February 2004
| Next |
February 11th
- 6:00PM
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Meeting
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This Month's Theme
This month's theme will be "French Pipes". Bring in your French
made pipes and stories to share with the group.
New York Pipe Show - March 13th, 2004
It looks like a pretty good group of us will be heading up to the New York Pipe Show this March. If you're interested in going or looking to hitch a ride with someone try to make it to this month's meeting and secure your plans. Don't forget to book your hotel reservations early.
SHPC Hats
All
of the SHPC hats were sold at the last meeting. Those of you who did not
get one and are still interested please let me know. If there is a big
enough group I will have another batch done sooner rather than later.
Founding
Father I've heard his name mentioned often. I've listened to many a tale about him. I know he was the reason for the existence of our club, but I had never seen the man. I even asked once if he was still alive. Who is this Allan Rosenfield anyway and why would a man interested enough in pipes to start a club, stop coming to meetings unless he was dead or at least on death's doorstep?
Steve Gutz had open heart surgery and only missed 2 meetings so he must
be dead, that's the only plausible explanation. Well in January of 2004
I got my answer. Allan Rosenfield is not dead and proved it to us with an
unexpected visit to the January club meeting. After hearing numerous stories about Allan's more active pipe smoking days I felt I already had a fairly clear image of him in my mind, however at first site he didn't look anything like the picture I had painted. It wasn't until later on in the evening that the Allan Rosenfield in my mind started to take shape as I and others watched in total astonishment as he managed to charm a sandblasted Stanwell Spigot from the grips of one members teeth into the grips of his own, and for a price we wish we could pay for all of our pipes.
Well
anyway, the evening wound to a close as it usually does with a full belly,
a feeling of contentment and handful of new stories, some to contemplate
on the ride home and some for years to come. Before I left I shook Allan's
hand and told him I was glad to finally have met the founder of our club.
After the January meeting I received a call from Allan telling me that he was happy to see that the club was still going strong and was interested in attending future meetings. I asked him why he stopped going to the meetings in the first place. He explained that in 1995 he had a heart attack and that his strength and health were not what they were before. His doctor also told him that he should give up smoking which he did and then sold most of his pipes. However, in recent years he has been exercising and now feels healthier and stronger than he has in a long while. He has taken up the pipe again and feels great about it. Which only goes to show, "You can take the man out of the smoke but you can't take the smoke out of the man." He has also asked me to let everyone know that he is very interested in buying some pre-smoked Peterson's. So if you have any that you're interested in selling bring them to the next meeting.
After I got off the phone I couldn't help but think that if it wasn't for Allan Rosenfield, the second Wednesday of the month would be just like any other day. I'd get up and go to work with nothing to look forward to. Head home after a long day and eat dinner like I always do, then spend the evening in front of the tv or computer smoking a pipe that for some reason is missing something....but what is it? I know what it is. It's the camaraderie! It's that subtle competition! It's even the Pulled Pork!
I know there are other things that are important in life but I sometimes live for the second Wednesday of every month and for that Allan, I thank you.
How It All Began
I had always been interested to know exactly how the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club got started so when Allan called me at home recently I asked him about it. He told me that he still had a copy of the very first newsletter for what was then known as the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club, Ltd. USA. On the first page of the newsletter he wrote a brief explanation of how the club came about.
It went like this:
"Hi, Guys,
I hope this finds you in the best of health. This is 
the
first newsletter of the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club, Ltd. USA.
How did it all get started?
Well, I'll get to that in a moment.
First off, I'd like to say this is your club, your newsletter. So send
in your articles and ads; such as "Pipes for Sale," "Trade,"
or "Wanted," etc. Include your phone number. The year 1990 is
going to be a great one for pipes.
Peterson has just released the Deer-Stalker, the fourth pipe in the Holmes
Collection. By the way, April marks the centennial of Peterson's patent
on the System Pipe. Peterson will commemorate the event with a System
Pipe - Bent & Straight.
