A Forums carver might see your thread and respond. Meantime, you may want to consider the two pipe shows within your range. There is or used to be a pipe show in Richmond that may resurface, and I know there is one in April, The TAPS pipe show, at the Raleigh, N.C. Fairgrounds at Hillsborough St. and Blue Ridge Road. One of the carvers, Jerry Perry, will also exhibit, as he has for years, at the N.C. State Fair "Village of Yesteryear" in October. You might find one of his numerous pipes on offer suitable or negotiate a commission. He does not sell online, so you have to deal with him in person. His distinction is that he is one of very few carvers who works in Mountain Laurel as well as briar. I have owned some of his Mountain Laurel pipes for years and they are excellent, and his prices are unusually reasonable.