October 2008

Club Info & Events

Details of the September Meeting
Last month's meeting was attended by the usual suspects and as always it was good to see them all. It would be nice to have a few of our silent majority stop by even for a visit. Barley... what happened to you? I thought you'd be joining us again?? Decoy and Editor, what have you guys been up to? Stop on by and say hello. And what about Cyndi? If you happen to be reading this newsletter from wherever you are in the world, shoot us an email and let us know what you've been doing (if you can that is).
Some good news... Steve Gutz tells us that he's been standing up and has started the long process back to walking again. We hope he continues to improve and is literally back on his feet soon .
Some not so good news... Tom Martin has taken a bit of a hiatus from daily pipe smoking for a variety of personal reasons and will become an infrequent visitor of our meetings. However, he did say he misses the group and will continue to contribute items for the newsletter from time to time. We miss you too Tom.

** Another Restaurant Change
We've decided to mix things up a bit and rotate restaurants from month to month. This month we'll be at a new place but it's still in the same mall as Bertucci's and Halfway Cafe. It's a Chinese place this time called Chinatown. We'll be meeting there at 6 PM for those of you who would like to join us. Get directions to Cobbs Corner here.

SHPC 2008 Club Pipes
Some bad news.... unfortunately there will be no club pipe this year. It seems there has been quite a bit going on at Kaywoodie and lots of orders yet to be filled. Because of this there may not be time to have them completed this year so we have cancelled our order. The good news is... the initial steps for next years pipes are already in the works and we hope to hear more about that in the months to come.

Puff the Magic - Hyannis, MA.
As most of you know I've taken off quite a bit of time this summer for some much needed R&R. A good deal of my time has been spent in Hyannis. One of my favorite discoveries while there was "Puff The Magic" a cigar bar and smoking lounge located on Main St. in Hyannis. The place is set up like an old fashioned gentleman's club with leather wing chairs and sofas, heavy mahogany furniture and dark green wall paper. They have two large TVs and a gorgeous piano in the center of the room. They stock a full bar and a nice selection of cigars as well as a few higher grade Nording pipes and Orlik pipe tobaccos. Of course their biggest selling feature is that you can actually smoke there! They were able to get around the smoking laws due to the fact that they've been opened several years before they took hold and that a high percentage of their business comes from tobacco revenues alone. During the heat of Summer on the Cape "Puffs" is an oasis of tranquility with cold air conditioning, soft piano music and a VERY dimly lit interior. It's the closest thing to a smoker's nirvana that one could ever hope to find in these days of anti smoking hysteria. Puff The Magic is open everyday from noon to one a.m. I've never seen it overly crowded and there was always plenty of available seating on my many trips there. If you find yourself in Hyannis make sure to stop in and check it out. You'll wish that you had a Puffs in your own neighborhood too.....

Passing on the Pleasures of the Pipe
I get a lot of enjoyment from smoking a pipe, everything from breaking in a brand spanking new one to the rituals of packing, smoking and even cleaning them (yes I said cleaning them). Then there’s that never ending sampling of all those fine tobaccos in the hopes that one day we’ll find that proverbial pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow. What, you thought the Leprechauns were searching for gold…Golden Virginia maybe? And let’s not forget the relaxation smoking your pipe provides and the camaraderie that comes when smoking with others. But one of the things I enjoy most is having the opportunity to pass these pleasures on to another willing individual. I recently had an opportunity like this while kayaking in Casco Bay, Maine with four other friends. This was Ken's first trip with us and in an earlier conversation with him he told me he'd be interested in trying the pipe. So on this trip I brought along a corn cob for him and a couple of my favorite tobaccos. After a long day of paddling and a hot meal I always look forward to settling down at the water's edge with a pipe or two, a couple of cold beers and a few good friends. I set Ken up with his corn cob and packed it with Freybourg & Treyer’s Special Brown Flake. He took to it right away, liked the taste and had a good 30 minute smoke for himself. The following day I had him try some of Mastro’s Venezia which he also seemed to enjoy quite well. But the thing I liked best was on the third day we got back to the beach right at supper time and everyone was hungry after paddling for almost twenty miles. It was Ken's turn to cook and cook he did, he not only fired up his stove to heat up a delicious Chicken Co Co Van outback style but he also fired up his cob as well and smoked it while he cooked. I think we may definitely have a keeper here.

Our economic system is 'in crisis' as we have all been told. It's their fault. Yes, both the Dems and Republicans. I just talked to a tobacconist that will shortly go out of business if the situation doesn't change. There are restaurants and other small businesses going under. Now the government wants us to trust them to fix the problem. They caused the problem, but they want us to trust them. What's the old saying? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

It reminds me of the story of a man who bought a mule for $100. When he went to collect the mule, the mule had sadly died. The man from whom he bought the mule offered him his money back. But instead, the buyer said: "Deliver the mule to me next week."

The seller asked him what he was going to do with a dead mule. The buyer said, "I'm going to make a profit."

The puzzled seller looked at him and shrugged. After all, there are dozens of fools in the world, so here is another. In accordance with the buyers wishes he delivered the mule the following week. As the two of them pulled the dead mule off the truck, the seller couldn't control himself, and asked: "OK, did you make a profit off the dead mule? And how did you do it?"

They buyer said, "Sure did. I made $800. See I had a lottery for a mule. I sold all the tickets and picked the winner."

The seller asked, "What did he say when he found out the mule was dead? Wasn't he mad?"

The buyer simply said, "Well, at first, but then I gave him his two bucks back, and some gas money. He seemed satisfied."

Still a little confused, the seller asked, "Why do you want the body?"

With a straight face, the buyer said, "Got to give the man proof."

Why the story. It's a lot like the congress. They have been dealing us dead mules and filling their pockets with our money.

So how does this all relate to our favorite pastime? The anti-tobacco lobby has been financing elections (through their lobbyists) for years. They have been pushing lawmakers into making laws that have turned us into the vermin, nay, pariah of this generation. You can't smoke in restaurants (even those with good ventilation systems), can't smoke in public buildings, can't smoke in the bleachers at ball games and you can be forced to stop if you're employer so wishes, Our lawmakers take the money on the pretense that second hand smoke is dangerous, but no real proof exists.

It's not just anti-smoking laws, but look to so many other instances of government getting into our business. You can name them as well as I, but here are a couple more: Forced use of seatbelts, forced use of helmets (motorcycles), gun control for legal citizens, the forced coverage of health insurance. I'm not saying all the laws are bad, but should they be laws? These are open to debate, but the people are not being heard. Lobbies are.

Alexis de Tocqueville said it best, "In a Democracy, the people get the government they deserve" Many of the laws we complain about, including anti-smoking laws, get in because we are not making our voices heard, as the demos, we have abrogated our responsibility. So if you want to know whose to blame? Look in the mirror. If you don't make your voice known to your leaders, they will lead you by the wallet as others who give them money tell them to lead you.