Oh yeh, How did it get started?
On Sept. 1, 1989, I went to the Post Office and rented a box. Later that
day I called a friend and fellow pipe-collector (it was Don) and told
him of my idea for the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club, Ltd. USA. His response
was "Great! I'll send in for my twenty five dollar life membership
today." Still later that day, pondering things, I reached into my
pocket, pulled out my Post Office receipt and, much to my surprise, the
Post Office box number was 221. With that the game was afoot. - A.H.R."
The Sherlock Holmes silhouette above was on the newsletter and our very
first logo. Allan has made a number of copies of Volume 1 of the Sherlock
Holmes Pipe Club, Ltd. newsletter for those of you who may be interested.
He will make them available at the February meeting and asks only to recover
the cost of having them copied.
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.
Pipes & Tobacco News
Annual Pipe-Smoker Award is Extinguished
Another bit of moderately old England has died. After 39 years, the
Pipesmoker of the Year award is to be extinguished because its organizers
feared it fell foul of new laws on tobacco promotion.
Thus ends one of the diminishing opportunities for newspapers to show
a picture of a man of a certain age smiling and smoking at the same time.
No longer will inside pages on a slow news day be graced with a picture
of the winner, briar clenched between teeth, looking either happy or pensive.
The award was due to have been presented at the Pipe and Pipe Tobacco
Trade Association's annual lunch at the Savoy. This occasion has seen
the title bestowed on Stephen Fry, Sir Henry Cooper, Tony Benn, the former
prime minister Harold Wilson and the inventor Trevor Baylis.
Mr Baylis expressed his sadness at the cancellation of the award. "Whenever
I've had a bright idea the pipe's come out to help me ponder it. It's
helped me to control countless anxieties, and made a major contribution
to what I've achieved in my lifetime."
The complete story can be purchased at:
http://news.independent.co.uk/
Picasso in running for world's most expensive 
painting
Pablo Picasso's Boy with a Pipe, painted in 1905 when he was 24, could
become the world's most expensive painting at an auction at Sotheby's
in New York.
read
more..
Websites Worth A Look
IN THE BEGINNING . . .
Huron Indian myth has it that in ancient times, when
the land was barren and the people were starving, the Great Spirit sent
forth a woman to save humanity. As she traveled over the world, everywhere
her right hand touched the soil, there grew potatoes. And everywhere her
left hand touched the soil, there grew corn. And when the world was rich
and fertile, she sat down and rested. When she arose, there grew tobacco
. . .
Read the History of Tobacco at
HistoryNet.net
Pipe Brands and Markings
For those of you who aren't up to snuff on your pipe brand markings (myself
included), here is a pretty complete list.
http://victor.ryazan.net/eng/pipe/brand.html
Le Nuvole Pipes by Maurizio Tombari
This poetic image, as well as an analogy between pipes and smoke clouds,
has inspired the name "Le Nuvole" (the clouds).
I started creating Le nuvole in 1996, after twenty years of experience,
working for famous pipe makers in the city of Pesaro. My wish was to make
a pipe by my own hands, from A to Z. Such a pipe had to be a carefully
made product that would demonstrate uniqueness, harmony and be light-weight,
just like the clouds.
Nice
pipes, Interesting Shapes - Check 'em out
This Month's Tobacco Raffle
Dunhill
Mixture 965 Our most popular bulk Latakia mixture. Latakia, Macedonian, and Cavendish. For the connoisseurs of full-bodied tobacco. Choicest small Latakia impart a rich nutty flavor and coolness. Macedonia Bright is added for sweetness. The Brown Cavendish completes the blend that all confirmed pipe smokers love.
G.L.Pease's
Abingdon
A full Balkan style blend with a generous measure of Cyprian Latakia,
seasoned with fine red and lemon yellow virginia tobaccos and enhanced
with rich oriental leaf. Abingdon is bold and assertive while retaining
a stylish finesse.
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