IMsL

From the warmth of the south to the chilly mornings in the city by the bay, three days later we arrived in beautiful San Francisco for the International Ms Leather and International Ms BootBlack contests. Our own local Colorado Bootblack, Foxfire Boots, was competing and we were there to cheer her along.
San Francisco is a wonderful city, and we walked our little legs off from the time we arrived until the time we left. Our friend Shazzy joined us for the weekend for a mini vacation and some shopping. Once we settled into our room, we set off on a mission - boots! Luckey needed a pair that fit him better, and my poor zip-side combat boots are showing their age. I was looking at Corcorans, and Luckey was looking to find something that fits well - he has lean calves, so fitting can be a challenge. Mr. S Leather was a great resource and we had lots of fun there, and followed on with a visit to Stomper's Boots. We finished our day with Shazzy ordering a custom pair of Wesco Boots for herself from Stomper's, Luckey finding a pair of oh-so-gently-used Wesco boots in Stomper's consignment section, and I found a pair of Corcorans at Mr. S. Success!
After a fantastic dinner, we joined our brothers and sisters at the host hotel for a Burlesque/Boylesque show - we had so much fun! There were amazing presentations, costumes, reveals, and people. As men, we were certainly in the minority at the event, and we were treated wonderfully by all the other attendees. There were classes, dungeon times, shopping, and so many wonderful people to socialize with that time flew by all weekend.
And yes - true to form - we ate. Blueberry pancakes in a wonderful diner, next to a tasty Indian restaurant just two blocks from the hotel - they got our business twice. Japanese/Sushi for lunch, tasty dinner -  we ate well.
I made the time to sit in on the public interviews for the bootblack title, and enjoyed that very much. Shazzy and Luckey had a blast with the corsets in the vendor mart, and she came home with three new ones. (It was buy two, get one free!) We enjoyed the contest for both nights, and were blown away by so many amazing speeches - I did not envy the judges their job to select only one!
When the scores were tallied, Sarha carried the International Ms Leather title forward to a new year, joined by Bella with the International Ms BootBlack title. Congratulations to them both!
And congratulations to each and every one of the brave individuals who stood up and were willing to put themselves on the line for the opportunity to represent their community. The experience is a learning time for each one, and not always the easiest weekend. It takes guts and heart to stand up, and each one of them should be proud of themselves.
With such fun and so many friends, and some of the best blueberry pancakes I've ever eaten, it was hard to leave San Francisco. But it was time to go home, do laundry, repack, and head out one more time...