Christmas Toes 2015! ..And Language Barriers Do Suck!

CHRISTMAS CANDY CANE TOES
FOR 2014!

     Sooooo, I went to the pedicure place, during the day on Christmas Eve, to finally get 2015's Christmas toes done, not thinking that the whole affair could've ended up being used for a Rosetta Stone language CD commercial! But, sure enough, the Chinese nail girl could not understand that I wanted my entire toenail to look like a candy cane, and NOT just paint a buncha' little candy canes on my toes, like they did two years ago! Even showing her a photo of a candy cane, on my phone, didn't help (in fact, that probably made it worse!), as she just could not grasp the concept that I was trying to explain. Thankfully, Sophie, the owner, was able to bridge the language gap, and finally get the point across! So, without further ado, I present my amazing Christmas toes for 2015! And I know they're amazing, because the REALLY cute chick paying for her pedi at the same time that I was paying for mine (and getting a few gift certificates also), looked down at my feet (as we were standing next to each other at the counter), and exclaimed, "Oh my God! Those are about the best toes I've ever seen! Can I please take a picture?!"..Hah, I never, ever deny that request! The more people taking photos of my bare feet & rockstar toes, the more I end up smiling at the silliness! Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and is ready for an even happier New Year! Barefoot Nation loves you all!

I LOVE this!
..And it really amuses me to think of three really ticklish volunteers
laying there, trying to stay still (and not twitch!),
but cracking up laughing,  as airbrushes & paintbrushes
 tickle the bottoms of their bare feet, creating this amazing winter scene!
 Ticklish feet as art! Who knew?!! :) 

Halloween 2014.. Jack Skelton!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, 2014.. Showing Tim Burton some respect this year!

Summer 2014's, "Bare Feet As Art", Best Of, Continued!

None only are those "barefoot sandals" beautiful,
those are also just spectacular bare feet,
in themselves! ..Easy to see how that
person landed the modeling gig! Perfection!

   

A wedding photographers incredibly original
& cute idea to get the bride & the groom both
BAREFOOT. I absolutely love this!

Bare feet, pool floating bliss! Holding onto summer!

     As summer, 2014, ends, and the first day of autumn settles in, I came across a few more BRILLIANT works of photographic art on the internet, combining bare feet, cuteness, ticklishness, lighting, tone, and anything else you wanna stuff into photography involving one of my most favorite topics on the planet: happy, bare, feet! (None of these are my original work, but all of the edits are my creative juices flowing) Enjoy, my friends! 

Puddle jumping barefoot! Love the
reflection effect!

Summer 2014's Best 'Bare Feet As Art' Photography Moments

Instagrammer's barefoot golf day in the Bahamas..
THIS WOULD TOTALLY BE ME ON A GOLF COURSE! :)

Sammie's beachin' bare feet

Instagrammer's poolside barefootin' chill time

My favorite photo this summer: The HAPPY,
positive mojo of relaxed, dangling
bare feet!

        As summer winds down and the kids all get ready for back to school, here are the best "Bare Feet As Art" photo moments that I personally came across this summer. Some are my shots, some are my friends' work, and some are examples that I came across on the 'net. ..But, ALL of them are pure BAREFOOT AWESOMENESS. Stay shoes-free, my friends!

Kristin's backyard bare feet relaxation.. And then
a visit from a "lady" friend! 

My Russian friend's Instagram, barefoot,
outdoors peacefulness! SO artistic!
..Keep 'em coming! You can never, ever have enough
"Bare Feet As Art" moments!

Casinos & Clubbin' Barefoot! Let's Party!

     Out of all the places that I've happily gone barefoot, I'll admit that I had never thought, not even for a second, that I'd be able to add any ritzy "casinos" to that silly list. Sure, I've strolled into college & high school classes, barefoot, back in the day, and gone into countless stores/businesses/libraries/etc., barefoot, too. ..And yes, it's well-documented how much that I love dancing & partying barefoot, ALL night, with my dates at various weddings & engagements. Shoes just suck, as they just trap & stifle your positive energy. Life is so much better barefoot, and that rule will never, ever change in my own personal experiences..

