Saturday at the Hut - 4/11/09

Another relaxing day at The Tobacco Hut with the gang found me smoking some G.L. Pease Maltese Falcon in a Ben Wade poker. I'm down to the final few bits of tobacco in this tin and it had gotten a little dry, so it wasn't the best smoke I've had. Another reason could be that I don't think I had thoroughly cleaned the pipe after the last time I smoked it, which is never a good idea. I'm usually religious about cleaning my pipes, but for some reason, I didn't. And yesterday I paid the price. So in fairness to Greg's fine tobacco, the fault may have lain with me.

For most of the afternoon the group consisted of Lou, Joe K, Peter G, and myself. Peter and I discussed what his website should look like and some other ideas about his new business. Joe still seems pleased with his iMac, so he probably won't be gifting that to me anytime soon. Joe and Val and Paula and I went to dinner last weekend at Rusty Bellies in Tarpon Springs, and had an outstanding meal and a great time. So to Lou, if you're reading this, I heartily recommend it. So does Peter!

Oh, and this was a shocker, while we were at dinner last week, Joe stripped off his shirt and did a little show on the deck of the restaurant for everyone. I caught a quick photo with my camera phone for everybody to enjoy...scroll to the bottom to see why we got kicked out of Rusty Bellies!

We tried to come up with some more ideas for James K's homecoming. Joe's son is breezing into town for a limited engagement and is eager for us to embrace him like New York City did for Captain Sully after landing his plane on the Hudson. By the way, for everyone planning to attend James' wild homecoming bash (both of you), the date is actually Saturday, May 9, 11am-1pm, at the Hut. The flyer in last week's post had the incorrect date.

Zoning laws prevent us from erecting a circus tent in the parking lot, and good taste prevents us from hiring the kind of "entertainment" that James would probably want. So, we've hired an out of work ventriliquist. Hope that'll do, James!

Steve B came in toward the end of the afternoon and brought a newcomer in with him, Brian. Nothing too exciting or controversial was discussed and we steered clear of politics. Maybe this was in deference to Brian's first visit. Subsequent visits will reveal our true nature!

Everyone had a good laugh about Lou's picture from last week's post. Peter wanted to know which Greek gentleman in Tarpon Springs Lou had stolen the giant cross from and Lou insisted that his Speedo was red, not black. Of course, it was a black and white photo, so I'm not sure how Lou knew it wasn't his Speedo.

New Jersey Ed came in and sat down and smoked a cigar with us (not to be confused with Ed B). I don't know New Jersey Ed's last name, so he's stuck with that moniker for now. NJ Ed was a pipe smoker for a long time but has since switched to cigars and it seems a little strange to see him smoking one. I get the same reaction when I'm smoking the occasional cigar at the shop, since I'm almost exclusively a pipe smoker.

Five o'clock arrived before we knew it, the smoke cleared, and the door was locked. Until next Saturday...

Cheers!
- Bob