Desert Diva

Sep 06 2008

Saturday Scavenger Photo Hunt - “String(s)”

Theme: String(s) | Next Week: Wild

These shoes hanging over Hawthorne Street in Portland, Oregon by their laces, (or strings) are a perfect example of shoe tossing (or shoe flinging).

Shoe tossing (or shoe flinging), the act of using shoes as improvised projectiles or weapons, is a constituent of a number of folk sports and practices. Today, it is commonly the act of throwing a pair of shoes onto telephone wires, powerlines, or other raised wires. A related practice is shoe tossing onto trees or fences. Shoe tossing has been observed in areas of the United States, Canada, Britain, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador and Ireland.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_tossing

Ed Kohler has been cataloging and researching shoe tossing since 2005 on his blog “Shoefiti.”

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6 Responses to “Saturday Scavenger Photo Hunt - “String(s)””

1. # Michael on 06 Sep 2008 at 6:48 am

   I see this all the time here, but I’m really not sure what it’s supposed to mean!

2. # Sandi on 06 Sep 2008 at 10:09 am

   Can’t say that I’ve ever heard of shoe tossing before! Odd how some people spend their time. At first glance I thought it was a photo of someone riding on the wire in a little chair thing. Then I got close to the screen and read your post. Dang contacts!

3. # patti on 07 Sep 2008 at 8:00 am

   I didn’t know shoe tossing had history!!! I see this all the time in the neighborhood I work in.

4. # tommie on 08 Sep 2008 at 6:53 am

   I see this all the time, who knew? Love the colors of it as well.

5. # killlashandra on 08 Sep 2008 at 3:26 pm

   I can’t believe there is an actual definition of shoe tossing or flinging as the case may be. Amazing. Great picture though. Looks like a nice expensive pair of hiking boots someone just lost.

6. # Janet on 08 Sep 2008 at 5:22 pm

   I always thought it meant that’s where drug dealers dealt their drugs LOL!

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