Saturday at the Hut - 2/23/13

This blog post will actually cover both Friday and Saturday at The Tobacco Hut, since the shop re-opened on Friday and I was there as well. I knew that Pete was planning a little remodeling and sprucing up before he opened the shop, and when I walked in on Friday it looked like he and Laurie had been hard at work.

The front half of the store had been painted and new flooring had been at least partially installed. Things were in a bit of disarray with tools scattered about, the TV on the floor, racks and furniture out of place, etc. But, and this is important...the store was open for business!

Tom L had come in earlier but by the time I got there he had already left. Joe was there when I arrived and Peter came in later. Don also came in but I had already left, and I guess Aaron was there as well.

The infamous clock, now on my office
wall, along with a couple other
artifacts from the Hut.
(Click to enlarge)

I had informed Joe in an email that I would be there between 12-1:00 that day as I was taking the afternoon off from work. When I walked in around 12:30, Joe demanded to know where I'd been, implying that I was late. I protested, saying that I was on time. I whirled around to point at the clock above where the TV normally sits and, of course, no clock. Ah, damn, I shouldn't have bought that clock from Lou which now sits on the wall in my office. Okay, Joe, you got me!

I delivered Pete & Laurie's new business cards, as well as Joe's. I felt I needed to get Joe back, so I told him that the printer printed his business cards upside down. I did get him for a second, as a momentary flash of confusion crossed his face.

Sorry, Joe, your business cards
got printed upside down.

With mutual "gotchas" out of the way, Joe was kind enough to buy me a cigar. I had brought my pipe with me, but with Joe's kind offer, I decided to delay the pipe until Saturday. I headed off to the humidor and grabbed a Fuente 8-5-8. By the way, the humidor is getting back to its normal inventory levels. Pete is actively ordering new supplies and it will take a few weeks to be bursting at the seams, but its well on its way now.

Joe left and Pete, Laurie, and I talked about some marketing and advertising plans for the store. Pete and Laurie both see enormous potential for the Hut and I think we'll all be pleased with what's to come.  They're looking at holding an official grand re-opening in a few weeks and we might even have Don prepare some of his world-famous barbeque for it. If you were fortunate to be here several months ago and sampled some, you know how good it is. You won't want to miss it. More to come when the dates get firmed up.

New hardwood floors really spruce
up the place. (Click to enlarge)

When I walked in Saturday morning, it was like night and day. Everything was put back in place, no tools scattered about, and the place actually looked bigger. The new wood floors really make a difference. The chairs were where they should be, and guess who was in his old chair? That's right, Lou was sitting in the "king's chair", like nothing had changed!

Well, a couple things had changed. He was speaking a little more deferentially to us and didn't kick anybody out of "his" store! Joe was there as well and, before long, Vic arrived, then Rob, and Don showed up too. I gotta tell you, now that Lou's no longer the owner, we can bust his chops a lot more! But he took it in stride, and dished it out just as much as he ever did. Lou said he's going to try and stop in on Saturdays, but of course taking care of Dotty is his first priority.

Just like old times!
(Click to enlarge)

Laurie provided some tasty baked goods, including some wonderful chocolate chip cookies. I lit up a Crown Viking freehand with some equally tasty Baker Street tobacco, and we all concluded that it is a very good thing that the Hut continues.

See you next Saturday!

Saturday at the Hut - 1/12/13

It's been awhile since I've posted - remember, I'm on a bit of a hiatus - but I have some exciting news to share. The Tobacco Hut lives! As most of you know, Lou has had the business up for sale for some time now but with no buyers, he had started the process of shutting the store down. Dotty is slated to come home soon and he wanted to spend his time with her. So every week the inventory would diminish and the shelves looked more and more bare. I steeled myself for the inevitable - no more Saturdays at the Hut. My wife wasn't too happy about the prospect either, as she practically pushes me out of the house on Saturdays.

Mike G (left), explains to the Hut's new owner, Pete (right),
that he gets free shipping to Tennessee when he places an
order. Lou quickly disavows even knowing Mike.
(Click to enlarge)

But, at the eleventh hour, a sale has been announced! Pete Yates and his wife Lori (hope I spelled her name correctly), from Clearwater, have stepped forward and purchased the store. It was a whirlwind romance - Pete came in two Fridays ago, and inked the deal with Lou this past Tuesday. Today was Lou's last Saturday as owner of The Tobacco Hut as Pete and Lori take over this Tuesday.

