Saturday at the Hut - 2/6/10

I had received a new shipment of tobacco from the Tinder Box this week, as I was out of my favorite tobacco, Reserve 1928, so I was quite eager to light up a pipeful of it today. I arrived at The Tobacco Hut, greeted Lou and Joe K, and promptly filled my Mauro Armellini and lit up. What a fine combination...this part straight grain and part flame grain pipe burns the Virginia tobaccos in the Reserve 1928 so smoothly and evenly, every sip is a treat.

As usual, Joe was struggling to keep his cigar lit, complaining loudly to Lou about stems and whatnot and trying mightily to wrangle a free cigar from Lou, but no dice. Methinks it's just operator error.

Peter and Steve arrived after awhile and we talked about, in no particular order of importance, politics, women, and sports. The Two-Kidney Boy Wonder, James, called in for his weekly dose of abuse, and he was amply rewarded by Lou spitting out a string of epithets that would embarrass a sailor. Apparently, James is coming into town in a couple of weeks and he and a buddy are taking Joe's boat down to the Everglades. Joe doesn't know too many details, so we are left to assume that this is probably some sort of gun-running adventure James has embarked on.

At around 4:00, Barry came in complaining of Swine Flu-like symptoms. Of course, he mentioned this after he shook everyone's hand. As of this writing, I'm feeling okay, but I'm sure I'll wake up with a fever.

Knowing that Barry is a big Emmitt Smith fan, claiming that he was the game's best running back, I had done a little research comparing his stats with Jim Brown's. In overall yardage and rushing touchdowns, Smith is clearly the leader. Of course, he also played far more seasons than Jim Brown did. I think it's more telling though that Jim Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry vs. Emmitt Smith's 4.2 yards. Jim Brown is also the only player to average 100+ yards per game. Also, according to NFL.com, Emmitt Smith fumbled the ball 38 times while Jim Brown never fumbled.

In all fairness, Barry brings up a reasonable objection to that last statistic: perhaps the NFL didn't keep such statistics while Jim Brown played the game. But I'm happy believing that Jim Brown never fumbled the ball and Emmitt "Butterfingers" Smith couldn't hang onto it 38 times.

Finally, Sporting News named Jim Brown as the greatest football player to every play the game.

I must say, Barry did a fine impression of Peter whose arms tend to be overtaken by demonic possession when he gets into heated debate mode. And Barry regaled Steve with his story of meeting Derek Jeter. It is a good story, and one that has been reported here in an earlier blog posting. It's also worth noting that Peter and Barry actually agreed today on bit of sports opinion. I can't be sure exactly what it was, because if it doesn't involve the Cleveland Browns or Indians, I can't be bothered with paying close attention.

Joe didn't witness the late afternoon frivolity as he had gone home to take a nap.

By the way, as the irregular visitor to the Hut may not be aware, Lou & Dotty are looking to sell the shop. It is with a heavy heart that I report this, as it means a weekly way of life for me could come to an end. My wife is not happy about it either, as it could mean I will be underfoot for her on Saturday afternoons. Things are still up in the air at this point, but I wish Lou & Dotty well. 


Until next week...


 - Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 9/19/09

Today's headline at The Tobacco Hut: "The Pot Calls the Kettle Black". Let me explain. Joe K was talking with Lou and I about a new suit that he had purchased last week. The three of us were having a nice conversation about how Joe was inspired by Lou to accessorize his suit with a pair of suspenders. Lou often wears them and Joe thought a pair for his new suit would look spiffy as well. I then got to musing that maybe I should wear a bowtie instead of the traditional necktie. Joe said that I had the right "look" for a bowtie and that it might look nice. Lou then said abruptly, "Yeah, bowties look good on fat people!".

So, it would seem that we've moved from "Grumpy Lou Day" (see last week's post) to "Abusive Lou Day." Not that that's a particularly special day by any means mind you, but the zeal with which Lou insulted me kind of caught me off guard. As an aside, I like to think of myself as "chunky" or "husky", thank you.

And to the "pot calling the kettle black" point, don't worry Lou, I think you would look good in a bowtie as well! Any bets as to when I'll receive an apology from Lou?

Well, once we got that little unpleasantness out of the way, the day progressed nicely. Jim C arrived and told us a little about the renewing of the vows between Lou and Dotty that he officiated over a few weeks ago. Apparently Lou isn't as gruff as he likes to pretend, but I won't go into details here.

Peter came in and he and Jim discussed some of the finer points of Biblical history and theology. Quite an interesting conversation, even for me.

Steve B arrived with his friend Brian and we began kicking around ideas to help Steve market his landscaping business online. We talked about search engine optimization, starting a blog, Google AdWords and other ideas. A lot to think about, eh Steve? I'll send you some links that I think you might find helpful.

