The Sweetest Smoke

Saturday at the Hut - 1/28/12

2012-01-28T18:53:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all my faithful readers (both of you!) as this is my first blog of 2012. The last blog was December 31 where I lamented not being able to smoke the new pipe and tobacco that Paula gifted me for Christmas due to a cold. I have since been able to enjoy it and what a great combination of the new Stanwell and Erik Nording's Hunter Blend tobacco. It's a combination I'll return to many times, I'm sure.

Today at The Tobacco Hut found me smoking a bowlful of McClelland's Wilderness tobacco in a Cassano quarter bent pipe. Paul O even commented on the aroma, and was later overheard asking some questions about pipes and pipe smoking, so we may yet another convert on the horizon (take that, Tom L - soon you cigar smokers might be in the minority!).

The gang today consisted of the aforementioned Paul O, Joe K, Aaron C, Peter G, and Lou and myself of course. Present briefly by proxy was Bobby M, who called me and said he was going to try and make it but, alas, wasn't able to.

Happy belated birthday to Aaron - it was his b-day last Saturday. I wasn't at the Hut, and he apparently chose not to spend the day at the shop either, opting to spend it in the hospital instead. He's all better now and enjoyed his first cigar since last week with us today.

Even though Aaron is still a newbie, and will always be considered one until he supplies with the Rookie Pizza (Jim S, you're still on the hook for a pizza too you know!), he's been coming in pretty regularly on Saturdays and sharing some pretty disgusting stories with us. His chosen occupation is as a nurse and today he regaled us with tales involving some pretty revolting smells emanating from a rather large patient. He then offered to go get us that pizza, but we all declined.

Speaking of birthdays, Scott R is turning The Big 50 this coming Friday, Feb. 3rd, so we're going to celebrate next Saturday (Feb. 4th) at the Hut. Let's have a big turnout and help him jump into senior citizenship with a bang! Scott's the knife nut - hmm...maybe that should be spelled knife knut - in addition to being quite the outdoorsman, is an Internet marketing guru, and all around great guy, so I want to put on a big spread like we had for Joe's son, James, several years ago. Remember? We had dancing girls, a catered spread, celebrity appearances, and a live band. Well, okay, actually all we had was a half-opened bag of M&M's and someone turned up the radio in their car before the battery died, but it was the thought behind it all!

This will be a morning party, as Scott plans on being at the Hut around 10 o'clock next Saturday, so adjust your plans accordingly!

As I was AWOL last Saturday, I didn't hear about Joe's recent trip to Vegas and Consumer Electronics Show, but I was all ears today as he told me how much fun he had wandering the convention center floor, drinking in all the new gadgetry. Some additional fun facts about his lodgings in Vegas - beware the mini bar in the hotel room. You can open it up and look, but if you even just pick up a bottle of something or snack, you bought it. You don't have to open it, just pick it up, and it's yours. And a pot of coffee via room service in the morning? $28!

He and Val had what sounded like an incredible helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon too while they were out west. I've never made it out there, but plan on it someday. Any pictures from your trip, Joe?

Funny story about Joe (sorry, buddy, have to do it!)...he called me Thursday afternoon on my cell phone and left me a voice mail as I was in a meeting and couldn't pick up. So I called his cell - as requested - a couple hours later, around 2:30, but got his voice mail, so I left a message. Around 4:00 I tried again, and had to leave a voice mail. Finally around 7:30 that evening I tried yet again, and it went to voice mail. I decided then to try his home phone, and he picked up right away. "Joe!" I said, "I've been trying to reach you all day on your cell." "Did you leave a voice mail?" "Yes, I've left three of them now." There was a pause as Joe muttered a little to himself something along the lines of, "I don't know where my cell phone is." As he wandered around his house and property on his cordless phone, he then exclaimed, "There it is - in my car!" Pay attention, Scott, now that you're soon a senior citizen, you'll be having moments like this too!

Later in the afternoon today at the Hut found us discussing, as we sometimes do, some of the old TV favorites, including Andy Griffith. Not so much the show itself, but the actor and his earlier career. We also laughed about Tim Conway, who I saw in person last Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, and his great work on the Carol Burnett Show. I'm afraid Aaron felt a little left out as he's probably never heard of these TV greats!

Before I sign off, I do want to recommend a streaming Internet radio station, "Psychedelicized Radio". It's an incredible storehouse of musical gems, commercials, and radio station air checks from the 1960s. It's not head-banging stuff by any means, but rather the groovy, mind-expanding psychedelic tunes from that era. Well worth a listen here.

That's it for this week - hope to see everyone next Saturday around 10:00 to wish Scott a Happy 50th!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 12/31/11

2011-12-31T22:40:00.000-05:00

We had a full house at The Tobacco Hut today! Lots of folks in attendance and lots of fun. Nice to see a great turnout to support Lou. Let's get started with the roll call and then I'll dive into the highlights. Today saw Joe K, Tom L, Paul O, Ed B, Scott R, Jeff D, Don W, Brian J, Barry C, and a new guy, Aaron C. Aaron is a friend of Don's and may have been in before, but this is my first time meeting him, so I'll just call him the new guy. (Jim S, it looks like you're no longer the new guy). BTW, Aaron, it's customary for the new guy to bring pizzas for everyone even though Jim never did. Not that we're bitter or anything.

My new as yet unsmoked Stanwell
pipe and Erik Nording Hunter
Blend pipe tobacco
(Click to enlarge)

Paula got me a shiny new pipe for Christmas and I was so looking forward to smoking a bowl from a brand new tin of tobacco, but I've been sick all week so arrived at the Hut empty handed. When I have a cold, I don't feel like smoking anything. Tom L, on the other hand, was sick last week but lit up anyway so he's obviously more of a man than I am. Hmm...Tom was sick last week and now I'm sick this week. Coincidence? Anyway, hopefully next week this is the pipe you'll see me lighting up for the first time. It's a Stanwell Vario quarter bent w/acrylic stem. Can't wait to fire it up.

It got to be pretty crowded after awhile and it was such a nice day that most of us moved outside. We did leave Joe and Lou inside so that Joe could get some help with his upcoming trip to Vegas. Below is Lou pointing out on Joe's iPad where the Bunny Ranch is. (Click to enlarge).

Below are a couple shots of the gang enjoying their cigars. It really was a perfect day to be outside and I'm only sorry that I couldn't enjoy the fun and been able to light up as well. But I certainly enjoyed all the smoke that wafted my way.

Lou and Joe
(Click to enlarge)

Tom L, Ed B, Paul O
(Click to enlarge)

Scott R, Lou, Joe K
(Click to enlarge)

Tom L, Ed B, Paul O, Scott R, Joe K,
Out of frame: Jeff D, Aaron C, Don
(Click to enlarge)

We soon noticed that the fruit shipping place next door was getting an awful lot of traffic, even though it was closed for the holiday. Every five minutes some old person would hobble out of their car up to the door and tug on it in frustration, anxious to get their half gallon of orange juice or pint of orange-flavored ice cream.

In a flash of pranking genius, Tom L came up with the idea of creating a sign that read "Back in 5 Minutes" and taping it to the door, so that's what we did. We sat back and waited for the ensuing hijinks. Well, we waited and waited and nobody showed up so after our crowd had thinned out a bit, we moved back inside and kind of forgot about it.

Just having a little fun with the
customers of the store next door.
(Click to enlarge)

It didn't take long though for the first victim to come along - an orange colored pickup pulled up and promptly pulled away, presumably after reading the sign. A few minutes later a couple came up, hung around for a minute or two and left. Then the same woman in the white Buick from a month ago (see earlier post) arrived, read the sign and went back to her car to wait. And wait. And wait. Ed finally took a little pity on the lady and went out to inform her that the sign had been there all day and they were probably closed.

A little later a Phyllis Diller-look alike arrived and took the record for waiting. She stood outside the door for easily fifteen minutes. At one point, she even stood in front of our open door drilling us as to where the owners were. We expressed the proper indignation that they weren't there and sent her on her way. She was soon joined by another woman and when they finally left in a huff, we could hear one of the women say that she had already called the business and left a nasty message.

Phyllis Diller look-alike
waiting impatiently
for the 5 minutes to be up.
(Click to enlarge)

A short time later, a woman carrying an almost-empty bottle of orange juice arrived in our doorway inquiring about the shop next door. She said she wanted to return the orange juice as it was sour. Of course, it was practically gone, but I'm sure the store has a very liberal return policy. In any case she, for some reason, found it necessary to tell us to remember the "Three A's" to please a woman. I tried to block out this whole portion of the afternoon, so can't recall exactly what she was talking about.

Ed joking with crazy O.J. Lady
(Click to enlarge)

Wanting to take the prank to the next level of immaturity, we decided to update the "Back in 5 Minutes" sign and add Joe's phone number to it, so that's what we did. Joe had already left for the day, so we couldn't ask him if it was okay. I'm sure he won't mind.

We just had to make a small
addendum to the sign.
Sorry Joe!
(Click to enlarge)

Barry continues to attract the crazies to the Hut. This time it was a lady who was walking past the store and glanced in, obviously attracted by Paul's pretty shirt. Paul waved hello but Barry beckoned her in and invited her to sit in Lou's chair. Fortunately for Lou, he wasn't sitting in it at the time, but he was not happy when he looked from behind the counter and found this woman sitting in his chair. She got on a tirade about presidential politics which was good for a laugh or two especially when Barry urged her to vote for Bob Harrison and she had never heard of him. Paul assured her that he was an idiot though and not worthy of her vote. I concurred.

Barry with his new
crazy friend of the week.
(Click to enlarge)

A quick note upon closing...let's plan on a get-together to celebrate Scott's 50th birthday on Sat, Feb 4th. Scott's usually a morning guy, so how about around 10:00? I'll bring the Doritos and Mountain Dew - just kidding Lou!

P.S. Aaron, we're just joking about bringing pizza. Of course, if you did we wouldn't turn it down.

P.P.S. Don't worry Joe, we took the sign down right after I took the photo of it. I think.

Saturday at the Hut - 12/3/11

2011-12-05T12:50:00.001-05:00

We had a nice crowd on Saturday at The Tobacco Hut. I would like to think it was to celebrate my 48th birthday that day, but I'm more inclined to think that most folks showed up to lend their support to Lou who, as we know, is going through a difficult time right now. We did our best to bring a smile to his face and a laugh or two, and I think we accomplished that.

So who was in attendance besides Lou and myself? Attendees included Joe K, Ed B, Ed F, Tom L, Paul O, Bobby, and Brian J. It was a smoke-filled afternoon as the guys all lit up cigars and I enjoyed a pipeful of Wilderness Tobacco. Note to Ed F, I think I misspoke when you asked if it was one of Greg Pease's tobacco and I said yes. It actually is one of the McClelland brands, out of Kansas City. Anxious to hear what you think of the sample I gave you! By the way, Ed F was smoking some of Lou's Baker Street. I smoke it, but don't often get to experience the wonderful aroma of someone else smoking it, so thanks Ed!

Speaking of Ed, glad you're out of the hospital and on the mend!

A couple months ago Tom chided me for being an Apple Computer guy - "Mr. Apple" - but I was unable to figure out some function on the iPhone. In my defense at the time, I didn't own an iPhone so could hardly be expected to know how to operate one. Well this Saturday, I triumphantly showed off my brand new iPhone 4S to Tom - and he quickly put me in my place by showing me some simple feature on the phone that I had no idea existed. Sigh...thanks for the lesson, Tom!

From left: Tom L expertly using his iPhone, Joe K,
Ed F enjoying a bowl of Baker Street
(click to enlarge)

Paul told (and re-told a couple times by popular request) an hysterical story from a couple Christmases ago. It seems he was on a mission to find a particular 9-ft. artificial Christmas tree that only Wal-Mart carried. He had visited several and couldn't find one. At the last Wal-Mart he checked however, when he walked in, a worker was standing inside the store near the entrance with a carton containing the very tree Paul was after, calling out, "Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Rodriguez" to indicate that his tree had been brought up from the back for pick up.

Thinking quickly, Paul walked up and said, "Yes, I'm Mr. Rodriguez" since - in his words - he looks so Hispanic. As the worker was releasing the tree to Paul, the real Mr. Rodriguez arrived and pointed to the carton, saying, "No, I'm Mr. Rodriguez. See, it's written on the box."

Thinking even more quickly, Paul responded, "Oh, 'Rodriquez'? No that's the name of the shipping company. They're all marked like that." And he snatched up the tree and took it home. Priceless!

Seated, from left, Paul O, Ed B, Brian J
(click to enlarge)

Ed B was apparently fixated on Orange Julius and recently tried asking one of the workers at a Countryside Mall Orange Julius for the recipe. He was watching him make one and asked what the orange powder was that was sprinkled into the mix but was told it was a secret. Ed thinks it was just Tang, the drink of astronauts. But he said he was reasonably successful in concocting his own Orange Julius at home, with the help of said Tang.

Now that the citrus store is open next door, we're enjoying a steady stream of mostly older folks coming and going to get their bag o' fruit. In one instance, an elderly woman flung her door open and banged into the side of Paul's van. I think he said it was actually his wife's vehicle, so he wasn't too concerned.

In another instance, a woman swung in so quickly that she almost kissed the wheels and nerf bar on Ed B's Jeep. She missed the side of the Jeep by less than an inch, so we all had to wait for her to come back out and see if she would hit it on the way back out. See below for the photographic evidence that, while she came close, Ed's Jeep did in fact escape unscathed.

Blue hair beginning to pull blindly out of parking
spot, narrowly missing Ed B's Jeep.
(click to enlarge)

Finally, while Lou may be a bit distracted, he can certainly still dish it out like nobody's business! Paul made some reference to Lou's pants size (see post from a few weeks ago) with a comment along the lines of, "your stubby little legs". Lou didn't miss a beat though! He retorted, "I can still outrun your fat ass!" Glad you're still in fighting form, Lou!

I received an e-mail recently from Scott R that he and Paul V will be at the Hut this coming Saturday morning. Looking forward to seeing them both. Also, Jim "The New Guy" wrote me saying he couldn't make it this past Saturday as he was in Qatar but was hoping to make it this week. I'm sure if we asked him what he was doing there, he could tell us, but would then have to kill us.

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 11/19/11

2011-11-19T20:20:00.001-05:00

Today at The Tobacco Hut was a wild one, especially toward the end of the day. More on that later. First, let's do a roll call. Present and accounted for were Scott R, his brother-in-law Jeff D, and his son-in-law Corey. Paul O and Joe K were also in attendance as were Jim S (the "new guy" who will always be referred to as the "new guy" until he brings pizza and subs for everyone - sorry Jim, we all had to go through it) and Barry. And rolling up right at closing time was Adrian.

When I arrived all the seats were taken by Scott, Jeff, and Corey, so I had to make do with a folding chair. Grrr...I think as Keeper of the Blog I should get a permanent "nice" chair. No matter, I settled in with a Neerup pipe full of Greg Pease's most-excellent Westminster tobacco, a fine English blend.

Knowing that I was in the presence of eBay greatness (Scott), I told the story of how - in literally the last second - I lost an auction for a beautiful David Jones pipe. Jones is a pipe carver out of Texas and I own a couple of his creations already, so when I saw that he was now selling his pipes on eBay, I jumped at the chance. But, alas, I was outbid. Scott gave me some good pointers and strategies for winning the next one though, as did Joe later in the day.

The discussion between the five of us ranged from the Joe Paterno/Penn State scandal to politics to the new iPhone, which should be in my hot little hands this coming Friday. Scott showed off a new pocket knife acquisition of his and I tried to sell Corey some promotional advertising items for his cleaning business, but Scott (the promotional ad guru himself and my mentor in the business) was polishing up that new knife of his with a little too much zeal and giving me a weird look, so I eased up on the sales pitch.

Joe arrived and everyone but Paul left - you just have that effect on people, Joe! We talked about Joe's favorite topic for awhile - computers. Paul needed some advice on what to buy and we both jumped in and hopefully muddied Paul's mind just enough.

Jim (the new guy) arrived a little later and has apparently taken to the pipe quite nicely. He tried another of Lou's tobaccos, Mello Mix, a very nice light aromatic. Jim, this is definitely a fun stage of pipe smoking, one that never really goes away, that of trying new tobaccos. Enjoy!

Barry arrived and the fun got ratcheted up a couple notches, especially when someone that Paul knew in a previous life showed up to buy some cigars. As the guy was getting out of his car, Paul commented on how much he hated this particular slimy, thieving nemesis of his. Paul was mumbling and muttering the whole time the guy was in the store but when the guy stopped at his chair they chatted like old school chums. Barry was convinced that Paul was going to kick the guy's ass but when the time came, they were best of friends. Barry couldn't let it go and Paul soon found himself in the proverbial barrel.

A little while later some total stranger walking by the store ducked his head in and saw that we had the Ohio State/Penn State game on the TV. He then started to ramble, "Oh, you're watching the Buckeyes. Did you hear about the Penn State mess? You really have to root for Penn State. Why aren't you watching the Penn State game?" Um, we are. "Did you hear that the district attorney who was investigating the allegations against Jerry Sandusky disappeared, like five years ago?" he continued. Barry deadpanned it perfectly when he replied, "Really?" even though we had been talking about the very subject not five minutes ago.

And just to complete the picture, he seemed to, well, how to put this delicately, "play for the other team." Not that there's anything wrong with that (in the words of Seinfeld). But he never wavered from his spot just outside the door, head inside and he seemed to be doing something to the door frame that is probably illegal in most states. He was also looking at me a lot even though Barry was doing most of the talking.

After he left, we began talking about how Barry relishes his role of engaging the more, shall we say, colorful characters that walk past the shop. See last week's blog about him talking to Special Forces man. And who walked by again late in the day but Special Forces man. Barry gave him a quick shout out but he must not have had time to chat as he kept walking.

About ten minutes 'til closing, Adrian rolled up. He's back to his old ways, just breezing in and out. I asked him if, since there wasn't enough time to play a game of chess, why don't we just pretend to play and call me the winner, since it's a foregone conclusion anyway. Naturally, Adrian didn't take too kindly to that and pledged to return next week in time for a real game.

Adrian did lodge a complaint against me about the blog post a few weeks ago, recounting his tales of "conquest" that weekend. But, he did kind of bring it on himself. We did get Adrian to sit for a few minutes and hopefully he'll make it back soon.

Oh yes, in case anyone cared...the answer to the brain teaser from last week about the landscaper that planted five rows of four trees but only used ten trees total is...he planted them in a star pattern. Each corner and intersection of a standard five-point star is where he planted the tree, ten in total.

Before I forget, I did pledge to look something up: Barry wanted to know exactly what a "buckeye" is. It's a nut, of course, but he maintains that it is a chestnut, specifically a horse chestnut. I wasn't sure what it was, but I think it is a separate thing altogether and is simply called a buckeye. So, I now turn to Google. Give me a minute here and I'll come back with the answer.

Okay, here's what I found. The buckeye tree, which the buckeye nut comes from, is known as Aesculus glabra, and is a tree species native primarily in the Midwest and Lower Great Plains region of the United States and parts of Ontario, Canada. The Wikipedia entry for the buckeye tree makes no mention of the horse chestnut, so I initially thought I was correct that the buckeye was a completely separate tree from that of the horse chestnut. But I like to do a thorough job in my research, even if that means I am found to be incorrect about something. (Lou, of course, likes to think that I believe I'm always right and will never admit to being wrong, but - and I'm right about this - that is completely false. I freely admit my mistakes and have often written about my errors in this very space).

Anyway, I discovered that the horse chestnut tree is known scientifically as Aesculus hippocastanum, and is found in the Balkans, Albania, parts of Greece, and Serbia. So, the genus is the same for both trees, Aesculus, but the specific species is different: glabra for the buckeye and hippocastanum for the horse chestnut. Some, like Barry, use the names buckeye and horse chestnut interchangeably but, to be accurate, the buckeye should only be used to describe the so-called New World members of the Aesculus genus, i.e. the tree found in North America. There are slight differences in leaf structure between the two species, but they are from the same genus. Incidentally, the horse chestnut tree is not related to the chestnut tree, which is from the genus Castanea.

So, who's right? Well, in common usage, Barry was right but, technically, they are two separate species of trees. I guess in the end, we're both right. It's a win-win and everyone's happy.

A shout out to my son Ryan, who turned 21 today. Happy birthday, son! I love ya!

Until next week...
Bob

P.S. BTW, Jim, I was just kidding about having to supply pizzas. I mean, if you want to, we won't turn them down, but you don't have to.

Saturday at the Hut - 11/12/11

2011-11-12T17:56:00.001-05:00

Today we had a small, but fun group at The Tobacco Hut. In attendance were Ed B and Barry C as well as a new, and hopefully regular, guy - Jim S. Good to see Barry two weeks in a row after a long absence, and Ed, of course, roaring up in his topless Jeep.

We were expecting to see Coast Guard Don but he was AWOL. Not only was Ed prepared to buy him a premium cigar, but we had brought lots of food in preparation to throw kind of a mini-party. Well, when I say lots of food, I mean Joe K replenished our supply of peanut butter pretzels and Barry surprised us with a big tub of Cheese Doodles. But the thought was there.

Joe K was absent as he was taking his dog Sammie to some sort of dog reunion to the south somewhere. Apparently he stopped by on Friday with the express purpose of bringing the peanut butter pretzels (thanks man!). Scott R also stopped in sometime on Friday, according to Lou. I don't know if Adrian made an appearance during the week as he sometimes does, but let's not forget that Saturday is the day. At least that's the day that I'm at the Hut, and the world revolves around me, after all.

I pulled the trigger and ordered
myself a new iPhone 4S!

I was hoping Joe was there as I wanted to announce that this very morning, before I came to the Hut, I ordered an iPhone 4S! I'm finally ditching this ancient cell phone I've been carrying around for two years and getting a smart phone. Of course, nobody has them in stock, so I had to order it from the Apple store online and it should arrive sometime during the last week of November. It's going to be a tough few weeks waiting for my new toy!

So yes, we have not only a new guy, Jim, but he's a pipe smoker! Actually, he just became a pipe smoker today! Welcome to the Brotherhood of the Briar, Jim. A longtime cigar smoker, he's been thinking of taking up the pipe and he certainly came to the right place. He ended up buying a nice Ben Wade smooth finish bent and loaded it up with some of Lou's Goldenrod tobacco. We must not have scared him off, because he pulled up a chair, settled right in and began puffing.

A lot of the conversation today centered around Joe Paterno's woes at Penn State, and we watched the Penn State/Nebraska game. Other entertainment included making fun of the Special Forces guy (our nickname for him - I seriously doubt he served in the Special Forces, at least of our military) who stumbled past the door a couple times with his two dozen eggs. He's famous for "taking out a guy with one judo chop" some time ago at Wal-Mart for calling his wife a name. Apparently, Wal-Mart rewarded him with two dozen eggs at the time and today he appeared again with two dozen eggs. I presume they are not the same two dozen eggs, but who knows?

Today found me smoking a bowl of McClelland's Wilderness tobacco (third Saturday in a row for Wilderness) in my Cassano tan-colored sandblast. This tobacco has just the right amount of Latakia for a nice, pungent, woodsy flavor. The Cassano handled it nicely, smoking cool and dry all the way down to fine, gray ash. I brought a La Gloria Cubana cigar with me that I had bought a couple weeks ago, but decided to save it for another day.

Kudos to Scott, our resident knife guy. His blog was featured on the Knife Depot blog and our man was interviewed! Knife Depot is a large online knife retailer and a link can be found to Scott's interview here. Congrats man! BTW, Scott has also recently prepared a calendar for sale just in time for next year featuring his knife photography. It can be found here.

We're all wondering how Mike G is doing in Bradenton taking care of Vic's nuts. Vic is on a chartered tour to Israel and, as Ed suggested, perhaps he's exploring franchise opportunities for his nuts in Tel Aviv. As long as they're Kosher nuts, I think you might be sitting on a goldmine there, Vic!

Completely off topic, but how about a little brain teaser as a diversion? Maybe I'll make this a regular - or at least semi-regular - feature of the blog. Here we go...

A landscaper returns from work and is sitting at the kitchen table with his kids. The kids ask, "Did you work hard today, Daddy?"

Dad says, "I did. I planted five rows of four trees each." His little third grader, wanting to show off her new found skills with the multiplication table, says, "You planted 20 trees, Daddy!"

He says, "No, I'm sorry, that's wrong. I planted 10 trees." She responds, "That's impossible!"

The dad responds, "No, it isn't, and here's a hint: If you look at one of the math or history test papers that your teacher has returned to you recently, you're going to find the answer."

The little girl sits there and thinks for a minute, and then she says, "I've got it!"

What did she find on her paper that gave her the answer?

Leave a comment below or send me an e-mail with the answer. I'll provide the solution next week.

Cheers!

Saturday at the Hut - 11/5/11

2011-11-06T11:13:00.000-05:00

We had a great crowd at The Tobacco Hut on Saturday, consisting of weekly regulars and a couple folks we haven't seen in a long time. The regulars in attendance were Joe K, Peter G, Paul O, Bobby M, and Ed B. And we welcomed back some, er, irregulars - Scott R and Barry C. To be fair, Scott showed up last Saturday but had to leave as soon as he arrived, but this week he stayed and smoked two cigars (not at once, of course).

Scott's recent acquisition
(Click to enlarge)

It was show and tell time as Scott brought along a very special knife he reviewed recently on his blog. This is the Sunset Smooth Bone Moon Pie Trapper by Canal Street Cutlery. Quite the impressive knife and Scott generously passed it around to fondle and smudge up with fingerprints. Fingerprints? No matter, as soon as it was passed back, he took out his handy polishing cloth and lovingly buffed all the smudges off, carefully placing it back in its box.