Lou reminiscing before the gang
arrived. (Click to enlarge).

It was bittersweet for us, most of all Lou, as it's been a great ride for the last 28 years. I've been coming to the shop since 1996, and hanging out on Saturdays since 1998. Others have a longer history, such as Mike G who I think was coming even before there was a Tobacco Hut, or even a shopping center there. I think Mike would just stand in the field at the corner of 54 and Madison and smoke a cigar.

So a tip of the pipe to Pete and Lori for keeping the legacy of the Hut going. And my wife sends her heartfelt thanks to you as well.

So besides the announcement that today brought, what else happened at the Hut? Well, let me start with who was in attendance today. We had a full crowd: Lou, Paul O, Don W, Peter G, Joe K, Vic T, Mike G, Scott R, Corey, Jeff D, Tom L, Ross, Pete & Lori, some kid who came in to buy It's a Girl Cigars and stayed to smoke a cigar, and me. The smoke was pretty thick at times, but it was a beautiful day so Lou had the door open which did a good job of keeping the room clear.

Vic (right) showing off his meat
to an eager Joe. (Click to enlarge).

Other than the good news of the Tobacco Hut's continuation, it was also Celebrate Vic's Meat Day. It's only natural that Vic bring us his meat since some of us have sampled his nuts. I guess technically it's not Vic's meat, but some friend of his in New York who makes liverwurst and capicola (also spelt capicollo, capicolla, or the Italian spelling, capocollo. Capicola is a traditional Italian cold cut made from dry-cured whole pork shoulder or neck). He also brought in some New York maple syrup. Some of the guys had put in an order with Vic a couple weeks ago and today he unveiled his meat for all to see. He even sliced some of his meat to try on crackers that Joe had brought.

Scott brought some knives with him, and Vic showed him one of his. We kidded Vic about how useful the knife would be since he keeps it in a sheath, in a box, locked in the trunk of his car. Hope he's not mugged - he'd have to ask the thug to wait five minutes while he gets to the knife.

Joe's paper towel carelessly left on
floor. Vic had nothing to do with it.
(Click to enlarge).

As the new owners take over, let's hope that Joe is more mindful of the paper towel that he constantly leaves on the floor. The photo at left was taken shortly after he left for home. We all noticed it and just shook our head. Maybe Joe was still feeling the effects of the Lido Gomez cigar that kicked his butt today.

Not sure who mentioned it, but someone said that they want a picture taken of Lou actually paying for a cigar. Lou took a lot of good natured ribbing today from all of us. And he was in such a good mood that he didn't mind a bit. I think someone could have lit a fire under his chair and he wouldn't have minded. Oh wait, Joe did that.

The new owners, Pete and Lori, have pledged to keep things at the Hut pretty much the same, although they will restore the store hours at least back to Monday through Saturday. We tried to convince them that Lou bought us all pizza and wings on Saturdays but they weren't buying it. Lori did bring in a container full of homemade cookies. Mike polished them off fairly quickly so was pleased when Lori said she'd bring in a fresh batch every week.

I didn't find out if Lou negotiated the use of the "king's chair" when he visits. Guess we'll find out. Lou will be at the Hut during a transition period while Pete and Lori get up to speed, and plans on making an appearance on Saturdays from time to time. Of course, his first priority is getting Dotty settled in, but I'm sure he won't be able to stay away for too long.

Joe (left) and Lou (right) look on eagerly as Vic
unveils his meat. (Click to enlarge).

Left to right: Joe, Vic, Mike, Don. (Click to enlarge).

Left to right: Scott, Joe, Corey, Mike, Vic. (Click to enlarge).

Lou, I think I speak for everyone when I say congratulations to you in this new chapter of your life. A lot of friendships have been forged at the Hut through the years and we have you to thank. We can also thank you for emptying our wallets. And even some abuse along the way...but we wouldn't have it any other way.

Good luck my friend and enjoy your retirement.

