Pipe Smoker Memories

[WVOldFart]

Some of us have memories of certain pipe smokers that have stuck in our memories. I remember a fellow that went to college with me in the mid 1970's. If my memory serves me right, he was from a nice size farm in Pennsylvania. He was a big fellow and always wore bib overalls. He was always smoking a pipe. A nicer person you would never meet. He was so nice that people would give him pouches of pipe tobacco. I think they gave it to him so they could smell the wonderful smoke that came from his pipe. One day I asked him what he was smoking. He said he didn't know. "What do you mean you don't know." He said he had a rather large container in his room that whenever he got a pouch from someone he would just mix it in with the other tobaccos. That way if someone asked him if he was smoking the tobacco that they gave him, he could honestly say that he was. That way no one's feelings would be hurt. "It doesn't really matter because no matter what, I'm just smoking tobacco." To this day whenever I order a new tobacco that I have never tried I wonder if I'll like it and think "Well, no matter, I'll still be smoking tobacco." I haven't seen him since college days or know what happened to him, but no doubt he is still smoking a pipe full of "whatever." Do you have any memories of pipe smoking characters in your life?

 

[STP]

I’m fond of the memories that I have of my father smoking a pipe, particularly around the holidays. The pleasant aroma and smoky haze appearance around the Christmas tree added to the seasonal festivities?

 

[Briar Lee]

I was in my dorm room in fall 1976 and smelled the awfullest smell, and thought one of my friends had in a state of drunkenness caught something on fire.

Instead it was a big, burly resident on our wing who was a conservatory of music major, and was smoking a Latakia rich Balkan blend.

He let me have some for my E A Carey, and introduced me to real pipe shops, and the differences between burley, Virginia, flue and fire cured, and cavendish processes, Orientals, perique, and latikia.

But the best thing he did, was introduce me to some of his female classmates at the music conservatory.

Those young ladies were not familiar, with old time country music, and they were fascinated that places like Humansville existed, having all came from urban areas.

Bye and bye I found two that could sing this old triangle tear jerker, and we performed this for my mother, when she visited on parent’s day.

GAME OF TRIANGLES

They’re old grandmas now, and I wish then well wherever they are today.

And they taught me, to only smoke fruity aromatics around the ladies.

 

[trouttimes]

My grandpa died when I was a young man so I do have that many memories of him but I do have a strong vision of him heading across the pasture with a roll of barbed wire on one shoulder, and axe in his other hand. He had his old worn Stetson cocked on his head and his pipe, smoke curling around head, casually stuck in the side of his mouth. He would turn back to me and say…come on Rabbit Tracks, time to earn your biscuits.

 

[burleybreath]

My uncle, kind of a flashy guy, a lawyer, liked to collect American coins, antique food tins, convertibles, and wives. I see him in my mind always smoking an orangeish leather-covered billiard stuffed with Half-and-Half. Apparently forever, or until I kick, as the image dates from about 1952. He'd buy me the greatest toys, so I liked him! Materialistic bastards, both of us.

 

[kcghost]

Good memories, guys. Unfortunately, my grandfathers had passed away by the time I came along.

 

[kcghost]

....time to earn your biscuits.

One of the great quotes from days gone by. Most people think the only place to get biscuits is at a drive thru window.

 

[anotherbob]

I rember as a kid being confused by cigarettes like how could you enjoy that but pipes seemed almost magical like my first hint that there was any type of epicurian ideal

 

[HitchensDog]

I served in the U.S. Coast Guard in the early 1980's. I was in my class A school in Elizabeth City NC where Coast Guard Air Crewmen train. One of our instructors was an old Chief Petty Officer that always had a pipe in his mouth. Had been in the Coast Guard many years and tough on us trainee's. He was a big guy and I can remember him walking down the halls of our training facility always with a pipe in his mouth. Smoke rolling past him. He always taught classes with a pipe as well. Pointing at the board, pointing at us with his pipe.

 

[runningbare]

Just my granddad .He smoked SWR,and inhaled every puff.He died from lung cancer in his 70s.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

My Uncle Mark was the family ramrod growing up. He got it done, no matter what it was, and he made sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing, despite being my Mother's youngest brother. He always had a pipe and a straw cowboy hat. I followed him everywhere. He was the law on the farm, in the community, and eventually, he lost his mind in the jungles of Vietnam.

Her oldest brother, Uncle Joe was a banker, and just smoked at home. He was not one for small talk. In fact, I don't recall every talking to him, but he was home every evening. He had the handlebar moustache and I just remember him as being the one behind the desk, always with that adding machine. The only time I remember talking to him was just before college, when I had more mature things to discuss.

My grandfather's brother Uncle Leroy owned the General Store, and always had a pipe also. He was notorious for falling asleep on the porch and never letting his pipe drop out of his mouth. I have one of his pipes, and it has a hole in the stem, which explains how it never fell out while sleeping.

My dad was a Winston Lights man. He did try to smoke a pipe, although I think he just liked having all of the pipe stuff. I do remember him trying to smoke some apple pipe tobacco at one time and scorching the shit out of his mouth.

I had many other Uncles, and other pipesmokers in the family, but they are just passing memories to me. And, photos in the family albums.

 

[mso489]

By the time I arrived, my dad was back from WWII where he'd been a 25-year-old skipper of a YMS minesweeper in the Philippines. He'd been smoking a pipe since he was about 15, owned only one pipe at a time until it burned out, and smoked pretty much from just after breakfast to bedtime with time out for lunch and supper. He'd gesture with the stem of his pipe, take a deep puff and roll his eyes skyward when deciding a question, and smoke only Granger from a pouch. When I finally decided to buy a pipe and try smoking it in my early thirties, all of his smoking ritual had imprinted on me. It was like doing something I'd already learned.

 

[Michigan_Bill]

My grandfather had one pipe at a time and smoked Price Albert from a pouch. I can see him filling his pipe in my mind's eye even now.