New Pipe Smoker from San Francisco

[hairvise]

Hello everyone,
I just began smoking a pipe about a month ago after my father, who is 82, brought me his collection (ten or so) or pipes that he used to smoke during the 70s-80s as a lawyer in Los Angeles. He hasn't smoked them in twenty years or so, so I thought that I'd give them a try. I've been cleaning them up and trying them with a few different tobaccos--so far, English blends such as Skiff, Squadron Leader, and My mixture seem to be working well for me. I've been trying some Vapers, but so far, I don't think my technique is where it needs to be for me to really enjoy them. In any event, I've really found pipe smoking to be more enjoyable than cigars, which I enjoy from time to time.
It's pretty near impossible to smoke anywhere outside of my backyard here in San Francisco at this point (with the exception of the Occidental Cigar Bar and 850 Cigar Bar). I hope to make it up to Telford's in the North Bay at some point soon when they hold their pipe club meetings.
Steven

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

Awesome! Welcome to the forums! If you get around to it, since you mentioned them, prop us up a few pictures of that collection! I'm sure we'd all love to see what you've got in there! Best of luck, I know I rarely get to smoke anywhere but at home myself, but most of the time, that's where I use it to melt the day away on my back porch.

 

[briarbuck]

I think we could get a group together to pay your fine for walking around with a pipe just to piss of most of that city.

 

[jacks6]

Welcome aboard!

 

[jpmcwjr]

Welcome!
Yes, photos of your new collection would be great. A number of pipes I have I bought 50 years ago, so may be of the same vintage.
Also, do find out where your Dad bought them. That alone could be interesting.
Once your photos are on a photo hosting site (such as Imgur.com; Photobucket; Postimage; Dropbox, etc.), or on virtually any site, select the full image, then Control-click (Mac) or Right-click (Windows) on the image itself, then choose copy image location. Now paste that URL (the full web address, which should end in .jpg) into the IMG box in the reply window of the thread you're posting to.
The site's album is also a good choice.

 

[buster]

Welcome to the forum. I am also from Northern California. San Jose to be exact. I to usually smoke in my backyard also. Or when I'm fishing or camping away from the city dwellers. You could probably go for a walk on Ocean Beach of somewhere that you can have some elbow room? The anti tobacco thing in California is heating up. Especially in the S.F. With the flavored tobacco ban proposed to be voted on coming up.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I live on the Monterey Peninsula. I smoke everywhere but inside commercial buildings or residences except my own.

 

[aldecaker]

Yeah, but look at you, John. You have the gravitas to get away with it.

 

[Civil War]

Welcome to the Forums!

 

[mikethompson]

Welcome to the forums!
I visited San Francisco with my dad and brother when I was 13 or 14. We had a great time. I will add my voice to request pictures of the collection. There is something special about a pipe used by an older family member.

 

[aldecaker]

You're right there, Mike. Pipes, guns, watches, razors - they all have an added element of interest when they are an heirloom.

 

[opus777]

Welcome hairvise. Great English blends your starting with!

 

[hairvise]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for such a welcoming! I actually just arrived in Mexico City, where I'm vacationing for 6 days before returning home. I brought two of the more modest pipes with me. One is an Upshall:

And the other one (sorry about the picture) I'm not sure. Look's like it says "John's" (there was a pipe shop in LA by that name), but the stem has an "A" in a circle:

When I get back home, I'll take pictures of the rest. There's a Peterson Sherlock Holmes, a Comoy or two, a Sheraton with a cracked stem, etc.
I hope that the pictures work!
I'll tell my dad's story later, after we get some dinner!
Steven

 

[hairvise]

The dropbox approach didn't seem to work. I've added two photos to my album on the site, but I'm not sure how to share them from there. I'll work on it.
steven

 

[hairvise]

One more try:
The John's pipe:

The Upshall:

Steven

 

[bnichols23]

Welcome, HV! Nice shots, nice pipes!
You'll find a bunch of us old buzzards who like that vintage, so be prepared to have to clean some virtual drool off of your virtual pipes. -laugh-
Myself, I'm still trying to figure out what's keeping pics I mark for upload from displaying; trial & error (mostly error). If it doesn't work (either due to operator malfunction or browser issues), just follow the link. It's an old Caminetto of mine from back about then.

 

[bnichols23]

Ermagerdz! It actually worked; YEEE-HAHH!! :laughat:

 

[jpmcwjr]

Here you are. I've just removed the size delimiter to get the size at which it was uploaded.
(You linked to the thumbnail, not the full sized image.) Nice smoker!!

 

[mso489]

Welcome aboard! I first landed in 'Frisco, literally, aboard the minesweeper USS Gallant for Armed Forces Day after patrols off Vietnam. It's a great liberty port. Girls told my buddies and me we were too ugly to hang with! I think it was the anti-military thing at the time. But it is a great waterfront to explore. I made a trip there after the Navy with my late wife, and later a business trip. Since I was dressed for a meeting and carried a briefcase, the cable car driver held the car for me, thinking I was a local professional. On another cable car ride, I was commanded to move over for his girlfriend by some well-dressed pompous jerk; I hope she escaped his rapt attentions before he started to treat her that way. Of course I moved over, as I would for anyone, and didn't start a row. I figured it would catch up with Mr. Boss by-and-by. Not my job. I don't know how anyone affords the real estate. My cousin lives in the area with his wife, but they live comfortably after selling their well-known record label. Pretty good--he started out as a percussionist playing jazz and r&r with a group called The Joy of Cooking in the 70's. Beautiful city, lovely place to be.

 

[hairvise]

San Francisco has indeed become something right out of A Tale of Two Cities--absolute extremes of wealth and poverty. I think that people from outside of San Francisco have a somewhat simplistic and in my mind misguided view of its inhabitants. We are no longer a "summer of love" kind of place. There are many, many people who absolutely want to be compassionate about the homeless, for example, but they also want the city to be cleaned up. It's a disgrace to tourists now, to come to SF expecting to experience a beautiful city and instead find absolute squalor in the most popular areas for tourists.
Of course, there are great parts of SF where tourists rarely go, and I'm always happy to provide recommendations for folks who want to see something other than the tourist areas.
Ok, enough of my rant--I need to start talking pictures of my old man's pipes and upload them ASAP now that I'm back from Mexico City!