August 2006

Club Info & Events

Details of the July Meeting
Sorry there was no newsletter last month but it was a busy month and I didn't have much content for it. Besides, only one person emailed me about it so obviously it wasn't missed in a big way.
Since last month's meeting fell on July 4th we moved it back a couple of weeks until the 18th and still managed a pretty good showing. Tim brought a couple of prototypes of the 2006 SHPC Club Pipe and they are looking very nice. I will try to get a picture up as soon as I can.
Our next meeting is right around the corner on Tuesday August 1st then it'll be a long stretch until the next one.

In June I asked for contributions to our newsletter. I gave people a suggestion to get them started thinking... "Tell us how you got started smoking a pipe and how its progressed to where you are today." Again, Dock was the only responder and here's his story....

"The smell of my grandfather's pipe smoke while we watched baseball on a summer afternoon is one of my first tangible memories of childhood. For most of his life he worked various factory jobs and was long retired by the late 70's when I came along to play with him. My mother, father and grandmother all worked full time jobs when I was growing up and a good chunk of my time was spent with my grandfather who had been stricken with polio at age two and walked with wooden crutches all of his life. His modest rotation of pipes consisted of a well smoked Grabow, Medico and The Smoke brand pipes which he would fill with Borkum Riff or occasionally Capt'n Black. I almost can't recall a time that he didn't have a pipe firmly clenched between his teeth especially around Christmas. At a young age I was all but mezmorized by the sweet smelling smoke which would exit his mouth and disappear over his head. I was also taken with the pipe itself and would grab them from his floor standing ashtray to run my fingers over them and sniff the bowl. For some reason for a brief time in the mid 90's he gave up the pipe and most of his paraphernalia disappeared (likely this was my grandmother's work who disapproved of his smoking). This was also around the time that I bought my first good pipe a Stanwell "Buffalo". I brought it over to show the old man who was knocked down at the thought of a pipe costing fifty bucks! He told me "I got rooked". A couple of weeks later I visited a flea market and purchased an unused briar from a vendor there. I brought it over to him along with a pouch of Capt'n Black and a tamper and we spent an afternoon on his porch smoking and talking. I've known a few other pipe smokers growing up but none were more influential on my own choice to do so.

Dock .J .Perry  

Thanks Dock, that was a great story and I'm sure many people out there can relate to it. Unfortunately, less and less of our children in the future will be able to share the same experience. So many people who have come across me smoking my pipe have said that it reminds them of their grandfather (or father) and the look on their face brought on by that memory was one that made be proud to be a pipe smoker.

Who else has a story to share????

Occasionally I'm looking for a news item to help fill out this newsletter. So if you have some interesting
pipe, tobacco or smoking related news, or would like to share your knowledge on a particular
pipes and tobacco related subject, please send it along and maybe I'll use it. (Preferably by e-mail).