Barefoot strolls on marble floors.. STILL
HEAVEN!

     Rewind a few days, and myself and a bunch of friends had rented a few hotel rooms up at Foxwoods' Fox Tower because we were going up there for the Sammy Hagar, "History of Rock", concert, being that Sammy wasn't playing any NY-metro area shows. When we got there, I couldn't help but notice the immaculate & gorgeous marble floors that ran throughout the Fox Tower lobby, and throughout the three-hotel/multiple-casinos complex (the casino areas were all carpeted, but where there wasn't carpet, it was beautiful marble or tile work). I actually chuckled a little to myself thinking about how good those floors must feel to the bottoms of bare feet, making a mental note to find out at some point later on in the night. We drank copious amounts of Sammy's Cabo Wabo tequila, the concert was incredibly fun, and then we drank more tequila afterwards. At about 12:30 am, my three compatriots were all down for the count, unable to keep running on all cylinders with so much tequila in their systems. But me, I'm an animal, and tequila is like Popeye's spinach to me (adrenaline), so I shuffled down to the casino in t-shirt, blue jeans, and flip-flops, and sidled up to a roulette table. Played for about an hour, enjoying the free beers, when I noticed a girl walk by in a cocktail dress, but barefoot. Then another girl, no shoes in sight. I smiled, being the "CEO" of "Barefoot Nation", because I always love that "no shoes" stuff. Then another girl walked by, no shoes on, again. I'm not talking just 3 or 4 girls, now, there was about 15-20 different girls, all seemingly fairly tipsy, who apparently had been in any one of the casino dance-clubs, and had ditched their high heels to go barefoot at some point prior to me seeing them. I didn't see anyone reprimanding these girls for being barefoot either, so I thought, "I guess it's all good at this hour!"..Bet my last $25.00, and then it was time to go feel the caress of that smooth marble floor. Took off my flip-flops, and went for a very nice, drunken stroll, to walk barefoot on the marble, and go find a pizza kiosk still open at 2 am. And, as it would happen during my 30-minute walk, I came upon two barefoot, intoxicated girls, who thought that my "Rockstar" toes were "the coolest thing ever", and wanted to take a picture of my bare feet! No matter where I go, that one is a given!
     Not to be outdone, though, my other friends were vacationing in Las Vegas, and my original bare feet buddy (from our high school years), Mary, sent me a pic. She had been dancing, happily barefoot, until 6 am, including bare feet in the DJ booth! ..Yep, that's a WIN if ever there was one!

Mary's bathed in neon lights as bare feet reign supreme on a
Las Vegas dancefloor, AND in the DJ booth, too!

Tales of the Ticklish: Tickling Mom & Dad's Feet, Running Away Very Fast!

The original version..
Cute bare feet, right?!..

     The human brain, and it's seemingly unlimited storage capacity.. Our biological version of the biggest computer hard drive that hasn't even been built yet. It's amazing how certain sights, smells, sounds, and tastes can, from out-of-nowhere, trigger such long-forgotten memories, immediately bringing them up to the surface, where you then remember every single detail & nuance of the event that happened so long ago. I've typed long and often in this ongoing, "Bare feet are awesome", blog about a silly, but irresistable, love of tickling bare feet, that I've had ever since I was a little kid. Bluntly put, an unbridled love of making people laugh, and a feeling that ticklish laughter is just some of the best, most soulful (or "sole-ful", if you're searching for a pun) laughter that you'll ever experience in your life. Well, cue the great memories once again..

..BUT, flip the photo 90 degrees, and
it's how my parents' bare feet would
look, hanging off the end of our couch! LOL!