Scott is living the snowbird's life, having recently returned from summering in New York, in the same region that Paula and I traveled to a couple months ago. We compared travel notes and talked about how spectacular the scenery is in upstate New York (see my blog from a few weeks ago for photos).

We had an Oliva Cigar rep join us for awhile. Very nice guy (unfortunately, I can't remember the fellow's name) who knows a lot of the same people that Scott knows since Scott used to work at Blue Smoke in Clearwater. We all commiserated about the sorry state of FDA regulations over tobacco and insane tax rates on cigars and tobacco. Unfortunately, it's only getting worse.

Snack Alert! Snack Alert! The beloved peanut butter pretzels are now gone. Paul and I finished off the last of them. So whoever wants to go to Sam's Club to replenish our supply, please try and go before next Saturday. I, of course, am philosophically and violently opposed to all things Wal-Mart, cannot patronize such an establishment. But will gladly consume products purchased from there.

Bobby arrived and it was show and tell time again. He was describing his new invention, which I won't go into here since it's still in the development stage, but he brought along a cardboard mock-up to demonstrate the concept. Paul, whose mind apparently never leaves the gutter, instantly saw the mock-up not as what it truly demonstrated but, in his words, "a paper airplane with an erection." It didn't help that Bobby was using terms like "shaft" and "penetration".

Some of you may remember that a few weeks ago I called some of our no-shows out on the carpet. A virtual "Wall of Shame" for those who seem to have forgotten that Saturdays are for gathering at the Hut. Honey-do list? What honey-do list? There are cigars to be smoked with the boys at the Hut! Well, my gentle admonition seems to have had an effect on one used-to-be-weekly visitor...Barry C arrived. Great to see you, Barry! Your picture comes off the Wall of Shame!

Peter wasted no time trying to engage Barry in a debate about the Dallas Cowboys, but sparks didn't fly as much as they have in the past. The laughter did ensue when Lou told us his pants size. I can't for the life of me remember how we got to discussing what size Lou's pants are, or what prompted him to reveal this, but apparently he wears a 44/27.

Could this be Lou?

Barry burst out laughing, asking Lou to confirm that his inseam measures only 27". Bobby made some mention about his own sleeve length being longer than Lou's inseam. Bobby later sent me this photo to demonstrate approximately what a 27" inseam would look like. Lou was definitely a good sport about it, having eased himself into the proverbial barrel.

A couple of reminders about upcoming events...Coast Guard Don will be here next Saturday, November 12th, Veterans Day weekend. And February 3rd of next year is Scott's 50th birthday. How about we throw him a Tobacco Hut party on Saturday, Feb. 4th? I know it sounds like a long way away, but we can put together something nice, like we did for Joe's son James when he came back from the west coast a few years ago. You remember all the various caterers we had plus the dancing girls, right?

A big thank you to everyone who came on Saturday! It's nice to have a full house. See you next Saturday!

Saturday at the Hut - 10/29/11

2011-10-30T17:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday at The Tobacco Hut found me enjoying a pipeful of McClelland's Wilderness in a tall Ascorti rusticated - it's a rich mélange of both Syrian and Cyprian Latakias, red Virginias, Orientals, and even some Yenidge, which is a smooth Turkish tobacco. Combined with Diet Mountain Dew and peanut butter pretzels, my palate was more than satisfied!

Readers from last week's blog will know that Adrian arrived last week more than satisfied himself, which I reported dutifully in said blog. Apparently Adrian came in again during the week not entirely happy that his peccadilloes were broadcast to the blogosphere, for which I apologize. Well, not really. I mean, the man did burst into the store all atwitter about his triumphs. I did treat his "activities" with a modicum of discretion, I believe, and left it to the gentle reader to fill in the blanks, as it were. His absence this Saturday, however, was noted by many. We can only imagine what happened, or didn't, this weekend. Hope to see you all smiles next Saturday, Adrian!

So we know that Adrian was a no-show on Saturday...who did make it? Here it is - big announcement - lots of fanfare - drumroll please...Scott R showed up after his long trip south from New York! Wait, wait. Time out. While it is true that he showed up, his visit was a short one. In fact, he called me in the morning whilst on his way to the Hut, but by the time I called him back twenty minutes later he was headed home. Apparently he had some business to attend to on the home front and he had to take off. He did pledge to make it next Saturday, so hopefully he can make it and we can catch up with the Knife Guy!

You guys are reading his knife blog, right? Scott certainly knows his stuff when it comes to pocketknives, is a prolific writer, and can take a damn decent photo of his favorite steel subjects. Like I've said before in this space, I'm not even that into knives, but his blog is an entertaining one and I always learn something from it.

Okay, Adrian was a no show, Scott had to do an about face upon arrival, so who was at the Hut? Well, Bobby M couldn't make it either. He was at a boat show in Ft. Lauderdale but will hopefully be in attendance next Saturday. Peter G was MIA as well. No Tom L either. But here's the rollcall: Joe K, Paul O, Ed B, and - winning the prize for traveling the farthest for a cigar - Mike G from Tennessee. Sorry, Scott, if you had stayed you would have won the prize!

Yes, in a surprise visit, Mike arrived and it was just like old times at the Hut. Mike is actually in town to watch Vic's dog and take care of his nuts (Vic's nuts, not the dog's). Remember, Vic is the proud owner of a Nutty Bavarian Roasted Nut cart at a local flea market. Mike will be roasting up Vic's nuts and serving them up to customers while Vic is out of town.

Mike regaled us with stories from the backwoods of Tennessee, from rattlesnakes, coyotes, and man-eating bears, oh my! And, of course, his own beloved pets through the years. Great to have you back, Mike. Hopefully you can visit again during your stay.

Ed B has a bit of a reputation when it comes to food, specifically deli trays. Years ago at one of Lou's cigar tastings or open houses, Ed apparently made short order of the meat tray, and the legend has stuck. Well, around 4 o'clock, Mike was asking about various regulars at the Hut, including Ed. We said that Ed comes in now and then, and was here last week. Mike replied, "Call for a deli tray and he'll show up." Moments later, the mere mention of a deli platter is all it takes, because in walked Ed!

If you read last week's blog, you might have seen a comment from Coast Guard Don. He's planning on spending some time with us on Saturday, Nov. 12. Looking forward to it, Don! Here's Don's comment:

I miss the Saturdays at the Hut, last time I was in town no one else was...well I will be there on Nov 12th and since it is veterans day weekend I better get my choice of a chair and someone should by me a cigar!!!

Well, Don, I'll gladly buy you a cigar, but I don't know about giving up my chair!

Bracelet made from paper beads
(Click to enlarge)

Time for a shameless plug. As many of you know, my wife Paula makes jewelry on the side. She has a booth next Saturday, Nov. 5th at the Arts & Crafts Show at the North Bay Community Church in Clearwater. It's at 3170 N. McMullen Booth Rd, between 580 and Curlew, across from Morton Plant Mease Hospital, between 9am-2pm. She'll be featuring her paper bead bracelets along with some other items. Most pieces are just $5 so please help spread the word. With the holidays coming, these make fantastic gifts! And, I've even created some of them to help her out. The beads themselves come from various third world countries like Uganda and Nicaragua and help the women who make them rise out of poverty.

Finally, you may have noticed that the blog looks a little different. I posted a quick article a few days ago that I was experimenting with different color schemes, fonts, sizes, etc. Anyway, I'd welcome any feedback. Thanks!

Cheers!
- Bob

Blog Redesign!

2011-10-23T22:19:00.000-04:00

In the words of one of TV's greatest sci-fi series, The Outer Limits, do not attempt to adjust the browser, we are controlling transmission. In other words, I'm monkeying around with the look of the blog. The color, size, fonts, etc. All the content is the same but I've also added a Shop tab and will feature some nifty products from my online shop.

Over the next few days, I'll be experimenting with the different color schemes and templates, so bear with me. I'll settle on one I like soon, but if you have any feedback, don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 10/22/11

2011-10-23T12:39:00.000-04:00

I haven't written a blog post in a month and I'm not sure how to really recap the goings on at The Tobacco Hut this Saturday...at least without offending the more sensitive readers. Let's first start with the attendees: Joe K, Paul O, Ed B, Adrian, Lou, myself and, later, Bobby.

The discussions were fairly benign when it was just Joe and Paul and Lou and me. Some sports talk, some computer talk, etc. But then Adrian walked through the door and right away the topic changed to, well, sex. As I mentioned, I don't want to offend the more delicate reader, so I won't go into specifics, but let's just say that Adrian was fired up from certain recent activities. None of the rest of us were and some were lamenting that fact more than others. The talk even turned downright bawdy and would probably make a longshoreman, or even Tom L, blush.

Ed B brought his own twisted sense of humor to the festivities when he arrived and, before long, we were all laughing so much and so loudly that I'm surprised the sheriff's department wasn't called. Maybe it's because they were already represented.

I will say that Adrian is an expert pantomimist, adroitly (and somewhat crudely) re-enacting various, um, postures that he recently engaged in. Suffice to say that the more base and Neanderthal urges were on display throughout the afternoon. It is my hope that next week will bring more sophistication and culture to the establishment.

It wasn't all lust and fornication at the Hut, however. After Joe had left (he was mumbling something about taking a cold shower as he was leaving) the talk turned to the economy and, specifically the merits of a flat tax. It was at this time that Bobby arrived and he joined in the conversation as well. My position was that a flat tax (call it 15%) is actually a regressive tax, i.e. it takes a larger portion from the poor than it does the rich.

My argument is that while a flat tax sounds fair because everyone is taxed equally, it actually affects the poor more deeply than the rich. The way to think about this is that when someone making $20,000 per year is subject to a flat 15%, they are left with $17,000 to pay for their rent/mortgage, food, utilities, gas, etc., something quite difficult to do in today's economy. But if someone making, say, $1 million per year is taxed at that same 15%, they are left with $850,000 which is still a princely sum of money and they can still live more than comfortably on their net income. Therefore, a flat tax is actually regressive.

Lou was my ally in this debate and we battled valiantly against Adrian, Bobby, and Paul. The opposition argued that there is nothing to stop the person making $20,000 per year from improving his lot in life and working up to making a million per year. Moreover, their argument went, why should the rich be penalized with a higher tax rate for working hard. The debate evolved (devolved?) into how easy or hard it is, to work oneself out of poverty. Lou's and my argument was that the poverty cycle is extremely difficult to break out of. Adrian, Bobby, and Paul maintained that with a positive attitude, perseverance and hard work, one can indeed rise out of dire circumstances.

Several examples were offered as proof of the rags to riches story, but anecdotes don't tell the whole story. Indeed, there is a large body of evidence that the cycle of poverty is widespread and a growing trap for large segments of the population. The curious reader can view a short synopsis of the problem here.

The final debate was between Bobby and me. I was wearing my Tom Wahl's t-shirt, from a drive-in restaurant in Avon, New York where I recently traveled. I maintained that they have the best hamburgers anywhere, but Bobby quickly disputed that, pointing me in the direction of Alachua for a Stogie Burger at Conestoga's. It does get good reviews and if I'm up that way I may have to try it, but I also encourage Bobby if he's ever in the vicinity of Rochester to make the drive for a Wahlburger or, my favorite, the Hollywoodburger (pictured).

Well, we didn't solve any of the world's problems, but probably created a few, and had a great time along the way. Hope to see everyone next week!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 9/24/11

2011-09-25T12:59:00.000-04:00

This week's gathering at The Tobacco Hut wasn't as wild and raucous as last week's - of course without Tom L and Adrian making wild and unfounded accusations of racism toward me like last week the discourse was more subdued. In attendance were Joe K, Bobby, Paul O, Lou, and myself.

It was good to see Joe again as it's been awhile since we've connected. I was gone on vacation for a couple weeks, then Lou closed the store while he was on vacation and last week Joe was MIA as he was suffering from swimmer's ear. He ended up going to an ENT doctor and undergoing some treatments that sounded less than pleasant but he's on the mend now. I don't know why he didn't just pour vodka in his ear like his son James did several years ago when he swam across a retention pond that probably measured well above safe levels for fecal material.

This makes two weeks in a row for Mike G's son-in-law Bobby and it's nice that someone's finally classing up the joint! Bobby has an interesting background, from living abroad in various exotic locales to his boat racing and his Puerto Rican heritage. In fact, he told a good self-depracating joke about his own ethnicity: Why aren't there any Puerto Ricans on Star Trek? Because they're not going to work in the future, either. It's probably better coming from Bobby himself than me since I'm not Puerto Rican. Me telling the joke just makes me sound racist. Damn, maybe Tom and Adrian were right!

Lou was complaining about the slowdown in his computer's speed lately and Joe and I were giving him some advice on what to do about it. Well, actually Joe was giving him practical advice and I was just advising him to get a Mac instead. Joe was estimating that Lou's computer was 4-5 years old and rather than installing Windows 7 on it to speed it up, the recommendation was to just buy a new computer. Rebuilt computers can be had for such an inexpensive price that at that age (the computer's age, not Lou's), it really makes sense to just replace it. Bobby agreed, having had good success with rebuilt devices.

By the way, thank you Joe for passing along the glowing recommendation from your friend who hasn't had any problems with their computer because (drumroll please)...it's a Mac.

It was also good to see Paul O as it's been several weeks since we've both been at the Hut at the same time. Paul's dry wit is always appreciated. He's built up quite a repertoire of jokes and one-liners about death - perfect for his line of work in funeral pre-planning.

Later in the afternoon, the talk turned to politics and included such topics as the influence of lobbyists, "Obamacare", and unions. It wasn't too divisive and I think everyone agreed that voter apathy is one of the biggest problems. I was proudly wearing my NPR shirt but was a little disappointed that Joe hadn't worn his "Pipe Down You Silly Liberal" t-shirt but he said he had to visit a customer about a computer before he came to the Hut, and didn't want to potentially upset a revenue source.

Saturday saw me smoking a bowl of G.L. Pease's Westminster tobacco in my Ser Jacopo sandblasted Canadian. Unfortunately, I had packed it a little too tight and had some trouble getting it going at first, but it soon loosened up and turned into a wonderful smoke. The sharp aroma from the Latakia was most enjoyable. Thank you in advance, Lou, for cleaning up my Corona Old Boy lighter as it's getting pretty gunked up with carbon and having difficulty lighting.

A reminder if I didn't include anyone in my change of address alert: I've switched from Verizon to Bright House as my provider so have changed e-mail addresses. My new e-mail addy is bob.harrison@tampabay.rr.com

I couldn't resist the allure of what the Bright House salesman when he came to my door. Well, let me correct that. I couldn't resist the allure of what he was selling. He actually looked a little like Mike G. In any case, we're now getting almost a hundred more HD channels for $25 less per month and the first month is free. Bright House is working hard to win back customers that they've lost over the last few years to Verizon and I'm obviously not loyal to any particular company. Except to you, Lou! In contrast to Paul who called himself a "cigar whore."

Everyone's favorite knife guy, Scott R, is on schedule to return to Tampa Bay in late October, so hopefully we'll see him in a month or so.

Speaking of missing regulars...where have some of you guys been? I'm thinking of Ed B and Darryl G. And Paul V - yes, you Paul, I'm talking to you! Box Ed, where have you been? Even Peter has turned irregular on us. Hey Vic, put your nuts down and make another trip up from Bradenton man! And I've all but given up on Barry. And there used to be this landscape guy who came in who always regaled us with his dating prowess. Steve was his name, I think. And Preacher Jim, how are you going to "save" me if you don't come in? Of course, I was gone for two weeks myself recently, so if you think it's hypocritical of me to call you guys out, come in and tell me! Seriously, would love to see some packed houses in the weeks to come!

'Til next time...

Saturday at the Hut - 9/17/11

2011-09-18T17:20:00.001-04:00

It's been five weeks since I've updated the blog, but I have some good excuses. Last Saturday, Lou and Dotty were on a gambling trip to Tunica, Mississippi and the store was closed. The two Saturdays before, Sept 3 and Aug 27, Paula and I were on the Mother of All Road Trips, traveling from Florida to Tennessee to Ohio to New York and back. More on the trip in a moment. And the Saturday before, Aug 20...well, The Tobacco Hut was open and I was there. I guess I just didn't feel like writing a blog post that week. In any case, I'll try to catch up on what's been going on the last several weeks, starting with our 3,313 mile vacation.

Paula and I arrived in Coker Creek, Tennessee the afternoon of Fri, Aug 26 and were able to find Mike & Diane G's place with no problem. We'd been there before - about six years prior - and the GPS certainly helped. Mike and Diane have a wonderful piece of property in the mountains of southeast Tennessee and Mike has a new friend - his dog Shya (not sure of the spelling). She showed up on the front porch one day and they've been inseparable ever since. See pictures below of Mike, he and Diane's home, and his dog Shya.

Shya, on the banks of Coker Creek
(Click to enlarge)

Mike & Diane's home
(Click to enlarge)

Mike, in his element, spinning some yarn
(Click to enlarge)

Thanks for putting us up for the night, Mike & Diane! Diane's cooking is fantastic and enjoying a cigar on the front porch was a perfect way to end the evening. We'd love to pay you an extended visit in the spring perhaps. Nothing too long, just three or four weeks!

The next day found us pulling into Columbus, Ohio to visit my son Ryan, just entering his junior year at Ohio State. He took us to a wonderful Thai restaurant in the Short North district and the next day he gave us the grand tour of the campus. I have to admit, it was a little surreal having my son show me around the buildings and grounds of where I went to school almost thirty years ago. Below are some pictures from our stop in Columbus.

Ryan, Paula, and I at Nida's on High, a fabulous Thai
restaurant in Columbus.
(Click to enlarge)

Paula and I clowning with Brutus at Ohio State
(Click to enlarge)

We arrived in Cleveland the evening of Sun, Aug 28, staying at my friend Mike and his wife's house. It was great to see Mike, who I first met in 4th grade and we've been best friends ever since. This was Paula's first trip to Cleveland so I enjoyed showing her where I grew up, went to school, hung out, etc. We also had lunch one day at Mr. Hero's where I enjoyed a Romanburger - a sandwich I had at least once a week when I lived in Cleveland. It still tasted as good as I remembered, but my 47-year-old digestive system had a little trouble handling the grease.

Mike had gathered some old friends at his house our first night there and it was great to spend time with them. I did embarrass myself thoroughly when I went out to the car later in the evening to get a cigar. It was dark and I didn't see a landscape paver, and did a full header into their flower bed. In addition to scraping over a rock with my ankle, I took out a landscape light of theirs, crushing it as I landed on it. Fortunately, no one saw me, but there were some questions when I returned to the party as to why I had a big rip in my shirt. Sigh...it's hell getting old.

The "Bob Harrison Reality Tour" continued as we headed off to the Rochester, New York area to visit with various cousins. Paula fell in love with the Finger Lakes region, especially the little village of Honeoye Falls. We spent a day driving entirely around Seneca Lake, and visiting eight or ten of the wineries that dot the shores of the lake. We had lunch at the southern end of the lake in Watkins Glen at the marina - with a beautiful view of the lake.

Paula and my cousins tasting some wine at the
Damiani Winery on Seneca Lake.
(Click to enlarge)

The next day was one of the highlights of the trip for me. We spent the day at Letchworth State Park, a 17-mile park on both sides of the mighty Genesee River as it travels northward to Lake Ontario (The Genesee River is one of the few rivers in North America that flows northward). Over the millennia, the river has cut a deep gorge (in some places over 500 feet high) through the bedrock, earning the park the name of "Grand Canyon of the East".

Glen Iris Inn at Letchworth State Park, NY
(Click to enlarge)

Middle Falls, Letchworth State Park, NY. This is the view
from the front porch of the Glen Iris Inn above.
(Click to enlarge)

I shot this just for Peter. A US Food Service truck
making a delivery at the Glen Iris Inn.
(Click to enlarge)

Railroad trestle and Upper Falls at Letchworth State Park, NY.
The Erie Railroad built the 820' long 240' iron and steel
bridge in 1875 and it is still in use today. My late Uncle Roger
actually flew under the bridge in his private plane once or
twice in the 1970s. Probably illegal. Equally as illegally,
I have swum at the base of the Upper Falls, careful to not
swim too far downriver and over the Middle Falls.
(Click to enlarge)

I made sure to enjoy a Hollywood Burger at Tom Wahl's in Avon. I have very fond childhood memories of Tom Wahl's and even once made a 14-hour roundtrip excursion while in college so I could have one of their burgers. See pictures below of what you're missing if you haven't been to Tom Wahl's.

The famous Hollywood Burger at Tom Wahl's, Avon, NY.
(Click to enlarge)

After a few days in the Rochester area, we headed off to the Thousand Islands area of New York. We originally planned on meeting up with Scott R for breakfast in Palmyra at the Acropolis restaurant, but he had to cancel as he and his wife were headed to New England for the holiday weekend. Note to Scott - maybe it was for the best, my cousins who live in Victor referred to it as the "Acrapolis" restaurant!

The Thousand Islands is where Lake Ontario flows into the St. Lawrence River. An island is officially counted as an island if it has at least one tree on it, and the area boasts exactly 1,864 islands. We took an hour-long boat tour from Alexandria Bay, and then spent several hours touring Heart Island and Boldt Castle.

Boldt Castle, built at the turn of the century by George Boldt,
owner of the Waldorf Astoria hotel, for his wife Louise. When
George received word that his wife had died, he halted
construction and abandoned the project. The Thousand
Island Bridge Authority purchased the castle in 1977
and restored it to the point where it had been abandoned.
It remains unfinished.
(Click to enlarge)

Pump house for Boldt Castle, Heart Island, Alexandria Bay, NY.
(Click to enlarge)

Smallest inhabited island in the Thousand Islands.
(Click to enlarge)

We had dinner in Clayton, NY, at the Thousand Island Inn, and the home of the original Thousand Island dressing. Paula ordered it on her salad; I had ranch. Interesting side note...I didn't know until we returned that the Thousand Island Inn is where my mother and father stayed for their first wedding anniversary in 1951.

The motel in which we spent the night at Alexandria Bay was a little, well, creepy. We affectionately call it the Bates Motel and it didn't help that the proprietor looked remarkably similar to Norman Bates. I think the place was built in 1961 and hasn't been updated since. See pictures below.

The "Bates Motel" we stayed at in the Thousand Islands.
It was more than a little creepy.
(Click to enlarge)

Interior of our room at the "Bates Motel". Note the original
orange shag carpet, rickety furniture, hideous bedspread,
and strange white patch on wall where we presumed
the owners tried to clean up the blood splatter.
(Click to enlarge)

Paula had never been to upstate New York and we are seriously considering moving up there at some point. If we could get out from under our house, we'd be up there in a heartbeat. Of course, she might think differently if we visit the area in the wintertime. That being said, she's originally from Boston and I'm from Cleveland, so winters are not unknown to us.

Our return trip involved driving 1,420 miles in two days. I was never so happy to get off the road. The last little bit from about Ocala to home was the toughest. But all in all, we had a fantastic trip, saw some great people, the weather was perfect, and I ended up shooting almost 1,000 pictures.

I was sooo looking forward to re-joining my smoking friends at the Hut after my return, but Lou had the shop closed that next Saturday, so I had to wait until this weekend. It was worth the wait, not only for the first pipe I'd had in several weeks, but for the fun and hijinks that ensued, especially with Tom L and Adrian in attendance.

Also in attendance were Peter G and Bobby M, Mike G's son-in-law who paid a visit back in August when Mike was in town.

There was extensive discussion about the state of our economy and who's to blame. Most of us agreed it was largely the fault of the bankers and, thank you to Tom for recommending a documentary titled "Inside Job" from filmmaker Charles Ferguson and narrated by Matt Damon. It's a look at the outrages that occurred leading up to the 2008 economic meltdown, with plenty of blame for the Republicans and Democrats alike.

Bobby talked a lot about the Dave Ramsey personal finance course, which Peter was familiar with as well. There are some great ideas for achieving "financial peace" including eliminating debt, building up emergency reserves and even paying off mortgages early.

The talk turned a little edgier, and a whole lot funnier, when Adrian arrived. Somehow I got painted as some sort of racist though. Maybe it had something to do with saying that when playing chess with Adrian, I always won with the white pieces. Or when I came out of the restroom with a "White's Only" sign. It's all in fun though, right Adrian? Seriously, Adrian dishes out as much as he takes and there's plenty to pile on about white culture.

Even Peter and his Greek heritage took a bit of ribbing. No one is immune at The Tobacco Hut; everyone has their day in the barrel as Lou and Joe like to say. Speaking of Joe, I was sorry to hear that Joe was feeling under the weather with an ear infection and couldn't make it in on Saturday. Hopefully he'll make it in next week.

Until then...
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 8/13/11

2011-08-13T22:29:00.002-04:00

Today was one of the liveliest and most fun Saturdays at The Tobacco Hut in a long time! In attendance were Joe K, Vic, Tom L, Lou, and me. And, winning the Traveled-The-Furthest-To-Attend Award was Mike G, all the way from Tennessee. And he brought his son-in-law Bob with him.

It was a wild affair from the start when Vic brought in a large cooler filled with, of all things, deli meats. As many of you know, Vic "knows a guy" in New York who makes homemade various kinds of sausages, deli meats, and liverwurst. We've had recent tastings of liverwurst and apparently Joe placed a monster order, which Vic delivered today. Tom and I sat in amazement while they actually weighed out various amounts of meat on Lou's tobacco scale. Don't know if Vic kept the proverbial thumb on the scale or not.

Joe amassed a fairly large quantity of various and sundry meats, money was exchanged, and it was all wrapped up and put back in the cooler for safe keeping. At one point, Tom made a grab for the cooler, but Joe gave him the "Look of Death", and Tom slowly eased back into his chair. I don't think I've seen Joe as protective of something since he leaped out of his chair and chased some kids with a shopping cart away from his car ten years ago.

