I worked on a farm tucked away in the mountains of West Virginia. It was mostly sheep, whose wool was used for dying. The amazing woman named Hopi who owned the farm along with her husband Ben, had been a dye chemist. She worked for Kodak in the 70's while camping the whole time, until she had saved up enough money to buy the land. She loved to experiment and create her own special color blends to dye the wool. She met Ben out there and they have been together for years - you would be hard pressed to meet kinder or more generous folks.
When I first met them, he laughed at my Crocs, though. Say what you will about aesthetics, but if you are in and out of the house piddling around and have to take your shoes on and off, sandals make your life easier, especially if it is muddy or dusty, as it often is in the backcountry. And on a hot summer day, they sure are comfortable for leisurely strolls through the woods, especially if you are crossing and recrossing creeks. Plus, you can get knockoff Crocs for $10 or less, so if they get ruined by abuse (and they can hold up to a lot!) it's no big deal.
After about a year, I noticed that Ben was wearing Crocs. Not just around the house either! Going out to the barn, down to the creek or out in the fields to feed the animals, he rarely even wore his boots anymore, unless there was serious work to be done. I didn't say anything, but he saw me eyeing them one day and winked in his jolly mountain-man fashion and said "when you're right , you're right!" I don't wear crocs anymore these days, (because my wife would short-circuit!) but summer is coming up, who knows...