In January, we were visiting a pipe smoking friend in Queens NYC and he handed me a meerschaum
to try, "Unless," he said, "you are offended by putting your mouth on someone else's pipe." I studied
the pipe for a long time, and I finally said, "No, I'm not offended, but if I smoke this one and like it,
there I go again, and I already have too many briars for my two pipe racks. I think I'd just better stick
with those." Which I have, except for a couple of new briars. You have a museum grade collection
here. Is there a pipe museum somewhere? If not, there should be. Incidentally, we were visiting the
friend to celebrate his birthday, and we enjoyed terrific ethnic food around Queens. I gave him a tin
of Nightcap as a gift, and we gave him an upscale bottle of single malt whisky, and a good time was
had by all. No one fainted from lack of pipe smoke.