Vic also brought in copious amounts of cheese, including a delicious Welsh cheddar cheese from Sam's Club. Actually, all the cheeses he brought in were from Sam's Club and, although I'm reluctant to admit it since I hate all things associated with Wal-Mart, it was all very good.

Tom had never tried liverwurst before, so one of the frozen chubs was put outside to thaw. Crackers were opened and Tom was soon no longer a liverwurst virgin. I won't describe what Tom did with the 18" long chub of liverwurst before it was sliced open. Suffice to say that the woman across the parking lot at the Windmill water station was more than a bit surprised.

Before I forget, I have to point something out - something that everyone said wouldn't make it onto the blog. Vic brought his iPad in and was trying to find his bookmarks. He brought up the bookmark menu, but the actual links weren't there. He asked if I would take a look at it, so I did, being the "Apple Guy". Well, I couldn't find them either and suggested that somehow they had been deleted. At that point, Joe (I think it was Joe, may have been Mike's son-in-law Bob) clicked the "Bookmarks" button and all the bookmarks magically appeared. So yes, I didn't know something. However, Vic later asked if I could expand a chess game on the iPad to fill the screen and I successfully did that, so I believe I am vindicated.

Vic announced a new business venture - selling his prized nuts. It's not as bizarre as it sounds. He's actually licensed a cart from The Nutty Bavarian. He'll be setting up shop soon in the Red Barn flea market in Bradenton, selling cinnamon-glazed roasted peanuts, cashews, pecans, and almonds. Vic has a friend who's been doing it up north and has been quite successful with it, so he's taken the plunge and very shortly Vito Paul's Nutty Bavarian cart will be open for business. Congratulations, Vic, and good luck to you!

Vic has traded in his prison guard uniform for that of the Nutty Bavarian - glazed roasted nut extraordinaire!

Of course, being typical, immature guys we couldn't let the opportunity pass without making numerous references to Vic's nuts. Most were too vulgar to repeat in a family-friendly forum. Too bad Scott wasn't here today; Vic showed off an awesome knife. Scott, you would have been drooling, my friend.

One of the funniest moments (of which the printed word will probably not do it justice) occurred when Mike was telling Tom, Lou, and me about a recent trip he and his wife took to a small town in North Carolina. One of their stops was at a cupcake shop. Now, for those of you who know Mike, you'll have to picture every unique-to-Mike nuance and inflection in the following dialogue:

Mike: Now I'm not real big on cupcakes, but they had a snicker-doodle cupcake -
Lou: A snicker-doodle cupcake?! (apparently Lou loves snicker-doodles)
Mike: Yeah, a snicker-doodle cupcake. And it was out of this world.
Tom: Did you bring one back for Lou?
Mike: What?
Tom: Did you bring one back for Lou?
Mike: Yeah (reaching into his pocket), I got your snicker-doodle cupcake right here. I've been walking around for two weeks with this thing in my pocket to give to Lou. Just disregard all the lint and it might be a little stale, but enjoy!

Now if you know Mike, imagine him saying those last lines absolutely dripping with his one-of-a-kind sarcasm, and the rest of us absolutely busting a gut laughing. Tom and I were practically in tears.

Throughout the day, Joe and Tom were involved in high-level negotiations regarding some sort of probably illegal boat transfer to James in Atlanta. Today had it all - a little earlier Tom and I witnessed Joe passing Bob some kind of substance marked "Dramamine". Not sure what that was all about, and probably don't want to know. Deli meats from a questionable source, boat transports, Dramamine transfers, Vic's nuts...the mind reels.

At another point in the day an African-American father of three came into the store with his three young boys selling M&M's as a fundraiser. The boys were a little shy, but explained that it was for their school and it was for a "Night of Stars". Tom asked them who some of the stars would be in attendance and one of them replied with the name of some black artist that none of us had ever heard of. After a moment of silence, the father said, as explanation, "It's a black thing!" and we all burst out laughing. The wallets opened up and M&M's were purchased. After they left, Mike brought out his trusty pair of dice and said, "Bring those kids back here and let's play with these. It's a white thing!"

We were hoping that Darryl would show up. He had e-mailed Lou and me earlier in the week saying that he had been under the weather but was hoping to make it today. Hope you're still on the mend, Darryl, and can make it in soon. Peter was in Ft. Myers, but he said hello to everyone via phone when I called him. No sign of Paul O, who's been stopping in regularly for the past several weeks. Adrian apparently came in yesterday, but was afraid to show up today for fear of losing his second game in a row of chess.

I'm sure I've forgotten numerous things that occurred today, but what a fun day at the Hut!

By the way, today saw me smoking a Crown Viking freehand I bought from Lou several years ago. I had it filled with a new tobacco for me, Wilderness. It's created by blender Fred Hanna and put out by McClelland. I got it from a guy on Smokers Forums and today was the first day I tried it. What a wonderful tobacco! It has Virginias, Orientals, and both Cyprian and Syrian Latakias. The layers of flavor were readily apparent and it was a smooth, but rich tobacco. Lou filled up a bowl as well and enjoyed it with me.

A shout out to Lou for cleaning, sanitizing, and polishing up a pipe of mine I'm sending off to the guy on the same forum. It was an H. Jones Easy Loader originally owned by my stepfather. I got it when he passed away several years ago and I don't smoke it too often anymore, so I thought why not pass it along to someone who will enjoy it.

Until next week!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 8/6/11

2011-08-06T22:45:00.002-04:00

First, a heartfelt and sincere apology for not writing the blog last week. Joe K was out of town and was relying on it to find out what he missed and Tom L has suddenly become my biggest fan, addicted to everything I write. When he walked in today, he practically screamed at me for not writing the blog last week (in fact, he did scream at me - it was very frightening).

Thankfully I already had my pipe loaded when Tom launched into his tirade. My hands were shaking so badly afterward, I don't think I could have managed to put more than a few crumbs of tobacco in it. Much like the measly economic crumbs Tom and his neo-conservative friends allow to trickle down to the masses. C'mon! I'm the token liberal in the group...I'm allowed the occasional jab at Tom, et al.

Anyway, today found me smoking a David Jones rusticated billiard filled with G.L. Pease's very tasty Westminster. It has the perfect amount of Latakia in it and has a great flavor. The aroma will probably only be pleasing to fellow smokers. It's been my experience that tobaccos with Latakia don't have a particularly nice aroma to non-smokers. Oh well, I was surrounded by smokers and nobody complained.

Last week we discovered that Lou was a telegram courier in an earlier life. It was his first job, working for a company called Postal Telegraph Company. Alas, they couldn't compete with Western Union, perhaps because they didn't give Lou a bicycle with which to deliver his telegrams. Instead, he walked. We all had some good natured fun picturing Lou walking leisurely along making his urgent deliveries. I was able to locate an image of a Postal Telegraph telegram on the web and display it here in the hopes that it will bring back fond memories for Lou.

Need to get a message to someone fast? Use Postal Telegraph and ask for Lou!

Lou also revealed that shortly after the telegram courier job, he went to work for a florist. Not as a florist, but making deliveries primarily (walking?). He did say that he occasionally arranged some of the flowers as well. Good to know that Lou is in touch with his feminine side.

And it's OK for a man to be in touch with his feminine side. Note to Paul O...I'll have you know I enjoyed Key Largo very much.

Before we get too far afield, today's attendees included Tom L, Joe K, Peter G, Paul O, Adrian, Lou, and myself. Joe was in Atlanta last week, helping his son James close on his first house and get settled in. Congrats to James on the house! We will naturally be expecting invitations to the housewarming party. Of course, none of us were invited to the wedding, so I'm not going to hold my breath for the housewarming party.

The talk turned to politics, not surprisingly with the rancor in Congress about raising the debt ceiling, but our discourse was actually fairly civil. I think it shows that among reasonable people, the anger and disgust is actually aimed toward our esteemed lawmakers in Washington (of both parties), who are far more concerned with positioning themselves well for the next election than doing what's right for the country.

Joe and I talked computers and Tom is considering purchasing an iPad. Probably if Apple was on the verge of releasing an iPad 3, Joe would have sold Tom his iPad 2 in the store, as he is wont to do from time to time.

I regaled the assembled with tales from the book I'm currently reading, King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terrorism, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild. I know Joe especially likes to hear what book I have my nose in, but I didn't realize how much Paul was eager to hear about it. I suppose the snoring should have clued me in.

We also came dangerously close to talking about women's stuff, with an extended discussion about couponing. Fortunately, the talk turned to sports or something before we moved on to makeup and shoes.

After Joe, Paul, and Tom left, Peter and I discussed how things were going with his new job and sales in general. Adrian arrived but not in time for a game of chess. No matter, I'm still the reigning champion. He pledged that he would come in earlier next week so perhaps I'll offer him a rematch. In any case, when we do play again, Adrian will be white. We know Adrian secretly prefers to be white, as do most folks. Being black puts you at a disadvantage right off the bat. Truth be told, I can't remember who played what when he beat me three games in a row, so in the end it probably doesn't make any difference who plays with the white pieces and who plays with the black (plus I've run out of racial double entendres).

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 7/23/11

2011-07-23T20:23:00.002-04:00

We had a smaller crowd at The Tobacco Hut today than the last several Saturdays. Not standing room only like last week, but a more intimate assembly. No vodka and liverwurst either, so I had to make do with peanut butter pretzels and Mountain Dew. No matter. In attendance today were Paul O, Joe K, Lou and me...and Adrian made an extended appearance!

I was joking with Adrian that a group picture had been taken a couple years ago that included him in the background. At the time, Adrian was just the black guy who breezed in and out and we didn't really know too much about him. In fact, I remember looking at the picture when I posted it to the blog back then and thinking, "Who the hell is that guy?".

From left: Tom L, Steve B (sitting), Bob H (your humble narrator), Joe K ("Thank You Jesus" pose), Peter G (sitting), Lou, Adrian (who is that guy?), James K, Ed B.
(Click to enlarge)

I did a little searching and found the blog post in question and am re-posting the picture above. The occasion was a party we had for James K, Joe's son, who was moving back east for his job. You can read the blog post here - it sounds like we had a good time back then.

Even with the debate and rhetoric over the debt ceiling raging in Washington, our discussion today remained pretty sedate. I tried to stir the pot a little, but no one took the bait. I think what's more pressing is whether professional football will be played this fall or not. We obviously have our priorities in order.

Joe was thoroughly enjoying his La Gloria Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigar and - best of all - he didn't complain once during the entire smoke! Typically for Joe, it will canoe or unravel or become too tight to draw through or taste funny or get a stem in it or go out or have an odd smell or the band will give him a paper cut. But this time, Joe was smoking perfection! Woohoo!

Glad to see Paul O sticking around. We could have called him the "White Adrian" because he would often breeze in and out, but the last couple weeks he's settled right in and enjoyed a cigar or two. Hope to see you next week again Paul!

Now the best news of all. Not only did Adrian show up but we actually played a game of chess. Typically when he does show up on a Saturday he'll make up some excuse why he can't play. He adopts his old "breeze in and out" persona, claiming that Mrs. Adrian is waiting in the car and doesn't have time for a game. Of course, he only started doing this once he had three victories in a row under his belt.

But today he sat down and, after everyone else had left, we broke out the chessboard. Hell, I was about ready to just take it home one of these weeks, thinking he would never sit down for a game. I'm glad I kept the board at the Hut though. Especially an hour and a half later when I emerged victorious! Adrian had me on the ropes about midway through the game, but the turning point was when I forked two of his pieces, a bishop and rook, with my pawn, and I was able to go up a piece. I still had to be careful, 'cause Adrian is quite resourceful and always has a surprise or two up his sleeve, but I held on and, with just a few pieces left on the board, he resigned.

He has pledged to return next Saturday, anxious to regain his crown. Maybe I'll do a disappearing act for the next few months so I can rest on my laurels - LOL!

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 7/16/11

2011-07-18T19:46:00.001-04:00

Sorry I'm a couple days late in filing this report. Saturday evening our air conditioning went on the fritz and was finally up and running this afternoon (Monday). Just didn't feel like banging out a blog post when the inside temperature was 92º.

Anyway, Saturday at The Tobacco Hut was standing room only as we had a dozen guys in attendance. Besides Lou and me, the roll call included Peter G, Joe K, Ed B, Jim C, Paul O, Vic and his cousin Russ, Tom L, Steve B, and Arnie. Arnie called his brother-in-law, Don, in North Carolina, and put him on speaker so we'll let that count.

Before I get to the savory treats provided by some of the fellows, I have to point something out that was a little troubling. Tom L apparently keeps a picture taken long ago of James K, Joe's son. I'm thinking Tom has a bit of a man crush on James, and was probably heartbroken to hear of James' wedding a couple months ago. Sorry, Tom, couldn't resist - you were giving me a rash of crap because I didn't know how to hold Arnie's iPhone. In retrospect, I guess I deserved it after I introduced you to Arnie as our resident a**hole. Maybe I should have softened the label by calling you our resident wiseass instead.

Paul O has been in many times, but seldom stays for long. This Saturday, however, he settled in for the duration. Paul works in the funeral business, selling pre-planned funeral arrangements. He is also gifted with a great sense of humor, and his choice of profession lends itself to many jokes and stories. So stop by often, Paul, we enjoyed hearing them!

Lou ringing up a big
sale - note the large bag
on the counter.
(Click to enlarge)

Lou was in an especially good mood since the cash register was ringing a lot, including a big sale of 5 lbs. of roll-your-own cigarette tobacco. That's Lou at the counter ringing up the huge bag of it. Whenever a customer walks out of the store with a bag that large, Lou's a happy man.

Vic mentioned that while he enjoys the blog, especially the photo of him that I doctored up last week showing him on his scooter with the bright purple handlebar streamers, I never include stories that poke fun at me. Now, be assured that I find myself in the barrel quite often, to use the terminology of the Hut. But...as writer of the blog, I exercise certain literary freedoms, and one of them is that I like to remain relatively unscathed and not draw attention to the barbs aimed in my direction. It's far more fun for me to recount the jokes at others' expenses. You are free, of course, to leave a comment on any of the blog posts if I've omitted anything!

Vic brought in a chub of homemade liverwurst from upstate New York. Joe brought in the crackers, and the feast was set up on the end counter. Quite a few people enjoyed the Braunschweiger, which originated in the city of Braunschweig in the Brunswick province of Germany. This particular liverwurst is made by a guy in western New York that Vic knows. Vic has brought quite a few chubs of liverwurst and other deli meats with him in his various travels from the north.

Arnie actually brought in
a full bottle of the blue-
berry Vodka, but it didn't
take long for us to drink
half of it.
(Click to enlarge)

Arnie brought an ice cold bottle of Norwegian vodka, Vikingfjord. He was telling us about it last week, along with Aquavitt. He didn't have any of the latter with him, but he did bring us a bottle of this blueberry flavored vodka. It's made with purified, distilled glacier water and it was quite good. I had a couple small shots of it and the blueberry flavor was distinct, but not overpowering by any means. It actually went well with the pipeful of G.L. Pease's Westminster I was enjoying. Indeed, in Arnie's honor, I was smoking a Nording pipe. Now Erik Nording isn't from Norway, rather Denmark, but it's all Scandinavia. The vodka did not go too well with the remainder of my Mountain Dew however.

Vic brought his cousin Russ in for a visit. Russ is visiting the Rochester, New York area and, we discovered after a bit, that he went to school (as did Vic) with a cousin of mine in Avon, NY. He's also friends with a cousin on my father's side, who also lives in Avon. Definitely a small world. Russ is a liquor and wine sales representative, so he and Peter had some common challenges to explore as Peter is in food sales.

Russ almost committed a fatal error by sitting in Lou's chair when he arrived. In Russ's defense, the chair was empty and I...well, I encouraged him to sit in it. Lou was more forgiving than I thought he would be, and after Vic fell from his scooter to one of the regular chairs, Russ took up his position on the scooter (sans handlebar streamers).

A shout out to Leah, Vic's wife. I became friends with her today on Facebook. I've looked for Vic on Facebook, but can't seem to find him there.

A little later in the day, Steve was talking to a customer about something I found interesting. The customer had suffered a heart attack a few months ago and is trying to maintain a healthier diet. Steve recommended he look at a website called Mark's Daily Apple. The creator of the site, Mark Sisson, has developed a "primal" diet. Acknowledging that humans have only been farming for the last 10,000 years, but began evolving millions of years before that, Mark eschews foods containing the various grains and sugars, instead favoring primarily meat and vegetables. I won't go into the whole diet and philosophy here, but check out his website. It's very extensive and understandable and makes a lot of sense. It boils down to a primal diet, i.e. eating what our ancestors ate, which was whatever they could pick or kill. Peter had asked for the website from Steve, which he gave him, but I thought a wider audience could benefit from it.

Another shout out, this time to Jim C, and his new (to him) 1978 Corvette. Sorry I don't have a picture to show, but this is one fine looking - and sounding - machine. If you ever get tired of it, Jim, and just want to give it away, keep me in mind!

Paper bead necklace; beads
imported from Uganda.
(Click to enlarge)

One more thing...as many of you know, Paula has been making bracelets with paper beads that come from Africa. She has now just started making necklaces from the same beads. Bracelets are still only $5 and necklaces start at $20, depending on the size. I'll be adding photos of the necklaces to her website, Paper Bead Bracelets but, for now, you can see what the necklaces look like here.

That's it for this week.

- Bob

P.S. In the weeks to come, you may see some unobtrusive advertising from Amazon along the right "rail" of the blog. I'm exploring ways to monetize the blog, but only if I can find a way to do it that isn't distracting and is relevant to the subject at hand. If you have any feedback regarding this, please don't hesitate to let me know, good, bad or ugly. Thanks!

Saturday at the Hut - 7/9/11

2011-07-10T14:40:00.002-04:00

Saturday was a well-attended and fun-filled day at The Tobacco Hut. The roll call included Joe K, Peter G, Vic, Coast Guard Don (two weeks in a row for Don!), Barry (although he came later in the afternoon), and a newcomer to Saturdays - Arnie, Don's brother in law. And, of course, Lou and myself. A little more about Don and Arnie in a minute, but first, I think we need to change Vic's nickname to ScooterPoot or something.

Apparently, he tore a ligament in his left leg several weeks ago and was wearing a boot until it healed. Well, it didn't heal properly and now he's wearing a full hard cast over his foot and almost up to his knee. Lou signed it with a loving, encouraging message of good will ("Too bad, Lou"), but the rest of us were more interested in the little scooter Vic was tooling around in.

Vic's scooter with pretty
handlebar streamers.
(Click to enlarge)

Vic wheeled himself to the restroom and on his way back, Arnie surreptitiously snapped a photo of him trying to navigate his way out of the back room. (Lou, to avoid an ADA lawsuit, you'll probably want to widen the doorway to the back, widen the bathroom door, and install grab bars). We had talked about what accessories Vic should add to the scooter, like a big orange warning flag to the back, a cute basket in front, or chrome wheels. But I think the consensus was that he should add bicycle handlebar streamers. So, thanks to the magic of Photoshop, I have outfitted Vic's scooter with adorable purple and white streamers. I think Vic said he's hoping to have the cast off in a few days so won't be needing the scooter anymore, but hopefully he'll take our kind suggestions to heart and install the streamers before he turns the scooter back in.

I enjoyed a bowlful of Baker Street in a pipe I haven't smoked in probably ten years. It was a Savinelli unfinished tomato shape with Lucite stem. I obtained it when I worked at the Tinder Box in Columbus and smoked it so much at the time that it darkened up quite nicely. I added a coat of wax to it and buffed it up and, other than a few spots of putty, it's a good smoking pipe. I'll probably add it back into the rotation.

Coast Guard Lockheed HC-130H
based at Clearwater Air Station
that Don may or may not fly
or work on in some capacity.
(Click to enlarge)

This was Don's second visit in as many weeks, but he'll be shipping off to North Carolina, so it will be awhile before we see him again, I'm afraid. For the next couple days, Don is stationed at the Clearwater Coast Guard station but, my apologies to Don, I can't remember if he said he works on or flies a particular type of airplane. He was talking with Joe about a certain plane last week. I know he said he flies, but not sure if he flies for work or pleasure. In any case, I located a photo of a plane that is based at the Clearwater station and include it here for your viewing pleasure. (The photo was taken at an air show somewhere, but doesn't look like Florida). Trivia time: What is the Coast Guard's official motto? It's Latin, and bonus points if you can translate it. Answers at the end of the blog.

Don's brother in law, Arnie, is a pilot for Continental Airlines. He is also originally from Norway although Vic and I tried to place his slight accent as Scottish or Irish at first. Arnie has lived in the States for quite awhile now, in Pennsylvania, but is looking to relocate to Florida sometime in the future. One could say that by migrating from Norway to North America, he has followed in his ancestors' footsteps, since the Vikings actually discovered North America before Columbus did. Archaeological digs in Labrador and parts of Newfoundland prove that the Norse lived in North America five hundred years before Columbus "discovered" the New World. Truth be told, neither Columbus nor the Vikings actually discovered America. Various indigenous tribes had been living here quite happily for thousands of years before any Europeans set foot in the Americas.

Continental 767 similar to what
Arnie flies.
(Click to enlarge)

Arnie flies 767's on mostly international routes and, in his honor, I have included a pretty cool photo of just such a plane. I stole the photo from someone's website, thanks to Google Images. It shows a heavy layer of condensation accumulating on the wings and in the engine intakes.

Arnie had lots to say about life in Norway which, as is most of Europe, a socialist capitalist society. I thought I would no longer be the lone liberal in the room when he explained that for years he always leaned more to the left, but now has swung over to the dark side (my words, not his) and is more right-leaning. Joe erupted with a "Thank you, Jesus!" and when Arnie identified himself as a Christian, I knew I was once again the token Godless communist in the room.

Peter is doing well in his new position as food service sales representative, having opened a new account this past week. I told him that Paula and I were headed to Mr. Souvlaki in Tarpon Springs for dinner. By the way, we ran into Undertaker Tom at the restaurant. He advised the waiter to watch out for me, as I was one of the biggest "dine and dashers" in the county. Thanks Tom, I felt like I had to tip extra big to make up for the guy's newfound suspicion of me.

Arnie and Don spoke at length about preparing various foods. Don apparently has a 1000 lb. meat smoker and Arnie explained how to salt and age various meats. Peter, Vic, and Joe were all salivating, especially when Arnie was talking about preparing and cooking leg of lamb. It was all quite interesting, even to someone like me who can barely make Jello without burning it.

Aquavit, or akevitt in Norwegian,
served in traditional tulip-
shaped glasses.
(Click to enlarge)

Arnie also had everyone salivating about aquavit, a vodka-like spirit that originated in Scandinavia and is obviously one of Arnie's favorite drinks. He has pledged to bring some one day for us to sample and I'm sure if we announce it ahead of time, the Hut will be packed that day. Akevitt, as it is spelled in Norwegian, is distilled from grain or, as is the case in Norway, from potatoes and blended with spices such as caraway, cumin, and anise. A little research on Wikipedia discovered that, although many Scandinavian countries drink aquavit, Norway's production and consumption of it is unique. In fact, Arnie mentioned that the akevitt is aged in oak casks that are transported by ship from the colder northern latitudes southward past the equator and back north again, to gradually change the temperature of the liquor, all to assist in the proper aging.

We watched as Derek Jeter got his 3000th hit, becoming only the 28th player in major league history to accomplish that feat, and the second to do it with a home run (Wade Boggs doing it first, as a Devil Rays player). Vic was kind enough to call Barry at work to let him know we all witnessed history while he was digging a ditch. Barry came later in the day, but everyone had left by that time except me. Sorry you missed the fun, Barry!

That's it for now. Safe travels to Don and Arnie and hope to see them again soon. Arnie said he would try to make it next Saturday and Vic was hoping to as well, but after seeing the above picture, he might stay away for awhile.

Oh yes, the Coast Guard motto is Semper Paratus, which is Latin for "Always Ready", not to be confused with the Marine's motto, Semper Fidelis, or "Always Faithful."

Until next week...
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 7/2/11

2011-07-02T23:01:00.001-04:00

We had a nice crowd at The Tobacco Hut today - Tom L, Joe K, Peter G, Ed B, and Don. Don's not new to the Hut, but he's not a Saturday regular. He's in the Coast Guard and is actually being stationed out of the area in a couple weeks. His reputation actually precedes him, as Lou has talked about his barbecuing prowess in past conversations. Once the topic of food preparation came up, Peter and Don were off to the races, talking about marinades and the art of dry aging steaks.

Peter shared with me something very personal and private, and normally any secrets entrusted to me are "in the vault" but I can't keep something this momentous in. Peter said that he heard an interesting news report...on NPR! Yesss! Another convert! Yet another person who has seen the light of fair and objective broadcast journalism. I think he said something about making a donation come pledge time too! Okay, I just made that last part up, but I'm just happy he's listening.

Joe actually smoked two cigars - well, one and a half. His usual go-to cigar, the Padron, has been inconsistent lately and Lou gave him a new one to try. Didn't catch the name of it, but Joe seemed to enjoy it.

I was smoking the Cavicchi Paula had given to me for Christmas a couple years ago. The Dunhill 965 tasted wonderful in it, the touch of Latakia adding a perfect amount of pungency to the aroma and a subtle "roundness" in the taste.

Tomorrow I'll be headed up to my mother's in Spring Hill for our 4th of July cookout and, thanks to Vic and Ed F, it'll be extra special flavors of home. A couple weeks ago when Vic came up for the Father's Day party, he gave me a 4-pack of red hots from Rochester. There will be a couple folks reading this blog that are very familiar with red hots and white hots and their unique flavor. Ed F also surprised me with Stadium Mustard from Cleveland. Can't wait to try out the combination of the two. A big thank you to Ed and Vic!

