CPCC 2008

It’s Monday morning and I’m back from Chicago.  Mike and I left Chicago on Sunday morning at 0500 Central time.  We arrived in Gadsden about 1645 and I made it to Eufaula about 2030 Central. It was a long day but worth every mile of the trip.

The show was full of surprises starting from our check in when we were greeted with the news that not only was the resort area non-smoking, recent news from the local health department required the mega-center (where the show is actually held) to be non-smoking as well.  This moved almost all smoking activity to the ‘fest tent’.  After the initial shock, we decided to unpack, have a short one and see how these arrangements were going to work.  We met some friends in the ‘fest tent’ and the show started in earnest for us.  Inside the tent were all the amenities one could expect:  comfortable temperature, food, beverages and they even installed a hard floor with outdoor carpet.  It was really first class.  My only suggestion for improvement would be to serve coffee in the mornings there but it was available for purchase in other areas and many brought some into the tent for a morning smoke.  Mike and I spent the entire evening in the tent and ended our Thursday there.  In my estimation, this was a first class operation, well thought out and executed.

Friday (golf day) started out fairly nice with no rain and warm temperatures (for Chicago that is).  However, the radar was a  harbinger of things to come.  My group was the first to start at 0800 and by about the 7th tee, it began to sprinkle, by the 9th tee it began to rain and by the 11th tee, I was soaked to the bone and on the 12th tee, lightning required us to vacate the course.  After an extensive rain delay, we finished our round.  My golf certainly went downhill after the delay and we finished our round at plus 1.  Not great but we had a good time (rain notwithstanding).  While I was a drowning rat, my cohort in crime, Mike McCain was in the Pre-Show.  For those who do not know, we both collect Castello Hawkbill pipes shape #84.  Well, he runs into an old friend of ours, Mike Penix (sure are a lot of Mikes in the world!) and amazingly, he has one for sale.  McCain picks it up.  It’s a nice GG sized smooth pipe and a deal is struck.  Interestingly, this pipe used to be mine and went to him in a deal a long time ago.  So a great find early on at the show.  After I dried out a bit, we go back to the Pre-Show and I take a look around.  I picked up  several tins of the new/old Squadron Leader in the limited edition green label tins.  I like the regular production Squadron Leader and hope this one turns out to be as good.  Later that day, we get word that Chuck Rio has an 84 sale that used to be McCain’s pipe and  he has first shot at the pipe should he want it.  The anticipation grows as we wait till that evening to get to see the pipe. Sure enough, the deal is struck and we have two large GG pipes from 1998 that are back in our possession.  After some bartering and discussing, my old pipe is now mine again and his old pipe is his again. A win/win for us.  As I say, they all come home sooner or later! (Mike Penix, if you are reading this, you still have a nice red OA that could come home if it wanted to.   ) Mike also saw a couple other 84s on a table for sale but nothing that we needed to acquire.   Friday ended just as Thursday ended with us in the ‘fest tent’ smoking and enjoying the time with our friends.

Now I don’t know about you but I’m always up early on show day!  Maybe it’s from the days where I displayed my pipes or just the excitement a child experiences on Christmas morning, but either way, I’m always up early on show day.  This one was no exception as I woke up about 0600, four hours before we could get in the show.  After I managed to drag Mike out of the bed, we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and moved out briskly to the ‘fest tent’.  Again, it was the gathering place for friends to smoke and exchange word about early victories while we waited for the door to open.  At 1000, the doors opened and there were long lines waiting to get in. Having already scored a victory with our prodigal son 84s come home, we decided to wait about 20 or 30 minutes before going in, trying to evade the long lines.  We were successful, and were able to pay our entry fees and walk right in.  We decided to split up, one starting on the left side and one on the right side, scout the tables and then meet somewhere in the middle.  Although there were lots of beautiful pieces to see, alas, there were no interesting 84s for us.  I was disappointed with the Castello 84 selection.  Even the Castello distributor had no 84s with him this year.  Usually, Marco brings quite a few as he did last year.  I guess they just are not in production right now.  Through out the day, we would alternate between the ‘fest tent’ and the mega-center, actually spending more time in the tent than we did in the show.  One of the big events of Saturday is the silent auction where folks donate items to be auctioned off and the show benefits from the proceeds.  I bid on a couple items but was outbid.  The silent auction closed about 1530.  We spent some time in the ‘fest tent’, retired to our room for a short break,  had supper and returned to the  tent for the remainder of  the evening.  Again, the room was filled with smoke, laughter and good friends.  Having to get up early and head home on Sunday, I called it a night relatively early.

Sunday morning came too quickly for me and after 900 or so miles on the road, I arrived home safely.  We had a goodly amount of time to think about this show and how things turned out.  I believe I had more fun at this show than I can remember in recent years.  I credit this to the ‘fest tent’ where we had to congregate.  Maybe it was one of those unintended consequences but either way, having a single large meeting area, where we could meet and smoke really turned out to be a great venue.  Not smoking in the show area was not good.  However for someone not chained to a table, it was manageable.  I can’t speak for those who had to stay with their displays.  For me, attending the show was well worth the trip even with the issues surrounding the IL laws.  Congratulations to the CPCC show staff and all concerned at Pheasant Run for a super time.  I am already planning on next year’s trip.

Here are some pictures from the show.  I hope you enjoy them. Happy smoking.

