Published: July 26, 2021
I was strictly a sneakers and sandals kind of kid when my Grandpa E.J. took my brother and I shopping for our first pair of cowboy boots. In town at the same time as Denver’s annual stock show and rodeo, he insisted we have the right footwear before he spent the day teaching us about the different breeds of cattle and horses. The perfect pair of boots should not only fit well, he told us, but also feel
just right. So, when I found a pair with the slightest amount of pink stitching, he agreed those were the ones, and he didn’t flinch when my brother selected a pair he felt would match his swim trunks—his preferred item of clothing whenever wearing his boots as a preschooler.