occluded the edges of my vision, but still, I could see: same unzipping of wrinkly boots, same taking off of same baby blue coat with jumbo charcoal buttons, same tucking behind ears of dyed cornsilk blonde hair.

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