Hello From North LA County

[ksman75]

Hey all!

My name's Tony, and I hail from southern California, originally from Alabama and Mississippi, but that ended in '67 when I was 10, and my family moved to California.

I'm a cigarette smoker, RYO since 2015. I've tried cigars, but never got the taste for them. I've tried pipes, more off than on several times in the past.

I have started trying pipes again, and am here to glean as much information as I can.

In the past I've owned a few of the cheap mini-meershaums, but being somewhat careless, they have all suffered irreparable harm, and been donated to the local land fill.

My current collection consists of a pegasus block meershaum I recently bought, two half bent Missouri Meershaum cobs I've had for a few years, and a full bent Nording I bought about the same time I bought the MMs.

 

[Servant King]

Welcome to the forum, from your neighbor to the north, southern Kern County. Enjoy the journey!

 

[MattRVA]

Welcome from Virginia

 

[mso489]

I was home-ported in Long Beach after a Vietnam tour on the minesweeper MSO489 and enjoyed visiting LA proper and the area, including San Pedro where my folks had an apartment during WWII, and Laguna Beach where my great aunts rented a house for several years, lots of seals there. Welcome aboard from central North Carolina.

 

[FurCoat]

Welcome from North Carolina

 

[anotherbob]

hey welcome. So you've lived in the area long enough to get into arguments with some if you're a local or not and for that argument to spiral into factions for and against you being a local and even some saying at 10 you're a native.
Sounds like a nice collection of pipes. And glad you have the three standard materials. Briar, Meer, and Cob. Personally I like briar the best, then cob and meer least. Now they're all great. But all different. I just feel that briar has the most character and imparts the very best qualities. Meer and cob are too close to neutral for me to feel they're the best. But if briar somehow all got stolen by aliens on night, I'd adjust quite instantly.
The secret of pipes is they're just really enjoyable and fun.

 

[Tar Wheel]

Welcome from North Carolina.

 

[STP]

Welcome, Tony

 

[ksman75]

I was home-ported in Long Beach after a Vietnam tour on the minesweeper MSO489 and enjoyed visiting LA proper and the area, including San Pedro where my folks had an apartment during WWII, and Laguna Beach where my great aunts rented a house for several years, lots of seals there. Welcome aboard from central North Carolina.

Don't know how long you've been away from Long Beach, but they closed down the naval shipyard a couple of decades ago. It's been redeveloped by chinese shipping.

After WWII, my granddad, mom's dad, was stationed there for a while.

 

[lelik]

Welcome.

 

[augiebd]

Welcome from Western Canada! We have very good friends in the northern suburbs of LA and enjoy visiting CA.

 

[ksman75]

Welcome from Western Canada! We have very good friends in the northern suburbs of LA and enjoy visiting CA.

To be honest, most people wouldn't consider where I am, LA.

I'm in Lancaster, about 50-60 miles from downtown. It's still LA county, but in the desert, north of the mountains and the San Andreas fault.

 

[Charlie718]

Welcome from New York.

 

[kcghost]

Welcome from KC!!

 

[markus]

Welcome from Indiana!

 

[carolinasmokes]

Welcome from North Carolina.

 

[Jacob74]

 

[mso489]

ksman, oh yes, I'm aware that the Long Beach port is commercial. They long ago closed the San Diego boot camp where I went, although I think they may have some tech "A" schools there still. My ship was sold to Taiwan in the nineties. Saddest of all, Midway Island Naval Station where I was also stationed, and which was a garden of eden nature preserve with albatross, turtles, seals, terns, and many more species has been burdened with plastic waste. The Navy left Midway, and it is now under the Dept. of Interior, with limited staff and little access. It makes me feel like the navy enlisted version of the angel of death, but change happens, not always for the best.

 

[ksman75]

ksman, oh yes, I'm aware that the Long Beach port is commercial. They long ago closed the San Diego boot camp where I went, although I think they may have some tech "A" schools there still. My ship was sold to Taiwan in the nineties. Saddest of all, Midway Island Naval Station where I was also stationed, and which was a garden of eden nature preserve with albatross, turtles, seals, terns, and many more species has been burdened with plastic waste. The Navy left Midway, and it is now under the Dept. of Interior, with limited staff and little access. It makes me feel like the navy enlisted version of the angel of death, but change happens, not always for the best.

The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles (Wilmington and San Pedro) have been commercial for decades, true. But the Navy did maintain a very small presence until the late '90s, or early '00s. I remember driving by and seeing the huge screws, is that the right term?, a few smaller vessels on location, and I believe they had two small dry docs, visible from the street.

I'm not positive, but the USCG may still have a small base out on Terminal Island, sandwiched between the federal prison and the INS detainment center. I used to go out there to service the computers for the USCG and the prison. Aaaah, those were the days, lol!

It was a shame seeing the chinese take over such a large portion of the port, but it's mostly foreign interests any, so what's one more?

 

[mso489]

I got shipped around so much, I didn't bother to own a car. My ship spent long months in the then Todd Shipyard getting gutted and refitted, with me sleeping "aboard" although the ship was out of the water. I hitchhiked into the city, hiked the beach, went to a movie, etc. Bought a bike, but soon sold it after navigating the Terminal Bridge traffic, so aptly named. In retrospect, it was a pretty grim life, but when you're young, it's all exciting and hopeful, even when it isn't. At least I had liberty (time off) to wander at will, bus into L.A. to see the Lakers play, including Wilt Chamberlin at the time. Saw the Moody Blues in concert, though my haircut was not right for the times. I did leave the military with enough savings to pay for grad school out-of-state tuition,once graduated a new red VW bug, and eventually a downpayment on a house for my new wife and me.