Details from the April Meeting
It feels like it's been a long time since our last meeting but if memory serves me correctly it was business as usual. We had a decent turnout with the a welcome visit from our old friend Greg who we haven't seen for quite some time. Greg's doing well and has been staying busy with work, relationship and his band. We hope he won't be such a stranger in the future. Speaking of strangers, it would be nice to see a few more of you who have disappeared into the smoke. So here's a shout out to a few of the old and not so old timers, (sorry, I can't list you all)... Symphony Joe, Buzzi, Gavel (I dare you to come), Sterling, Horatio, Suit, Tom, Bulldog and Decoy. You all know who you are. It's been too long for some of you, why not stop by and say hello.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about some new blood.... It's always nice introducing new people into our hobby and we had a perfect opportunity to do that at Perkins before the the April meeting. Aside from the first Tuesday of the month, the sitting area at Perkins generally consists of cigar smokers but you always find one or two in the crowd (and the rest won't admit it) who are intrigued with those of us smoking our pipes. Last month Len showed a significant interest in trying a pipe and we were on him like white on rice (as the saying goes) but we had a very willing subject. He didn't leave us a lot of time before we had to leave for dinner and so we launched a salvo of tips and tricks at him to get him started on the right foot. Before we left he owned a pipe, some tobacco, a lighter, all the necessary accoutrements that he would need and an invitation to our club meeting. He couldn't attend the April meeting on such short notice so we'll see if he returns in May and hopefully with a big smile and a cool tongue.

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How Many Is Enough.................by Richard Frederics

Why do a lot of us pipe smokers (myself included) buy so many pipes? Do we classify ourselves as collectors? Is it that we see a new pipe we just can't live without? In reality, we need seven pipes - one for each day of the week and then we start the cycle again. I guess we can have pipes for different time periods - morning, afternoon and night.

This would increase the number we need to twenty-one. Then of course we could want pipes for different occasions; night on the town, birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, backyard events, just got a raise. So maybe thirty-five pipes is closer to that right amount.

Why is it then we never seem to have enough? There are pipe makers that we begin to focus on; countries of a pipe's origin; shapes, sizes - the list goes on.

Maybe I am just rationalizing my need to purchase more pipes. But I got to thinking, especially when my wife said of my latest purchase, "I like it - but don't you have a new pipe just like it?" Could be, now that I think of it, but this one is ........

I do know that I have never sold or traded a pipe I bought. This might be a rarity among pipesmokers. I have around 150 pipes and every pipe I own has a story behind it and I cannot part with it for I don't want to lose that part of the memory in my life. Maybe strange, but that is me. So I guess I will keep on buying and enjoying my purchases. Because isn't that what it is all about ---enjoyment.