Saturday at the Hut - 7/14/12

We had a full house at The Tobacco Hut today, so let's jump right in with the roll call. In addition to Lou and myself, we had Joe K, Don W, Arnie, Vic and his cousin Russ, Bryan, and Aaron. The jokes were as thick as the smoke and we all got a lesson in grammar too. More on that later.

This will be Don's last Saturday for awhile as he begins training for his new job (congrats and good luck to Don). Fellow pilot Arnie was in town as well, so to celebrate he and Don both tried an Opus X for the first time. Vic and I and others warned them that it can be a strong smoke, but they both threw caution to the wind and lit up. Within about ten minutes Don had to let his go out as he was feeling a bit light-headed. He decided to smoke it at a much slower pace. Arnie was fine with it until the last third or so when little beads of sweat started to break out on his forehead. They both agreed that the Opus does not live up to its reputation as a top shelf cigar and that they would never smoke another. We did tell them that Tom L occasionally brings some aged Opus cigars that he's stored for the last dozen years or so and that they are completely different from a fresh, out-of-the-box specimen.

Russ T wins the award for traveling the farthest for a cigar. He's down visiting from Rochester, NY although he had some difficulties in departing from the airport a week ago. Russ was evidently under the impression that he could just arrive at the airport without a ticket or boarding pass and get right on the plane. The ticket agent had different ideas, so he had to delay his trip by a day. Seriously, Russ had purchased the ticket six weeks ago but when he got to the airport they had no record of him in their system. Russ, maybe you were supposed to fly out of Buffalo...

Readers of this space will recall the last blog posting from June 16 where Aaron recounted his romantic tale of him and his friend attending the critically acclaimed movie, "Brokeback Mountain" when it came out a few years ago. Speaking of "coming out", Aaron announced that he - no, no. I'm only kidding. Anyway, since there were some folks in attendance today that didn't hear the original story, we persuaded Aaron to give us his impressions of the movie, with full animation, of course. I passed around the Photoshop image I had prepared of Aaron living his dream of actually being in the movie, to everyone's enjoyment.

It was around that time that the typically sophisticated level of discourse took a downward turn. Russ ingratiated himself to us by telling some extremely distasteful jokes. I, for one, was deeply offended. Of course, you couldn't tell that because I was howling with laughter. There was one about three missionaries being faced with Yanye or Death, but since this blog's wide readership(!) reaches many women and children, I won't go into the full joke here.

So what's this about a grammar lesson? Oh yes, let me explain. One of the regulars at the Hut, Paul O (not to be confused with Scott R's brother-in-law, Paul V), had a very public hissy-fit on Facebook over a comment I left on one of his posts. Rather than explain it all, I submit the evidence from this past Monday and let my gentle readers come to their own conclusions:

Paul O wins the "I Can Dish It Out But Can't Take It" Award for 2012
(Click to enlarge)

Yes, you read that correctly, Mr. O gave me a thorough thrashing (and his wife even got in the act) over six words that I left for him. Not only did he "unfriend" me on Facebook (oh, the horrors), he even removed himself from The Tobacco Hutters. One can only hope that this means he has removed himself from the Tobacco Hut as well. I am quite sure that his "wit" will not be missed. Moving on...

Had a great day at the Hut with so many folks in attendance. 'Til next time!

Saturday at the Hut - 5/12/12

We had quite a full house at The Tobacco Hut today. I thought I was getting there early enough to get a chair but alas, no. Fortunately Aaron was kind enough to give up his comfy club chair for the fold-up one he brought with him. Thank you, Aaron, for respecting your elders.

While I puffed on my Ascorti Peppino pipe filled with Tinder Box Reserve 1928 I tallied up the roll call (see how I slipped in what I was smoking today?): Lou, Joe K, Don W, Paul O, Aaron C, Peter G, Tom L, Vic, Blake, Tony, and myself.

Nice to see Vic making the trip up from Bradenton. It looks like we might see some more of him as he's squirreled his nuts away for the summer. Vic also recounted a story from a recent conversation with Mike G. Many of us probably remember Mike's old pick up truck...well, he's had it for sale in Tennessee for awhile and finally sold it to a young lady up there. Well, apparently, the night she actually took possession of the vehicle, just several hours later, it broke down on her.

