August 2004

Club Info & Events

Fallout from the Smoking Ban.... Where do we go from here?
Imagine how Nomar Garciaparra would feel every time he stepped up to the plate if the Department of Psychiatric Health told him that his obsessive compulsive behavior was causing fans everywhere to begin developing similar bad habits and that he would no longer be allowed to adjust his gloves or tap his toes on the ground before every pitch. Well that was sort of how we all felt last month while sitting in the Greenwood Room for our final (yes I said final) meeting at the Holiday Inn.
Although member turnout showed a great deal of support the atmosphere in the room was as gloomy as the weather was outside. Even Carl, our usual waiter was not there and we never saw the manager that's been stopping in to see how everything was going. It was like we were in a totally different Holiday Inn.
Anticipating that some of the guys might want to venture outside for an unfullfilling quarter of a bowl, I asked one of the staff, who I assumed was an assistant manager type if there were any other entryways in the building that were protected from the weather. She pointed me towards a side entrance and said "But you can't smoke any more." I quickly corrected her that the smoking ban was for inside the hotel not outside....... not yet anyway. She seemed to accept my retort and went on her way. Many of us did venture outside for a few puffs but I'm sure you can imagine it wasn't one bit satisfying.
After dinner we discussed the Club's options for continuing to meet regularly. There was talk of renting out a 2 room "smoking" suite but for starters this Holiday Inn didn't have any two room suites and I don't think people could really imagine having our meetings in a hotel room anyway. The VFW and American Legion halls were mentioned but the law stipulates that you must be a fraternal member or a guest of a lodge member (Don has recently been pursuing this option and with some possibilities). The only other potentially viable options were to meet at either Peretti's or Watch City. Both places had shown some interest in hosting our meetings but Peretti's does not have a lot of room and Watch City is going through some remodeling and the completion date is unknown at this time. Members voted on their preferences but more work still needs to be done and decisions finalized. When a new meeting place has been determined an official notice will be sent out. Currently we have planned meetings for August and September (see below). Info about meetings scheduled for October and beyond will be sent out once they have been determined.

August Meeting and Pipe Party at Steve Gutz's
Steve Gutz has graciously elected to host the August Meeting (14th) at his home in Harvard, MA and combine it with a cookout as he did last year. The details for this meeting/event have already been sent out. If you intend to go please let Steve know if you haven't done so already. If you need details about the August meeting you can send me an email.

September Meeting at the Tinder Box
Plans for the September meeting are still in the works. Here are a couple of options that have been offered. We'd like your input to help determine the best plan for most people.

Date: Sunday, September 12th
Time: 1:30 at the Tinder Box, Mashpee, MA.

Option 1: An Autumn Afternoon on Cape Cod
Members (spouses and significant others if desired) will meet at the Tinder Box on Mashpee Commons at 1:30 PM to relax and chat over a bowl in the smoking room. At 3:30 we'll caravan to Cyndi's house in East Falmouth for a barbecue. The grill will be going with chicken, steak tips and sausages. Bring whatever you want to add to it or finish it off.

Option 2:
If people are all "Cooked Out" by September and/or if people don't feel like changing locations we can stay at the Mashpee Commons. There is a Chinese Restaurant "Jade" and an Irish Pub "Bobby Byrnes" a just a few steps away from the Tinder Box.

Now let's hear from you!

Contact Cyndi or Nelson

The 5th Annual Meeting of the Mindless     by Nelson Pidgeon
Showered and ready by 6:30 I hopped in the F150 and made my way to Scituate to meet up with Dante at his beautiful First Cliff home. While Dante finished getting ready I walked out on his back terrace and watched the sun rising over the Atlantic. It was a perfect day for our ride to New York for the 5th Annual and long overdue Meeting of the Mindless at Paul Bonaquisti's; a truly singular event which has become an increasingly popular gathering of members and guests of the Hudson Valley and Sherlock Holmes Pipe Clubs.
                                                                    Read the whole story

Chris Keene and PipePages.Com              by Dock J. Perry
Those familiar with ASP (Google news group for pipe collectors/ smokers) are also familiar with the name Chris Keene. Chris is an active poster who is only too willing to share his vast knowledge of old briars with the group. He's spent hours researching the topic. He has an active website (pipepages.com) where he scans old pipe and tobacco catalogs and posts them for all to see. Last week I checked out an early 60's Dunhill brochure he had posted as I was interested in the finishes available and the prices they were selling for. Chris does this all for free! All that he asks is that you take the time to check it all out. It's kind of his "gift" to the pipe smoking community. Currently on his site are 40's thru 80's catalogs by "The Owl Shop", "George Yale", "Dunhill", "Smoker's Haven" and "Wally Frank" just to name a few. Check out his site today!
As Chris says: (PIPE PAGES IS A CANDY..PIPE PAGES IS A GUM)

Click images to enlarge

I still plan to have these items available for purchase online in the future but until then you can email me if you want any.

I'm always looking for new items for this Newsletter. If you have an interesting article, or would like to share
your knowledge on a particular pipes and tobacco related subject, please send it along (preferably by e-mail).