Caption: Yours for a Warm, Black Leather Winter |
For twenty-six years, I've been sending Photo Greeting cards, and have gathered quite a following, besides trying a wide variety of gear on a mostly unsuspecting but amazingly appreciative audience.
Herewith are the current leather offerings. The Fieldsheer riding suit at left has been featured in previous years, but I got dressy this year with a sleeveless, collared vest worn under it.
In the photo at right, I'm sporting red leather bibs from a company known more for motorcycle accessories and yes, the Seventies chain-maled jacket seemed too good a match to pass up.
The links will take you to high-resolution versions of the same photos.
Ahem! I guess I needn't mention that neither of these "Leather Cards" features "Leather Boots"! Maybe next year<G >! |
The greeting on this card reads, "Wishing you another Red Leather Christmas . . . from Leather Oaks!"
Red Leather 2006 |
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Black & and Grey Rubber 2006
Greeting: Wishing you Warm, Rubbery and Wadered thoughts from Leather Oaks! |
Returning to recent tradition, there were FOUR cards published this year! To our left and right we have the two rubber editions.
The "suit of rubber" is a cross-purposed pairing of a traditional skin-diver's neoprene shirt with the stylishly French Le Chameau "Super Chamosec" chest waders.
The sun was fiercely hot this year (no trees, get it?), so wearing less, even in rubber became a laudable, or at least comfortable goal. The "Melon" rubber briefs are made from camp pad rubber.
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The greeting on this card reads, "Enjoying a Garden Melon Medley from Leather Oaks!"
Melon Rubber 2006 |
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Red Rubber Bibs 2006 |
The choices were very tough this year!! There are another quartet of candidate poses that didn't rate a conversion of Kodak® but were just too good to pass up entirely.
Knowing how much my leather afficianados detest any show of fabric, I regretfully didn't use the leather pose at the left.
The rubber photos were an even bigger problem. There were many more sessions that COULD have been used, and several great poses within those two selected. Some folks might prefer this grey and black rubber pose to the one I chose: I'm not sure now why I didn't use it either!
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Grinning Grey Rubber 2006 |
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Stream-straddling Grey Rubberman 2006
Would this make a good Christmas Card?
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I'm rather partial to this sort of pose, but I have no idea what kind of caption would have keyed into the Christmas Season. Well, give me a while, OK?
There was a purpose being served by the set of photos taken in my monkey grass! The Elephant Ears may be called "Cast Iron Plants", but that also tells you how fragile they are when beaten upon by wind.
So, should I just rest in the sea of grass, as suggested in the pose that DID become a card? Or is it best to just "Declare Victory" as seems to be the point of the pose to the right?
What I actually did was carefully clip all the damaged ends off each leaf, but that doesn't photograph well, believe me. Nor, was it a "Ho Ho Ho" moment!
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Triumph over Monkey Grass? -- 2006 |
Turtleneck 1970 |
There was Harold before Leather!! It all began very innocently when I grew a beard while on a trip to England in Spring, 1970. Then the weather turned suddenly warm, and I shaved it off. |
GrandDad 1971 |
When my Mother heard that I had "done a beard", she had to see it: Seems her Father had also been facially hirsuted. This pose tries to match "GrandDad"! |
Leather 1981 |
Leather 1982 |
Leather 1983 |
Leather 1983
Laughter |
Leather 1984 |
Leather 1985 |
Leather 1986 |
Leather 1987 |
Leather 1988 |
Rubber 1989
or 1990?? |
Rubber 1991 |
Leather 1992 |
Leather 1993
My Favorite! |
Leather 1994 |
Leather 1995 |
Leather 1996 |
Rubber 1996 |
Leather 1997 |
Rubber 1997 |
Leather 1998 |
Leather 1998 Triker |
Black Rubber 1998 |
Red Rubber 1998 |
Leather 1999 |
Rubber 1999 |
Leather 2000 |
When I posed the 2000 Leather Card, it was already with the knowledge of what the next year's would be! |
Rubber 2000 |
Leather 2001 |
There is some Rubber in this Leather Card. I was celebrating the completion of my Tower Room, which while not yet open to the public, was already very much a success in other ways. |
Rubber 2001 |
From my Green Frog series ! ! There's a better photo at the bottom of this page. |
Leather 2002 |
The first indoor photo from my Tower Room. Grandfather finally had a new home! |
Rubber 2002 |
Caption: Rubber Aqua Therapy, Greeting: "Ah, should one Dive, or should one Swim, or should one curl up . . . with a good Book?" |
Leather Card 2003 |
There is some Rubber in this Leather Card. It was staged, on Thanksgiving morning, in front of the Wader Wall on my Deck! The greeting was, "May your Holidays be a Red Leather Experience !" |
Rubber Card 2003 |
From the Tower Room series ! ! The greeting was, "Thinking warm thoughts of you, in Buffed Rubber and Burnished Leather !" |
Bound Rubber 2003 |
Somehow, the first two photos just seemed a little tame, so for my very special (or admittedly kinky?) friends, this card was offered, with the caption, "Leather harnessed hugs and rubber-bound warmth yield serious man-swelling bulges ! ! |
Full Rubber 2003 |
This wasn't published as a card, but offered as a Web Site Extra, for those who just had to know the full extent of my WesCo laceup Big Boss Boots! |
Leather in Alaska 2004 |
Caption: A warm, rubbery booted Holiday Greeting from Leather Oaks!
Photo was made by my friend, Jim Sulver. |
Glistening Rubber 2004 |
The greeting on this card reads, "Now we're getting into the Swim of Things, Ho! Ho! Ho!!" |
Harnessed Rubber 2004 |
Well, what do you know? There were three cards published in 2004! I somehow sensed that both the rubber and leather cards were a mite tame, and Some Folks might conclude (erroneously) that I had mellowed. Well, I just happened to remember this set when I was trying out a new Posture Collar.
The Greeting? "I'm bound to inform you that you must have a Happy Holiday Season. OK??!!" |
Posture Collar on Rubber 2004 |
Then I thought, how about a latex Surfer's Suit to go with the leather collar? And how about some chain to set off the rubber?
This alternative view is for those who want a better look at the collar. It is a very neat thing to wear, believe me! |
Leather at Maltby 2005 |
The red leather shirt in the photo was a 2004 Christmas present to myself, created using a 30-year old Simplicity pattern, adn the grey leather pants were the business section of a German Submariner's suit.
The Greeting: Climbing to Ever Greater Leather Heights with Eagle-eyed Intensity! Photo was made by my office associate, Phi Tran. |
Glistening Rubber 2005 |
This rubber photo gives a first view of my gloriously, brightly repainted garage, with a neoprene drysuit that just happens to match the paint job very well! Thanks Jim for passing your old suit on to a most appreciative new owner ! !
The greeting on this card reads, "Here's for a Shining Rubber Holiday Season!" |
Leather Post Katrina 2005 |
Even though my house was unaffected by Katrina, my yard was a mess! This very selectively posed photo almost became a Christmas Card, but the tacky wallet protruding from my shirt nixed the deal. The hyper-expensive metal roof did make it okay, too, and really does set off the rest of the house. |
Tree Stump Rubber 2005 |
This alternative rubber pose is on what was left of a beautiful live oak in my back yard, one of four that fell. Fortunately, the root ball was easily removed with almost no yard damage.
Wouldn't it be great if downed trees could just magically dematerialize?
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