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gerryp

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 8, 2018
704
2,368
56
Arabi, LA
I've been lurking around here for a while and decided that I should be a little more social.
My pipe smoking career started roughly 20 years ago. It was cut short by the traumatic loss of my pipe collection during a move. I didn't have that many, but there were several Petes including a Sherlock Holmes Squire in the lost box. That one still hurts.
I didn't smoke a pipe for a long time. I was also smoking cigars daily back then and felt that maybe one smoking habit was enough, especially considering the cigar price increases of the 90s.
Then, one day this past spring a friend brought me back a souvenir from a trip he had taken: a little corn cob pipe with "Rabbit Hash Kentucky" stamped on the side. (Later I found out that it was a Missouri Meerschaum Eaton.) I was curious to see if it smoked like a "real" pipe, so I went down the street to Walgreens and bought a pouch of Captain Black. I was amazed at how well that little pipe smoked. I went straight to a tobacco shop and picked up some Nightcap, which was a favorite of mine in the past, and that was all she wrote.
When I first started smoking a pipe, some of the tobaccos I remember enjoying were Nightcap, Early Morning Pipe, Escudo, Red Rapparee (or was it Black Mallory? It's been a while) and McClelland St. James Woods. It was a real bummer when McClelland shut down just as I returned to pipe smoking. With Dunhill's future looking shaky as well, I ventured out into uncharted tobacco territory. I'm glad I did because I've found some amazing tobaccos that I might not have tried if it wasn't for all my old favorites disappearing. I just tried Jack Knife plug for the first time...what an amazing tobacco that is! Bayou Night, GH&C Dark Flake Scented, and SG Chocolate Flake are some other interesting tobaccos I've smoked recently, and I've enjoyed them all.
A bit about me: I'm 50, I'm retired, and I moved to New Orleans from the Washington D.C area in 2011. One's pension dollar goes a lot further down here. :wink:

 

mikethompson

Lifer
Jun 26, 2016
11,292
23,327
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Gerry, welcome to the forum! There seems to be a lot of returning pipe smokers lately, and that's a good thing. Nightcap is still one of my favorites as well, but no longer in production. Be sure to ask as many questions as you like around here!

 

chilllucky

Lifer
Jul 15, 2018
1,091
2,715
Chicago, IL, USA
scoosa.com
I also picked a few favorites of the maybe a hundred or so tobaccos available to me at B&M's in the 90's and then stopped thinking about it. Returned to the pipe community this summer to find online retailers have 700 blends in stock and a couple of fantastic new (to me) blending houses.
It's a good thing you've got the time, retiree. There's a lot of tasting to do!

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,070
Maryland
postimg.cc
Welcome Jerry! I'm North of your old home, in Hagerstown MD. But this week, hanging out in Covington LA, visiting the granddaughter. We do like this weather, I can see retiring here as well.

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
Welcome to the forums Gerry! Glad you stepped out of the shadows to join the fray! From North Carolina, here.
Sherlock Holmes Squire in the lost box. That one still hurts.
As a man that's been searching for one of those for a little while now, I can see how that one might sting a little bit. It's a great looking little pipe. I'm attached to even the cheapest pipe I own, so losing one of that magnitude couldn't have been pleasant. We soldier on, of course, and who knows, maybe you'll find another some day. It's amazing what you can find out there when the wind blows in your favor.

 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,271
4,264
Welcome Gerry! If you haven't heard, New Orleans has a thriving pipe club which meets on the second Thursday of each month at Mayan Imports in Metairie. We would sure like to meet you. Or next meeting is Oct. 11 and starts around 5:30 pm.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
DC to NOLA, quite a jump. You did well to retire early. I was eligible early but stayed on after becoming a widower, for sociability, and after an institutional dust-up, out of pride I suppose. I thought I'd be browsing around deciding whether to take a walk or read a book. The pace of my life picked up a lot, and is still rather brisk.

 

gerryp

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 8, 2018
704
2,368
56
Arabi, LA
Thanks everyone, sorry for the late reply. It's been a hectic time and I haven't been online much lately.
@mikethompson: I was in a local b&m today (Mayan Import on Magazine, for you locals) and they had a couple tins of Nightcap as well as bulk. I just went in for pipe cleaners but was a few cents under the card minimum. I didn't want the nice girl behind the register to get in trouble on my account so I picked up an ounce. If you're jonesing for Nightcap I can grab some for you the next time I'm there. Maybe we can do a trade or something. PM me if you're interested.
@mso: I know what you mean. My gf, her kid, friends, numerous local events, etc. make sure I don't spend too much time sitting on my a$$. I'm the busiest unemployed person I know. Btw I've enjoyed reading your forum posts.
@ssjones: I'm very familiar with Hagerstown. My ex-wife is from there, and she and my daughter lived there for years. My daughter is in Frederick now. I worked at the Germantown police station from 1991 to 2011, and man has that area built up a lot. I used to shop at the Tobacco Shack in Germantown all the time...I wonder if it's still there...
Thanks again for the warm welcomes everyone!

 

gerryp

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 8, 2018
704
2,368
56
Arabi, LA
@mikethompson again...I might have kinda broken a forum rule about trading since I'm new...I just saw something about 100 posts before posting in the trade section. Don't tell anybody!

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,070
Maryland
postimg.cc
@gerryp - you can trade in that section (and/or buy in both). As a new member, you just can't post a new thread offering a trade/sale. So, no rules were broken!

 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,271
4,264
@gerryp and @jmagen - We will be holding the November New Orleans Pipe Club Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 15. That's the third Thursday instead of the second one this time. You are both welcomed to join us at Mayan Imports, 3540 18th St. in Metairie.
The Mayan location in Metairie has the best selection of pipes and pipe tobacco in the area.

 
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