Saturday at the Hut - 5/4/13

We had a great turnout today at The Tobacco Hut! I was still recovering from last night's inaugural Pipe Night (see the post below for a full report with pictures) that ran a little late, so didn't make it in this morning until close to eleven o'clock. Of course, nobody could really determine what time I got there 'cause the damned clock is gone.

Let's start with the lengthy roll call. When I arrived there was Rob, Joe K, Vic, Mike, Don, Aaron, and Pete. Rob was gracious enough to give up the big leather recliner-that-doesn't-recline to me. Of course, he was leaving anyway, and as I was shaking Vic's hand, he held on with an iron grip and gestured to Joe to grab the chair and abandoned his folding chair. I blocked Joe but the old man threatened to kick me with his steel tips in an area that would preclude me from having further children. Vic was kind enough to release the handshake and I quickly slipped into the enveloping comfort of the recliner.

L-R, Mike and Don. (Click to enlarge).

L-R, Aaron, Joe, Vic, Pete. (Click to enlarge)

I fired up my Ascorti with some Baker Street - a little mellower than the Searchlight I enjoyed the night before - and got up to speed on the comings and goings of the day. Vic was seated in a position where he really didn't have easy access to an ashtray, and we pointed out that it was too bad that the Cuesta Ray canister ashtray was missing.

You know, what's with all the looting of the store that took place when Lou was closing it? Clocks, ashtrays, signs, tobacco jars, etc., etc. It's absolutely shameful.

At one point, we were talking about Eric Rudolph, the guy who bombed the abortion clinics and the Atlanta Olympics, and disappeared into the mountains of North Carolina. (Funny, we were talking about him last night at Pipe Night, but couldn't remember his name). We were specifically discussing how even with his survival training he had difficulties making it in the rough terrain. He was finally caught Dumpster diving, according to Mike. I started to make the point that someone like me out in the woods, with no training, wouldn't last -- and the room erupted in laughter. I guess the notion of me, me in particular, out in the woods, trying to survive struck the collective funny bone.

My survivalist mettle was tested later tonight however, when I had to wrestle a lizard from the washing machine. See my Facebook posting - and Mike G's comment - in the screenshot below:

A short time later who should walk in but Jim S. Haven't seen Jim in quite awhile. I was ready to kick Don out of one of the club chairs but Jim couldn't stay. Too bad - maybe he'll come back for the Grand Re-Opening on May 18th or the next Pipe Night on June 7th. Jim works in the defense intelligence industry and always has interesting stories to tell. He usually stops short of telling us enough that he has to kill us though and, for that, we thank him.

Mike and I were talking about pocketknives when all of a sudden who should appear in the doorway but the Knife Guy himself, Scott R. That was a little spooky. Just talk about the guy and he appears. Anyway, Mike had been telling me about a knife designer (is that the right term?) called Todd Begg who apparently has some sort of knife show on the Discovery Channel. You can check out his website here. Pretty interesting.

Anyway, Scott showed us his latest acquisition, a Case pocketknife. I don't remember the particulars of it, but it was a very sharp knife (pun intended!). If you haven't looked at it recently, Scott is still going strong on his pocketknife blog. For my handful of readers here who criticize me for missing a week or two, you'd love Scott's blog. He writes regularly on his subject, and writes well. Maybe if I had had one of the pocketknives Scott has so generously given me, my encounter with the lizard from above would have gone a bit better.

A little while later, Scott's brother-in-law, Jeff arrived. I think they both settled down with a Kane Blue, or some such thing. I don't know, I'm a pipe smoker, I can't keep all these cigars straight. They both liked it though.

Scott - "The Knife Guy" (Click to enlarge).

L-R, Jeff and Pete. (Click to enlarge).

Jeff was telling us about his latest purchase, a Google Chromebook. He's very impressed with it so far. At only $250, it looks like a sweet little computer, aimed at the computer user who primarily uses it for surfing the web, Facebook, and email.

I think Jeff's assessment of Windows 8 is about the same as Joe's. Both are concerned that long-time Windows users, especially older folks, are a little bewildered by the changes in the operating system. I would recommend a Mac at that point, but that's just me.

Everyone but Scott and Jeff had left at that point, and the talk turned to football. I raised what I thought was a good question...how many first round quarterback draft picks have gone on to greatness? I think the expectations and pressure is so high that it's almost impossible for most of them to excel.

Scott and Jeff had left and I was packing up my pipe kit (or "mass kit" as Mike used to refer to it as) when who should I see walking across the parking lot? Barry C! Haven't seen the man in months. I stuck around for a while and got caught up with him. Congratulations are in order as he is a grandfather, or Pop Pop as he prefers to be called.

Barry was hoping that Scott was here because he had a knife he wanted to see if Scott could look at. Too bad you couldn't have made it just twenty minutes sooner. Scott was wrapping up his knife show, or should I say "Heavy Things With Sharp Edges Show". Scott not only showed us his new Case pocket knife, but brought in a hunting knife that he re-handled, and then a frickin' hatchet that he restored. I was a little afraid when he left for the final time he was actually going to bring in an axe and go all Jack Nicholson in The Shining on us.