Today I smoked a bowl of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in a Viking Crown Winslow freehand. It's got a very nice room note and a great, smooth taste. Poul Winslow does a nice job with his entry level pipe series. I have a few that I've bought from Lou and all look and smoke terrific.

Before I sign off, I found a great collection of old pipe and tobacco magazine ads online. I'll be posting them from time to time. This one is from 1932 for Granger pipe tobacco - click on it for a larger view. We won't find ads like this anymore. Just the fact that tobacco advertising was allowed plus the ad depicted smoking around a child. I'm really into vintage advertising anyway, so this appeals to me in several ways. Enjoy!

Until next week...

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 9/12/09

This was my first visit to The Tobacco Hut in a couple weeks. My son Ryan was visiting from Ohio, and try as I might I just can't get him to take up pipe smoking. The photo of Ryan with a pipe was him goofing around while getting his senior pictures taken last year. Ryan is headed off to Ohio State in a week, my alma mater. He's kind of excited and nervous at the same time, but he'll do fine I'm sure.

Joe K and I arrived at the Hut at roughly the same time on Saturday and - Wow! - were we in for a treat. It was "Grumpy Lou Day" at The Tobacco Hut. Well, more so than usual. He did show us pictures from the store's anniversary party as well as when he and Dotty renewed their vows a couple weeks ago and that seemed to cheer him up slightly. But it was short lived.

Joe commented on how his Padron 1964 wasn't smoking well and Lou about bit his head off. I was about to ask if we could adjust the air conditioning by a degree or so, but thought better of it.

Joe's son James called on Joe's cell phone and as soon as Lou knew it was James he grabbed the phone and let fly with a burst of obscenities that would make a longshoreman blush. Then he simply handed the phone back to Joe. Of course, this is nothing out of the ordinary.

I didn't speak to James, but he said he was sorry he couldn't be there in person to see me and rub it in that he had two kidneys versus my one. Ouch!

I bet Lou was even grumpier after Ohio State's loss to USC Saturday night. You know, to be fair, Lou did say he wasn't feeling the greatest, but it's more fun to not cut him any slack and just call it "Grumpy Lou Day".

Peter timed his arrival perfectly as Joe was just leaving, but soon afterward Steve and Barry arrived. Barry just happened to be wearing a football jersey that sported the USC colors, in sharp contrast to Lou's OSU shirt. Congrats to Barry for surviving the round of layoffs at the county and it sounds like Steve has a solid marketing plan in place for his growing landscaping business.

Speaking of business [shameless commerce plug alert], my online t-shirt business, The Erudite Outlet, had its best day over the weekend! In one day, I sold over $200 worth of t-shirts and other merchandise.

And on another business note [shameless commerce plug alert], Paula has begun to ramp up her jewelry making for the holidays. The latest creations coming out of HeartStone Jewelry can be seen at her shop on 1000Markets.

At the Hut I smoked a bowl of Frog Morton in my Ascorti Canadian. Another pipe smoker came into the store and we had a brief chat. Always nice to see another pipe smoker as we seem to be a dying breed.

I did watch a movie Saturday night that featured two - count 'em - two pipe smokers. I had recorded Manhandled (1949) from TCM a couple weeks ago, starring one of my favorite actors, Sterling Hayden. In the film, two police detectives are questioning a suspect and both are smoking pipes. Pretty rare to see pipe smokers in movies these days.

Until next week...

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 6/27/09

We celebrated the 25th anniversary of The Tobacco Hut today in fine style! I'll try to list here everyone who attended, but I'll probably miss a few. Anyway, here goes: Lou & Dotty, of course; their lovely daughter Diane; their part-time-but-still-highly-valued-employees Joe K, Peter G, and me, your humble narrator; Scott R; Paul V; Trucking Broker Brian; Print Shop Brian; Major Brian; Ed B and his father in law Jim; Darryl; Barry C; Steve B; Joe D and his son Larry D; Tom L; Paul who didn't win a thing until Lou was almost out of door prizes; Undertaker Tom; Kevin who made Lou a table; Frank B; Irish Tenor Buddy; Hollywood(?); and probably half a dozen or so others whose names I didn't catch. Late in the day Mike G called in his congratulations from the mountains of Tennessee (I wonder, was he at the top of the telephone pole like Oliver Douglas in Green Acres making his call?).

There was food aplenty including pizza, wings, homemade pasta salad, a meat and cheese tray, chips, salsa and dip, and homemade cookies. According to Tom L there was also a carving station in the back with roast beef and ham, shrimp cocktail, and lobster tail on the grill. We found out later that the stuff in back was only for the special guests.