     Recently, I saw this fantastic bare feet photo online, and I think it was from some bedding ad, showing a couple's bare feet sticking out from under the blankets. I immediately took notice, because the bottoms of cute bare feet always, immediately, conjure the word "tickle" in my brain, instantly forcing a smile to form on my lips! But, as I stared longer at the photo, something in my brain told me to flip it 90 degrees, so I did.. And, BOOM, there the memory was! I started laughing, literally out loud, at the vivid visual that came rushing back, now hoping that you'll laugh along with me.. This was how my parents bare feet would look, stacked up, as they laid together on the couch, watching TV, waaaaaaaaaay back in the late 1970's!
     My beloved Mom & Dad would always lay on the couch together, when I was 7 or 8, or maybe 9, years old, to watch TV in the late afternoons, or evenings, while I played with toys or read comic books. But they would always lay spoon-style (Dad in back of Mom, Mom at the front edge), and thus, their feet would hang off the end of this couch, almost exactly like pictured in the 2nd photo! More than once, 2nd or 3rd grade me would be walking by, catch sight of the bottoms of two pairs of bare feet set up, PERFECTLY, like this, and immediately go for the ticklish laughs! (I had watched enough Three Stooges, or Little Rascals, episodes to know that you're SUPPOSED to tickle any bare feet that you see!) The reactions, if I remember correctly, were always hilarious, as they would both spasm and lightly kick at my little, annoying, tickling fingers! My mother, who is as nuclear-ticklish in her arches as I am, would laugh hysterically, while my Dad would also laugh, but would also manage to squeeze in a warning of a severe butt-whipping, if I didn't stop! (That was actually one of the funnier parts of an already funny situation: My tougher-than-steel Dad, trying to growl a threat, while simultaneously laughing) It was only when Dad swung his legs off the couch to jump up, that I knew it was time to run away, as fast as I could! "Feets, don't fail me now!!" ..Still, the chance to make Mom & Dad laugh was always worth a crack across the ass for insubordination! To my young ears, ticklish feet laughter was better than hearing them laugh at any funny movie/TV scene, and it was better by a wide margin! Because it was me who was causing the laughter, not some actor or comedian! Great times, great memories, and a lifetime of love & laughs. Thanks, brain, for keeping that memory in storage! And, three cheers, as always, for ticklish bare feet! :)

Happy 4th of July, Barefoot Nation!

"America, F*** Yeah!"

..And to the nation as a whole! Wishing everyone, both happy barefooters AND you folks who insist on wearing shoes, a very joyous, very safe 4th of July! Thank you to our troops, for their continued service, and to all of our 1st responders, who don't get to take today off, instead working to keep the rest of us safe, sound, & secure! GOD BLESS THE USA! (...Yes, those are my toes, and yes, they STILL rock!)

Summer 2014, Part 2: "Dirty Bare Feet Means You're Doing It Right!!"

My friend, and fitness coach extraordinaire,
LeLou, the "barefooting beast", knows all
about the happiness of dirty bare feet!

     Last blog-post, I remarked about making sure your bare feet were ready for summer, and to enjoy the benefits of repeated trips to the pedicure salon.. But if you're a barefooter like me, you tend to trash your feet repeatedly, so having dirty feet kinda' becomes a happy badge of honor, in most cases! In a blog that I wrote a few months back, I addressed how some people find it gross, but so many people love the sight of dirty bare feet. Not in a sexual fetish way.. although there's plenty of those out there (WAY too many f**king creeps).. but more of a, "having a good time" way! Because, 9 times out of 10, if your bare feet are dirty, you had a REALLY good day! So let's all go barefoot more often, and all it takes is a shower and some bodywash to reset it back to clean bare feet.. ready to be trashed once again! :)

Dirty bare feet via a nice day at the park..
THAT'S A WIN.

Oh, how I absolutely LOVE this! An Instagrammer posted this,
that she did her entire wedding ceremony AND reception completely
barefoot! As someone who dances barefoot all the time at
wedding receptions (WELL documented throughout the 3+ years
of this blog), this really made me smile! I'm not crazy, GO BAREFOOT
MORE OFTEN!  :)

Summer's Here, 2014! Are Your Bare Feet Ready?!

My FAVORITE summer view, one that truly tells
me the good times are here: dangling, relaxed,
HAPPY bare feet!

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! (and the crowd erupts!) ..Yeah, I try to go barefoot (or only wear flip-flops) as much as I can possibly get away with it, year-round, but, understandably, that's gets a little dicey in those four months between December & March. But, hey, now it's June, and bare feet simply crave sunshine, air, & freedom! So, if you've got some appearance issues with those tootsies, get your butts to your local pedicure spot, and let those wonderful, talented, Asian girls work their magic! After, all, my life motto is in full effect, now: "Get barefoot, get happy, stay barefoot, STAY happy!" Cheers, my friends! 