Anyway, great to see all the familiar faces today. Start planning now to attend the Grand Re-Opening in two weeks! Saturday, May 18th, all day. Pete has lined up some door prizes, raffle items, etc. It promises to be a great time. More details to come! BTW, not sure if they were serious, but Vic promised some home made New York liverwurst for the party...

Cheers!

Pipe Night at The Hut - 5/3/13

Well, I was a little nervous that the The Tobacco Hut's first Pipe Night would consist of just me sitting there smoking a pipe. But, for the first event, it was pretty well attended. It was scheduled from 6-8 PM and I arrived first. At 4 o'clock. Well, I couldn't wait. And, I brought along the big gun to smoke so I would need more than an hour or two to smoke it. (There was some discussion during the evening as to what to call my new David Jones acquisition - see the 4/20/13 post for a pic. It is a rather large pipe and a bit heavier than normal. Some names offered were "The Judge", "The Persuader", "The Log", etc.).

It wasn't long before Rob showed up. Guess he had the same idea I did - wanting to get a good seat for the festivities. At around 6 o'clock Jimmy arrived. At least one person could tell time and show up at the appropriate hour! Jimmy's been in a few times now and is a recent convert to pipes. A few minutes later Kitty and her father Don H arrived. Some other folks came to make purchases, but didn't hang around. For most of the evening it was Rob, Jimmy, Kitty, Don, Pete, and me sitting around talking pipes. 

The sun is low and the pipes have been lit. L-R: Rob, Kitty,
Don, Jimmy. (Click to enlarge).

Don apparently has been a long-time customer of the Hut, and I noticed he was smoking a Crown Viking he had purchased from Lou some years ago. I myself have a few of my own thanks to Lou, and they are all excellent smokers.

Don's daughter Kitty is also an ardent pipe smoker. It's good to see not only young folks, but women as well, taking up the pipe. I think she said she's only been smoking for a couple years, but she certainly has the passion for it, and has a good eye for pipes. She brought several with her, including a nice Nording.

Kitty and Don were both eager to impart their experience with pipes to Jimmy and Rob, both relative newcomers to the hobby. Everyone took advantage of the Buy One/Get One tobacco discounts and the pipe discounts. I think Pete said at the end of the evening that he sold eight pipes!

L-R, Kitty's arm, Don, Jimmy. (Click to enlarge).

I was quite gratified that Searchlight was a crowd favorite, as I created the blend back in March. I took the existing Baker Street (which I helped Lou tweak a little, boosting the Latakia in it) and increased the amount of Latakia further, decreased the Virginia, and added a pinch of Perique. It's a robust blend, but very smooth and smokes nicely all the way to the bottom of the bowl. At the end of the evening, I dumped out nothing but fine gray ash.

Pete provided pizza, sodas, and beer, but Kitty had the right idea and made a Sangria run to Winn-Dixie. Too bad she only brought one glass back with her!

Toward the end of the evening, two of my co-workers, Alex O and John S arrived. Alex is a pipe smoker and John is a cigar smoker, but he took the plunge on Friday and entered the Brotherhood of the Briar. He picked up a nice bent sitter from the board and I steered him to Alaskan Gold and Baker Street. I'm a firm believer in starting new pipers out with English blends - this way they're getting the true flavor of the tobacco with nothing added. (Just my preference. In the end, it's all about what you enjoy. "Smoke what you like and like what you smoke.").

The sun has set and it's getting a little hazy.
L-R, Kitty, Don, Alex, John, Jimmy. (Click to enlarge).

Pete was kind enough to stay open an extra hour and then some while the eight of us sat around discussing mostly pipes, enjoying the last of the pizza and fishing the occasional beer from the cooler.

Congratulations to Jimmy who won the raffle. (Sorry to Alex and John, it was held shortly before you arrived). He used his $50 gift card prize toward the purchase of a very handsome looking bent pipe. Please let us know how it smokes, Jimmy!

Pete also announced the winner of the Name the New Tobacco Contest. The winning name is Calypso, as suggested by Ed F. Ed wins a free pound of tobacco, or the equivalent in other merchandise. Unfortunately Ed couldn't be with us on Friday as he was called away by work duties, so I accepted the gift card on his behalf and promptly spent it. Just kidding, Ed! Congratulations and hopefully you can make the next Pipe Night...see the next paragraph.

We all decided that we should do this on a monthly basis, and Pete agreed. So, look for another Pipe Night on Fri, June 7th. As long as participation stays strong, we'll do it the first Friday of each month. I'll send out notices via email blasts and Facebook to remind folks.

I had mentioned to the group an online pipe smoker's discussion board I'm active on and wanted to pass on the link to it here. It's called Smoker's Forums and has been around a long time. It has thousands of members and everyone is very friendly and welcoming, especially to newcomers. My "handle" on the board is Seneca77. It's free to join, of course, and I would encourage everyone to check it out. It's a great place to ask questions and share in the spirit of the pipe.

Final note to Kitty...I had referenced an artisan tobacco blender by the name of Greg Pease. He has an excellent website located here, and his tobaccos can be purchased at various online retailers. Once at his website, click on the Stockists link and you'll find a list of dealers that carry his tobacco. I recommend The Briary, out of Alabama. I've done business with them before and have always been well taken care of.

Thanks to everyone for coming for the Hut's inaugural Pipe Night, and hope to see everyone again soon.

 - Bob