> Heh. You didn't specify the definition of your idea of a "perfectly good condition" for hiking shoes. (Like, does that mean "brand new" with no evidence of any foot odor, or maybe broken-in slightly with a scuff mark or two?)

Broken-in with a scuff mark or two. There wasn't any odour I could detect, whether of feet or anything worse. (Yes, I deliberately smelled a shoe found in a rubbish bin. Add it to the list for the men in white coats.)

> Heck, just think... If YOU were off to, say, Waiheke Island for a romantic honeymoon anniversary, with your air-conditioned valet service, your 1975 Dom Perignon Rose magnum from the in-van bar, and your Nikon 7x35 Naturalist IV binoculars just to see the whales -- what *would* you care about a silly pair of ill-fitting designer boots, which are taking up precious space in your Louis Vuitton Gucci alligator luggage for no reason whatsoever?

Wow. You're asking *me*? I don't think I could identify with a single word of this scenario if I tried.

Brunnen-"there was a news story today about a couple who had their entire $10 million mansion lifted and moved eight metres to the right so it would have a better view"G