I was feeling restless* and hopped in the ski-car that has been sitting a few weeks and motored down to my old fiend’s house. Haven’t seen him in a year or more.
His kid answers the door and lets me in. He and his wife are taking a walk and should be back soon. So I hang with his son and catch up. Good kid. Gonna be a fire-fighter.
Friend and wife walk in and we shake hands/hug. Exchange greetings, sit at the kitchen table and chat. I brought my own, so I’m good.
He tells me he just got back from deployment, couldn’t tell me where, but says, “Hey! I got something for you!'”. He goes back to his bedroom and comes back with a new pair of boots.
Genuine, Military issue F’in’-A Kick-Ass Boots! mcrae footwear combat boots - Bing
He says, “I know how much you like those other ones I gave you (Flight Line boots from the 80’s) and you take such good care of them, I know you’ll appreciate these and take care of them, too.”
SCORE!!
He said he wore them on two missions and will never wear them again, so passed them on. Nice, new boots. About an inch higher than the current Marine boots I was given by my neighbor’s daughter, which I dearly love. 
Got to go split logs for a friend’s mom next week, and can see wearing these bad boys to break them in. Good, safe boots. I needs to take care of my feets.
Earlier this spring, a ski buddy gave me a pair of brand new Salomon SX-92’s. He said the same thing. "I know you’ll appreciate them and take care of them’.
Who knew being fastidious about footwear would pay off?
