Saturday at the Hut - 6/25/11

It was a fun day at The Tobacco Hut where the time just seemed to fly by. I got there around 12:30 and Joe K had just arrived. I settled in with one of the Crown Viking freehands I bought from Lou a couple years ago. Filled with G.L. Pease's Chelsea Morning tobacco, it was a wonderful smoke. Chelsea Morning consists of Virginias, Orientals, Latakia and a pinch of Perique. The Latakia is in just the right amount to balance out the sweetness of the Virginias. In every puff, the pungent Cyprus Latakia reminded me that this is why I love English tobaccos so much.


Joe took delight in pointing out that those wacky liberals in New York state passed the gay marriage law yesterday. I was wearing my "Think Outside the Fox" t-shirt, so I was able to ward off any political attacks with ease. That and my NPR shirt are like Superman capes, able to withstand any right wing assaults.


Peter arrived shortly thereafter and handed me my first order for promotional products! Thank you Peter - very much appreciated! He also purchased four more of Paula's paper bead bracelets. Another big thank you to Peter! I got a closer look at his new car today, the Kia Soul, later in the afternoon. What a cool car. It appears relatively small, but is actually quite roomy on the inside. Very stylish as well.


Ed B arrived and we ended up talking movies, TV shows, and old comedians. We remarked how Peter Falk had passed away yesterday, and talked about other really old actors, many of whom we thought were already dead. In fact, Peter mentioned a Boston DJ who runs a sort of dead pool on aging actors. Wasn't there a pretty poor Dirty Harry sequel called, in fact, "The Dead Pool"? I wonder if Clint Eastwood is on this dead pool...


Scott R's brother-in-law Jeff came in and bought some cigars. He's been in before, but we've never really talked to him. He stayed for awhile so it was nice to get to know him. I don't think he planned on staying as long as he did, especially without actually smoking a cigar, but he obviously experienced the lure of the Hut and got sucked into the conversation.


We covered a myriad of subjects, from why the Rays' attendance is so poor, DirecTV versus Verizon FIOS versus Brighthouse, and even computer networking (Jeff's specialty). I hope we see more of Jeff in Saturdays to come.


Speaking of Scott R, he e-mailed me a couple photos from his recent stay in Maine. As many of you know, he has migrated northward and is now settled in his hometown of Palmyra, New York. Here are those photos, posted with Scott's permission. Nice shots, Scott - keep 'em coming!

Photos from Scott R's recent visit to Maine
(Click to enlarge)

Toward the end of the day, it was just Lou and me, and we talked about some of the various trips and vacations we've taken over the years. He said that one of his most memorable trips was when he and Dotty drove to Maine and beyond, eventually ending up in the Peggy's Cove area of Nova Scotia, back in the late 1960's. I was in Peggy's Cove just a couple years ago, so am posting this picture just for Lou. I took it just a few minutes before the fog rolled in completely and obscured most of the view. Hope it brings back good memories for you, Lou!

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
(Click to enlarge)

Lou asked me if Paula and I were going out to dinner tonight and I said no, she was preparing Shepherd's Pie for us. Lou remarked that he had never had it, so I explained what was in it and he said it sounded pretty good. Indeed it was, Lou! In fact, if you follow this link to Paula's blog, Positively Perfectly Paula, she put the recipe up for all to enjoy. We shared this recipe, which was actually my mother's, a couple years ago with a friend of ours and she loved it so much she fixed it six times in a month's time for her and her husband!


Well, at the risk of turning this into a cooking blog, I better sign off now!


Cheers!
 - Bob