Lost Soles
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This page is dedicated to Elizabeth and Esther,
who stayed together so long that hell up and froze
over. Congratulations! .
who stayed together so long that hell up and froze
over. Congratulations! .
The Installation at Mary Dunn Road
In 2005, while on the Cape Cod doing a
bit of Sole searching, I stopped in to see
my friends Dave and Shelley on the
northside of Barnstable. During the visit, I
shared with Dave my passion for Lost
Soles, and he recommended that I visit
Mary Dunn Road, immediately. Mary
Dunn is one of those roads on Cape Cod
that the locals cherish. It's narrow and
twisty, and doesn't appear to go
anywhere so the tourists don't bother with
it. A tourist-free road means freedom for
Cape Codders, and via Mary Dunn, they
can speed into Hyannis from the north
side of the Cape without ever having to
flip someone the bird, and bird-free
driving is a rare commodity on Cape
Cod,especially in July and August.Dave,
and our friend Rich, were using Mary
Dunn regularly to get to a job site and the
two became fascinated with a pair of
boots that were parked on the side of the
road.The boots had been sitting there,
upright as if waiting for a ride, for weeks,
Dave said. I took Daves advice and
traveled to Mary Dunn, and after a bit of
searching, found the boots (right).
In 2005, while on the Cape Cod doing a
bit of Sole searching, I stopped in to see
my friends Dave and Shelley on the
northside of Barnstable. During the visit, I
shared with Dave my passion for Lost
Soles, and he recommended that I visit
Mary Dunn Road, immediately. Mary
Dunn is one of those roads on Cape Cod
that the locals cherish. It's narrow and
twisty, and doesn't appear to go
anywhere so the tourists don't bother with
it. A tourist-free road means freedom for
Cape Codders, and via Mary Dunn, they
can speed into Hyannis from the north
side of the Cape without ever having to
flip someone the bird, and bird-free
driving is a rare commodity on Cape
Cod,especially in July and August.Dave,
and our friend Rich, were using Mary
Dunn regularly to get to a job site and the
two became fascinated with a pair of
boots that were parked on the side of the
road.The boots had been sitting there,
upright as if waiting for a ride, for weeks,
Dave said. I took Daves advice and
traveled to Mary Dunn, and after a bit of
searching, found the boots (right).
Instead of looking like they were waiting for
a ride, by the time I got to them, the boots
had thrown themselves to the ground in
despair. I believe they got tired of waiting, or
maybe someone walking by thought they
needed a rest.
After my visit with the boots, which have
since disappeared, I made Mary Dunn a
regular stop on my visits to the Cape. One
day, I found these sneakers (left) waiting
under the Route 6 overpass, and across the
road, I discovered these boat shoes.
a ride, by the time I got to them, the boots
had thrown themselves to the ground in
despair. I believe they got tired of waiting, or
maybe someone walking by thought they
needed a rest.
After my visit with the boots, which have
since disappeared, I made Mary Dunn a
regular stop on my visits to the Cape. One
day, I found these sneakers (left) waiting
under the Route 6 overpass, and across the
road, I discovered these boat shoes.
Seldom have my trips to Mary Dunn been in vain, but
one day last summer, the thrill of Mary Dunn reached
an astounding climax.
The morning after a good drunk with my friend Terri, I
drove out to Mary Dunn to scout for Soles. There,
lined up in a neat row, were five pairs of shoes. I was
amazed. Someone must have known I was looking for
Soles (it had to be about me, right?).
I had to share this experience, so I sped across Cape,
picked up Terri and her daughter, and returned to
Mary Dunn Road.
The three of us got out of the car and examined the
shoes (below). There were adult pairs, and baby
pairs, and a few broken toys scattered around. It
looked like the shoes simply packed up and took a
trip to Cape Cod.
one day last summer, the thrill of Mary Dunn reached
an astounding climax.
The morning after a good drunk with my friend Terri, I
drove out to Mary Dunn to scout for Soles. There,
lined up in a neat row, were five pairs of shoes. I was
amazed. Someone must have known I was looking for
Soles (it had to be about me, right?).
I had to share this experience, so I sped across Cape,
picked up Terri and her daughter, and returned to
Mary Dunn Road.
The three of us got out of the car and examined the
shoes (below). There were adult pairs, and baby
pairs, and a few broken toys scattered around. It
looked like the shoes simply packed up and took a
trip to Cape Cod.
And as we looked, a truck pulled up.
At first, I figured it was just somebody wondering what
we were looking at, but then he yelled, “That’s
interactive art!”
I was obviously confused, so he pulled the truck over,
got out, and walked over to us.
“That’s interactive art,” he said again, and began to
tell us the story.
The man was Ken Baba (lower right), a local real
estate agent and developer who lives off of Mary
Dunn Road. Several years ago, Ken and his wife
noticed a pair of men’s dress shoes sitting beside the
road under the Route 6 overpass. Ken, obviously a
free-thinker, grew concerned that the shoes looked
lonely, so he went to a local thrift store and
purchased a pair of women’s dress shoes, and placed
them beside the men’s shoes. The next evening, Ken
and his wife were on their way home from a formal
affair and decided to spruce the duo up. Beside the
shoes, they left a pair of nylons and an empty
champagne bottle. But Ken and his wife were
unprepared for what they found the following day.
“The next morning, we were driving by and we saw
that the shoes were still there but the champagne
bottle and nylons were gone,” Ken said. “They had
been replaced by a pair of baby’s shoes.”
Someone had come along during the night and added
a new element to the scene. For Ken, that was the
beginning of an interactive public art installation that
has continued to change and evolve over the years.
Shoes come, shoes go. Who puts them there,
however, remains largely a mystery.
At first, I figured it was just somebody wondering what
we were looking at, but then he yelled, “That’s
interactive art!”
I was obviously confused, so he pulled the truck over,
got out, and walked over to us.
“That’s interactive art,” he said again, and began to
tell us the story.
The man was Ken Baba (lower right), a local real
estate agent and developer who lives off of Mary
Dunn Road. Several years ago, Ken and his wife
noticed a pair of men’s dress shoes sitting beside the
road under the Route 6 overpass. Ken, obviously a
free-thinker, grew concerned that the shoes looked
lonely, so he went to a local thrift store and
purchased a pair of women’s dress shoes, and placed
them beside the men’s shoes. The next evening, Ken
and his wife were on their way home from a formal
affair and decided to spruce the duo up. Beside the
shoes, they left a pair of nylons and an empty
champagne bottle. But Ken and his wife were
unprepared for what they found the following day.
“The next morning, we were driving by and we saw
that the shoes were still there but the champagne
bottle and nylons were gone,” Ken said. “They had
been replaced by a pair of baby’s shoes.”
Someone had come along during the night and added
a new element to the scene. For Ken, that was the
beginning of an interactive public art installation that
has continued to change and evolve over the years.
Shoes come, shoes go. Who puts them there,
however, remains largely a mystery.
And the mystery continues...
In February 2008, I visited Mary Dunn Road and
found this pair of sneakers. What I didn't notice
until I looked at the photograph, however, is the
painting on the wall behind the shoes. I think it's
either Che Guevara or my pal Mike Timm, but I
can't be sure either way.
In February 2008, I visited Mary Dunn Road and
found this pair of sneakers. What I didn't notice
until I looked at the photograph, however, is the
painting on the wall behind the shoes. I think it's
either Che Guevara or my pal Mike Timm, but I
can't be sure either way.