 

 

 

My Chicago Wish List

It’s Thursday and in just short of a week, I head out for Rainbow City, AL. I’ll remain over night there and Mike McCain and I will head out for Chicago on that Thursday. As the show draws nearer, more and more, I spend my idle time thinking of the show and what surprises it may bring. Of course, if all I did was drive to Chicago and back with McCain and see a few buddies it would be worth the trip but still, in the back of my mind, I’m excited about the hunt for the perfect… pipe, accessory, or tobacco.

Then I start to create my Christmas….errr Chicago wish list. A really fine tamper is first on my list. I’ve used some nicely made and very functional tampers crafted in brass by Glenn Bethel but recently I read or re-read Fred Hanna’s article “The Hidden Benefits of the Expensive Pipe Tamper”. It has inspired me. So I am on the look out for a really nice tamper. I was going for two at the show but I was so lucky to see a really neat Castello Tamper on Ebay and picked it up. This is a very stylish and functional silver and briar tamper that they offered quite a few years ago. I snoozed and thought I had lost but lo and behold, I got lucky. so I am already way ahead on my tamper search. A really nice ivory one would be neat too. I’ve seen some on line but none that excite me. Maybe I’ll get lucky at the show.

Next on the list is some good tobacco. I’ve already got a big order in with PCCA and will get that sometime in early May. But I’m still going to try and get some of my other favorites at good show prices such as Samuel Gawith’s Squadron Leader. Also, I’ve got a friend who can’t make it to the show so I’m on a mission to score as many good tobacco samples as is humanly possible. As many vendors will let you have a free bowl of tobacco, I considered buying one of those huge Castello pipes Bob Hamlin has on Ebay. I can just see their eyes if I showed up with one of those and emptied half a tin in that monster. So good tobacco is on my list.

Finally, I come to pipes. Having such a focused collection, I am never optimistic about finding my pipes at a show. But when I do, it’s usually amazing. Last year it was the new FLAME pipe. A few years before I got a Castello 84 sitter. I don’t know what possibly could show up but I’m always surprised. Sometimes Castello has a new one and I get lucky. Sometimes I find one on a table but more often than not, someone will come out of nowhere and say, ‘hey, are you interested in this pipe?’ and then I’m in trouble. Yeah, hopefully I’ll get a big surprise this year.

I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything.. accessories, tobacco and pipes. But you know the truth, if I don’t buy a single thing, just seeing my friends makes this trip all worth while. We’ll miss you this year Bob!

Thoughts on a Pipe Rotation

Today I was reading Sparks’ thoughts on rotating pipes on The My Pipes Community website.  This got me to thinking about how I’ve done it in the past, and what I’m going to do now for the future.   I never smoke a pipe two times in a row and probably never twice in one week.  At one time, I was an any tobacco in any pipe type of person.  Then I went 180 degrees and only smoked one tobacco in one pipe.  Somewhere along the way, I’ve gone to smoking categories of tobacco in a single pipe.  So I have English/Balkan/Scottish/Oriental pipes.  I have Burley Flake pipes and Virginia/Perique pipes.  But I’m not sure that’s where I need or want to be.  

Just this week I took down all my pipes to shoot pictures for the collection page recently published.  Today, I face the daunting task of putting everything back in its place.  This provides me the opportunity to reorganize them in any way that suits me, so Sparks’ post  was timely for me.

Here’s how I plan to assign my pipes.  I have several tobaccos that are my staples.   Those are Solani Aged Burley Flakes, Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, Pipe Collector’s Club of America Orient 996,  World Tobac #341 and Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader.  I am going to dedicate at between seven and fourteen pipes to each one of these tobaccos.  Those are my regular, almost always have a tin of one of them open, tobaccos.   This pattern is well suited for one pipe, one tobacco.  But I also smoke a variety of other tobaccos on a once in a year type rotation. For instance,  I really like JJ Fox’s Banker’s Mixture and have quite a few tins of it.  But I only open a tin about once a year.   I smoke the occasional Virginia Perique blend but infrequently.  Again this is not suited for a one pipe, one tobacco assignment but begs for a genre or category designation.  So to answer that demand, I’m going to establish 7-14 pipes as an English/Balkan/Scottish/Oriental category, a few pipes as a Virginia Perique  category and a few as a heavy latakia category. 

How to do this organization without confusion presents some challenges.  Some are easy to accomplish.  I have an 8 pipe rack from The United States Military Academy that I will use for my Solani Aged Burley Flake dedicated pipes.  I have a seven-day set that will become my World Tobac 341 pipes.  I have another seven-day set box (no pipes came with this chest) that I will fill with pipes dedicated to Dunhill Early Morning Pipe  When we lived in suburban Atlanta, GA, I acquired a display case for the majority of my pipes.  I plan to dedicate a shelf in that case for PCCA Orient 996 and another shelf for Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader.  Other shelves will be pipes for my English/Balkan/Scottish/Oriental category blends and finally, I have a few older SC version tan pipes that I will use for my occasional venture into the Virginia Perique flake category. 

Some might be uncomfortable with this level of organization but I find it quite comfortable.  My background as an attack helicopter aviator leads me to checklist solutions of problems.  Will this organization make my smoking experience more enjoyable or not?  I don’t know for sure but it can’t hurt.  Happy Smoking.