Making do with what is on hand (or foot)

I painted my retired (white) running shoes black so I would not have to buy new ones to go with my Coast Guard Aux summer ODU (Operational Dress Uniform).*

Black is black

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is all about regulations — many of them aimed at herding cats, like me, into wearing a proper uniform. To complicate compliance, rules change with a regularity that sets those slow to adapt or resisters, like me, almost constantly out of sync. I have not been on patrol for quite a long stint and during my hiatus I have ignored the details, as well as the broad uniform rule changes. I confirmed last last week the summer ODU (Operational Dress Uniform) required black athletic shoes which I didn’t have.

So here I go. Most shoes these days are laden with plastic parts of all sorts. Athletic shoes are no exception and can be, in some cases, egregious plastic offenders. In an attempt to not buy a poorly made shoe solely (no pun intended) for use with a summer uniform, I looked at what I had and wondered, Can I paint my running shoes, recycle them and get away with it? They are still perfectly wearable but no longer good for running. What the heck? What have I got to lose? I retrieved my nice but slightly broken down Asics Gel Nimbus shoes, stripped of the white laces, dug out a tube of black acrylic (plastic) paint, one of the many plastic food trays I have saved especially for painting and a few brushes and began transforming my favorite retired running shoes from dirty white to black.

As you can see, finished, they looked pretty good. Who would have guessed they used to be purple and white. I broke down and purchased a set of black laces, even though they were packaged in a plastic bubble and had plastic tips.

When I showed up at the boat ramp, ready to go out on the boat, the coxswain mentioned my uniform shirt had the out-of-date silk screened type with “US Coast Guard Auxiliary” on two lines, which I was nicely told was a “no no.” I needed to buy the new style of t-shirt with the type on one line before I went out again. “Okay, I’ve no problem with that,” I answered.

A few moments later, as he leaned over to pick up a cooler I had set at my feet, I watched as his eyes fixed on my shoes. He paused, stooped over his face near my shoes for an almost imperceptible moment. I opened my mouth to confess to my shoe alteration but he quickly stood, lifted the cooler to the ladder he had opened at the stern of the boat and asked me to hand him up a bag once he got in the boat.

As it is my nature to address controversy head on, I brought the shoes into our idle conversation as he climbed the ladder. “I know my shoes have some silver junk on them and they’re not ALL black, but I couldn’t see buying a crummy pair of sneakers that would hurt my feet when I had these nice comfy running shoes sitting around.”

“Ah huh.” he answered as I lifted the next item to the top of the ladder so he could put it in the cockpit.

“These have a tiny bit of purple around the cuff and tongue.” I yammered. “All running shoes have bits of color. And, woman’s athletic shoes don’t usually come in black.” Gads, what is wrong with me? Can’t I let well enough be?

“We talked about that at the Division meeting,” he said but did not mention my shoes. He elaborated, “It’s bad to have a big ol’ Nike logo.”

“These aren’t bad though, are they? Asics don’t put their logo all over their shoes.” Oh, for crying out loud. What is wrong with me?

“I brought sandwiches,” he answered.

So, I will call not buying new shoes a win to put in my less plastic consumed column. I’ll make a conservative guesstimate — eight ounces of not-purchased-plastic for painting rather than buying new black shoes.

* Note, While on patrol, I wore white socks with the shoes as required.

2 Responses to “Making do with what is on hand (or foot)”

1. K on May 18th, 2009 7:59 pm

   I’m going to be embarking on a *hopefully* around the world sailing trip in January ’10 with my husband and two friends on a 40ft sailboat. I’ve been trying to find a forum of women sailors/cruisers who can offer advice on what kind of clothing, etc. to bring. I’ve read some books but most are out-dated or just briefly touch on the “what to bring.” I’d really like to be in contact with someone who can talk about pros/cons of “stuff” and give real-time advice as to what they find themselves wearing & using the most. Do you know of any forums primarily for women cruisers?? any blogs? any friends who I could ask? I’m not sure from your blog if you mainly sail on lakes or have spent a lot of time off-shore… any advice would be welcome at this point! Thanks

2. Debbie on May 19th, 2009 8:41 am

   K,
   Sounds splendid. Can I come too? Although I spend most of my time on Lake Pleasant, I can never wait to have the next moments out on the big water.

   I have friends who are cruising for their zillionth year in the Caribbean, one who just returned from seven years in the Mediterranean and several who spend a good deal of time in the Sea of Cortez. I would suggest you look for advise from where you are headed first. I may be able to connect you with someone if I knew which waters you are bound for.

   Me personally, I’m pretty big on safety and comfort and not so much (or at all really) on style. I can only give you a few pieces of advise that I know will serve you well. Get a good inflatable with a harness that you will feel comfortable wearing a lot. And regardless of where you are headed, choose clothing that will dry quickly. Lastly take knowledge. Learn before you go to be as self reliant as you can.

   If you are on the west coast and don’t leave before the Southern California Women’s Sailing Convention in Feb., they usually have a good forum for provisioning and offshore planning. And it is a good place to connect with some serious women sailors.

   I have not been to the sister conference in Marblehead MA but it is June 6. I looked at the course outline and did not see a course or forum for long range cruising, but you might take a look if you are near there.
   http://www.womensailing.org/

   I can direct you to http://www.womenandcruising.com/

   Good luck and fair winds.

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