Stuff In Steve's Office #5

[sleigh]

OK, I’ll freely admit that it started as a deliberate affectation back in college.  Artsy types smoked pipes, and I thought of myself as an artsy type.  But I also came to enjoy pipe smoking. There’s something inherently relaxing in leaning back with your pipe and watching the smoke curl around you, and pipes (unlike cigars and cigarettes) are great for those who simply want something to do with their hands.  Pipe tobacco doesn’t stay lit unless you work at it; set a pipe down and the tobacco stops burning.  With a pipe, you have to tamp the tobacco occasionally, or re-light the pipe, or tap out the ash in the bowl.  There’s the task of unrolling the pouch of tobacco in your pocket, fishing out a favorite old pipe, and filling it carefully, making sure everything’s just right before lighting it. The pipe is a fidgeter’s delight.

I enjoyed smoking my pipes.  But in my early 30s, my asthma returned with a vengeance, and it seemed rather stupid to be smoking when sometimes I was having trouble breathing.  So I stopped.

I kept the pipes, though -- partially because, hey, they weren’t cheap, and partially just because they were a reminder of my smoking days.  They’re sitting on top of one of the bookcases in my office now…

There’s a selection of them below (there are a few that aren’t in the photo, mostly because they were over on another shelf and I missed ‘em).  The big meerschaum calabash pipe on the right (the “Sherlock Homes” pipe that became iconic due to the early movies, not from the actual stories) was always one of my favorites.  The smaller calabash next to it was my father’s; he gave it to me when he gave up smoking pipes himself, a few years before I did.  The broken pipe at the bottom was my true favorite, though, a short briar with a lovely bowl that fit easily into my pocket, balanced well on the mouth, and fit wonderfully into my hand.  However, I broke the stem and could never find a replacement for it…

To its left is another meerschaum, this one a straight one.  The two pipes in the stand are from the E. A. Carey company, a pipe manufacturer that made lightweight, well-made pipes that smoked cooler due to the “magic inch” mechanism that brought air into the smoke and a papyrus sleeve that took out much of the moisture.  Carey still makes pipes (google “Carey Pipes”).  Those are both well-smoked also.

And at the rear is my tobacco jar, which still holds tobacco, though at this point, that tobacco is decades old and totally dry rather than moist.

I sometimes think that one day, I might take up the pipe again.  Maybe.

Comments

[supergee.livejournal.com]

I kicked the tobacco habit 35 years ago but kept 6 of the prettiest pipes. Yours are nice too.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

It was about 28 years ago for me... And yeah, I tossed several pipes that were clunky or ugly or had little meaning for me. I only kept the 'good' ones.