If yer in need of a good car or truck that'll git
ya a mile or two down the road, call Mike!

Mike had to go and push it off to the side of the road, I guess, but rather than declaring simply, "Let the buyer beware", Mike went the extra mile and offered to refund the woman's money. Good on you Mike for doing the right thing! In honor of your integrity, I've created the logo above for your next company if you should decide to open a car dealership...

Today the topics revolved, strangely enough, around birds. Aaron told a story, complete with pantomime, of two seagulls engaged in coitus on a street light. Aaron's hip gyrations, arm flapping and gull-like squawking presented quite the entertaining vision.

Joe remarked that in his younger days he often went to the beach with his parrot on his shoulder and attracted flocks of ladies (pun intended). After bragging about his exploits for a time, Vic commented to me quietly that I should inform Joe that that wasn't exactly Christian behavior. So I started to say something, but before I did, Joe reminded me that he had just fixed my mother's computer which I had taken delivery of not an hour before. He also implied that the wizardry he employs to repair the computers can also be used to disable them, so I kept my mouth shut. Vic said I wussed out, but I prefer to think that I merely took the high road and adopted the very Christian principle of "judge not, lest ye be judged."

Vic helping Don ease his big rig
safely out of the parking spot
(click to enlarge)

Don cashed out and said goodbye, and we were then all treated to his driving prowess as he backed out of his spot, pulled forward a little, backed up, came forward again, backed up again, pulled up, back and forth, back and forth. It was all quite dizzying, but he finally managed to clear his parking spot, with a little help from Vic. For some unknown reason, he did a U-turn behind the building and drove past giving us all the "one-finger salute". I think some bikers in the barber shop noticed and we may not be seeing Don for awhile.

Blake made a rare Saturday appearance and met some of the guys for the first time. Tom was especially glad to meet a fellow pipe smoker. Paul feigned boredom with the whole topic of pipe smoking, but sure asked a lot of questions about it, as did Tom. I think they are both considering coming over to the right side of tobacco, but for some reason want to keep it on the DL. As Blake was leaving, Vic offered him a cigar from his recent purchases, in a last ditch effort to switch teams. As magnanimous as the gesture was, I don't think Blake will abandon his true calling as a pipe smoker. And, Vic, where was my cigar? Don't you want me on your team?

Other topics included some sports talk between Peter and Tom, and some politics/current events, but nothing too intense. I do like having Vic around as he and I are on the same page on a lot of issues, so I don't have to hold the Progressive flag by myself. Finally, Vic regaled us with tales from his days as a correctional officer in the New York State Prison system.

Have a good week everyone!

Saturday at the Hut - 4/28/12

We had a full house today at The Tobacco Hut and let me start off by stating, for the record, the official record, that Coast Guard Don was in attendance. He was there in the morning and couldn't stay long as he was flying a client to Atlanta (what a job!). Anyway, hope to see you next week, Don!

Also in attendance were Joe K, Paul O, Peter G, Tom L, and - all the way from Bradenton - Vic. Now Vic didn't bring his nuts along but he did not arrive empty handed. He surprised us with wings and apple fritters.

Peter enjoying some of Vic's wings
(Click to enlarge)

Lou devoured one of the fritters straightaway and Joe was trying to be good so just cut a piece off. But it was so good that he returned and cut another piece off, vowing that that would be it for him. But the temptation was too great for Joe, and Joe was weak and he finally returned for the whole thing. I didn't have one of my own, but I did have a bite of Joe's fritter and it was delicious. Um, that didn't sound too good. Let's just say that I liked the fritter that Vic brought more than I liked the taste of his nuts that Tom delivered a few weeks ago. That didn't sound good either - just forget the whole thing.

Peter announced that he was going to return to the theater to see the Three Stooges movie for a second time. The rest of the gang kind of pounced on him. Evidently they're Stooges purists and cheap Hollywood remakes are like a eye jab to the memory of Larry, Curly and Moe. Peter tried to gamely argue that the Stooges heirs had given their blessing to the movie but Tom and company were having none of it.