My friend Jodi's daughter, from a few years back..
smiling & barefoot!

The girls are getting some vitamin D sunshine on their feetsies
while relaxing outdoors! :)

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! Hello, Summer! Hello, more bare feet!

Happy Mother's Day 2014.. (Let Mom Stay Barefoot Today, ALL Day!)

I love all of my mom friends, and I looooooooove my bare feet friends.. so, of course, I REALLY, truly love when we get to honor the two of those things together!! Happy barefoot (almost 80 degrees today!) Mother's Day, to all of you beautiful & wonderful mothers! Shoes-off, bare feet kicked up, relaxation, and nothing but love & smiles to you all!

Toms Shoe Co.'s 'One Day Without Shoes', 2014.. Barefoot for a Good Cause!

My friend, Daisy, with bonus chalk art points!

     April 29th, 2014, was the annual campaign started by the Toms Shoe Co. to raise awareness for helping poverty-stricken kids, mostly in 3rd world countries, who can't afford shoes when they DO actually need them! So, every year, usually around this time, it's "One Day Without Shoes", where you are supposed to go barefoot EVERYwhere (I kinda' do this anyway, to an extent, weather permitting! LOL!).. school, stores, work (if allowed), and when asked by strangers (which you will inevitably be), tell them about Toms mission. I do think it's kinda' cool that the company sends one pair of shoes out, to these poor kids, for every pair that's purchased. That easily qualifies as "putting your money where your mouth is". I had been all set to play along this year, had some cool & fun photo ideas for bare feet in public places/spaces, but, here in NY, it was 49 degrees and raining, and I did not see one barefoot person anywhere..uh, except at the pedi place, where I was enjoying my bi-weekly "therapy"! (wink) ..So, hopefully next year.. Hey Toms, let's shoot for mid-May instead of April! Here's some of the cuter photos that I've seen from two days ago, including participation by some of my best "photography & bare feet" buddies!

One Day Without Shoes..and a fine day for bare feet on the windshield! :)

One Day Without Shoes.. and a fine day for styling hair, bare feet for the whole shift!

One Day Without Shoes, and I think the whole staff at a Herba-Life shop was in on the fun!

One Day Without Shoes.. and my friend Stacy says, "Ask away!!"  :)

Oops! Forgot to Post This Year's Easter Toes!

OPI blue & OPI yellow with white Crackle on top!

     My bad! Been busy as hell, and totally forgot to pop up my 2014 Easter toes! I repeated last year's popular theme of "marshmallow peeps in a blender", so without any further delay, Happy Belated Easter 2014!  :)










...Plus, my pal had her awesome Easter BUNNY toes rockin' too! Good times!

More on Wedding Barefootin'.. And Wishing For Warmer Days!

Sign at an outdoor wedding.. PERFECT!

As we sit here in the northeast, dealing with mostly raw, rainy, & cold March/April days (cold for barefooters, that's for sure!), we keep getting little snippets of warmth & blue skies. A 65 degree day, here & there, just whets the appetite for what's coming, hopefully soon! Soon, shoes will be off, more often than not, and the sun will necessitate some level of SPF sunscreen for most of us! :) ..And summer wedding season will be here, too, and more chances for bare feet & tequila shots as we boogie all night long! (Disclaimer: As was blogged about previously.. Me, and my dates? We dance & party barefoot all night long, regardless of what the weather is like outside! It's the only way to go!)