The talk today was a little political in nature, but nothing too contentious. Tom L didn't even make one "Libby" remark to me. He must not have been feeling well.

Other topics included the age-old debate about who was sexier, Barbara Eden of I Dream of Genie or Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched. Elizabeth Montgomery got a vote, but the overwhelming winner was Barbara Eden.

Joe informed us that his son James is closing on a house soon in Atlanta. Congratulations to James and his new bride!

Toward the end of the day, it was just Peter and I and Lou sitting around chatting. Talk happily turned to pipe making and Peter was taking quite an interest in the subject. I was kind of hoping he would not only convert to NPR but to a pipe as well, but I think he's content with his one cigar a week habit. Anyway, I promised I would put up the link again from a previous post on a pipe making video segment from the program Modern Marvels.

I had blogged about the program a couple years ago and provided the link to the YouTube video that included the segment. I located the old post but when I tried the link I got the dreaded message that "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by A&E."

Undaunted, I did locate a video on the Peterson Pipe website that shows their process for pipemaking. It's a short video, less than 12 minutes, and interested readers might find it enlightening. It can be found here.

BTW, thank you to the folks who took the survey that was posted for the past two weeks. The results are as follows: 50% of respondents are regulars to the Hut who read the blog to find out the spin on what happened, 40% are occasional visitors and like to read the blog to keep up with what's happening at the Hut, and 10% are out of the area and read the blog to stay in touch. Again, thank you for participating and maybe I'll come up with another survey soon.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 6/25/11

2011-06-25T19:14:00.004-04:00

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

Saturday at the Hut - 6/18/11

2011-06-18T22:01:00.004-04:00

Today was the much-anticipated Father's Day Celebration at The Tobacco Hut, and we had a nice turnout. I'll do rollcall in a moment, but first a shout out to Darryl G and Lou for putting everything together. Darryl supplied wings, chips, pretzels, peanuts, and even adult beverages. Lou - well, Dotty - supplied delicious homemade cookies. I brought in a tray of pinwheel-rollup-appetizer things that Paula picked up at Target.

We had quite a few in attendance this afternoon: the aforementioned Darryl and his son Greg, Joe K, Vic, Peter G, Box Ed, Major Ed, Preacher Jim, Barry C, Tarpon Cop Scott, Kevin & Paul (don't know their last names, but see them from time to time), and another guy of whom I don't know his first or last name.

Vic was kind enough to bring in a supply of homemade liverwurst. A friend of his in upstate New York makes it and Vic brought in a tube(?) of it. What is the "unit" that liverwurst is sold in? Sleeve, tube, carton...? I don't know. Anyway, Vic brought it in with some crackers and Joe made a beeline to it. There wasn't much left by the time the party ended, so it was definitely a hit.

Before I go on, I had to figure out how liverwurst is sold. I mean, you say "block", "round", or "wedge" of cheese, or by the slice. I realize you could just indicate that you wanted, say, 8 oz. of liverwurst. But what was the actual package called? As always, Google is my friend. Apparently, it is called a "chub." So what Vic brought us was a chub of liverwurst. Now I went to the dictionary and discovered that a "chub" is also the "common name for Leuciscus cephalus, a thick-bodied European river fish with a gray-green back and white underparts, popular with anglers." Are you reading this, Scott R? The next time you're in Europe, make sure to fish for chubs.

We also had two new arrivals at the Hut today to enjoy the festivities, Alan & Daphne. They've been in before, but this is the first time they've stayed for awhile, at least on a Saturday. Wanting to give them a proper introduction here on the blog, I was careful to ask for the spelling of Alan's name, but I was remiss in asking how Daphne spelt her name, so I'm assuming it is "Daphne". I believe there are other ways to spell it, like "Daphnie", but hopefully I've gotten it correct. In any case, the name is an old one, originating in the Greek language and means "laurel tree". I knew it was of Greek origin, but had to look up the meaning. Sorry Alan, I have no idea where your name comes from or what it means! BTW, Alan and Daphne, I usually send out e-mail notices when the blog goes out so, if you want, send me your e-mail addresses and I'll add you to the mailing list. Hope to see you both again soon.

Ohioans were in abundance today at the Hut - Alan, Box Ed, and I are all from Cleveland, Lou is from Columbus, and I believe Joe was born in the Dayton area. Daphne, Vic, and Barry are all from New York. Peter, of course, is from Bahston, as in "pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd."

When we speak of who was here today, one immediately thinks of who wasn't here. Three notable absences include Steve B, Tom L, and Adrian R. Steve was probably busy with work or Miss December, Tom indicated earlier that he was busy with his son at a hockey tournament, but Adrian. Apparently Adrian has no problem showing up during the week, but when I am there on Saturdays, he's suddenly a no show. The last time we played chess, he beat me three games in a row, and I've been anxious for a rematch. I've said tongue-in-cheek lately that he's not been in attendance on Saturdays recently because he wants to hold onto his crown, but now I'm convinced of it. C'mon Adrian, where the hell are you?

Also hope to have seen Paul V today - he's always fun to talk to and is extremely knowledgeable on a myriad of subjects.

Scott R was absent but he's slowly making his way to upstate New York, so he gets a pass. I know he wanted to be here for the party and was hoping to master the "be in two places at once" trick but hasn't mastered it yet. Leave the magic to me, Scott!

Mike G actually made an appearance from Tennessee. Well, not an actual appearance, but one by phone. Knowing that Lou was giving away free cigars for the event, Mike called hoping that would be enough to score a free one or two, but no dice. Apparently Lou didn't even give him a raffle ticket for a chance to win a prize. Sorry, Mike, maybe if Lou has an extra hat he can mail it up to you. Good to talk to you, by the way.

The party started at 1:00, but Joe and I had the same idea and that was to arrive about an hour early to secure good seats. I got there about noon and Joe shortly thereafter. Darryl and Greg were already there so, in fact, we were just able to get our traditional seats. Thanks to Greg for letting the old man (Joe) have the comfy chair.

I gave out some more of Clipper Pens and hope to secure some orders for them. Kevin looked at it and said, "Oh, Scott (R) has pens with this logo on them". Great, no orders from Kevin now as he'll be buying from Scott - LOL!

I finished up Paula's website this past week for her new line of paper bead bracelets. Peter's wife Stacey likes the two she bought a lot and will be selling a few of them at a local restaurant they frequent. Take a look at the website and if you'd like a bracelet for your wife, mother, girlfriend, sister, aunt, grandmother, daughter, etc., let me know. They make great Mother's Day gifts too - start shopping now for next year!

As many of you know, Joe's son James K got married recently. They apparently had a lovely wedding on Davis Island (of course, we wouldn't know since none of us got invited for some reason) and their wedding was featured in the most recent issue of Tampa Bay Weddings Magazine. Shot by Ashley Brooke Photography, the magazine put a nice piece together about the event. Here's a link to Ashley's blog and the article on their wedding. Great article, and fantastic photography...my only fear now is that James's head will grow even bigger now that he's been featured in a magazine.

Alas, there were only two pipe smokers in the room, Box Ed and me. I was smoking some Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in the Cassano pipe I got in Boston a year ago and Ed was enjoying some of Lou's Baker Street in the meerschaum I gave him. Baker Street has it all, great taste if you're the smoker and a wonderful room note if you're nearby inhaling the light, slightly sweet aroma.

Congratulations to Preacher Jim who just purchased a 1978 Corvette. It sounds like it's quite the hot rod and hopefully he'll drive it to the Hut next time he comes up. Would love to see it. I might even pray that I get to drive it around the block!

Thanks to everyone who came out today. I think we all had a great time and thanks again to Lou and Darryl.

Cheers!

- Bob

P.S. Joe took a couple pictures with his iPhone and was supposed to send them to me. As soon as he figures out how to send them, I'll post them here.

Saturday at the Hut - 6/11/11

2011-06-11T18:23:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to me! I didn't realize last week as I was writing the blog that it was my 100th Sweetest Smoke blog post. I started it in late 2008 and have had a lot of fun along the way. I don't think I've strayed too far from the initial goal of talking about pipe smoking and the "sweepings from the local tobacco shop." I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog and that you've been able to keep abreast of what's happening each week at The Tobacco Hut.

I've begun two other non-related blogs recently, with an eye toward promoting some side businesses of mine. You can read Bullseye Marketing Tips and the Seneca Promo Idea Blog at the links provided, and I'm thinking about expanding my writing to other venues. There are some websites out there that pay a few bucks per article written, on a wide variety of subjects - some even pay for photography - so I might start exploring them a little.

Joe K, Darryl G, and Peter G were in attendance today. Darryl confirmed that he was bringing wings for next week's Father's Day party and Lou said that some his vendors have supplied some items for raffle prizes.

Scott R has sent me a couple e-mails during his slow journey to the north. The latest dispatch was from the mountains of North Carolina where he was enjoying a 63º morning on the front porch. Continued safe travels, my friend.

If anyone's keeping a tally, today I smoked a bowl of Baker Street in a Crown Viking freehand.

Peter's new ride.

As I mentioned last week, Peter survived a harrowing car accident the week before last, totaling his Chevy HHR. He rolled up today with a brand new Kia Soul. It's a great looking car - very unique and stylish. Congratulations Peter - have fun with it!

As I drove home, Monty Python's famous Argument Clinic sketch ran through my head for no particular reason:

Until next time.

Saturday at the Hut - 6/4/11

2011-06-04T19:55:00.000-04:00

A few of the regulars were missing today at The Tobacco Hut. Joe K told us in advance that he wasn't going to make it and Scott R is stomping around the bayous of Louisiana, taking the scenic route to New York. I don't know the whereabouts of anybody else, but Peter G showed up as promised.

Peter was close to never showing up again as he had a harrowing car accident a couple days ago. He was on I-75 coming home from work on Thursday when someone cut him off, causing him to swerve off the road. After a couple barrel rolls, he ended up on his roof but - thank you Jesus!* - he was okay. Just a couple minor cuts on his arm. Glad he's still among us and not one of Tom Dobies' customers just yet. *The "thank you Jesus" line was for you, Joe!

Peter and I had a good conversation about marketing, advertising, and the wholesale food business. Peter's back in the industry that he knows inside and out and just a few weeks from being cut loose from the training program. As a former restaurant owner and food service account executive, Peter's knowledge of restaurant operations, marketing, and food service in general is impressive. More importantly, you can tell he's passionate about the business.

Today found me smoking a David Jones rusticated Canadian. From the first light of the Tinder Box Reserve 1928 to finally dumping out the fine gray ash, it was an incredible smoke. I've raved about this tobacco before, but I continue to enjoy it. I was getting a little low on it, so recently purchased a replacement can from my former manager, Mike Spicer, at the Tinder Box in Dublin, Ohio.

A few weeks ago I decided to start properly storing the half-opened tins of various tobaccos I had laying around. I went to Ace Hardware and purchased a dozen 4-oz. Mason jars. Once home, I carefully poured the contents of each tobacco tin into a jar. Some of the tobaccos were a little dry, so I filled a humistat with water and placed it in with the tobacco. Put the lids on and screwed them on tightly. I should have done this a long time ago, because all my tobaccos are now fresh and don't dry out as they did with just a plastic lid on the original tin.

Lou reports that several of his cigar vendors have supplied him with prizes to raffle off at the Father's Day celebration on Saturday, June 18th. The party starts at 1 PM and will feature food, beverage, and the aforementioned prizes. There will also be a wet t-shirt contest. Okay, I made that last part up. But mark the date and make sure to tell a friend. Hope to see lots of people there!

Paper Bead Bracelet
crafted by Paula
(Click to enlarge)

Time for a shameless plug...as many of you know, my wife Paula makes jewelry in her spare time. She has recently discovered a unique kind of bead, made of paper from recycled magazines by women in Uganda. The beads are imported by a company out of Colorado and made available to beaders throughout the U.S. Each bead is different and Paula has started making bracelets out of the beads. The women who make the beads have raised themselves out of abject poverty through the sale of their beads, and Paula has sold quite a few so far. They're only $5 apiece, and if you're interested in one, just let me know, and I can bring it next week to the Hut.

One more shameless plug, if you're a small business owner interested in maximizing your marketing efforts, surf on over to a blog I've started recently titled Bullseye Marketing Tips. Its mission is to provide marketing tips and strategies especially for small businesses. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Thank you!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 5/28/11

2011-05-29T18:56:00.001-04:00

We had a good crowd at The Tobacco Hut on Saturday - Scott R arrived early and I'm glad I did too as he was passing out money! Lou fattened his wallet a bit from some lighters he had Scott sell on eBay for him and I received a check for some graphics work I did for Scott. This was Scott's final visit to the Hut for awhile - he's going to be a snowbird, heading to upstate New York for the summer. He'll be enjoying the summer in his hometown only returning when the weather finally becomes bearable here in late October. I, for one, am quite jealous.

Crown Viking pipe I had so much
trouble with on Saturday. My own
fault - packed it too densely with
tobacco that was too moist.

While I was trying to light up my Crown Viking freehand with some G.L. Pease Westminister, Scott was showing off a couple new pocket knives he has acquired. These were some real beauties, each with polished bone handles and one sporting a "hawkbill" blade, so named for its unique shape. Someone suggested that it would be good for skinning a deer, but Scott explained that the shape wasn't designed for it. I jokingly asked if it would be good for skinning a man, and he looked at me with a steely gaze, unwavering, until I finally looked away, quite frightened by the whole encounter. Okay, I made that last part up. Anyway, bon voyage and safe travels to Scott!

I mentioned I was trying to light my pipe. Allow me to explain. I probably should have gone with a different tobacco today, because when I opened the jar at home to load the pipe, I noticed that the tobacco was extremely moist. If I had an hour or two to set a bowlful's worth of the stuff out, I would have, to let it dry. Unfortunately, I decided to load it up and try to make it work.

I also made the mistake of packing it too tightly. The combination of too moist and too densely packed tobacco made for an unpleasant smoking experience. I had to keep re-lighting it and probably should have just emptied the pipe out from the beginning and loaded back up with some of Lou's Baker Street. But it had been awhile since I'd enjoyed the Westminster so stuck with it.

Joe K, Peter G, Tom L, and Jim C were also in attendance. I was glad to be wearing my "Think Outside the Fox" t-shirt, to ward off the attacks from Joe and Tom. Tom and I actually agreed on something...how the big banks and investment companies have essentially colluded with the government to stick it to the country. He cited a documentary, Inside Job, which explains a lot of how we ended up where we are today. Definitely something I'll have to add to my Netflix queue.

Peter and I had an interesting discussion about, of all things, the history of the phone system. I had discovered a fascinating website, Atlanta Telephone History, and I learned that Peter's father had worked for Ma Bell in Massachusetts.

Jim C and the rest of us talked a little about how we survived the apocalypse from last weekend, but supposedly Harold Camping, the pastor who predicted the whole thing, has now backpedaled and is claiming that the Rapture will actually occur in five months, in October. Hopefully Scott will be back by then to share one more smoke with his Tobacco Hut buddies.

Don't forget the Father's Day Celebration at the Hut on Saturday, June 18th, from 1-4 PM. There will be lots of food, drinks, and prizes. Lou is lining up stuff now from his vendors to be raffled off.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 5/21/11

2011-05-22T11:35:00.001-04:00

I spent my last moments before the Apocalypse enjoying a bowl of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in a Peterson Kinsale at The Tobacco Hut with friends. Joe K, Jim C, Peter G, Steve B, Ed B, Lou, and I had a wide-ranging discussion while puffing away and watching the Lightning beat the Bruins to tie the series at 2-2.

I had actually asked Lou to polish up the stem of the Peterson last week and he did a great job on it so I lit it up anxiously on Saturday, eager to enjoy one of the best values in pipes. It had been a while since I'd smoked this particular Peterson and the Vulcanite stem had become rather oxidized. Oxidation occurs when the sulfur in the rubber stem rises to the surface, discoloring it and giving it an unpleasant, sour taste.

There are many prescribed methods to removing oxidation from Vulcanite stems, some involving bleach and other chemicals, but probably the easiest is with a buffing wheel and then applying a thin coat of Carnuba wax, which is what Lou did last week to the pipe. Unfortunately, there was apparently a lot of oxidation on the stem, because even though the stem was restored to its shiny black state, a few minutes of it in my mouth and it quickly reacted to the saliva and turned nasty.

I left the pipe with Lou for him to work on throughout the week, and hopefully he'll be able to remove the remaining oxidation and get the pipe back to its spiffy, like-new state.

It's this oxidation issue that has driven my recent pipe purchases. I now stick with almost exclusively Lucite stems which are, essentially, plastic, and don't suffer from oxidation problems.

A quick rundown of what's happening with Saturday's attendees: Steve B and Jim C had a good conversation about Steve's new burgeoning business ventures; Peter is steeped in training for his new job, eager to be cut loose amongst the Tarpon Springs restaurants; Joe wore his highly offensive "Pipe Down Now, Silly Liberal" shirt; and congratulations to Major Ed B!

Adrian had promised to show up on Saturday so we could resume our chess games, but I guess his new philosophy is "Quit While You're Ahead" as he was a no-show. I suppose he wanted to be reigning King of Chess when the world ended.

Speaking of which, since I'm writing this on Sunday, May 22nd, it's apparent that, in fact, Harold Camping and his band of idiots at Family Radio were quite wrong about the end of the world occurring on May 21st at 6 PM. It would have been more amusing if there weren't so many people who actually believed it and jettisoned all their belongings and money and now - with families to provide for - have nothing. I doubt seriously that Mr. Camping, et al, will support his followers now that some of them are destitute.

Preacher Jim C and I differ on a lot of things, but we were both in agreement that Saturday, May 21st would pass like any other.

Don't forget the Father's Day Celebration at the Hut on June 18th, from 1-4 PM. Show up for the food, beverages, prizes, and fun. I think Lou's going to rent a Karaoke machine too. Okay, I just made that up, but there will still be prizes, good food and beverages. See you there!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 5/14/11

2011-05-15T13:15:00.004-04:00

Joe K made his first appearance at The Tobacco Hut in several weeks! I suppose missing the Hut for his son James' wedding and then traveling out of state excuses him. He was even on his best behavior and didn't complain about his cigar canoeing like crazy. He described a lovely wedding on Davis Island - too bad all of our invitations apparently got lost in the mail. It would have been nice to attend. Apparently James and his new bride honeymooned in Mexico somewhere. Wonder if he ran into the cigar-smoking monkey down there! Anyway, congrats James!

Darryl G and his son Greg stopped in for the afternoon and Darryl presented a good idea to Lou: A Father's Day celebration at the Hut on Saturday, June 18th. The suggestion was met with instant approval by Lou and we decided it would start at 1:00. Darryl offered to bring wings and when I mentioned it to Paula, she said she could make little cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off for all the guys. She was kidding, of course, but offered to make something manly that I could bring in.

So make plans now to stop in at the Hut for a Father's Day party, June 18th, at 1:00. Obviously all are welcome, not just dads.

Adrian arrived and I was so excited to finally have a shot at dethroning the reigning chess champion. He had breezed in and out last week, promising to stay this week and play some chess. But, alas, he reverted back to the ole' Adrian - his patented breeze-in-and-out, a quick meet and greet, buy a couple cigars, and he was on his way. Apparently he would rather spend time with his wife than hanging out with the guys (and risk losing a game of chess). Next time, Adrian!

A shout out to my buddy, Scott R, AKA "Knife Guy". I've already mentioned his most-excellent blog about knives in this space before (and if you aren't reading it, you really should), but that's not what is getting the shout out. The last time he was at the Hut, he and I were talking knives and I mentioned that I really needed a good pocketknife. I have a small Swiss Army Knife attached to my keychain, but said that I should have something a bit more substantial to carry around.

My new knife!
(Click to enlarge)

So what arrives in the mail a few days later from Scott? A knife! The guy completely surprises me by sending a knife from his collection. And it's perfect, sleek, slim, and the blade is insanely sharp! I slipped it into my pocket right away, and it's been there ever since. So a big thank you to Scott! Much appreciated, my friend.

I had occasion to use said knife the very next day when I arrived home from work and a much-anticipated box of custom imprinted pens was sitting on my front porch. As many of you know, I'm now in the promotional products business and was in need of something of my own to hand out to prospective customers.

My new Clipper Pens!
(Click to enlarge)

I threw together a website to promote the pens themselves and took some photos of the pens for the page. Scott R is the guy who got me into the business and I've shamelessly copied an idea of his, i.e. choose one product and push the hell out of it, not only to sell that particular item, but generate leads as well. Here's the link to the new website: www.clipperpen.com and pictured is one of the images I shot for it.

As I was at the Hut on Saturday puffing on some delicious Dunhill 965 in my rusticated Ascorti Peppino, I thought, "Hey - it's been a couple weeks since we've had a good theological debate." And then I thought of my friend Arleen at work. She's a terrific writer who comes down squarely on the opposite side of the theological fence from me. We've had some great discussions at work about a variety of issues (not just the existence of God), and she maintains an active and thought-provoking blog of her own. I highly recommend giving her a read: http://arleenspenceley.blogspot.com/.

Don't forget, Saturday, June 18th, 1:00 at the Hut for the Father's Day Party!

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 5/7/11

2011-05-07T17:58:00.002-04:00

Today at The Tobacco Hut was fun, but also touched with disappointment. Fun, because in attendance were Scott R and Steve B. Scott delivered some greenbacks to Lou for some of the lighters he's sold for Lou on eBay, which made Lou very happy. Scott, Lou, and I had a wide-ranging discussion covering topics like high school reunions (Scott made his position about whether I should attend my upcoming 30th very clear), pocket knives, the promotional product biz, eBay, and even religion.

I pontificated on how psychics prey on their victims and even performed a quick card trick for Scott, who was suitably impressed. Scott impressed me with some wizardry of the mathematical kind. I promised him I would send him a link to a fun online magic trick, but thought others might enjoy it as well, so here it is: http://www.flashlightcreative.net/swf/mindreader/

Steve B arrived later in the day after a 2-month hiatus. Always a pleasure to see Steve, especially after such a long absence. I don't know who has more ideas for business and making money, Scott or Steve. Steve's getting involved in the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) as a way of giving back and helping people become more self-sufficient, as well as strengthening their community. Looking forward to hearing of his progress on this front in the weeks and months to come.

What was a little disappointing was that Joe K was a no-show. We missed him last week because he was doing something with his son, James. The week before that was James's wedding. So we were expecting to see him today and when we didn't, I called him. A little while later he texted me to say that he was in Erie, PA (where the temperature was a perfect 58º). Doh! That's right, he told us he was going to Pennsylvania; we just couldn't remember when exactly. Hopefully he'll be back next week.

The disappointment was tempered when Adrian R came waltzing through the door. Well, I wouldn't say he exactly "waltzed", but he certainly made one of his grand entrances. I was excited to reclaim my chess crown and went for the chess board that Lou stores for me behind the counter, but my excitement was short-lived. Adrian announced that he was back to his old self and just breezing in and out to buy a cigar or two. Mrs. Adrian was waiting in the car and he couldn't stay. The last time Adrian's wife dropped him off, we forced her to come in so we could meet her. Strange...she didn't come in this time. Hopefully we haven't scared her off. Adrian promises to allow me the opportunity of playing another game of chess soon.

And yet another disappointment...Peter had promised last week that he would stop in today, but he was a no-show. I wanted to find out how his new job was going and also tell him that I finally took his recommendation for dinner. Last night Paula and I went to Mr. Souvlaki in Tarpon Springs and I had their signature Greek Chow Mein. Wow - what a meal! Paula had the souvlaki and she was equally impressed with her dish. We will definitely be going back. I had the full order and could only eat half; I had the remaining portion tonight for dinner. A thumbs-up recommendation from me! Thanks Peter!

A shout out to Scott and the creation of a CafePress store he just put up, featuring his most-excellent knife photography. Check it out at http://www.cafepress.com/steelbrother - perfect gear for the outdoor lover. BTW, another regular at the Hut, Paul V and Scott have another shop on CafePress featuring some cool cigar art: http://www.cafepress.com/cigarshirts

That's it for this week - hope to see lots of people next Saturday!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 4/23/11

2011-04-23T19:36:00.000-04:00

It's been a few weeks since I last posted to the blog and I apologize to my faithful readers (both of them). It's not that I haven't been to The Tobacco Hut, just that I haven't been motivated to write about it. But today was a fun day at the Hut, with a lot of folks in attendance, and wins by the Lightning and Rays.

Scott R and Paul V arrived and settled in with some nice selections from the humidor. Scott also returned my Barbie's. Now before the laughter begins, they're actually my wife's and I had given them to Scott a couple weeks ago to sell on eBay. He did some research and felt that we'd be better off selling them at a garage sale. Scott is an eBay expert and will take your stuff, research it, photograph it, and list it on eBay for you. And, he'll handle the payment and shipping. It's a 50/50 split, and Lou has already taken advantage of Scott's services.

I always enjoy discussing politics, current events and history with Paul, but we didn't get a chance today. Truly a shame because, while we don't often agree on the issues, he's a fun debater and extremely knowledgeable.

Scott's main line of work is as a dealer for Kaeser & Blair, a promotional products company. He's been in the biz since 1997 and I've helped him out from time to time with graphics work for the last few years. Over the past twelve months though, I've been talking to him about getting into the selling end of it myself. Well, I finally did it. I signed up as a dealer myself and got loaded up with samples and catalogs. I've built a basic website to serve as a kind of online brochure and have some pens coming with my contact information.

Please check out the website and help me spread the word. If you know of anyone that needs some custom imprinted marketing materials or trade show giveaways, please send them my way. I'll leave a few pens at the Hut when they come in so feel free to grab one when you stop in.