I committed the ultimate faux pas by bringing in the wrong type of chip. It's not that what I brought was a corn chip and Lou only likes flour chips, or they were the wrong color, or they tasted bad, or that Lou prefers the scoops. No, I brought in the wrong brand. Yes, I tried to be helpful and supply some food that would be appreciated, but I unwittingly picked up the incorrect brand of chip at the grocery store. It's my fault of course, because I've heard more than once about how Lou had some sort of legal battle with the company-that-shall-remain-nameless fifty years ago and now never buys any of their products. My bad that I didn't examine the fine print on the bag. I had poured about a dozen of the chips in the bowl when Lou discovered what brand I had supplied and he bolted out of his seat, picked up the bag and - I'm not making this up - threw them in the trash.

As tempted as I was to simply leave and go find another cigar and tobacco shop that was celebrating its 25th anniversary - hopefully one where the brand of chips doesn't matter - I took the high road and fished the bag of chips out of the trash and served them. So yes, everyone who ate the Brand X chips today was essentially eating garbage.

Drawings were held throughout the day and Lou obviously negotiated well with his vendors to supply some great prizes...shirts, hats, cigars, insulated bottles, lighters, ashtrays, playing cards and more were raffled off. There was so much horse trading going on between everyone that at times it seemed like a Chinese Christmas gift exchange, but I think everybody came away with at least one item.

Lou also had some excellent deals on cigars including Nestor Miranda 20 Anniversario Danno Cigar from Miami Cigars. The cigars were made in extremely limited quantities and shipped to only 100 select tobacconists. Lou received two boxes and made them available at a discounted price to those in attendance.

I lit a pipe for the first time in almost two months, since before my accident and surgery, and did it taste good! I smoked my favorite tobacco, Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in an Ascorti Pepino - always a great combination.

Everyone asked about my recovery and wished me well. Tom L felt so compassionate he offered to wait on me hand and foot, filling a plate with pizza and cookies and offering to rub my feet. I appreciated the food, but had to draw the line with the foot massage. Now if it had been Sue Ann offering...!

Joe K's son James was sorry he couldn't make the event. Apparently a 3000 mile journey for anything other than a party revolving around him is too much to ask, but he did convey a special greeting to Lou for the auspicious occasion. This being a family blog, his special greeting will not be repeated here.

Lou enjoyed a great turnout with probably thirty people in attendance at its peak, spilling out to the sidewalk in front of the store. Fortunately it was overcast and breezy, making both inside and out quite comfortable. Of course inside there was so much smoke it was hard to see the person beside you.

Congratulations to Lou & Dotty on 25 years in business - quite an achievement!

For the regular Saturday crowd, don't forget the Hut is closed next Saturday for the Fourth, so we'll meet on Friday the 3rd instead. I'll bring the chips!

Check out the pictures below - click each one to view at full size.

- Bob


Diane, Lou, and Dotty


Me, Peter, Joe (labor); Diane, Dotty, Lou (management)
Shameless plug: If you like the looks of that t-shirt your humble narrator is sporting, check out his designs at The Erudite Outlet - Smart gear for the smart set!


Lou and Diane with the table Kevin made (on left, in background)


From left to right in foreground: Scott, Kevin, Paul, Can't Remember.


Diane drawing a raffle ticket for a valuable prize.


Darryl and Jim


Joe D


Ed B, Joe D, Don't Know


Lou, Scott, Kevin, Paul V


Kevin, Paul V, Can't Remember, Tom L


See the chips and salsa in the uppermost corner of the table? Mmmm...


Lou on his way to rudely give back the chip I left for him at his seat.


It wouldn't be a party without Steve enjoying the wings!

Saturday at the Hut - 6/13/09

Well, I'm still not smoking my pipe, but it was good to visit The Tobacco Hut yesterday after being in the hospital last weekend. People sometimes ask how long I've been smoking a pipe - the photo above proves that I started at a very young age! That's me in a photo taken in 1965 surrounded by some older cousins. If you look carefully you can see a corncob pipe hanging from my mouth. At 18 months old, I probably hadn't discovered English tobaccos yet, so was probably still smoking an aromatic. Just kidding of course. I started smoking a pipe when I was in my early 20's.

Lou wasn't at the Hut on Saturday - he and Dotty were in Biloxi playing the one-armed bandits and hopefully bringing some of the casino's money home with them. Joe K was running the store and Steve B was there along with Peter G and Ed B. Ed hadn't been reading the blog so was unaware of my ordeal over the last few weeks, so we brought him up to speed.