Instagram user @jennydoesweddings knows what's best! :)

A Barefooter's 'Mission Statement', and a Great Article, Too.. :)

LOL.. Yes, apparently, dogs love tickling
feet too! ..What? You didn't know this?!  ;)

     Sooooooooo, obviously, because I'm always barefoot, get frequent pedicures (with painted toes!), and blog about the joys of not wearing shoes, I constantly get asked if I have a foot fetish! ..Which is fine, because, hey, I absolutely DO love bare feet! But I don't call my passion & fun mentality a "fetish", whatsoever! I addressed this a little bit in the last blog post, but I'll expand on it a little bit more here: Plain & simple, I love bare feet, and think they're such an extremely cute body part (if taken care of properly!!). I love how good it feels to be barefoot as much as possible, and LOVE dancing barefoot with my female friends (who ditch their shoes, too, as normal behavior). I love driving my car, barefoot, and, in general, just walking around through life, barefoot. I REALLY think it's just goofy & fun to be barefoot in places that you're, "not supposed to be" (expensive catering halls, classrooms, stores, malls, etc.). I love pedicures & how positive & healthy they are, and I think that the wonderful laughter from tickling ticklish bare feet is one of life's greatest, simplest, "happy gifts"! So, when talking about all of these positive bare feet-related things, I don't consider is a fetish at all, I actually consider this attitude to be low-stress & HEALTHY, and I think the author of this attached article might just agree with me! It's a good read! Stay barefoot, stay healthy! 
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/06/22/the-major-health-benefits-of-going-barefoot-really.htm

Celebrity Bare Feet & Favorite, "Famous", Members of "No Shoes Nation"!

The next generation of "Live Life
Barefoot"! Love ya', Taylor Swift!

Sally Field's barefoot, "Smokey and
The Bandit" look.. A favorite of this
1970's elementary schooler!

     In the mid 1970's. when I was a little kid of 7 or 8 yrs. old, I loved the scene in the original, "Smokey & the Bandit", where Sally Field makes the getaway from her undesired wedding, with Burt Reynolds driving. As they speed down the road in Burt's classic black Trans-Am, Sally rips of her wedding gown, defiantly throws it out of the t-tops, puts on some blue jeans, reclines the seat, and presses her bare feet against the windshield, as she talks about life with, "The Bandit". Looking back, I guess that was my first "barefoot celebrity" crush, as I was a blossoming, little shoes-hater!.. LoL.. But it makes me think now, so many years later, about the actresses & musicians who seem to have the same attitude that I do, about a love of not wearing shoes, just finding life to be more fun when you roll through it barefoot. Not just talking about scenes in movies or videos, but you'll also see these celebrities barefoot at awards shows, during interviews for Access Hollywood, Extra, etc., in the photos that accompany interviews in various magazines, and in the shots captured by the annoying, stalking paparazzi! So, let's give some love to all of those celebrity barefooters, who seem to be on the same life wavelength as me!

Goldie Hawn's got no time fo' shoes!
Never had!

Cameron Diaz, barefoot in life,
including red carpets! Why not?! Be
different! Be comfortable! Be fun!

     Along with Sally Field, I'll have to give some childhood barefoot love out to Goldie Hawn & (before my time) Marilyn Monroe. Both of these women seem to be barefoot in SO many of the photos that you come across (you don't even to search much at all!) , that I can't help but feel that they spent less money on shoes than any other celebrity of their time! Hah, "fashion" can absolutely include NOT wearing high heels, or any shoes for that matter! More currently, I see Cameron Diaz appearing, bare-feet style, on so many occasions, including red-carpet walks (at the Oscars or Golden Globes)! Gwenyth Patrow is another bare feet fan, and Julia Roberts is another of my favorites, based on her, "I'm not wearing shoes and I don't care what anyone thinks!", attitude.               Also, much, much love to Kelly Ripa, who it seems will jump at the chance to lose the shoes & go barefoot, especially on the air, during the ABC morning TV show, if it means having fun during an interview, getting laughs, or lightening the overall mood! Finally, I guess a good example of the next generation of bare footers would be Taylor Swift, who is the closest to my, "No Shoes", attitude, out of anyone that I previously mentioned! Interviews, videos, performing onstage, etc. etc...Taylor just doesn't give a sh*t, and it seems to be, "bare feet or bust" with her! Keep flying that flag, Ms. Swift. As well as all of you other happy members of "No Shoes Nation".. Life's just better when you're barefoot. But then, you already knew that, didn't you?  :)

Classic beauty, classic ALL-TIME
bare feet happiness: Marilyn Monroe