One last commercial interruption and we'll get back to our regularly scheduled program...Scott has been feverishly writing a blog about pocket knives. Coincidentally, it's called pocketknivesblog.com and can be found here. I'm not even "into" pocket knives, and I enjoy reading his stuff. Great photography accompanies the descriptions of his latest acquisitions. Scott's passion for these knives really comes through in his writing and for a relatively new blog, he's getting some good traffic. I can think of more than a few readers of this blog who would enjoy Scott's, so I encourage you to take a look.

Today found me smoking the Cassano I bought in Boston a year ago, enjoying a bowlful of Greg Pease's Chelsea Morning. It's part of his Old London series of tobacco, and consists of sweet red and bright Virginias, some Orientals, a bit of Cyprian Latakia, and a touch of Perique. I typically like an English blend that's heavy with Latakia, but this tobacco is more restrained in its use of it. No matter, the combination of the other tobaccos give it some subtle fruitiness and a hint of woodsy, smokey flavor. A very fine tobacco indeed.

Joe K was not in attendance today as it was his son James' wedding. Congratulations to James! We were all afraid that James would end up with a lonely life, traveling to Mexico on semi-annual junkets to visit a certain cigar-smoking monkey. So glad he found his bride. Congratulations again James - enjoy your day!

Vic arrived and immediately recounted a very funny tale about his recent trip from New York to Florida. He stopped in Tennessee and visited Mike G and his wife, Diane. Let's just say that the headline to this blog should read, "Mountain Man Curtseys to Queen Diane". Apparently, while Vic was there, Mike had a bunion on his foot or some other malady and, puffing up his chest, attempted to show Vic who was "King of the Castle." He threw his leg over the back of the sofa where Diane was sitting and commanded that she massage his foot. "Only when you curtsey me," she retorted at once. The real joke was when Mike couldn't get his foot off the back of the couch. Apparently he was stuck. Too bad Vic didn't have his camera at the ready, 'cause that would have made for a great picture.

Peter came in was greeted with a "Norm"-like cheer from everyone. Congratulations to Peter for his new position in food service sales. Best of luck to you, my friend! This guy's knowledge of all things sports continues to amaze me. I can't begin to recount all the facts and figures that Peter knows but, suffice to say, it always makes for a lively an fun discussion.

Vic has a new humidor to keep cigars in and the talk turned to how best to maintain the ideal temperature and humidity. For maximum freshness and longevity, a humidor should be kept at 70º F/70% humidity. Well, after a lot of discussion, the question came down to...does moisture affect temperature? Vic and Lou said that yes, higher humidity will cool down the temperature. I maintained that the two were independent.

We tried an experiment (two, actually). We used a digital thermometer and took a reading of the air temperature inside the shop. It was 77º. We then placed the thermometer inside one of the reach-in humidors. After a few minutes, the temperature had dropped to 76º and then 75º. That seemed to indicate that Vic and Lou were - agh, it pains me to say this - correct. We then placed the thermometer inside one of the tabletop humidors along with a crystal- and gel-filled humidifiers and closed the lid. My instinct was telling me that the temperature inside the humidor would be the same as outside, i.e. 77º. Alas, it was also 75º after a few minutes.

So, in conclusion, I was wrong.

I put that statement in a sentence all by itself because I know Lou loves it when I'm wrong about something. I turned to the Internet when I got home and did a little research. On a USA Today website, I found this explanation that confirms that Lou and Vic were right:

Relative humidity is a percentage that reflects how close the air is to saturation, where 100% relative humidity indicates fog or rain and single-digit relative humidity indicates extremely dry air. For a given amount of water vapor in the air, relative humidity will decrease as air temperature increases and increase as air temperature decreases.

Our experiment bore this out, although in reverse. In a container with increased humidity, the temperature did, in fact, decrease.

Fine. So I didn't get this one right. Maybe next week we can discuss string theory, quantum physics, and whether we live in an expanding infinite universe or a quilted multiverse.

Box Ed (Pouch Ed) came in for the latter half of the afternoon, enjoying his meerschaum pipe with some of Lou's Keystone tobacco. I'm not an aromatic smoker and have never tried it, but it certainly has a nice room note. It was just a couple months ago that Ed came in with a big cast on his foot. That's all healed finally but now one of his fingers is all bandaged up. Take care of yourself, man! It's not a race to see how many limbs you can bang up!

That's all for this week.

Don't forget to call me for all your promotional product needs!

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 3/19/11

2011-03-19T21:38:00.000-04:00

Bob on the Left, Joe on the Right
(in more ways than one).
Click to enlarge.

As many of you know, Joe K and I are on opposite sides of the political spectrum. In point of fact, I think I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum from most of the regulars at The Tobacco Hut. But Joe and I have the most fun with our rivalry. It all started several months ago when I purchased an National Public Radio shirt and wore it proudly to the shop one Saturday. Joe countered with a shirt of his own several weeks later that said "Pipe Down You Silly Liberal". Actually, he wore a homemade shirt a little earlier, one that sported a circle with a line drawn through it over the initials "NPR". Well, I finally came up with a counter to his counter, and I wore it today. I forewarned Joe, so he made sure to wear his "Silly Liberal" shirt. Thanks to Adrian for taking this picture (with Joe's camera, and thanks to Joe for actually sending me the picture!) of the two of us. Your turn Joe!

Peter G was at the store when I arrived. It was great to see him, as it's been a few weeks. He spent a week sailing around the Caribbean on a Norwegian cruise a week ago. He confirmed what my wife and I suspected after our last cruise, that a balcony room is well worth the price. We had a window only and kind of wish we had sprung for the balcony.

Barry C and his son Chris came in. I had never met Chris before and, other than some pretty towering height, he looks a lot like Barry (poor guy!). Apparently Barry's work schedule has changed, so hopefully we'll see more of him on Saturdays now. Barry didn't have a lot of time so he got a new cigar that Lou started carrying, the Ashton Half Corona. It smelled good and Barry reported that it was a nice smoke, so by the end of the day I bought a 5-pack of them. Looking forward to trying it.

Today I enjoyed a bowlful of Dunhill 965, a rich English blend characterized by Macedonian tobacco, Latakia, and Brown Cavendish. It was my go-to blend when I first began smoking an English and I actually found this tin this past week, shoved to the back of a closet. I had feared that it had been opened and was now completely dry, but it was still vacuum sealed and tasted wonderful in the Ascorti Peppino sandblast.

Ed B pulled up in his uncovered Jeep, obviously enjoying the beautiful weather. Besides discussing the announced retirement of Ed's boss, Sheriff Bob White, a lot of the talk was about the NCAA March Madness tournament that was on TV. Fortunately Lou kept it tuned to that instead of the golf tournament that was being held down the street at Innisbrook.

Adrian came in and I have to say I was looking forward to his arrival as much as I had been anxious to show Joe my new shirt. See, Adrian and I had a chess game to finish from last week. We had adjourned it and Lou graciously allowed us to - rent free - keep the chessboard set up in one of his display cases. Pleasantries were exchanged and we quickly set up the table and resumed the game. I was a little concerned at first because I had a gaping hole in my king's defenses, but I found that I was able to go a piece up and finally whittled my way down to a victory.

In that game, I was playing the white pieces and Adrian the black. And it just so happened that our respective pieces matched our own, ahem, skin color. As Adrian congratulated me on my victory, Joe commented that perhaps he should change his color to white for the next game. Adrian responded quickly by rubbing his arm and saying, "I don't think it's going to come off!" We all burst out laughing and I think "race relations" are just fine at the Hut!

That next game was a bit of a nail biter, but I eventually prevailed. And so we played another game. And again I prevailed. It was now 4:30 and Adrian was eager for a final rematch. I begged off at first, not wanting to have to adjourn a game like we did last week. He insisted, saying we could get in a quick match. I finally agreed and the game was afoot.

Adrian was playing white and opened with 1.e4 (advancing the king's pawn two squares). I responded with 1... e6, the French Defense. I made an early positional misstep, but thought I was doing pretty well because I was soon up by two pawns. We were moving along at a pretty good pace and I was soon bearing down on his castled king. What I neglected were his two rooks that he had along the e-file. I went in for the kill, aiming for a back rank mate, but out of seemingly nowhere, he advanced the first rook, checking my king. I had only one move available and with no hesitation Adrian advanced the second rook, bringing the sword of checkmate upon me. I was speechless and I'm sure my jaw dropped two inches. Adrian, having suffered through a number of straight losses, jumped up and let out a victorious howl.

Slowly shaking my head, I extended my hand to congratulate my most formidable opponent. Well played, my friend, well played.

I can't wait 'til next week!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 3/12/11

2011-03-12T22:35:00.000-05:00

I walked into The Tobacco Hut this afternoon eager to fire up a bowl of a tobacco that I haven't had in years, Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe. The Dunhill collection of tobaccos have been off the market for a number of years. From my understanding, it was a marketing decision by Dunhill to retreat from the U.S. market, while maintaining their brand presence overseas. Some pipe smokers have publicly announced a boycott when the Dunhill tobaccos returned in November of last years, but I was excited they were back. Dunhill has always produced a premium pipe tobacco and I couldn't wait to light up a pipe full of one of their blends.

I've tried many of the Dunhill blends over the years and settled on two favorites: Early Morning Pipe and My Mixture 965. The latter is one of the first English blends I tried while working for the Tinder Box over twenty years ago and it opened up a whole new world for me as a pipe smoker. The intricacies and nuances of a fine English blend of tobacco are sometimes an acquired taste but, once obtained, bring a new appreciation to pipe smoking.

Last week I ordered a tin of Early Morning Pipe from my old manager, Mike, at the Tinder Box in Dublin, Ohio and today was its inaugural smoke. Early Morning is a light tobacco, in taste and body, with sweet Oriental tobacco blended with Bright and Red Virginias and just a hint of Latakia. I haven't smoked EMP in probably eight years but the aroma and flavor came rushing back. The vessel I was enjoying it in was a Crown Viking pipe I had bought from Lou several years ago and the combination was a winner! The tobacco burned beautifully all the way to the bottom. When I was done I tapped the underside of the bowl a couple times and out came pure white ash. No dottle or unburned bits of tobacco. A perfect smoke!

Alas, there were no hard core pipe smokers in attendance today at the Hut with which to share my revelry. The smoking pleasure was mine alone. However, my arrival was greeted with the smiling faces of Vic and Joe, and Lou, of course. The two retirees compared notes but the talk soon turned to Apple's new iPad. One of the last times Vic was in the store, Joe showed him his and I think Vic has been keen to purchase one. We talked at length about the merits of the iPad 2 versus the original one and then suddenly the two aforementioned retirees were in the middle of negotiations. I wasn't sure who started it, but by the end hands were shaken and Joe's iPad became Vic's. No money or merchandise actually exchanged hands, but the official transfer will take place in two weeks. Harkening back to September of last year when Joe sold me his iMac, it was like deja vu all over again.

In addition to being anxious to light up some Early Morning, I was also eager to peruse the new freehand pipes I knew Lou had gotten in. He said he had ordered three Crown Viking pipes and after the initial pleasantries were exchanged, I quickly glanced over to the pipe showcase. I didn't really notice anything new and then Lou informed me that, in fact, he had received three Crowns during the week and almost immediately sold two of them.

I was incredulous! It couldn't be! I had my heart set on buying a new pipe and I just couldn't believe that two of the three would have moved that quickly. The remaining Crown, although a beautiful specimen, wasn't exactly what I had in mind, so I will have to wait until Lou orders some more. It is my fervent belief that, because of the celerity that the first two sold, he will order replacements forthwith.

Box Ed made a brief appearance. He was looking forward to settling in for a smoke, but got called to a job. Duty calls, I'm afraid, so hopefully he'll have time next week. And apparently we have to change his nom de guerre to Pouch Ed because he no longer transports his pipe and assorted accoutrements in a cigar box, but rather a newly purchased pipe pouch. I don't know...I kind of like Box Ed. Pouch Ed doesn't have the same ring.

I was kind of thinking that I would see Adrian when I arrived at the shop, considering that last week he didn't make it in time to do battle over the chessboard. He had pledged to come early today so we could play and I must say I was disappointed to not see him. Fearful that perhaps he had turned, well, "yellow" as it were, I was heartened to see him bustling in at around 3:30. His first words were, "Set up the board!" Yes - the game was afoot!

I quickly set up the pieces while my opponent selected a cigar and lit up. Adrian began with the white pieces and chose a king's pawn opening. We both moved deliberately and thoughtfully, and we soon progressed to the point where I was employing only my long-range weapons, the bishops, Adrian had only the short-range pieces, the knights, at his disposal. It was an interesting conflict and while I was preparing an attack on his queenside, he was coming dangerously close to mounting an attack on my own queenside. Unfortunately for Adrian, he wasn't able to get his knights in to position as I had at least one of them pinned, and I finally prevailed.

Barry made a surprise visit and sat down to enjoy a cigar. It was good to see Barry after an absence of several weeks (months?) and he provided rich commentary on our chess game. Don't be a stranger, Barry!

Adrian and I began another game with about a half hour left in the day and our initial moves were made rather quickly. I played as white and opened with a Queen's Gambit, which was immediately accepted. The benefit of a Queen's Gambit Accepted is that white, while down a pawn initially, has superior position in the middle, and I did enjoy that advantage for a time. However, I soon found myself with a gaping hole in my kingside defense, after castling kingside. We had to adjourn the game as it was closing time, so the board has been safely placed - intact - in an empty spot of the front showcase. Lou was very gracious to let us use the space and his gesture is most appreciated. The game will continue next Saturday.

Until then...
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 2/19/11

2011-02-19T22:34:00.000-05:00

Sammee! (click to enlarge)

Congratulations to Joe and his wife Val! They have a new addition to their family - Sammee! Their new bundle of joy is part corgi and yellow lab and was adopted just today. Joe e-mailed me the picture tonight and I showed it to Paula who promptly said that she needs to adopt him from Joe and Val, he's that cute. I don't think that Sammee's new parents are going to let him go, so our house will remain a cat-only household for now. Anyway, enjoy your new puppy guys!

Joe actually didn't stay too long at The Tobacco Hut today as he had just gotten the puppy and was anxious to help Val get Sammee settled into his new digs. Maybe next week he'll bring Sammee to the Hut for a meet and greet! By the way, Joe, when you come next week, we're running low on the peanut butter pretzels!

Ed B came earlier in the morning but by the time I arrived around 12:30 or so, he was getting ready to leave for the day. It was great weather for Ed to be driving his orange Jeep around town, too. Finally, we're getting some average temperatures. Today was a perfect day to be outside, so I naturally chose to spend most of it inside at the Hut.

The only other regular to show up was Adrian a little later in the afternoon, but more about that later. We had two new customers who found Lou via his website. One of the gentleman was visiting from Chicago, Paul F. I think the other fellow was his brother-in-law, or friend, or something, and unfortunately I didn't catch his name. But Paul purchased a cigar and stuck around to enjoy it. He's also a pipe smoker and we chatted a bit about all things pipes. Chicago has some world-famous pipe and tobacco shops, including Iwan Ries & Co., one of pipe smoking's meccas. With over 15,000 pipes in stock, you can tell why I drool a bit just thinking of it. Every pipe smoker should make a pilgrimage there sometime in his life. Unfortunately, I haven't made mine yet, but someday. BTW, Paul, I hope you can make time in your trip for another visit to the Hut!

My Mauro Armellini Fatte A Mano
(Click to enlarge)

Today found me puffing on a Mauro Armellini filled with Tinder Box Reserve 1928. I purchased the pipe from a Tinder Box in Savannah, Georgia back in 2005 and it has always been an excellent smoker. Mauro Armellini was a self-taught pipe carver who worked for Savinelli before opening his own studio in Italy in 1960. Although there are no distinguishing marks on the pipe to indicate when it was made, my guess it was made by Armellini himself. He passed away in 2004 and since then his daughter Wilma has taken over the business, not only the administration of it, but crafting the pipes as well. Whoever made it, hats off to you for carving a beautiful pipe!

Mauro Armellini
(Click to enlarge)

Lou informed me that Bret came in earlier in the week to pick up the pipe I gave to his son, Blake. Lou had cleaned and sterilized it and got it all ready for this new smoker. I hope you enjoy it, Blake, and hope to run into you soon at the Hut to talk shop!

As I mentioned, Adrian arrived a little later in the afternoon, and it didn't take long for the chess rematch to begin. I had lost in our last meeting over the chessboard and was eager to avenge my loss. Adrian was just as eager to add a second victory to the records. Adrian brought a beautiful marble chess set with him (probably looking for a home court advantage) which we played on. I sometimes have trouble playing with highly decorative chess sets, like Revolutionary soldiers or Middle Earth pieces, but the men weren't overly stylized and stayed pretty close to standard Staunton pieces.

How did the game go, you ask? We started off fairly even, although I picked up two pawns early on. Being up those two pawns would prove decisive much later in the game, but moving into the middle game it didn't make much of a difference. In fact, Adrian had his pieces doing a full court press on my king's position and I was getting more than a bit nervous. After quite a few tense moves, I was finally able to drive his queen back to a defensive position and could go on offense. In the end, we were exchanging pieces back and forth, and my two extra pawns proved to be an overwhelming advantage. It was an excellent game and really could have gone either way for quite a while. Can't wait 'til next week, Adrian!

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 2/12/11

2011-02-13T13:13:00.000-05:00

We had more than a full house at The Tobacco Hut on Saturday; fortunately it was broken up into three shifts. I arrived early as I knew Scott and his entourage would be the first to punch the clock. I had told Scott earlier in the week that I would buy him a cigar for his birthday on his next visit to the Hut, and he didn't waste any time coming in for it. I tried to steer him towards one of Lou's house specials ($2.30) but to no avail. At least he didn't go crazy on me - he selected a nice mid-priced cigar. Happy Belated Birthday to a good friend and marketing guru!

Scott brought two brothers-in-law with him, Paul V and Jeff. Ed B also came, a little earlier than usual. Paul V is an old friend and familiar face at the Hut, and I think Jeff has been to a few events in the past. The word of the day became "pedestrian", not as a noun as in a person walking along the road, but as an adjective, meaning "lacking inspiration or excitement; dull." At this point, I can't even remember how the word came up. Paul was making some commentary about the subject at hand and used the word "pedestrian." Others questioned the usage and eventually pooh-poohed the word, but I flew to Paul's defense. It was a most apt and appropriate word and I salute Paul for his appreciation of the linguistic nuances for which the English language is known.

By the way, the word "pedestrian" comes from the Latin pedester which means "going on foot." However, if the suffix "ian" is added to it, its meaning becomes "written in prose" (straight expository writing as opposed to poetry). And in early English usage, prose was viewed as inferior to poetry. Etymologically, you can now see the link between "pedestrian" and "prose". You can also see that my English degree was not wasted, and that I have way too much time on my hands.

Switching to something that is far from pedestrian...Paul revealed an interesting discovery about Lou's Baker Street tobacco. He found that the combination of sipping a Lowland single malt scotch and enjoying a pipeful of Baker Street is a particularly exquisite marriage of flavors. I forget that Paul is also a pipe smoker; I usually only see him smoking cigars. Interesting discovery, Paul! I can see how the Baker Street with its Virginia tobacco and resulting hint of sweetness plus the Latakia would be complemented by a Lowland single malt. I'm not sure, but I believe such scotches are triple distilled, giving them a lighter taste.

As the first shift was packing up and cashing out, the second shift was arriving - Tom L, Joe K, and Peter G. There was a brief but rousing game of musical chairs and we settled into the afternoon's topics of conversation. Tom was well behaved and played nicely...there were only a few references to "Libbies", those of us who are more progressively minded and listen to NPR. Speaking of which, for the first time, I was wearing my NPR shirt and Joe was wearing his "Pipe Down You Silly Liberal" shirt. I'm still searching for the perfect response to Joe's choice of apparel.

The topic soon turned to the foreclosure crisis and we busily placed blame and solved the problems, all in a span of an hour or so. Tom has worked in banking, Peter had his own mortgage business, and Joe's wife was in the business as well, so it was interesting to hear three viewpoints on the housing collapse.

Neerup Sandblast
(Click to enlarge)

I was busy puffing on my Neerup sandblast, enjoying Baker Street of course, when the second shift punched out. The third shift soon arrived consisting of Ed F and Dan. Peter actually pulled a double shift and stayed over while Ed F and Dan settled in. Neerup pipes seem to be little known but are an outstanding value in pipe smoking. They are the creations of Peder Jeppesen, a Dane who worked for a long time at the Nording studio. He has been making pipes for over 25 years and his attention to detail really shows. He uses almost exclusively Corsican briar and black acrylic stems. I can't remember where I picked up this Neerup, but I'm quite sure it was only around $100 or so, a bargain considering how nicely it smokes.

For those of you who remember "Box Tom", we now have "Box Ed", because like Tom, he now uses a box to transport his pipes, tobacco, and tools. Box Tom's container was an old shoe shine box converted to pipe usage, and Ed is now using an old cigar box courtesy of his friend Dan. Peter annointed Ed F as "Box Ed", which will be especially helpful so we don't confuse Ed B with Ed F.

Dan has made the plunge and bought himself a pipe. He loaded it up with some Baker Street and in no time was puffing away like a pro. Always nice to see someone new take up the briar. Welcome Dan! As your friend Ed now knows, an exciting journey has begun to unfold for you.

As the day wound down, there were four people smoking pipes. An older gentleman came in and picked up some tobacco and sat down and lit up. I'm embarrassed to report that I can't remember his name, but it was definitely a "small world" moment when we discovered that we are both part Seneca Indian. The amount of Iroquois blood running through my veins is far smaller than in his, but it was fascinating hearing him tell tales of growing up in upstate New York, areas I am intimately familiar with. Lou is more than casually familiar with it as well, as Dotty was born in the same area.

Finally, I delivered the Tinder Box Beefeater quarter bent pipe to Lou to clean up to give to aspiring pipe smoker Blake. Blake, when you're ready, the pipe is back to an almost-new state, thoroughly cleaned and sterilized and ready for your enjoyment. I also threw in an old Imco pipe lighter I had. Lou has everything ready and waiting for you!

Great to see everybody at the Hut and can't wait 'til next week.

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 2/5/11

2011-02-05T19:23:00.001-05:00

Wow! I got to The Tobacco Hut a little late today and had trouble finding a seat! No complaints though as a few of the chairs were filled with pipe smokers! In fact, I think for a brief time there was an equal number of pipe smokers and cigar smokers. Unfortunately I missed Joe K who left early - hopefully next week buddy!

In attendance were Bret and his son Blake, Ed B, and Ed F and his friend Dan. Dan's teetering on the edge of becoming a pipe smoker so maybe soon we'll outnumber the stogie smokers. Ed F was enjoying the meerschaum I gave him last week, alternating between two of Lou's blends, Keystone and Baker Street. I haven't tried Keystone but it certainly smells good, and everyone knows how I feel about the most-excellent Baker Street.

Today found me smoking some of G.L. Pease's rich latakia blend, Westminster, in a Ser Jacopo Maxima. I bought the pipe when I was working at the Tinder Box in Columbus and has always been one of my favorites. Ser Jacopo is an Italian pipe maker founded in 1982 by master carver Giancarlo Guidi. Employing five full time carvers the company creates roughly 6,000 pipes per year ranging from the "Geppetto" to the "Gem" series, which are characterized by ultra-rare high end models fetching upwards of $12,000. No, my lone Ser Jacopo is not a "Gem" but it certainly is a wonderful smoker and is always a regular in the rotation.

As I mentioned, Bret and Blake were in with Bret smoking Baker Street in a nice looking meerschaum. A couple weeks ago when I first met them, Blake was talking about taking up the pipe. Always great to hear of a young person thinking about joining the Brotherhood of the Briar. And Blake isn't just thinking about it; this man has done his research! He's saving up money to purchase his first pipe, a Peterson, and can't wait to jump in.

I don't know what's come over me, but I'll be giving away another pipe next week. I have a Tinder Box "Beefeater" quarter bent smooth billiard that I plan on bringing to Lou next Saturday to clean and sterilize. I bought the pipe probably twenty years ago and it's been only lightly smoked over the years. I think it's time to deliver it to a new owner, and I think Blake will be the perfect guy for it.

Peter arrived - a welcome sight after a few weeks of being under the weather. His prediction for the Super Bowl tomorrow is Pittsburgh. I probably won't watch the game as my team, the Cleveland Browns, aren't in it. And, unfortunately, they probably never will be. Peter had read on the blog last week about my chess loss to Adrian and asked me about it, causing me to relive the traumatic event.

Speaking of Adrian and chess...he was a no show this week. I think he probably wanted to relish his victory for another week and deprive me of the chance at a rematch. Next week, Adrian, next week!

Nothing overly dramatic at the Hut this week. Just a half-dozen or so guys hanging out enjoying their pipes and cigars. Not too much political talk either (where's Tom L when you need him?). There's a chance Scott R will be making an appearance next week - always good to see him, plus I promised him I'd buy him a cigar for his birthday a couple days ago. Sorry, no cigar for you, Joe (wink, wink).

Until next week...
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 1/29/11

2011-01-30T21:05:00.001-05:00

This is me, completely paralyzed by
Adrian's masterful chess strategy
Photo courtesy of Kevin Rosseel
at Morguefile.com

Saturday at The Tobacco Hut was happy and sad for me at the same time. Happy because we had a fun bunch of guys in attendance and sad because I lost the chess game that Adrian and I were playing from last week. More on that later.

We had a long-lost visitor from Tennessee join us - Mike G! The Hut hasn't been the same since he moved away a few years ago and it's always a treat when he pays a visit. Joe K and Tom L were also there - Joe was sporting his "Pipe Down You Silly Liberal" shirt in my honor (thank you very much!) and Tom had his Sarcasm Engine at full throttle.

