After nearly a forty-year absence, Kathe Kokolias returned to the place of her birth. As she visited her old neighborhood, the houses where she grew up, and her grammar school, hazy memories began to clear like the Hudson River coming into view through the dissolving early morning mist. At the same time, challenges brought on by the relocation, a marriage in flux, the loss of friendships, and the fear of becoming invisible as an older woman, also demanded to be confronted. Spandex & Black Boots is a collection of essays that extend over six decades and offers a intimate glimpse into one woman's abundant life.