My favorite comedy team, Laurel & Hardy
(Click to enlarge)

I tried to argue that while I was neutral on the subject of a modern Three Stooges movie, I would view a modern version of my beloved Laurel & Hardy as sacrilege. As Tom and his minions heaped derision on me for favoring Stan and the Babe over the Stooges, Peter was able to take a breath from defending his preferred movie comedy team.

Peter's favorite comedy team, The Three Stooges
(Click to enlarge)

There was some discussion over who got their start first, the Stooges or Laurel & Hardy, and then it just got silly as Charlie Chaplin, Abbott & Costello and the Marx Brothers were brought into the mix. Annie Oakley was mentioned in the frenzy of famous names being tossed out, which made not sense at all. I argued that without Laurel & Hardy there would be no Three Stooges and Peter maintained that the Stooges were around in the 20s. That was news to me and I consulted that bastion of Internet wisdom, Wikipedia, and learned that, in fact, the Stooges got their start in 1925. Laurel & Hardy did predate them by four years, but I wouldn't say that they were responsible for the likes of the Stooges. Peter knows his Stooge history - well done sir!

Vic was lamenting his challenges with selling his nuts at the flea market, and their draconian restrictions, so we were all tossing out ideas for additional items he could sell. Someone mentioned that there were lots of Germans in the area around Bradenton and maybe Vic should market something to them, like bratwurst. It's kind of a blur, but at some point Tom and Paul and I were spitballing some marketing ideas like the SS Dog, or an experimental sandwich - the "Mengele Burger". Unfortunately, we just kept going down that road (use your imagination) and didn't return until we offended whole swaths of the population. Sorry we weren't much help with your business, Vic.

Tom helping Vic with how to best market his business and
offend German customers at the same time.
(Click to enlarge)

Finally, this very blog was brought up and I, your humble narrator, had all guns trained on him. Hell, I didn't think anyone read the damned thing but evidently passions run deep when the few readers I do have attempt to leave a comment. Paul and Tom were the most vocal about it, accusing me of censorship because their comments never make it to the page.

I explained that it is very easy to leave a comment, just follow the directions on the left rail toward the bottom of the page. So they tried on their phones and their test comments didn't appear. I explained that I moderate the comments because I was being inundated with spam but, I pledged, when I got home I would publish their comments.

Tom insisted that the comment function was completely, well, non-functional and issued me a challenge. He wanted me to ask Paula to comment on a blog post unassisted. I forgot about that or ignored it and Paula's asleep now so it's too late anyway but, I must confess that none of their test comments appeared in the queue awaiting my approval.

I know Mike G has had problems posting comments in the past and he has since merely e-mailed me his comments and I post them as they come in. I erroneously assumed it was simply operator error on his part because I do get other comments (Ed B and Aaron C, for example) through the normal channels.

To answer Tom, the absence of comments is not some vast liberal conspiracy of the mainstream media, but some sort of technical glitch and I pledge, as the administrator of this apparently wildly popular blog, that I will get to the bottom of it and allow for the free and robust exchange of ideas.

That being said, I think I am going to create a Facebook Group ("People of the Hut"?) where we can all gather and discuss things of great import. I realize that not all of us are on Facebook, but I think more of us are on Facebook than Google+, the only other really viable alternative. I looked into other social network sites like Ning and they cost money and don't get good reviews, so unless there are any big objections, I'll probably set something up on FB soon.

Oh, one more thing (and I feel like a disc jockey)...a shout out to Russ T, Vic's brother in Rochester. He is a faithful blog reader and hopefully will make it down soon for another visit.

I lied, one more item before I close. I have to tell everyone what I was smoking in my pipe today and which one I was smoking. Oh, who am I kidding, no one cares. Hell, I've even forgotten.

Until next week...

================

ADDENDUM!

For the first time ever, in the interests of a transparent, "fair and balanced" blog, I am adding something to an existing post. I am adding the photo that Tom sent with his comment (see below).

Here is Tom's quote: "It is official, photos don't lie, all pipe smokers are evil." Tom sent the photo of Josef Stalin smoking a pipe. Thereby, all pipe smokers are evil. 