Usually I run the store for Lou on Saturdays when he and Dotty are away, but because of my situation I wasn't able to, so Joe and Peter took care of things. Joe was in charge this Saturday and he definitely runs things a little differently than I do. I mean, sure, I give lots of free stuff away, but I usually limit it to handfuls of cigars. Joe was giving away whole boxes to practically anybody. And he took a lot of naps.

I did tell the guys how I've been trying to "milk" the whole cancer thing with Paula. You know, she'll mention a chore that needs to be done like taking the trash out, and I'll respond with, "Hey, can't help you - cancer!" When I was just home from the hospital, I could get away with it, but now that I'm up and about and feeling almost back to a hundred percent, I can't use the cancer card anymore. Of course, not having the cancer anymore thanks to the surgery kind of makes it a tough card to play anyway.

This past Friday I had the staples removed plus we got the pathology report back from the doctor - the surrounding tissue all showed negative which is, obviously, excellent news. I meet with an oncologist on Monday who will set me up on a schedule of follow-up scans to make sure it doesn't come back.

Today Paula and I bought a car to replace the Honda that was totaled almost a month ago in the accident that started it all. We bought a 2009 Hyundai Elantra, doing our part to stimulate the local economy. Too bad I can't afford to stimulate it a little more and buy the new Camaro, but I needed something to get me to and from work.

The car came with XM Radio built in and since they've merged with Sirius, they now have an NPR feed, which I'm happy about. So Joe, not to worry, I'll still be able to fill you in on everything I hear on that last bastion of fair and objective news in this country, National Public Radio. By the way, Joe, you don't even have to type in the URL; I've given you the link to NPR right here.

The Tobacco Hut turns twenty-five this year and Lou & Dotty are celebrating with a party on Saturday, June 27, starting at 11 am. I think it's a pretty big deal when any small business can make it to the silver anniversary mark, but a tobacco store in today's economy and business environment is especially notable. Lou & Dotty have obviously been doing something right all these years and I hope that everyone reading this is able to make it over and help them celebrate. Even you out-of-towners - come on, buy a plane ticket!

Thanks to everyone who wrote or called with their support, prayers and good wishes over these last few weeks. It's been a tough period for Paula and I, but made much easier with the support of good friends.

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 2/21/09

Wow! Today saw a lot of people at The Tobacco Hut, a lot of cigars being enjoyed, and a lot of passionate debate. I was the first to arrive and I began my afternoon by loading up an Ascorti I haven't smoked in a while with some G.L. Pease Maltese Falcon, a deliciously smooth English blend, rich in Latakia.

Joe arrived soon after and I am pleased to report that he is loving his iMac. Although I'm secretly wishing he'll hate it and just want to give it to me, but I think like most users he'll become a permanent member of the Mac family.

Lou did admit to me that I was right about the satellite/cell phone controversy from last week. I know it killed him to do it, and I'm still not a hundred percent sure he believes it, but it was fun to debate the issue.

Ed B. arrived but only had time to drink a soda or two. In discussing a recent raid at a local crack house where the suspect opened fire on deputies, who immediately returned fire, killing the suspect, Ed introduced us to a technical police term: DRT. The newspaper had reported that the suspected was transported to the hospital and was pronounced dead at the emergency room, but Ed had the inside track and said the suspect was actually DRT - "Dead Right There", meaning essentially dead where he dropped. Gotta love the gallows humor of law enforcement!

Peter arrived and before long Barry showed up. Peter was eager to ask Barry about A-Rod's admission of juicing earlier in his career, and an animated discussion broke out about which team's roster, the Red Sox or Yankees, contained more players who used steroids. I don't think the argument was truly settled, but it was certainly a lively debate.

Joe didn't really participate as he's not much of a baseball follower, but I know he enjoyed the show. Joe is a passionate follower of politics and current events, and it didn't take long for him to take a few friendly jabs at the token liberal in the room - me, your humble narrator.

Paul came in and grabbed a chair and a cigar and jumped into the fray, but not before he and I talked a little about the online cigar discussion board he and Scott (who hasn't been seen in a few weeks, but is excused since he usually works on Saturdays) introduced me to, Cigar Asylum. It's a lively forum that I just joined and am looking forward to participating more in.

Steve arrived a short time later and the discussion soon turned toward the events of the day, including unemployment, the state of the economy, global warming, overpopulation, energy resources, etc. Paul, Peter, Steve, Barry, Lou, and I all had an engaging discussion on the issues, each firmly entrenched in our respective camps. Of course, your humble narrator did find himself fending off some verbal blows from around the room.

I look forward to recovering quickly from my wounds (maybe through the use of steroids) and returning next week for another round.

Cheers!
- Bob