Mike recounted how his recent flight from Maine to Florida was interrupted with an emergency landing in Norfolk for an unruly passenger. The official word was that he was upset that he couldn't smoke an electronic cigarette, but the word amongst the passengers was that the guy was brandishing a razor blade. In any case, the plane landed safely in Norfolk and was immediately boarded by all manner of law enforcement personnel who promptly handcuffed the man and dragged him off the plane. Mike was in the back of the plane and didn't see too much but his seatmate was a retired Canadian police officer who, when they were landed and the police cars surrounded the plane, looked at Mike and asked, "Anything I should know?" Mike must have that "look" about him!

Joe surprised me with a gift when he came in - a wireless keyboard and mouse for the iMac I bought from him last September! It was one he used but now doesn't have a need for. Thanks Mr. Joe! I'm using it right now and you can see by the words and letters I'm typing that it works perfectly!

New pipe smoker Ed F came in and brought a friend, Dan. Dan's trying to quit cigarettes and was looking at one of Lou's electronic cigarettes, plus he's also thinking of taking up a pipe. I think Ed might have some influence there as he is certainly enjoying his new hobby. It's always good to welcome an enthusiastic new pipe smoker to the "Brotherhood of the Briar."

I explained to Ed the perils of PAD and TAD - Pipe Acquisition Disorder and Tobacco Acquisition Disorder respectively. Each disorder is recognized by the American Psychiatric Association and can be quite serious (okay, I made up the part of being recognized by the APA). PAD is when you just have to add another pipe to your collection and TAD is, of course, when you have this pathological desire to keep trying new tobaccos.

Ed has been in the throes of TAD, working his way through Lou's various tobacco blends, finally settling on a couple favorites, one of which is my personal favorite, Baker Street. As you can imagine, PAD can become a rather costly affliction (as my wife well knows). In fact, a couple years ago for Christmas, Paula surprised me with a new pipe (a Cavicchi volcano that I took on our recent cruise) and I gave myself a Christmas gift as well that year - another new pipe (an Ascorti Peppino). Paula was not pleased.

Anyway, a friend of mine who works for banks cleaning out abandoned houses came across an old pipe and gave it to me. I brought it in last week and asked Lou if he would clean it up and sanitize it. Lou had it ready this week and it turned out to be a decent-looking meerschaum with acrylic bit. Not sure if it's carved or molded, but it was well used - the patina was an almost-uniform deep brown. As soon as I saw Ed in the shop on Saturday, and knowing that he was probably struggling with his own PAD demons, I thought I would just give him the meerschaum my friend gave me. Ed was very appreciative and I'm sure he's enjoying the new addition to his budding collection.

I wrote an article in this space a year or two ago about the value in estate pipes and though they can be found all the time on sites such as eBay, as long as you keep your eyes open at garage sales, flea markets, antique shops, etc., you can pick up some great pipes. A shout out to Lou for cleaning up the meerschaum so nicely - it turned out very nicely and certainly looks 100% better than when I brought it in.

As I said, Saturday was a bit sad for me, because my unbeaten streak of chess games with Adrian came to an end. Actually, I'm not sad at all - it was a great game and Adrian came away with a well-played and well-deserved victory. The game actually had to be suspended from the week before because we ran out of time (I didn't think Lou wanted to stay open 'til we finished). Adrian took a picture of the board with his cell phone, we set up the board when he came in this Saturday and we resumed the battle.

Last week, about midway through the game, I left a bishop en prise and Adrian promptly captured it (en prise is a chess term of French origin meaning "in take": a piece is considered en prise if it is unprotected and vulnerable to capture). I think at that point I was only down a pawn or two, but losing the bishop hurt. Adrian changed up his strategy from the start; instead of being aggressive in the opening, he was more restrained and adopted a slower, more deliberate method of developing his pieces.

He tried to get me to exchange queens at one point toward the end, and though we were evenly matched on the other pieces, he had four more pawns than I did. Normally not one to shy away from exchanging queens, I declined and tried to go on the offensive. Alas, I checked his king a couple times, but just couldn't mount an effective attack. A knight sacrifice on my part gained nothing and soon it was all over. He promoted a pawn and then another, and what little defense I had withered in the face of two queens on the board. The game was over quickly at that point and good thing, for Lou was about ready to close up shop. I'm definitely looking forward to a rematch!

That's all for now. Until next week...
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 1/15/11

2011-01-16T20:43:00.000-05:00

Carnival Inspiration (click to enlarge)

I think I've done more smoking in the last week than I have in a long time. Paula and I were on a 5-night Caribbean cruise from Monday through Saturday and I enjoyed either a cigar or pipe pretty much every day on board the ship. We sailed on the Carnival Inspiration out of Tampa with stops at Grand Cayman and Cozumel. The weather was kind of crappy on Monday, chilly with on again-off again rain. Tuesday at sea and Wednesday in Grand Cayman were picture-perfect. Highs in the 70s and sunny. Thursday in Cozumel was in the low 60s, rainy, and very windy. We caught breaks in the rain though and explored downtown Cozumel, bartering with shopkeepers and enjoying a fantastic lunch at Pancho's Backyard, a place Paula discovered on a cruise ten years ago.

I was pleased to find a decent-sized cigar lounge on the ship. When we cruised a few years ago on Royal Caribbean, when I finally found the cigar bar, it was closed. This time I smoked a couple pipefuls and a few cigars. Paula joined me for a couple cigars as well. Unfortunately, I was the only pipe smoker. But I did meet a very nice older gentleman from upstate New York. We chatted awhile and discovered quite a few things in common, including auto racing. Years ago I used to write for an auto racing newspaper, Gater Racing News, out of Syracuse, and he said he reads it every week. We knew a lot of the same drivers racing the short tracks in the area and his son and daughter run the dirt track circuit throughout central New York. Small world! On board, I smoked Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in my Cavicchi volcano and I brought along an Ashton, Oliva, and La Gloria Cubana Serie R to enjoy. There was nothing quite like relaxing with a good cigar or pipe and watching the water glide by.

La Casa del Habano (click to enlarge)

I ran across a couple cigar stores while in Grand Cayman. The one pictured here, La Casa del Habano, was the only one that actually looked nice and well-stocked. Unfortunately for me, they had nothing in the way of pipe tobacco, although they did sell estate Meerschaum pipes. In Cozumel on our way from the pier to lunch, we probably walked past a dozen or more cigar stands or shops, all advertising "Authentic Cuban Cigars." It struck me that if they have to emphasize that they sell "authentic" Cubans, they probably aren't. I ignored the barkers and pressed on to lunch.

Paula and I on the Inspiration's bridge
with the captain.

Probably the highlight of the cruise was the behind-the-scenes tour we took. It's not advertised at all - Paula found out about it reading the forums on Carnival's website - and very limited. There were only 18 people on the tour, which lasted three hours, but we got to see a lot of the inner workings of the ship. We toured the galley, backstage at the theater, crew mess halls, crew lounge, cargo holds, engine control room, and bridge. We got to meet the captain and had our picture taken with him on the bridge. When we arrived back in our cabin there was a plate of pastries and sweets from the head chef, who we also met in the tour. All in all, it was very impressive and interesting.

We arrived back in Tampa on Saturday and Joe K was kind enough to pick us up. We disembarked very quickly from the ship and were home by 11:00 or so. Joe went off to The Tobacco Hut and I joined him an hour later. We were joined by Peter G, Ed B, and Darryl G. Nothing too exciting happened at the Hut, although I promised I would include what Joe, Peter, and Lou thought was my "conversion" back to the Christian fold.

I explained that our first day on the ship we had lunch at the buffet on the Lido deck. While waiting in line we saw this loud, bald redneck sporting probably a 60" waist, goatee, wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and covered with tattoos. Paula and I feared that he and his hillbilly family would be our dinner companions, since everyone shares a table with others at dinner each night. The story went something like this, "I looked at this disgusting guy and thought, 'If there is a God, please don't have him sit with us at dinner.'" Well, that brought the house down, because we ended up having quite normal dinner-mates. Well, sorry to disappoint you, guys, but it was just an expression. There was no momentary lapse or conversion. Just a figure of speech!

Nice to see Peter as he's been under the weather lately and seems to be on the mend now. Darryl has made it two visits in as many weeks and Ed has been stopping by pretty regularly. I was hoping to see Adrian so we could perhaps do battle over the chessboard again. I wanted to see Steve B as well to thank him for replacing another section of my back fence. Not sure how he did it since the back gate was locked, but thank you!

I had smoked quite a bit of the Tinder Box Reserve 1928 on our cruise, which is a nice cross between aromatic and English, but I was ready for a true English blend, so at the Hut I loaded up a Crown Winslow freehand with Lou's most-excellent Baker Street blend. I can't say enough about this tobacco. It's got just the right amount of Latakia and was really enjoyable.

That's all for now. Hope to see everyone next Saturday!

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 1/8/11

2011-01-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! Many of you attended the New Year's Eve gathering at The Tobacco Hut (sorry I didn't get a blog out that weekend). We had a good crowd on the 31st: Joe K, Peter G, Adrian R, Ed B, Steve B, and Tom L. Some even brought treats to share...Steve brought wings for everyone and Tom raided his own version of the Holy Grail humidor, bringing some aged Fuente cigars to pass out.

Tom enjoyed his role of cigar dispenser so much he even migrated to behind the counter when he gave Lou his special cigar. See photo at left. I think Tom enjoyed his new position so much he's considering buying the store. Just kidding, of course! If Tom owned the shop I think it would become the area's only "adult" cigar store if you know what I mean.

Lou took his new role as customer to heart, even sitting in a chair other than the "throne." The photographic evidence doesn't lie (picture below - click to enlarge). That is the quintessential "Lou" pose, isn't it? Just sitting back, relaxing with a favorite cigar.

By the way, if you look in the background, you'll see a wall calendar. We learned that someone in our midst is actually dating Miss December. Hubba hubba.

A much-anticipated event took place New Year's Eve at the Hut...Adrian and I finally met over the chessboard! I know you're all thrilled to know the outcome. Adrian admits that though he enjoys playing the game, he's a little rusty. I did beat him in the two games we played, but his second game was better than his first so I fear that with continued play, any rustiness will get shaken off and I will be playing a formidable opponent indeed. The picture at left (click to enlarge) was taken during our second game, shortly after we had exchanged queens. Lou has graciously agreed to let me keep the chess set at the store, so if anyone stops in during the week and wants to break it out, feel free.

Today at the Hut (Jan 8) saw another nice crowd. In attendance were Joe K, Adrian R, Steve B, Ed B, Darryl G and his son Greg, and Ed F. Ed F is a new member - a pipe smoker no less! - and will hopefully make the Hut a regular Saturday haunt. Of course, we have two Eds now and I'm reminded of the Monty Python episode featuring the "Bruces". The group of Australian philosophy professors are sitting around and they're all named Bruce. One of the Bruces walks in with a new professor, Michael Baldwin, and makes the introductions. Going around the room, he says, "Michael Baldwin, this is Bruce. Michael Baldwin, this is Bruce. And Michael Baldwin, this is Bruce." One of the Bruces asks, "Is your name not Bruce then?" To which he says, "No, it's Michael." Bruce replies, in perfect deadpan, "That's going to cause a little confusion." So it might be with the Eds, but I'm sure we can figure things out.

For the first time ever, Joe was actually hoping I would have worn my NPR t-shirt. I specifically did not wear it today for fear of upsetting my ride to the cruise port next week. So did Joe actually see the light and convert, and that's why he wanted me in my NPR attire? Au contraire, he's fought back with a shirt of his own. He ordered it special from CafePress and received it just yesterday. The photo on the right shows what he bought (click to enlarge). Joe made me promise not to alter the picture in Photoshop before I posted it!

Coincidentally, note the illustration in the shirt I'm wearing. It's the exact same piece of clip art. The shirt I have on is one I designed and sell in my shop, The Erudite Outlet. I was a little offended at first that he didn't buy his shirt from my shop, but of course, I would never sell such a silly shirt as what he's wearing! I got a huge charge out of Joe's shirt and will naturally have to find a way to top it.

Today found me smoking one of my favorite pipes, one of the Sherlock Holmes pipes from Peterson. I had Lou order it for me several years ago and like all the other Petersons I own (8 total), it smokes wonderfully. I was smoking Greg Pease's Westminster, a rich English blend, heavy on the Latakia. Ed F was smoking Lou's Black Cavendish and later a bowl of Alaskan Gold. To Ed, and any other pipe smokers, I would encourage you to check out Smokers Forums. It's a fun and welcoming online community of pipe smokers of all stripes, from beginners to long-time veterans of the briar. No question is too basic and everyone is willing to help out and make suggestions and recommendations.

Lou mentioned that Mike G was in town visiting family for the holidays. I tried calling him on the number that Lou had for him, but wasn't sure if that was a cell number or home. I guess he's sticking around for another month, so hopefully he'll stop in on a Saturday in the next few weeks.

Late in the day it was just Steve, Adrian, and myself. Lou was busy tallying up the day's business and the three of us had a pretty heady discussion ranging from aliens and UFOs to psychics to the Bible. It was fascinating stuff which I think was initiated by Steve when he mentioned "chemtrails". He pointed to one out the window in the sky. All I saw was the remnants of a jet contrail and he said that no, that was a chemtrail. I had never heard of such a thing and he explained that he only learned of it recently himself.

Apparently what we all take as contrails are actually chemicals sprayed by government planes for various nefarious reasons, from military efforts to control weather, attempts to mitigate climate change, and even population control. Naturally, I spent a little time on the Internet tonight researching this phenomenon and...I'm a little skeptical that it's anything more than innocent jet contrails. Now admittedly, I've only done a cursory search on the Internet but - at least to me - the evidence tips more in favor of jet contrails than "chemtrails."

For those interested, a Wikipedia article on the subject is a good place to start. My next stop was a website called Educate Yourself. I hesitate to provide a link because I don't want to give this site any more "Google Juice" than it already has. This is the motherlode of conspiracy theories and the article on chemtrails seems to wrap them all into one. The author of the article first talks about how chemtrails are part of the New World Order's attempts at carrying out Henry Kissinger's depopulation order, and finally ties it in with satanic worship.

Now, chemtrails might indeed be government experiments in weather/climate control, and may be kept secret from us, but calling it a form of satanic genocide is stretching credulity, at least mine. The author even goes so far as to suggest that if the "orgone generators" (whatever those are) don't work to combat the chemtrails, certain "metaphysical" tactics may be used, if done in conjunction with others.

This skeptic will open his mind to the possibility that the government keeps certain things secret and often acts in its own self-interest, and I will admit that chemtrails may indeed be different than contrails, but without more proof (and research on my part), that's as far as I can go right now. But thank you, Steve, for bringing this to my attention. I always enjoy learning new things and I think the three of us had a great conversation as the day came to a close.

Until next time...cheers!
- Bob

Friday at the Hut - 12/24/10

2010-12-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

A special Christmas blog today and season's greetings to all my loyal readers (both of you). Tom L called me a couple days ago and asked if there were any plans to get together at The Tobacco Hut on Christmas Eve. I knew that Lou was closing early, but we talked about meeting up at noon. So I sent word to the local guys and we ended up with a nice turnout: Tom, Peter, Ed, Adrian, and myself joined Lou, Dotty and Diane.

Joe wasn't able to make it so Tom called him and gave him hell. Joe pledged to make next Friday for the New Year's Eve celebration. The shop won't be open on Saturday, New Year's Day, so we're all planning on getting together on Friday instead, around 12:00 again.

A new pipe smoker arrived, I believe Ed was his name, and - much to Tom's chagrin and amusement - we talked a little shop. I advised him on the best way to keep the pipe lit (looser on the bottom, tighter toward the top), how to light it, keep it clean, etc. Tom thought the whole thing was just so much foolishness, and that a cigar is far more convenient.

Tom couldn't see the allure of all the different blends of pipe tobacco and I tried to explain my connoisseur's sophisticated palate but he cut me off, reminding me of how I polished off a magnum of Mad Dog 20/20 at his house a month ago. Point taken.
Adrian arrived and brought a very special guest, his wife. She was actually just dropping him off while she did some shopping, but we all coaxed her inside to be properly introduced. We've never met Mrs. Adrian and felt compelled to know the woman who puts up with Adrian so well. She entered the store a little wide-eyed at the gaggle of men thrusting handshakes at her, and she probably left reeking of smoke and vowing never to return. Thanks for being a good sport, Mrs. Adrian!

Lou mentioned that Mike G was in town visiting family and that he and Vic had stopped in earlier in the week. Hopefully Mike will still be in town next Friday and he can pop in. Vic, can you make the long drive up from Bradenton?

That's all for now. It's Christmas morning as I'm writing this, and this atheist is anxious to open some Xmas presents!

Don't forget - next Friday, New Year's Eve, at the Hut, around noon. Let's ring in the New Year with leftover Christmas cookies and good smokes!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 12/11/10

2010-12-12T12:04:00.001-05:00

On a chilly, overcast day in December, a pipeful of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 tasted wonderful in my rusticated Cassano, especially when Lou opened the door to let some of the accumulated smoke from half a dozen guys clear out. In attendance at The Tobacco Hut were Joe K, Peter G, Vic, Adrian, and Barry. Barry actually made kind of a dual appearance. He talked to us for awhile via speakerphone and later came in to buy some cigars and ended up staying for two hours.

I came prepared to do battle with Adrian over the chessboard, but he chickened out. No, that's not the case. Actually there were way too many folks and too much going on to have a proper game, so we postponed. Maybe after the holidays, Adrian...

Vic arrived, definitely traveling the farthest to have a cigar, coming all the way from Bradenton. I know Vic was disappointed that his 62-year-old admirer, Crazy Marion (or whatever her name was) wasn't there, but Lou said the next time she came in he would make sure she got in touch with him. See the blog post from Oct 2 for the skinny on the crazy woman. I think in retrospect, Joe was a little jealous that she quit flirting with him when she gazed upon Vic.

Apparently Barry had scheduled a party for Saturday night and invited his friend Vic. None of the rest of us were invited so Vic called him and, via speakerphone, Barry invited all of us to his soiree. We were all very touched by this sincere and heartfelt, albeit last minute, invitation. I was unable to make his party with four hours' notice, but I'm sure everyone else re-arranged their schedules to attend.

Apparently the heating system in Barry's house was on the fritz and Vic was a little concerned about attending a party in a "meat locker". The talk quickly devolved into what kind of meat was in Barry's meat locker...Vienna sausages, cocktail franks, etc. I tried not to listen.

A little while later Barry actually appeared in person. He was going to pull an Adrian and just rush in and out picking up some cigars for the party, but he ended up staying for almost two hours.

Joe had left at that point, but the rest of us had another rousing discussion on religion. Me being the token atheist, I felt a bit like the only progressive at a GOP convention, but I felt like I held my own. Nobody changed each other's minds, but that wasn't the point.

As we were leaving, Vic presented me with a gift. I was quite surprised and touched - he gave me a T-shirt depicting the Vietnam War Memorial and Wall. I'll wear it proudly, Vic. Thank you!

One last note - just a reminder that everyone's favorite guest blogger, my son Ryan, will be here next week. He's on winter break from his sophomore year at Ohio State and we'll pop in next Saturday between roughly 12-3:00, so hope to see everyone.

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 12/4/10

2010-12-05T21:26:00.001-05:00

Last week at The Tobacco Hut saw a lot of political discussion, sometimes a bit more heated than usual. So in the spirit of friendship, I brought a peace offering to Joe K. I presented him with a much-coveted coffee mug sporting the name of my favorite NPR program, All Things Considered. I'm quite sure that "liberal" portions of coffee would taste much better coming from an NPR mug rather than a backward-looking, bitter conservative cup.

I returned again to Lou's Baker Street tobacco, this time in a David Jones Canadian sandblast. I've had problems before with this pipe smoking a little wet sometimes, but I think this was the first time I had tried Baker Street in it, and it wasn't wet at all. It was a very pleasant, cool and dry smoke, and burnt completely down to a fine gray ash. This Canadian is one of two David Jones pipes I have, both obtained on the recommendation of my old manager at The Tinder Box. I've never met a more knowledgeable pipe guy in my life, and am glad to say that we are still in touch many years after I worked for him.

In addition to Joe, Peter and Adrian were in attendance. We talked a little politics, but not nearly to the extent of last week, and with scarcely the same ferocity. We watched some little college football team beat up another on TV, something called the University of Central Florida. I guess Joe's son James called in long distance demanding that we switch the channel. Lou was in an accommodating mood, so instead of the ice dancing we were all set to watch, we watched James' alma mater. Sigh...

Click to enlarge

My wife and I celebrated my birthday this weekend and she was kind enough to give me a new camera as a gift. It is a compact Canon PowerShot SX30IS with an amazing 35x zoom lens. It also shoots HD video and will be perfect for our upcoming cruise in January. She bought it at Pasco Camera as we always try to buy local. Jim and Annette Smetzer opened Pasco Camera Exchange fifteen years ago and if you're looking for anything photography related, check with them first. They have a large inventory of cameras, from point & shoots to dSLR's, and tons of accessories. I also used them to have some old 8mm movies converted to video and they did a wonderful job. At right is one of the first shots I took with the camera. For those of you who are into photography, here's the exposure info: 1/100 sec, f/4.0, ISO 80, evaluative metering. I was really impressed with the dynamic range of the camera, holding a lot of detail in both light and dark areas. I'll post some more pictures in the weeks to come.

Speaking of shopping local, Christmas is right around the corner and if you're looking for some great gift ideas, check out my online t-shirt shop. I realize that sounds like a contradiction, but I've been using a "print-on-demand" outfit called CafePress for several years now to sell my graphic designs. Here's the link to my shop, The Erudite Outlet. There's t-shirts for the cigar and pipe lover, and lots of other designs as well, plus coffee mugs and other fun stuff.

Finally, Adrian and I will be having a meeting of the minds next Saturday over the chessboard. He is an avid player as am I and we've talked a few times about playing, and we have decided to do battle at last. I don't think I've ever smoked a pipe and played chess at the same time, but it seems like a natural combination and maybe it will intimidate my opponent into thinking I'm smarter than I actually am!

Until next week...
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 11/27/10

2010-11-27T22:27:00.002-05:00

Before I get into today's activities at The Tobacco Hut, I'd like to mention that this space was reviewed and mentioned in a blog across the pond by a rather large and well-known catalogue retailer in the U.K. I received an e-mail from a most pleasant correspondent from the Clifford James Co. She indicated that my blog was chosen, among others, as one of the "Pipe Smoker's Blogs We Love." She described The Sweetest Smoke "As much a social commentary as an exploration of new pipes and tobacco blends, it is an addictive tobacco soap-opera." I like that, an addictive tobacco soap-opera. Anyway, here's the link to the Clifford James blog.

Today indeed was quite the soap opera! In attendance were Tom L, Joe K, Adrian R, Lou, and myself. Ed B and Tom D arrived after the fireworks were over. Now perhaps it was because Lou was a little grumpy, or Tom L likes to stir the political pot, or Joe K was mad at Apple (wanna sell that iPad, Joe?), but I found myself on the receiving end of countless barbs and unpleasantries. In the vernacular of the Hut, I was in "the barrel" before I had even lit my pipe.

Speaking of which, I did enjoy a bowlful of Lou's most-excellent Baker Street, an exquisite English blend that I'm liking more and more. The Crown Viking freehand (at left - click to enlarge) handled it beautifully, burning the Virginia/Latakia blend to a fine, white ash. I had to run a pipe cleaner through the pipe about halfway through smoking it as there was a buildup of moisture. I don't think however that had anything to do with the tobacco, but rather my smoking it too rapidly. See, my blood pressure was rising as I tried to withstand the attacks from Lou, Tom, and Joe.

The withering bombardment aimed at your humble narrator, the token liberal in the room, was so rapid-fire that I had trouble properly defending myself. At one point, I tried to argue not a position, but a point of fact (about whether people born here are American citizens or not), with Lou, but forgot the cardinal rule. He's always right. I should have deferred to him right away and conserved my energy.

In any case, I felt like I not only had to defend the entire progressive movement, as well as the newspaper I work for, and even Apple. In the end I just couldn't do it. In spreading myself too thin, in fighting a war on two - nay, three - fronts, I failed. I was defeated, broken, and didn't even have an NPR station to listen to for comfort until the lonely ride home.

Adrian joined us and jumped into the fray, bringing well-reasoned and cogent arguments to the discussion. He didn't go on the offensive as much, but tended to chime in with his opinion when asked. Perhaps he was distracted by Florida State beating up on the University of Florida. BTW, I did enjoy watching Ohio State beat Michigan - again!

I've mentioned to a couple folks a project I'm working on for my mother as a birthday gift. I'm assembling converted 8mm films, scanned slides and prints, and music onto a DVD as a little trip down memory lane for her. In combing through the slides, I came across this photo (at right - click to enlarge). This is me at 3 years old sitting on my grandfather's lap. I was obviously interested in pipes from a very young age. My fondest memories of "Grandpa Al" are of watching him pack and smoke his pipe.

Just an announcement for all who are interested, my son Ryan will be visiting in mid-December, and we'll try and make an appearance on Saturday, December 18th in the early afternoon. Perhaps I can even persuade him to take over the writing duties of this space again.

Until next week...
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 11/6/10

2010-11-07T09:57:00.005-05:00

Two weeks ago in this space I made a disparaging remark about Fox News, likening them to a certain German political party of the 1930's. Certain friends at The Tobacco Hut, namely Joe K, took offense to this the following week, claiming that I had called him a Nazi. In the subsequent blog, I clarified my remarks, reiterating only that the Fox News entertainers like Beck, Hannity, et al, were the Nazis, not my good friend Joe. But I apologized profusely to Joe in last week's blog. This week, when I walked in to the Hut, Joe was in the back room, and when he came out...well you had to be there. Needless to say, it was hysterical and we all had a great laugh.