My rebuttal? Tom, Mark Twain, the great American humorist, was a famous pipe smoker. Are you saying that Mark Twain, beloved American writer, was evil? Sounds a little unpatriotic to me. Why, you might just be a closet Communist, what with pictures of Stalin at the ready. If only Senator McCarthy was still around - you would be found out. Names would be named!

Saturday at the Hut - 3/10/12

Let it be known to all men that I, Robert Harrison, did bring in to The Tobacco Hut on this day, Saturday, March 10, 2012, a new supply of Herr's Peanut Butter Pretzels. Joe K usually brings them in and I decided to do my part and replenish them. I normally would have no problem doing that, except that they can only be purchased in large quantities at Sam's Club. As many of you know, I am philosophically opposed to doing any business at Wal-Mart or its affiliate companies. So I asked my mother to pick some up the next time she went shopping there.

Today at the Hut we had Joe, Tom, Peter, and Paul O. Scott had intended on making his third appearance in a row, but had to cancel. I, for one, was disappointed as I was anticipating some questions from him regarding the brain teaser I posed in last week's blog (the 911 call). And he was bringing a very cool knife with him that he featured on a recent blog post of his. He did pledge to make the trek to New Port Richey next Saturday however.

Vic serving up his roasted nuts.
(Click to enlarge)

When Tom arrived, he wasted no time delivering a message from Vic. Apparently Tom stopped in to the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton yesterday to sample some of Vic's nuts. Now you can see from the photo that Vic appears to be a little shorter than he normally is. I guess he liked getting around on his little scooter so much that he decided to have foot surgery again.

Vic appearing to be disabled so he'll
get more tips.
(Click to enlarge)

Anyway, Tom brought a couple messages from Vic. First was why Mike G wasn't down taking care of Vic's Nuts so he could convalesce properly? I know Mike really enjoyed covering Vic's Nut Sack - er Nut Shack - so I'm surprised that he hadn't hurried down from the mountains of Tennessee the moment he heard of Vic's troubles.

The other message Vic had was for me. He wanted to know where his shirts were for his current business venture. When Vic started on his nutty adventure, he wanted t-shirts designed and we talked about me doing them. And on September 8, 2011, I designed said shirt and e-mailed it to Vic for his approval. See below for the design. Unfortunately, my work was for naught as I never heard back from him.

The design I sent to Vic on
September 8, 2011
(Click to enlarge)

No matter, because Tom also brought some nutty samples! And a couple of Vic's blue balls for Lou. And Tom even brought some bourbon for us to wash down the nuts with. Now Tom did warn us that the nuts were a tad spicy. Holy Tobasco! They went beyond spicy. They were downright flammable. Downing a shot of the bourbon was dangerous as the whole thing could have gone up in flames.

Vic's nuts and Lou's blue balls.
(Click to enlarge)

Lou tried one of them and had to race back to his refrigerator for a quart of milk to quench the fire. I went through a lot of Mountain Dew eating Vic's nuts. Joe didn't even try them. Paul took a handful and promptly spit them into the parking lot. Peter's reaction was the same. Tom, with his cast iron stomach, seemed to enjoy them though. Apparently the coating wasn't the standard fare, but one of Vic's creations.

Joe did sample one of Lou's blue balls, a chocolatey concoction surrounding a Macadamia nut. Joe reported it was being good, but very rich. Right before he went into diabetic shock.

What was left of the Elijah
Craig 18 Year bourbon
(Click to enlarge)

As I mentioned, Tom brought some bourbon for us to sample. It was Elijah Craig 18-year single barrel, named after an 18th century Baptist preacher living in an area of Virginia that was later to become Kentucky. It is said that Elijah himself invented the process of aging whiskey in charred oak barrels, but that claim is apocryphal. Tom had talked about this bourbon on his previous visit and how much he liked it, once it had breathed a little. I guess I'll just stick to beer and wine, because even after a couple hours of "breathing" I couldn't get past the 94 proof. I accidentally spilled a bit on my shorts and it started to burn through the fabric.

Paul enjoyed it, as evidenced by how little was left in the bottle in the photo. It was full when Tom brought it in.

That's it for this week - see you next Saturday!

 - Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 11/12/11

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 - 10/29/11

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

Saturday at the Hut - 9/24/11

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 - 7/9/11

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 - 6/18/11

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 - 4/23/11

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