September 2004

Club Info & Events

Post Smoking Ban Meeting at Steve's House
Our first meeting after the Massachusetts smoking ban forced us out of the place we've been meeting for over 10 years was at the home of long time member Steve Gutz. Steve's wife Arlene was gracious enough to allow us all over to fill her house with smoke for which we repaid her with 2 dozen, freshly scented, beautiful roses. A good crowd showed up, many bringing their wives or girlfriends. It was a nice change of pace from our usual meetings and a good way to get to know the guys we've know for so long, a little better. Even Kenny showed up in his regular peddlar-like fashion. One surprise guest for many was the appearance of John Millholland who was visiting from PA. I've never had the pleasure of meeting John in person only through email so it was finally nice to be able to put a face to the name. He received a warm reception and it was evident from those who knew him that he has been truly missed. I'm sure they will always be an empty seat available if he ever decides to return home.
There was plenty of food and drink to satisfy the heartiest of appetites and everything was delicious. But if you've ever been to Steve's house before then you know that the pièce de résistance is his collection of pipes and tobaccania and is always the highlight of the visit (for us pipe smokers anyway). I took a number of pictures of his collection and tried not to duplicate any of the shots I took last year but pictures don't do his collection justice, you've got to see it for yourself. And if they ever decided to ban tobacco completely then Steve's house will be the hottest spot on the planet (Don't forget who your friends are Steve).
Now, since this get together also doubled as the August meeting we all gathered around the screen porch to discuss the clubs future and any new options that have developed. Steve mentioned the possibility of meeting at the Old Firehouse Smoke Shop in Fall River and has spoken with Eric Kahn about meeting at the Temple where the cigar "smoker" was held last winter. Eric will look into that option and get back to us. We also talked about the possibilities of meeting at a VFW or American Legion hall but those options are still being worked out with some hopefulness. The American Legion seems to be one of the better prospects because it allows a larger variety of veteran to join and our club has a good handful of veterans who could join at $20/yr. But until we can secure a new permanent meeting place we will continue to find ways to meet on a temporary basis and the September meeting has already been scheduled.
Our September's meeting will take place on Sunday, Sept 12th at 1:30pm at the Tinder Box in the Mashpee Commons on Cape Cod. After a meeting and a smoke in the Tinder Box's smoking lounge we will head over to Cyndi's house, just a short drive away, for a final barbecue of the summer. Many of the members present at Steve's said they would be attending and we expect the turnout to be good and spouses and significant others are welcome and encouraged to attend. It would be helpful if you could confirm your attendance at the September meeting by emailing Cyndi.
                   (Click link above for info and directions.)

Needless to say it was a great meeting, it's too bad you all couldn't have made it. But if you ever do have the opportunity to visit Steve's house you definitely won't want to pass it up. See you on the Cape.

~ Check out the pics I took at Steve's ~

Important!   This Just In!!!
Sept 02, 2004 - I just received word from Steve Gutz that he has located a place that seems very enthusiastic about hosting our meetings on a permanent basis. The name of the place is the Blackwater Grill and it is located off Exit 1 on 495 in Seabrook, NH. Steve plans to take a ride up there soon to talk to the manager at which time we will have more information.
Sept 3, 2004 - I just got an email from Steve Gutz regarding the Blackwater Grill. He visited there today, liked the place and made arrangements to have the October meeting there. The date is set for Thursday, October 14th and will be very comparable to what we had at the Holiday Inn.  
Joe, the owner of the Gold Leaf is excited about it and says he will attend the meeting along with some of his regular visitors. Obviously this new opportunity hasn't had a chance to be discussed and voted on but since we currently don't have a set meeting location it might be a good idea to check this place out. We can discuss it further at the Tinder Box on the 12th. Everyone's input is important so please try to make it to the Sept meeting.
You can also send your initial thoughts about this meeting place by email to either Steve or Me.

Member Contributions

A Trip to the Gold Leaf in Seabrook, NH...... By Dock J. Perry
On Friday August 27th Dante and myself met at Steve Gutz's house in Harvard MA and made are way up to the Gold Leaf in Seabrook, NH. The Gold Leaf is a fantastic little shop with a great selection of tobaccos. I was delighted to see that they had a whole sleeve of the now discontinued "Bengal Slices" which WAS the original "Balkan Sobranie Flake", of course all but the one that Dante bought came home with me. The neat thing about this store is that they have a lot of blends that you just can't get anymore. Most of their tins have been "aging" on the shelves for a while as well. Dante purchased three pipes, the star being a beautifully sandblasted Bonfiglioli stack as well as several tinned tobaccos. I recommended Robert Lewis 123 & Tree mixtures as I've been enjoying these both as of late. Steve Gutz purchased some tinned blends and talked me into a couple of tins of Erinmore Flake to cellar. From the shop we went to the antique store next door and then to lunch at the oriental restaurant beside the Gold Leaf. A great day was had by all.

Cookie Cutter Stereotypes Do Not Fit Pipe Smokers! .......Sucked from the thumb of Art Faye...aka Sid Shear
"Lumping pipe smokers together with those who fire up cigars or cigarettes ins not fair. Cigarettes, because they are made of homogenized tobacco/paper burn at a 400 degree temperature. Cigars and pipes burn at a lower temperature often leading to the question: "Are you smoking tobacco or matches?" In the social class levels of high brow, low brow and no brow, pipe smokers do not parade personal pretensions to bring their appearance closer to royalty. Pipe Smokers would rather be compared or mistake for the brain-power level. "Have you ever seen a published picture of a terrorist smoking a pipe? A likely answer would be "Never!" I hope that disclosing this observation will not lead to terrorists taking up pipe smoking as a disguise. It is still true that you can always trust a man/person who smokes a pipe!

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).