How about some fascinating trivia speaking of Nazis? The National Socialist German Workers' Party did not originate the swastika for their national emblem. In fact, the word itself comes from the ancient Sanskrit, svastika. The ideogram has been used for thousands of years; its first use found in the Euphrates-Tigris valley and in some areas of the Indus valley. The swastika was commonly used in ancient Greece as well. In China, India, and Japan, the sign is mostly associated with Buddha. In the early centuries CE, Celts used the symbol as decoration, but it fell out of favor during the rise of Christianity in Europe, probably seen as anti-Christian due to its association with Buddha. More recently, it was used in nineteenth and twentieth centuries cartography as the symbol for electrical power plants. It was part of the company logo for Swedish electrical machinery manufacturer ASEA until Hitler adopted it for the Nazi national symbol. The Danish brewery group Carlsberg also incorporated the swastika in their branding but discontinued it when Hitler began using it. Finally, it is still widely seen in Finland, and is part of that country's Finnish Cross of Freedom. It was even used in advertising (see image above - click to enlarge).

Now that this week's history lesson is over, we can move on to less important topics. In attendance this week were Joe K, Peter G, and Ed B, whom we haven't seen in a couple months. Last week Vic called promising a visit this week, which I took to mean Saturday. My bad, as he came earlier in the week, so we didn't get to see him. Now that he's retired and living the good life, maybe he'll include Saturdays in his Hut visits.

Steve B wasn't able to make it, but he called. This is all we ask, people! If you can't make it, just call. This allows us to revise the catering order and size of the keg.

As is becoming more and more common lately, we had another crazy walk in and spend some time. This particular nutcase is not a stranger apparently. He's been in before asking to sort through all the change in Lou's cash register looking for the "good coins". This time he made a small purchase and took the chair vacated by Joe as he was heading home for his nap (good timing, Joe!). A college football game was on the TV and after a few minutes and out of the blue Mr. Crazy launches into a play-by-play call of some imaginary game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns, as Howard Cosell. He fell silent after a minute or so of his "broadcast" but resumed, this time calling a fumble recovery with player "49" picking up the ball and "running through the tunnel carrying Barbara Bush's purse." With that, Mr. Crazy got up and walked out the door.

After Peter and Ed left, Lou and I got down to the serious business of talking about another new pipe tobacco blend. He has had great success with Baker Street, a perfect blend of Virginia and Latakia. Just this week at the store, the first half dozen customers I saw walk in all purchased pipe tobacco, two of them buying the new Baker Street. Shortly before closing, I suggested to Lou that he experiment with a crossover between an English tobacco and an aromatic. My recommendation was to take the existing Baker Street, and add in some Cavendish. I've already come up with a name for it: London Bridge. Why London Bridge? It's a "bridge" between English and aromatic tobaccos. Very clever, right?

Two more quick things before I sign off, both for Lou.

#1: October 16, 2010, Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin. Wisconsin 31/OSU 18. Source: BuckeyeExtra.com

#2: Peter had a great suggestion about putting up a sign in the window advertising Christmas gifts like sampler packs, etc., to capitalize on the new traffic coming in and out of the new Sunshine Groves store next door. Don't forget to talk to Dotty about it!

Until next week...

Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 10/30/10

2010-10-31T16:25:00.001-04:00

Saturday brought an old friend to The Tobacco Hut...Mike G made a surprise visit from Tennessee! Always great to see Mike and it was just like old times at the Hut. Joe K was there and Steve B came in later in the afternoon. If you haven't checked out Steve's new website, click here to take a look.

Lots of laughter, a little political banter, and great stories from Mike as always. Love the tale he told while visiting the Smoky Mountains (I think it took place there)...Mike's driving around a winding mountain road, carefully negotiating a path between a cop who has someone pulled over and pedestrians on the other side, and his wife spots a deer and hands him the camera phone to take a picture. In his words, Mike doesn't "even know what the f*** button to push!"

Somewhere along the way, Joe got the notion that I called him a Nazi in last week's blog. In fact, I called the Fox News entertainers Nazis, not Joe. But, in any case, a sincere apology to my good friend Joe for leaving him with that impression. I was poking fun at Fox News and didn't mean for Joe to take offense at that so, again, my apologies. Plus, I still need that ride to the Tampa cruise port in January.

Saturday found me smoking an unfinished signed Erik Nording freehand. It has a large bowl and I filled it to the brim with Lou's new English blend, Baker Street. I've written about this blend before, but really am liking it. It's the perfect blend of sweet Virginia and Latakia and I helped Lou sell a couple ounces of it at the shop to a new customer. He also bought one of Lou's estate pipes and hopefully he'll be back to join us on a Saturday.

Vic called during the day and promised to make an appearance next Saturday. Congratulations on your closing Vic and we're looking forward to the housewarming party!

I can't resist...Mike's wife Diane posted this wedding picture of theirs on her Facebook account earlier in the year and I've been meaning to post it here. I guess it's only fair as I a couple weeks ago I posted the picture from several decades ago of Lou and Dotty, so feast your eyes on Mike "back then" (click to enlarge). One of these days I'll embarrass myself and post some of my old pics. They won't be nearly as old as Mike's of course, and I'll be better looking, but you'll get a laugh anyway.

Cheers!

Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 10/23/10

2010-10-24T13:36:00.001-04:00

When I pulled into the parking lot in front of The Tobacco Hut, I was pleasantly surprised to see Joe K's truck in its usual spot. I had expected him to be in Atlanta visiting his son James. It turns out Joe canceled his trip and I soon discovered why. Immediately after I arrived, he donned a shirt slamming my beloved NPR for their firing of news analyst Juan Williams earlier this week. This fine T-shirt was handcrafted by Joe and Val (mostly Val from what I hear) and Tom L snapped the picture you see here (click to enlarge). Probably the best reaction to the shirt came from Peter G who practically danced a sort of Greek jig in celebration of it. When asked of my reaction to Williams' firing, I admitted that the way he was let go wasn't the best, but that I agreed with the decision.

Joe and Tom both tossed many barbs my way throughout the day regarding NPR, although in a reply to Peter, I pointed out that the network itself was running news stories and commentary about it. Their reporters, analysts, and ombudsman aren't afraid of reporting on NPR even to say that mistakes were made. Obviously NPR values a diverse range of opinion (when it's rightly in line with their contract provisions) while, say, the Fox News entertainers march along in lock-step, not unlike a certain German political party active from 1919 to 1945. But I digress.

We had a new, hopefully regular, guest in our midst, a pipe smoker named Dravin. I'm hoping that I spelled his name correctly. He seemed to like the new English tobacco that Lou has whipped up, Baker Street, as he tried it and bought an ounce or two of it. He stayed for awhile and joined in the fun and hopefully will return.

Steve B came in we talked about my doing some more graphics work for his landscape company. It is also with great pleasure that I can announce that the S&B Lawn Service website I built for him is now live. I encourage everyone to check it out and keep Steve in mind if they need any landscaping. He and his crew did an outstanding job in transforming our front yard this past spring from being the shame of the street to the pride of the neighborhood with new sod, mulch, shrubbery, flowers, gravel, and more.

Adrian is back to his old self - he rushed in, grabbed a cigar, threw down some cash for it, and dashed out. On his way out the door, he did take time to apologize to Lou for sitting in his chair and also noted Wisconsin's upset win over Ohio State last week. You know, Adrian, if you're going to be an Ohio State hater, perhaps you should just keep breezing in and out! Kidding, of course.

Paula and I went over to Tom and Amanda's for a small dinner party later in the evening and I was shown Tom's Holy Grail. A large humidor filled with dozens, nay, hundreds, of 15 year old Opus X cigars. Every year around Christmastime, Tom comes up to the Hut bearing gifts as he passes out some of his prized Opus's to the guys. He also wanted me to "rub his pork", but I won't go into that right now.

Cheers!

Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 10/16/10

2010-10-16T21:03:00.001-04:00

Today, in Lou's absence, I was running the store. And as promised, it was "Free Cigar Day" at The Tobacco Hut! Of course, it was a limited time offer. Free boxes of cigars were being given away, but only from 10:00am-10:01am. If you didn't make it in during that time, you'll have to buy 'em like everyone else!

As many of you know, Lou is recovering from a cornea transplant, and doing just fine according to Dotty. Some cabin fever has set in so I pity Dotty more than Lou. He's expecting to return to the store this Monday though, wearing some fashionable dark wrap-around glasses. In any case, glad you're doing well Lou, and we'll see you next Saturday.

In the meantime, here's what you missed: Peter G arrived but was a little down in the dumps as his Boston Eagles spent the day losing to Florida State. He did send up a cheer here and there, but his rendition of the Eagles' fight song was less than inspiring. Joe K showed up next and, with great ceremony, I handed over the final installment of my iMac purchase to him. This screamingly fast computer with bright 24" monitor is now completely mine and - unless the check bounces - Joe can't change his mind and take it back! BTW, Joe, have I thanked you lately for selling me this wonderful machine? When you're ready to sell the iPad, let me know!

We were all pretty much in the dumps over Boston College's loss to the Seminoles (well, just Peter) when our day was brightened by Adrian's smiling face. He picked out a cigar and planted himself in - gasp! - the king's chair. That's right, he sat in Lou's chair. Now let that sink in a little: Adrian. Sat. In. Lou's. Chair. In fact, here's the photographic proof (Click to enlarge). We were all pretty much stunned, but I think part of it was that we were all too lazy to go get a folding chair from the back.

Mike G called from his home in Tennessee to place an order of cigars with Lou. I told him I would dutifully write a note for him and have Lou ship it out Monday. Of course, I'm the same guy who assured Mike that I would lock his shed after staying at his cabin a few years ago and completely forgot, so I wouldn't be looking for that cigar shipment anytime soon, Mike!

Practically inconsolable, Peter left after the Boston College/Florida State game was final but Barry C showed up a short time later. Joe left for home to take a nap leaving myself, Barry, and Adrian. Now Barry and Adrian knew each other casually, but only today discovered that they are each diehard Dallas Cowboy fans. They both stood up and embraced as I guess only Cowboy fans can do. In fact, I think the hug went on a little longer than it should have but hey, what do I know, I'm a Browns fan.

Anyway, the display of man-love ended and as it was nearing closing time, I emptied my pipe of the remnants of Tinder Box Reserve 1928, and packed everything away. Dotty arrived to close out and we were on our way. Hope you're feeling back to normal soon, Lou, and back to take your rightful place at the throne.

Cheers!

Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 10/2/10

2010-10-03T00:09:00.000-04:00

It was "Day of the Crazies" at The Tobacco Hut today. First, let me take roll call: In attendance were Joe K, Steve B, Barry C, Vic, Lou (of course), and myself. Barry came too late to see the first crazy, but her name was Marion or something. She barged in, announced who she was, her age (62), and flirted with every man in the room, quizzing us on how long we'd been married.

She took a particular shine to Joe and Vic. Joe because he - well - he flirted right back with her. It was kind of embarrassing, especially after I had just seen pictures of him from his recent trip to Pennsylvania wearing nothing but shorts while chopping wood.

She thought Vic was particularly handsome and made some comment that if he'd not been married she would throw herself at him. Vic tried to look flattered, but I think he threw up a little bit in his mouth at the thought.

It was good to see Vic now that he's given up the Empire State for the Sunshine State. He's been a little busy this past month with buying a new house, but I think retired life is definitely going to agree with him.

Steve and I tried to ignore Crazy Marion and conduct a little business as she was bouncing from man to man. We're on the verge of getting his website up and running - watch this space for the announcement shortly!

I enjoyed a bowlful of Lou's most excellent English blend - Baker Street - in my Ser Jacopo. This is a pipe I've owned for over 20 years and it always smokes like a dream. It brought out nice hints of the Latakia in Baker Street, without letting the Virginia take over the smoke.

Barry arrived later in the afternoon and we all argued a little about Derek "Cheater" Jeter, his favorite player on the Yankees. Vic and Barry were at the game when the "pitch heard 'round the world" occurred. They even spotted Rays manager Joe Maddon in the stands a few rows away from them after he was ejected for arguing with the umpire.

Apparently, Barry's loyalty to the Yankees doesn't run as deep as we all thought. Here's the proof. The photo to the left was snapped as some jealous fan was trying to grab his prized Rays hat from his head. I was assured that he got his hat back, with nary a punch thrown or harsh word exchanged.

Lou gave me a prized possession of his while I was at the Hut. A photograph of him and Dotty taken at their daughter's first wedding in the mid-70s. It was an 8x10 and had suffered a little wear and tear over the years. He asked if I could bring it back into shape and I was glad to do it. Of course, I have to post the picture here so everyone can see Lou in a tuxedo, and his fancy Ted Koppel-like haircut. Dotty, of course, looks stunning in the photo and didn't need any retouching to bring out her beauty. Lou, on the other hand, required so much work that even my brand new iMac (thanks Joe!) wasn't up to the task and kept crashing. Anyway, enjoy the before and after photos of Lou "The Early Days" Search! Click on each image to enlarge.

Until next week...

Saturday at the Hut - 9/18/10

2010-09-19T12:27:00.003-04:00

At The Tobacco Hut on Saturday, I enjoyed a bowlful of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in the Cassano I bought in Boston a couple months back. The Reserve 1928 is a wonderful blend of three Virginia tobaccos - Red Virginia, Orange Virginia, and Virginia Flake - and a touch of Burley. It has a great flavor and very pleasant room note. I've written about Reserve 1928 before, and I'm proud to say I worked for the gentleman who was instrumental in its final formula. Mike Spicer was my manager when I worked for Tinder Box in Columbus, Ohio many years ago. He is still the manager and a great guy with encyclopedic knowledge of all things pipes and baseball. I think I still have an unpaid tab that he hasn't written off yet (inside joke for Mike if he's reading!). Joe, you'd love him - he introduced me to NPR!

Speaking of NPR, Joe brought his iPad into the store when we needed to look something up on the Internet. I bought one for Paula for her birthday a couple months ago and she loves it. I get to play with it a little once in a while, but it's tough to get it away from her. Anyway, I borrowed Joe's iPad at the store and knowing how much he loves NPR, I thought I would do him a favor and download the NPR app. I wanted to surprise him with it, so tried to do it surreptitiously, but got hung up when it asked for Joe's password. I confessed to Joe what I was trying to do and he was very grateful that I, in fact, was not successful in my endeavor to open his mind. I'm sure Faux News has a "fair and balanced" app for the iPad, Joe!

Peter arrived and reported his success with his church fundraising auction last week. He also re-told some of the jokes that the hired entertainer, a Greek comedian, presented. A couple of the jokes were about butts and made us all a little uncomfortable. Just kidding. They were actually quite funny, especially the one about the coffee grounds (ask Peter to tell it when you see him). BTW, Lou donated a sampler pack of cigars for the event and Peter said that it garnered a $50 bid.

Looking forward to seeing New York Vic (now "Florida Vic"? "Bradenton Vic"? Palmetto Vic"?) who reports that he'll be visiting the Hut soon on a Saturday. Vic, let me know in advance if you can, and I'll spread the word that everyone's favorite retired corrections officer is visiting.

It's too bad Barry didn't show up. He would have seen Peter in rare form. Derek "Cheater" Jeter was brought up and Peter launched into a tirade about the Yankees captain, spitting expletives from his mouth like so many rotten watermelon seeds. Perhaps I've employed a touch of hyperbole, but safe to say that the respect Jeter has enjoyed throughout his career has lessened a bit.

Peter will be in Boston next Saturday and Joe's heading to Pennsylvania, so will have to wait a couple weeks before seeing them again. Paula and I might be furniture shopping so I may not be at the Hut either. Don't pout, Lou, you're always firing your best employees anyway.

BTW, we're shopping for a fold-out chair and a half to replace the daybed we want to get rid of. If anyone needs a nice day bed w/trundle, let me know!

Until next time...

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 9/11/10

2010-09-11T22:53:00.001-04:00

Today at The Tobacco Hut I brought one of my David Jones handmade creations, a dark tan colored sandblasted billiard that always smokes nice and cool. I loaded it up with Tinder Box Reserve 1928 and settled in for a relaxing afternoon of pure tobacco delight.

Lou and I were joined late in the day by Barry and Steve. Steve and I discussed finishing up the website I'm re-designing for him. Shouldn't be long 'til it's ready to go - I'll make sure to announce it here when it's live. In case nobody was aware, Steve owns his own landscaping business, S&B Lawn Care. In the spring, Steve and his crew did a fantastic makeover of our front and back yard, installing new sod, plants, and hardscaping. We've had numerous comments from neighbors about the resulting transformation. Thanks Steve!

Joe took the week off as he had a dental procedure done a couple days ago and the dentist advised against smoking for a few days. Having had a tooth pulled several weeks ago, I can understand why he decided to skip this Saturday. Peter was AWOL, but he was probably DJ'ing at the local Greek radio station, or doing a live remote from Tarpon Springs or something. Now that he's back on the air, we'll probably never see the guy anymore.

Barry paid a visit, and he came bearing gifts. Well, a gift. For me. He had traveled to Ohio recently and picked up an Ohio State cap for me. His timing was perfect as he entered the store right at the opening kick-off between Ohio State and Miami. I immediately put on the hat and I'm sure it brought the Buckeyes good luck as they went on to beat the Hurricanes (no real surprise, of course, as OSU was ranked #2). Thanks for the hat, Barry. I appreciate it!

A shout-out to Scott who's on his way to upstate New York for a high-school reunion. Safe travels, my friend. Also, speaking of the Empire State, we're expecting a visit soon from New York Vic who recently sold his house and moved to the Bradenton area. I guess we can't call him "New York Vic" any longer. Barry said he called him "Cracker" as he's now a Florida resident. I think I'll just call him "Vic."

Until next week!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 9/4/10

2010-09-06T17:46:00.000-04:00

Sorry The Sweetest Smoke is back to your usual humble narrator after the guest blogger, my son Ryan. I know from the feedback I got at The Tobacco Hut this past Saturday that most of you would prefer to read his scribbles more than mine, but alas you're stuck with me.

This Saturday saw myself, Joe K, Peter G, and Lou enjoying our cigars and pipe. Peter arrived looking very dapper, sporting a very fashionable shirt, his fedora, and some stylish sunglasses. He was getting into character for his radio gig later in the day. That's right, if you don't know, Peter has an extensive background in radio and was using his on-air skills at a Greek radio station to promote his church's fundraising efforts. Fifty thousand watts of FM power, coast to coast! Well, maybe a thousand watts from Clearwater to Port Richey, but it's for a good cause. Hope it went well, Peter!

The highlight of the day was the intense negotiation between myself and Joe. See, about 18 months ago Joe began to see the light in the computer world and bought himself a Mac. And not just any Mac. This was a screaming 24" iMac. Frankly, it put my little Mac Mini to shame and I was more than a bit envious. Of course, envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins so I was careful to - oh, hell let's tell the truth. I was green with envy, I was dripping with envy, I wanted that machine so badly I could taste it.

Over the year and a half, Joe didn't really use it as much as he would have liked, and I - sometimes subtly, sometimes not so subtly - would make mention that he could always sell it to me. Well that day arrived on Saturday. We both arrived at the Hut ready to "talk turkey". Peter and Lou both got into the spirit of the negotiations as Joe and I began the "dance". In fact at one point, Lou got so into the spirit, that Joe and I both told him to shut up.

In the end, a fair price was agreed upon and I am now the proud owner of a screaming 24" iMac. Joe has taken immaculate care of this beauty and I spent the remainder of the long holiday weekend cleaning out Joe's files, erasing the hard drive, reinstalling the operating system, installing my applications, and transferring my documents. By the way, Joe, I found some, well, how do I put this, um, awkward files that I'll put on a CD for you...just kidding! Actually, being a Mac, the erasing of the hard drive and reinstallation of the operating system took about an hour tops.

Anyway, a huge thank you to Joe. Your iMac has found a good home. Below is a picture of it, all set up in our recently remodeled office.

Saturday at the Hut found me enjoying a pipeful of Lou's new English tobacco, Baker Street, which is a perfect blend of Virginia and Latakia tobaccos. I smoked it in one of the Crown Viking freehand pipes I got from Lou a couple years ago.

After Peter and Joe had left, a new customer came in around 4 o'clock. He was a kid in his mid-20s wearing a Publix shirt, talking on his cellphone non-stop, and the first thing I heard him say on the phone was that he had just been offered a $450,000/year job, but he lost the guy's contact information. He was in the walk-in humidor by the time I quit laughing. Unfortunately, Mr. Narcissist stayed 'til closing, regaling Lou and I with tales of how he's trying to get into management at Publix but they just don't see what he brings to the table. And though he's never smoked a pipe, he apparently knows a lot about them. And cigars, of course. For those that remember the Red Bull kid, this one had about the same demeanor. I was never so happy to help Lou close up shop.

We're all looking forward to New York Vic's arrival. Hopefully, he'll make his triumphant return on a Saturday so I get a chance to see him. Safe travels, Vic! Looking forward to seeing you.

That's all for this week. Cheers!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 8/21/10

2010-08-22T13:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday was a fun day at The Tobacco Hut - we had a good crowd of regulars and a potential new regular. In attendance were Joe K, Peter G, Adrian, Scott R, Paul V, and a new guy, Derek (who is also a new pipe smoker!). Lou was there, of course, and I brought along a special guest, my son Ryan who is down visiting from Ohio for a couple weeks (he's on the left in the photo, spelling out the first "O" in "Ohio", as in Ohio State).

It was brought up that last week I failed to post a blog and when I blamed it on not having time to write it, Ryan - my son, my flesh and blood - chortled loudly and said it was more likely that I was merely lazy! Everyone had a good laugh at my expense, and despite my protestations, I could convince nobody of my innocence. So, laziness it is. And in that spirit, I have written all I can manage for this week. I now turn it over to a guest blogger, my son Ryan. Take it away...

Guest Blog #1 - All I Needed to Know in Life, I Learned at the Tobacco Hut

This past Saturday was not my first time at the Tobacco Hut, however I'd never seen it that crowded. I walked in with my dad and was greeted by Paul, Scott, Derek, and Lou. However, over the course of the next few hours, the crowd grew to nine, myself included. Now, the first rule of the Tobacco Hut is simple, and I've known it for years: Don't sit in the king's throne. But as I sat there, at first only listening to the stories and jokes, I quickly picked up on a few other things.

Rule #2 - Nothing is Sacred

No one is immune from ridicule and jokes and, furthermore, there is no topic that can't be touched. At soon as Peter walked in, the stereotype of Greek homosexuality was brought up and the gay jokes started. I learned that my dad is the token liberal of the group and, apart from that, his personal choices, from Mac Computers to Mountain Dew are criticized. Even potential customers are not immune from the comments. A woman shopping for her husband blurted out that he was old and unwittingly gave the guys fodder for a half hour of jokes.

Rule #3 - Don't Breathe Too Deeply

The eight men sitting around huffing and puffing on cigars and pipes in an already smoky shop were quickly able to get a good haze going. After a short time my eyes were watering and my throat burned. For some reason, everyone else seemed immune to the smoke. It must be the years of smoking. And, while I can appreciate the love for smoking, my time in the Hut has further convinced me that I'm not cut out for it.

Rule #4 - Don't Take Things Too Seriously

For a bunch of seemingly crude older men, the regulars at the Hut are genuinely kind people (though they may never admit it). The digs at each other are all good-natured and the serious debates are done with a joking manner so it never gets too heavy or insulting. Everyone was interested in my college career (and my apparent new quarterback position). I was surprised when Joe asked how my Aunt Julie was, after a recent trip to the hospital (though it was later decided by Peter that she just needed to loosen her bra).

Rule #5 - Don't Be Afraid to Join in the Fun

At first I was afraid that if I made many comments, that I would not be as funny as I meant to be or they would think that I was being stupid. However, I realized that if I just jump in and make a few jokes, especially ones at my old man's expense (sorry, Dad), that I'd fit right in. Derek was also quick to learn this and, though, he told Lou he'd never be back, I think he had a pretty good time.

Rule #6 - It's Okay If You Don't Know Sports

If you don't know much about sports, never fear, Peter, Adrian, and Paul will not hesitate to fill you in. I think that between the three of them, they must know most everything you can know about any sport. And, while I'm no sports expert, I think the general consensus is that my dad needs to find a new football team besides the Browns.

Corollary to Rule #6 - Don't Get Peter Started on Boston

Derek was told that, though he was from Massachusetts as well, he should not talk to Peter about it. And, sure enough, as soon as Peter was called a "Mass-hole," he didn't stop talking about the Red Sox, the Patriots, places to vacation, eat, and live, and how amazing Massachusetts is.

Rule #7 - Don't Shop at Wal-Mart and at Sam's Club, Only Buy Paper and Cigarettes

Lou would never forgive you if you supported the Walton family.

However, out of all the things I learned while at the Hut yesterday the most important was this:

Rule #8 - Never, and I Mean Never, Under Any Circumstance, Ask Joe for His ID

Thanks, guys, for welcoming me into your circle. And, you're welcome for getting Dad to actually post a blog this week. Adios!

Saturday at the Hut - 8/7/10

2010-08-07T21:01:00.001-04:00

I walked into The Tobacco Hut today and the first thing I saw was a gleaming white Dunhill My Mixture tobacco jar atop one of the humidors. An example of one of these highly collectible jars is shown at left. I wasn't sure where Lou got it, but I was hoping it was for sale, but alas it was for display only. Then Lou pointed out a half dozen Peterson System estate pipes for sale and a whole bunch of pipe racks and ashtrays. Lou hit the mother lode! Apparently he was approached by an agent of a pipe shop owner in Vermont who was closing his shop and he purchased a couple dozen estate pipes from him and a ton of pipe furniture.

