Club Info & Events

Details of the November Meeting
The usual crowd was in attendence for the November meeting along with and old friend and a new face. It's been a year since we've seen Decoy (Rich L.) and we hope it won't be that long between visits the next time. So how about a few others... like Editor, Mr. Dunn, Suit, Teddy, Uncle Fester, you know who you are.... Why not stop by and share a bowl with some old (and new) friends and let us know what you've been up to. We don't expect you to become regulars again (but we'd be happy if you did). C'mon... whaddaya say?
As I mentioned, we also had a new arrival and a member of the new generation of pipe smokers. Derek brough his friend Joe along this month and we hope to be seeing more of him in the future as well.

Dinner in December. We didn't make specific plans last month for where to have our December pre-meeting dinner but if I'm not mistaken, the general concensus is that people like Bertucci's much better than our other choices. So unless I hear otherwise, dinner will be at Bertucci's for the December meeting. Why not join us this time an enjoy a holiday dinner together?

Member Contributions ...... By Horace Harker

Pot O' Gold at the End of the Rainbow
I recently made my first trip across the pond to the land of leprechauns, rainbows and pots of gold. Where the fields and valleys are so green they can be easily distinguished from space and are decorated with downy balls of fluorescently painted sheep. Where even the smallest glimpse of the mighty Cliffs of Moher will take your breath away then resuscitate you with shower of cool sea spray. Where majestic castles slowly uncover from behind a heavy mist stirring up thoughts of fierce battles, brave warriors and beautiful Irish maidens. And let’s not forget a few of the more

important things that Ireland offers… it is the home of Peterson Pipes, Guinness Ale and more pubs than you could ever possibly imagine. This country is an absolute paradise and if you didn’t have a drop of Irish in you when you landed there, I guarantee you’ll have at least a pint or two when you leave.
Unfortunately, this trip did not include a trip to Dublin so visiting the Peterson factory and Guinness brewery were not an option. As our plane reached the terminal at Shannon airport the cabin became alive with passengers eager to get moving after the long flight. One of the first things I noticed upon standing up was a man about ten seats ahead of us pulling his bag from the overhead compartment; a pipe was clenched tightly in his teeth. A smile came across my face. I couldn’t wait to get out there and see what tantalizing tobacciana Ireland had in store for me.
We got on the bus and headed for Killarney and after a short nap we hit the town. First things first, we stopped at the nearest pub for an Irish Coffee followed by a pint of Guinness, then took a stroll around the town in search of a tobacco shop. We looked and looked only to realize…. there weren’t any. Could this be right? When I think of Ireland I think of pubs filled with smoke and old Irish men smoking their pipes by the roadside. You all saw "The Quite Man"... right? I know they banned smoking in the pubs but they didn't ban smoking.
We popped into a gift shop and while looking around something caught my eye. Up behind the counter hung a small cardboard rack of Peterson Pipes. “Is this all you have for pipes,” I asked the woman. “Yes it is,” she replied. “Are there any tobacco shops in town?” I asked. “No, she said, but you can try the news agents.” So off we went to find the closest news agent, which was a fairly easy task. But every one we found had no pipes for sale and a very limited supply of pipe tobacco, and nothing very exciting at that.. I finally did find one news agent that had a pretty good selection of Peterson pipe tobacco but that was about the extent of it…. pretty disappointing. I had heard something about beer gardens, small areas outside of a pub with heaters, a place where people could sit and enjoy a smoke. But I found none of these either. We spent two days in Killarney then headed for Galway. Maybe I’d have better luck there, I thought.... but alas, it was no different. The most prominent reference I found to pipe smoking was the image you see above which I found on the men’s room door at Taffe’s Pub (highly recommended by the way). Cigars were not much different, I found only a handful of brands (and nothing too exciting) in any of the stores. It appeared that cigarettes were plentiful though... and hand rolled at that
Fortunately for me, every two or three storefronts bore the name of yet another pub and after a short while I didn’t seem to care too much about the sad state of tobacco in Ireland. I did have a conversation with a bartender at one of the pubs who confirmed my dismay and said that the only tobacco shop he knew of was in Cork, but unfortunately I wouldn’t be making it there this trip. So it looks like my quest will go unfulfilled and plans for a return trip to Dublin and Cork are already in the works.
So we found our rainbow in the Emerald Isle but the pot at it's end was filled only with a few gallons of hearty Guinness brew. Not what I was looking for necessarily, but a very suitable subsititute nonetheless. And although the existance of pipe and tobacco in Ireland seems to have now sadly become just a part of this country's rich history, the trip as a whole was pretty damned awesome. I highly recommend that every human being visit this beautiful land at least once in their lifetime. I look forward to my return and hope to bring back more encouraging news for the pipe smoker upon my return. Slainte!

Kahn's Korner

Just a few thoughts this holiday weekend and for the coming month.

The only acceptable whiskey this holiday is Wild Turkey 101, for obvious reasons. You could add it to eggnog if you must.

Enjoy a pipe with it. No brainer there. But which tobacco? It should be a Turkish blend. So the tobacco comes from Turkey. Duh!!!

If you like the drumstick, you may smoke, what else?. Drum tobacco.

As Christmas nears, you may break open the 1986 Christmas Cheer from McClelland. It should now be smokable without biting you back. But just in case, leave it open for two days.

As you open your Christmas presents, and gaze upon the wonderful new pipe the loving person in your life bought you, remember to say thank you and be grateful. Remember, I don't get one for Chistmas. I don't get anything for Chistmas. So if you don't like it, I'll take it.

Lastly, as you view your credit card bills for the holiday season, call your congressman and ask for a bailout. (You didn't think I would let a Korner pass without a political comment, did you?)

Happy Thanksgiving
Merry Chistmas
Happy Channukah
Happy New Year
Whatever.....

Hey Eric... don't forget Merry Christmikah