Hello from US Flyover Country

[deckpiper]

Hello Board,
Newbie U.S. pipesmoker.
I bought a pipe 25 years ago...don't remember where, but it was a discount pipe. Smoked a few times, then put it away.
Tried cigars for a while, but never consistently.
Recently pulled out my old pipe and smoked a few times, and somehow this was different. Maybe I'm having a mini-midlife crisis, but I've recently decided to extract a little more enjoyment out of life during the time I have left on this earth. I've really enjoyed my times smoking, taking time out from life, sitting on my deck watching and listening to nature, relaxing....
I went to a couple pipe stores...and experienced some very bad service from some young guys who were just punching a register. I went to a third store, and received great service and advice from an old guy who cared (smoking a pipe in front of me the whole time, as I was on my way to a business meeting--I'm sure I smelled nice for the meeting). I was so pleased that he took the time with me, that I bought a Vauen pipe he had on clearance. Love it.
I ordered some accessories, and a couple corn cob pipes as back-ups, and one for a guest if I can entice someone to join me.
Then I joined this forum, and here I am! Looking forward to learning from the experts here!

 

[npod]

Then I joined this forum, and here I am!

Welcome. That’s how a lot us ended up here.

 

[deckpiper]

Thanks!
Here is the pipe I bought:

 

[puffy]

Welcome

 

[jpmcwjr]

Welcome!
Three stores in your neighborhood? That's great. Care to name the place? (Some will, some won't- what you feel comfortable with)

 

[saltedplug]

Pretty pipe. Welcome!

 

[deckpiper]

Three stores in your neighborhood? That's great. Care to name the place? (Some will, some won't- what you feel comfortable with)

Hmmm. For now, I'll just say Midwest, reasonably large city.

 

[mso489]

Very smart to hang onto that pipe. I still have the one I bought 40 plus years ago from Tinderbox, a St. Ives house pipe probably made by Chacom, a bent pot shape, and it's still cooking nicely. Hey, no such thing as flyover country. I've lived and worked and schooled in Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, and enjoyed Ohio, Iowa, and etc. Indianapolis and Cincinnati are great cities. Those Wisconsin supper clubs are something else. Nothing like a vacation in areas that aren't pushed for tourism all that much, though everyone tries for that.

 

[mikefu]

Welcome! I grew up in flyover country, and can say I miss the uncrowdedness of it. You’ll learn a lot of good stuff here if you seek it out. Cheers on the new pipe and hobby!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Welcome to the forum. “Flyover country” this is a new phrase for me. What does that mean?

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

Welcome aboard. Cosmic, it generally refers to midwest states, the parts of the country people flyover going from coast to coast.

 

[woodsroad]

“Flyover country” describes the vast middle of the US that lies between the East Coast and West Coast metropolyptic sprawl. The parts of the country that the coastal elites usually only see from the air as they shuttle between their familiar, comfortable and "safe" bicoastal enclaves.

 

[deckpiper]

“Flyover country” describes the ... parts of the country that the coastal elites usually only see from the air as they shuttle between their familiar, comfortable and "safe" bicoastal enclaves.

Exactly. I have always been quite proud to live in Flyover Country.
Recently, I was in a bar in Seattle, and a woman used the term as a total insult, to my face. It is such an odd experience to get insulted for what seems like no reason from someone you don't know. She didn't like what she perceived to be flyover country culture and politics (although I had said absolutely nothing political), and I got the impression that people in flyover country are beneath her contempt, and probably so stupid that they wouldn't notice an insult if it were offered to them. Not being the confrontational type, I just let it go...which probably confirmed her opinion of me. She is the kind of coastal elite that we here in Flyover Country are quite happy to have just flyover, and not stop over.

 

[npod]

^^^so true^^^
I’m from Iowa originally. Fly over and proud of it. I’ve lived and/trained all over the country and that bias you mention is real! I’ve witnessed it first hand many times.

 

[yaddy306]

We have a similar phenomenon in Canada, where people from eastern Canada (e.g. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa) actually believe they are Central Canada, despite the fact that they are well over a thousand miles east of the actual geographic centre of the country.

 

[pepesdad1]

Welcome deckpiper. Floriduh welcomes you.

 

[mso489]

Woodsroad, I love New York City, but I also love that New Yorker cover. It's true, even New Yorkers who travel a lot and own homes elsewhere can be villagers at heart. Some of the neighborhoods in NYC are, in fact, villages. People who have lived there their whole lives can still find new "places" in Manhattan and the boroughs. Of course, the same is true in North Carolina, Southern Illinois, London, and so forth.

 

[Civil War]

Welcome to the forums!!!

 

[Chasing Embers]

Recently, I was in a bar in Seattle, and a woman used the term as a total insult, to my face.

:mrgreen: I hear Hillbilly a lot, and happily correct them. It's "Hill William". :rofl:
Welcome aboard deckpiper!

 

[jpmcwjr]

As long as it's not "Joe Neck" or his brother, "Red". ....