He's in the process of cleaning up and sanitizing the pipes and has put some out for sale. Lou is only asking $45 apiece for them, which is an excellent bargain as new System pipes typically run anywhere from $95-110. Naturally, I selected one from the rack and was soon smoking it. Wow, what a cool dry smoke it is. The reservoir that traps the moisture in a System pipe really did its job and brought out the flavors of Lou's new tobacco blend very nicely.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention some more changes at the Hut. Lou has introduced a Virginia-based English blend of tobacco and he let me try a bowl of it in the Peterson. We talked about how the amount of Latakia in it should be tweaked ever so slightly and he has given me the honor of coming up with a name for his new blend. Since it's an English blend, he wants some sort of reference to the British Isles, and below is a list of possibilities for him, in alphabetical order, with the reasoning behind the names:

Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes' address)
Castledown (Castles are an obvious English feature)
Celtic Dream (More Irish than English, but I like how the two words flow together)
Falconer (Although originating in the Middle East, the sport of falconry was widely popular among the royalty throughout England's history)
Foghorn (Maybe not British per se, but certainly nautical and England has a long maritime tradition)
Mallory's Summit (Early Mt. Everest mountaineer George Mallory was an avid pipe smoker, and died on the north slope in 1924)
Norman Conquest (Well, technically the Normans were from France when they invaded England in 1066, but it's a pivotal point in England's history)
Parliament (The British governing body is an appropriate name I think)
Sweedlepipe (A character from a Charles Dickens novel, Martin Chuzzlewit. I don't know if he smokes a pipe in the book, but I love the name)
Wessex (Named for the Kingdom of Wessex in southern England, from ca. 600-1015 CE.)

Hopefully Lou likes one of these names and uses it for his new tobacco. Hope I helped Lou!

In attendance today were Joe K, Peter G, Steve B, and Darryl G. We were hoping to see Adrian but he must have spent the $12 that he lost last weekend and later recovered!

Lou was very gracious and at 1:00 changed the TV to the Rays-Blue Jays game. Unfortunately, the Rays took a beating, ultimately losing the game 17-11. Even with the loss, it was better than watching golf. Darryl might have disagreed with me, but I know Joe was on my side. Joe (and others) are anxiously awaiting football season, which starts in a couple weeks.

Click to enlarge

Last week I didn't get a chance to write the blog, but I have to make a remark or two about my choice of wardrobe then. I ordered a very special T-shirt for myself just for Joe's pleasure. I know how much Joe is a fan of National Public Radio, and I'm sure he donates a sizable amount of his discretionary income to the worthy cause, so I was quite puzzled when he wasn't enthusiastic about the shirt I wore just for him. In case you can't make out what the says, it reads: "NPR - Radio For Your World". Can't figure out why Joe didn't ask me to order him one after he saw it.

I think Scott R and Paul V will be at the Hut next Saturday, so I'm looking forward to seeing them. My son Ryan comes down for a two week visit next Monday, so we'll fit a Tobacco Hut visit in to the schedule, probably that first Saturday he's here, Aug. 21.

Cheers!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 7/17/10

2010-07-18T10:43:00.003-04:00

We had a nice crowd at The Tobacco Hut yesterday: Joe K, Peter G, and Progress Energy Steve. We also had Barry pay us a visit. He doesn't work Saturdays at his regular job but he's been working at his other job at the funeral home those days instead of enjoying a cigar with the gang. He was driving the Cadillac station wagon earlier in the day and had time to come over for the afternoon - good on you Barry. Peter had to leave early as he was returning to his roots to do a radio gig at a Greek radio station. Sorry, I didn't tune in Peter.

There was a customer late in the day who was looking for some MacBaren Virginia No. 1, a tinned tobacco that Lou used to carry. I've tried it and it just smokes too hot for me. To be fair, I've always had trouble with straight Virginias and their high sugar content. The key is to slow the puffing way down and I guess I'm just too used to smoking the pipe in my regular ole' way. In any case, after the customer left, Lou was musing that maybe he should get some Virginia tobacco in as he used to carry it in bulk. We discussed how Virginia is an excellent tobacco as a base for blending, and he's got all the right complements to it already: Latakia, Perique, Cavendish, etc.

Maybe, just maybe, he'll order some Virginia and even let me try my hand at blending a new mix for the store. Lou currently carries two English blends: Alaskan Gold and Country Squire, both with a Burley base. I would love to create another English or two. Hint, hint!

New York Vic called while we were there and announced some good news. They've sold their house and he should be moving down to Florida permanently in September. It'll be good to have Vic as part of the Saturday crew, at least occasionally.

Peter posed a question to Joe, Lou, and me about so-called "ghost orbs" in photography. He has a friend who has spotted such ghost orbs, AKA spirit orbs, in his pictures. Peter asked what we thought they were evidence of. Joe saw them as evidence of, well, ghosts and spirits. I see them as evidence of something far more mundane: Dust.

Contrary to popular belief, the dust that creates such orbs is not dust affixed to the camera lens, but rather dust, water droplets, etc. that are suspended in the air directly in front of the camera. In almost all cases, the orbs appear when flash is used on a compact digital camera. One rarely sees them in a dSLR because on a compact digital camera the distance between the flash and lens is quite minimal, allowing the flash to illuminate a dust particle directly in front of the lens.

But surely this is just the boring old explanation of a skeptic, and not incontrovertible evidence of the spirit world floating in front of our eyes, er, camera sensors...? Indeed, the scientific and mundane explanation isn't nearly as exciting as ghosts and goblins, but embracing the words of a 14th century logician, theologian, and Franciscan friar William of Ockham will guide the gentle reader to the proper conclusion. The so-called Ockham's Razor is the principle that "entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity" (entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem). The popular interpretation of this principle is that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.

So which is simpler, that a few dust particles suspended in the air are reflecting the light from the flash back to the camera lens, or that some people who die are caught in some sort of limbo because for some reason they haven't made it to their "final destination" and make their appearances as whitish, round circles in pictures of darkened rooms photographed by compact digital cameras with flash?

In between puffs of his La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Tabaqueros, Joe shouts out a challenge: Why are the orbs always circular? Dust comes in many forms, e.g. bits of skin, fibers, bug poop, animal dander, etc. But the spirit orbs are always circular - nay, spherical - in nature. Surely that means that the orbs are photographic proof of the existence of ghosts.

I admit, that had me stumped at the time. Joe was right, dust does come in many shapes and sizes, so why weren't there, say, long skinny irregular whitish blobs appearing in such pictures? Naturally, when I got home I did some research. It turns out there is a perfectly reasonable, albeit somewhat complicated, explanation.

Basically, the orbs are not a round piece of dust being photographed. The orbs are actually "circles of confusion" (CoCs). CoCs are out-of-focus points of light caused by a reflection of "highlights" on dust particles. Highlights are all around us. In the picture of the apples, note the highlights caused by the sun shining on the fruit. Because dust particles are so small they usually only have one highlight that is reflected.
It is this highlight, a pinprick of light, that becomes out-of-focus and appears as an orb. This helps to explain why the color and shape of an orbs is not the color and shape of dust.

In photography, a CoC is the smallest dot that a human eye can perceive in a photo. When an object highlight is out of focus, this dot expands to become a recognizable circle. In the case of an out-of-focus dust particle caught in a flash, this circle is seen as an orb. The CoC size is usually around 0.05mm and can vary from camera to camera.

I am quite sure that I have exhausted the patience of any readers who have gotten this far, but I wanted to answer Joe's quite reasonable question. Lou was tiring of ghost orb talk, so he switched gears to another misguided notion: The continuous pumping of oil around the world is cooling the earth. I won't test the patience of my readers by dissecting this assumption piece by piece, but the long and short of it is that there is far too much distance between the molten core of the earth and where the oil deposits are.

The average distance from the surface of the earth to the molten outer core is 1,800 miles. The vast majority of oil reserves lie no more than 4-5 miles from the surface. Because of the pressure and temperature, any petroleum found below roughly 5 miles is in the form of a gas, i.e. natural gas. It would have no cooling effect anyway, even if it was closer to the core.

Science lesson is over for the day, folks. Get your questions ready for next week!

Cheers!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 7/10/10

2010-07-11T20:03:00.002-04:00

This blog post actually covers two week's worth at The Tobacco Hut. I meant to write one after last week's visit, but the long weekend just got away from me. On July 3rd, Joe was still recuperating from his kidney stone procedure, but Peter G and Ed B were in attendance, along with a Very Special Guest from the past. All the way from Coker Creek, Tennessee (think Ma & Pa Kettle but with indoor plumbing)...Mike G made an appearance along with one of his sons-in-law, Bob.

It was great seeing Mike and it was like old times with him telling stories peppered with, shall we say, colorful language. The tales he tells just wouldn't be the same without the %$*@, %#@$*, and +%&*@#. I had never met his son-in-law Bob who was a fascinating guy who's led an interesting life and he had some good stories to tell as well, minus the more colorful adjectives.

I smoked some more of the #05 from Bennington's in Sarasota in an Ascorti Pepino. The rusticated straight Pepino handled the English blend wonderfully, producing a nice, cool smoke.

This past Saturday saw an excellent and lively group at the Hut. First and foremost, Joe K was back, bigger and better than ever. He's feeling back to 100% after his surgery and, in his words, he's finally "peeing yellow" again. (Thank you Jesus!). As someone's who peed red Joe, I can relate to what a good feeling that is! He even got up and danced a little jig for us. Hmm...perhaps I liked it better when he wasn't feeling in tip-top shape.

Apparently Joe's son James is in town, but he didn't have the nerve to show up. According to Joe, he was off fishing or something. I think he's somehow intimidated of me. Knowing that I only have one kidney, he probably knows that my other organs are even stronger to compensate.

In addition to Joe, we had Preacher Jim C whom we hadn't seen in a long time, Peter G, Ed B, Steve B, as well as Tom L and his friend Frank. Tom brought some aged Opus-X cigars. He bought a supply of them from Lou 16 years ago and has been aging them ever since. Apparently they were very good, but I stuck with my pipe - the same #05 but this time in a Bjarne straight billiard. Tom made a half-hearted attempt at offering me one but I could tell he didn't want me to have one. I'm kidding, of course. Tom actually offered me the butt of one that he was finished with.

Ed B has a new career ready when he retires from the Sheriff's department in a few years: Pest Control. A monster palmetto bug (cockroach) escaped from the empty unit next to Lou's and was crawling along the wall. Ed took a big puff of his cigar and blew it on the 6" long bug (maybe I exaggerate slightly, but it was big). It staggered a little and after a few more puffs it fell behind a shelf. We never saw it again, so I presume that the high concentration of nicotine was just too much for it.

Apparently it was also time to switch the lenses out on the fluorescent light fixtures. Judging by how yellow the ones that were taken down were, I would say that is an operation that has never been attempted before. Peter looked like he had everything pretty well handled by the time I got there, and Tom was helping, plus Preacher Jim assisted at the end, so I sat back and puffed my pipe, mindful of the adage about too many cooks in the kitchen.

That's all for these two weeks. Until next Saturday...

- Bob

P.S. A special shout-out to Vic. See, I do mention you in the blog! :-)

Saturday at the Hut - 6/26/10

2010-06-27T21:08:00.002-04:00

Saturday at The Tobacco Hut saw me smoking some of the tobacco I purchased at Bennington's in Sarasota on our recent trip to Key Largo. Last week I smoked their No. 15 and this week I tried their No. 05. Their website describes the tobacco as "Golden brown burley from Kentucky and Tennessee is expertly blended with flue-cured Virginia Ribbon and Cyprus Latakia. The secret to this blend is its pleasant aroma, yet unlike many aromatics, the smoke is fuller-bodied, cooler and satisfying." I found it a very nice smoke indeed, similar to Lou's Alaskan Gold, with the addition of the Virginia.

We missed Joe today as he is still recovering from a kidney stone procedure he endured earlier in the week. I'd lend you my kidney, my friend, but it's the only one I've got! I was hoping to see Peter and his fedora so I could let him know that Paula and I ate at Hellas at the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks the night before. We got in trouble with him for eating at Red Lobster a couple weeks ago and was hoping we could redeem ourselves.

Adrian, whom I mentioned a couple weeks ago, came in and sat down to enjoy a cigar. I'm glad he was there so we could tap into his sports knowledge about the FIFA World Cup soccer game that was on TV: USA vs. Ghana. Yes, you read that correctly, Lou actually turned the from the Golf Channel to ABC so we could watch the soccer match. It was an exciting game but, as you probably know by now, the U.S. lost and wasn't able to advance to the next round.

I was very pleased to learn that Adrian is a chess player. Perhaps some Saturday I'll have to bring a small chess set I have to the Hut...It's sometimes hard to find chess players and as much as I'd like to trounce him in a game to avenge Ohio State's (my alma mater) loss to Adrian's favorite team, the University of Florida, in the 2007 BCS Championship, it would be fun just to play a casual over-the-board game.

Not much else going on. Hope to see everyone this Saturday. Get healthy, Joe!

Cheers!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 6/19/10

2010-06-20T09:00:00.001-04:00

Saturday at the Hut started a little early for me with a phone call from Mike G in Tennessee. My wife handed me the phone and with no introduction, I heard Mike's voice say, "When you go to The Tobacco Hut today I'd like you to pick up two La Gloria Cubanas and drive them 600 miles to the north. I'll be waiting on my front porch for them." It was great talking to Mike especially since I seem to keep missing him when he comes into town occasionally. He asked how Joe was enjoying his retirement and offered a tip on how to kill small projects around the house by describing them as very large projects: "Okay, honey, you want those flowers planted. I'm going to start by renting a backhoe..." Classic Mike.

In attendance today were Joe K, Peter G, Steve B, Ed B, myself, and Lou (of course). Steve brought a friend, Bobby, who - like Peter - has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of all things sports. I'm always amazed how people can hang on to little seemingly arcane bits of information about practically every team in every sport. I was glad to hear that Bobby was a Cleveland Indians fan and he's not even from Cleveland. I grew up there so it's kind of an automatic thing that I would be an Indians fan, but he's from Gainesville and made the choice voluntarily - wow!

On my recent trip to Key Largo, I was able to bring back Joe's favorite cigar, the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Tabaqueros. Joe first tried them at Lou's and fell in love, but they've been on back order ever since. I first tried the tobacco store in Key Largo, Island Smoke Shop, which is a large, well-stocked cigar store. They didn't have any de Tabaqueros, but I did pick up a sampler of their El Original line of house cigars. I brought back one for Lou and Peter and though I haven't tried one yet, Peter enjoyed his maduro torpedo.

On the trip back from the Keys, we drove through Sarasota, so I was able to stop at Bennington's at St. Armand's Circle. Boy, do I love this store! Hundreds of pipes, lots of tobacco choices, and very knowledgeable staff. I could spend all day in there, and I'm sure the hour we did spend seemed like all day to my wife. No new pipes since I had just purchased a new one a couple weeks ago in Boston, but I did pick up a couple Bennington blends of tobacco. And Joe's much-coveted de Tabaqueros cigar.

Saturday at the Hut I enjoyed one of those Bennington blends, No. 15. Like Lou, Bennington's blends their own tobacco and has since 1965. I had the privilege of speaking with Gary Bennington, who blends the tobaccos himself. They also stock a lot of commercial tins of tobacco, and Gary was able to point me in the direction of some of their mixes that mirror the commercial blends. I had actually come in with the intention of buying some more Frog Morton, but ended up with a couple packages of theirs.

I tried the No. 15 in a Crown Viking from The Tobacco Hut (are you reading, Tim?) and it was excellent. According to Gary, it was patterned after the famed Balkan Sobranie White Label, out of production for over a decade now. This tobacco is a light, medium-bodied English Mixture containing a high percentage of Turkish Yenidge leaf, flue-cured Golden Virginia Ribbon and Cyprus Latakia. At first, it burned a little hot, probably because of the Virginia, but it soon settled down and became a most enjoyable smoke, especially in the beautiful Crown Viking from The Tobacco Hut (still reading, Tim?).

Next week I'll try their No. 5, a mix of Latakia, Virginia, and Burley. Not sure which pipe I'll try it in. Maybe one of the other Crown Vikings from The Tobacco Hut, or one of the several Petersons I've picked up from The Tobacco Hut over the years. Maybe even the Comoy I bought from The Tobacco Hut. (Are you still with me, Tim?).

That's all for this week - cheers!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 6/12/10

2010-06-13T09:47:00.003-04:00

The core regulars were in attendance today: Joe K, Peter G, and myself. Nice to see Steve B whom we haven't seen in awhile. We also welcomed Adrian into our midst. He is a regular customer but rarely sits down to enjoy a purchase. But this time, he spent the afternoon and we got to know him a little bit. Like Peter and the apparently-AWOL Barry, he is a walking sports encyclopedia.

Adrian, Lou, and I spent a good deal of time talking about labor unions and working for big companies. Lou is obviously a member of what journalist Tom Brokaw calls the "Greatest Generation." Not in the specific context of what Brokaw was talking about, i.e. fighting in WWII, but the general work ethic and loyalty that he has exhibited throughout his working life. Lou is a self-described "100% union man" and although we don't always agree on the subject of labor unions, I admire him for standing up for his principles what he's accomplished in his lifetime.

I did take some heat from Lou and Joe over last week's blog. Apparently Joe likes the Fox News Kool-Aid and isn't drinking it against his will. Joe, that stuff will rot your brain! Why not try the cool, pure waters of NPR?

Lou, sorry we misunderstood last week about the source of the USS Clinton question. It wasn't you asserting whether it existed or not, it was from an e-mail you received. And I guess when you said the USS Clinton in the context of the USS Reagan and fictional USS Obama, I inferred that you meant that the USS Clinton was named after President Bill Clinton. My bad.

Peter is obviously reading the blog because he brought the fedora back! Thank you, Peter! Sorry the picture isn't the best, but my camera phone is obviously more phone than camera, but you get the idea.

I liked my Cassano from L.J. Peretti's in Boston so much last week, that I brought it back and smoked it again this week. Again, it smoked like a champ all the way down. It has a light tan finish and it's already picking up some of the oils from my hand and darkening in places. I don't have many sandblasted pipes, so this is a nice addition to the collection.

Speaking of my collection of pipes and how they're mentioned from week to week on the blog, please read the post below this one entitled "An Open Letter to 'Tim'" post below this one, especially if you're Tim.

That's all for this week - cheers!

- Bob

P.S. A shout out to James K for his recent engagement to Chantel. I know Joe and Val are excited to have Chantel as part of their family. Can't say that Chantel's family feels the same, but congratulations just the same! ;-)

An Open Letter to "Tim"

2010-06-13T09:14:00.000-04:00

Tim, it has come to my attention that, in your opinion, I don't promote the pipes at The Tobacco Hut enough. That when I describe what I'm smoking in the blog, the pipes at Lou's must not be "good enough" because they don't get mentioned. I can only guess that you are referring to my most recent post where I describe the Cassano pipe I purchased while at L.J. Peretti's in Boston.

I take umbrage at this and have referenced the below blog posts to refute your accusation. In reviewing 60+ posts since late 2008, I have mentioned pipes obtained at The Tobacco Hut numerous times, admittedly not always saying where I got the pipe. Below, however, are the posts where I do talk about the pipe and that I had gotten it at Lou's.

1/10/09 - Ben Wade
2/3/09 - Sterncrest Estate Pipe
2/8/09 - Peterson
3/7/09 - Peterson Donegal
8/22/09 - Ben Wade
9/19/09 - Viking Crown
12/26/09 - Stanwell Freehand
5/8/10 - Viking Crown

The latest post that mentioned a pipe and where I got it was as recently as May 8. I suggest a more thorough reading of my blog before making such statements.

Indeed, the pipes at The Tobacco Hut are more than "good enough". In fact, fourteen of the pipes in my collection have come from Lou's. And in the March 7th post, I describe the Peterson Donegal as being one of the best smoking pipes I own.

Just setting the record straight.

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 6/5/10

2010-06-05T19:45:00.001-04:00

Today was my first trip to The Tobacco Hut in a couple weeks. Last Saturday I was in Boston on business and later visiting with my brothers-in-law. The business part of the trip was awesome - I learned a lot and met some fantastic people. Yes, Joe, you'll get your cigar next week!

Paula flew up at the end of the week and we hung out with her brothers and family, did some touristy stuff exploring Boston and just enjoyed a long, relaxing weekend. I visited L.J. Peretti's, a tobacconist located near Boston Common. It's been around for 130 years and is a full service smoke shop. The store is crammed full of pipes, cigars, tobacco, and accessories. The help was a little crusty, but that just added to the charm of the place.

I picked up a tan sandblasted Cassano pipe while there (see above). I had never heard of the brand, but apparently it is fairly well-regarded, although it's not too well known in the U.S. They use 100-year-old oil-cured briar, designed to be easy to break in. I definitely found that to be true as I simply loaded up the bowl with some Frog Morton and lit up. It smoked like a champ from top to bottom, producing a nice, gray ash with very little unburned bits of tobacco. Here's a picture I snapped of it shortly before its inaugural smoke.

We had the usual folks at the Hut today: Joe K, Peter G, Lou (of course), and myself. We also had a new customer come in, Ed, who seemed like quite a nice fellow. By the way, I like the word "fellow" and I'm not happy that it's fallen out of common usage. "Guy" is so pedestrian. I'd like to bring back "fellow" similar to how Peter is doing his part to bring back the fedora. Speaking of which, we saw Peter with his fedora a couple weeks ago, but not today. Bring back the fedora!

Topics of discussion included how displeased Joe is with our President, but I refused to debate with him, no matter how much he's been drinking the Fox News Kool-Aid. We also discussed the almost-perfect game thrown by Detroit's Armando Gallaraga a couple nights ago and whether umpire Jim Joyce's bad call should be overturned. We were all, like most people, in favor of keeping the call, however bad, intact.

Lou was under the impression that it's been twenty years between this year's two perfect games and previous ones, but Peter and I corrected him. Just for the record, here are the years that the sport's twenty perfect games have been pitched: 1880(2), 1904, 1908, 1922, 1956, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1981, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2010(2). Lou must have been remembering the 34-year gap between 1922 & 1956, the longest gap between perfect games.

Another dispute came up about whether former President Bill Clinton has a navy vessel named after him. Our cigar-smoking host thought there was, but Peter and I didn't think so. After I got home, I checked the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. There are two USS Clintons, neither was named after our cigar - um, smoking, President. The first was a tugboat commissioned in 1864 and served until 1870 in New York and Norfolk. The second USS Clinton was commissioned in February 1945 and served as a troop transport ship, earning a single battle star for service in WWII. It was decommissioned and scrapped in 1958.

And with that, today's history lesson is over. Hope to see everyone at the Hut next Saturday.

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 5/8/10

2010-05-08T18:01:00.001-04:00

I know, I know, it's been three months since I've made a blog posting. So sue me. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's recap what happened today at The Tobacco Hut. Who were the regulars in attendance and what fun banter was exchanged?

Here's the entire list of Saturday regulars and semi-regulars who were in attendance: Me. That's it. No Joe K, no Peter G, no Steve B, no Barry C, no Tom L, no Paul V, no Scott R (correction - according to Lou, Scott stopped by in the morning for a smoke but, alas, he had left before I arrived), no Ed B, no Vic (although I think he's gone back to New York so I guess he's off the hook), no James K (although I suppose living in Atlanta excuses him, but he could have at least made his usual harassing phone call), no Sue Ann, no Darryl G, and no Mike G (is it really *that* far from Tennessee to join us for a Saturday smoke once in awhile?)

Fortunately we had a steady stream of other customers, although no one stayed to enjoy their purchases. At 2 o'clock, Lou turned the TV to some golf tournament which was sheer torture for me. Unfortunately, without other folks to converse with, all my attention was reluctantly focused on the TV. I think I learned more about golf in those several hours than in the previous several decades.

I did, however, thoroughly enjoy my pipeful of Tinder Box Reserve 1928. It smoked beautifully all the way down to a fine ash in the Winslow Crown Viking I purchased from Lou a couple years ago. It's a wonderful, medium-sized freehand, partly rusticated. Lou has one remaining freehand that I might just have to buy - don't tell Paula.

In two weeks - May 22nd - Lou is hosting an Oliva tasting. Mark it on your calendars and all will be forgiven if you're able to make it. I also pledge to be better about writing the blog. Deal?

By the way, as many of you know, I design websites on the side. Here's my recently completed site for the company Peter G works for, Amen Air. Check it out!

Cheers!
- Bob

Pipe Smoking on The History Channel

2010-02-07T00:16:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure when this originally aired, but I came across this video clip from The History Channel's "Modern Marvels" program. It shows how a custom, handmade pipe is made and also features the Cornell & Diehl Tobacco Co. in North Carolina, who manufactures over 200 blends of pipe tobacco.

Nice to see an interesting, albeit brief, segment on pipe smoking in the mainstream media. Years ago when I worked at The Tinder Box in Columbus, Ohio, we invited pipe carver Tim West into our shop for a pipe making demonstration. He set up his equipment in the front of the store and was there for several hours. It was extremely interesting, even to non-smokers who were passing by.

So-called board, or basket, pipes are typically machine-made and, though perfect for someone starting out in pipes, don't offer the same smoking experience as that of a hand made custom pipe. The selection of briar, the curing process, the care and craftsmanship that goes into the carving, and the finishing of the pipe all contribute to an excellent smoking experience. Knowing the amount of work and the vision that goes into such pieces of art only serve to enhance the enjoyment of the pipe.

Cheers!
- Bob