From: ???????????????????????????? (Norm Carpenter)
To: ??????????????????????
Subject: Pipes notes

I've been rather disconcerted  lately  about  the  lack  of  news
comming  across  the _PIPES_ newsletter.  In order to be fair, I
guess it is like wanting to get mail from somebody.  If you don't
write  you  won't  receive.  So,  with that in mind I will add my
notes about pipe wanderings.

My creation is complete!!!  I finally found the right kind of wax
to  put on my pipe in order finish the wood.  I have been smoking
this pipe exclusively for the last couple of  days  in  order  to
break  it  in.  Of course it's the best smoking pipe that I have,
hard to be disappointed in a pipe you built yourself.  I  am  now
looking  around  for  a  small lathe (Used!) in order to turn the
next briar that I have.  Maybe if I get good enough I  can  offer
pipes for sale.

I made a visit to Andre's Pipe Shop in Los Gatos CA.  Even toting
along  the  wife and family (normally a mistake when going into a
smoke shop) I had a very good time.  The shop is  very  low  key,
and  not  too big (more like a wide hallway).  The person working
the counter was very friendly ( a lost art out here  in  CA)  and
wanted  know  where  I had heard about the shop.  My reference to
this news group impressed him and he was fascinated by  how  many
ways news could get around these days.  I asked him about Andre's
pipes and he pointed to the case closest to him and said that  it
was  open.  I  examined most of the pipes and they were very good
and very honest.  I  could  not  find  any  fills  and  this  was
confirmed  by the salesman saying that only a few pipes were ever
filled, the  pits  (few  and  small)  were  left  in.  They  were
arranged  in  the cabinet by price; value pipes on the bottom and
collector's pipes on the top.  I could afford to  buy  one  about
half  way  up.  The  next  pipe that I buy will be an Andre, I am
pretty sure.

I went to a smoke shop in San  Jose  called  _Smokers  Paradise_.
This  is  a  good  shop,  their  top  of  the line pipes are just
beautiful (anybody got a spare $200 to let  a  poor  pipe  smoker
realize his dream?).  The only problem with the shop is that they
cover the full range of smoking, and I  mean  FULL  range.  So  I
don't care for the "Head Shop" section of the store.  While I was
there I bought an old  edition  of  a  publication  called  _Pipe
Smoker_.  This  is  the  quarterly(?)  newsletter  of  PCI, _Pipe
Smokers International_.  I have read this 12 page  magazine  from
cover to cover and enjoyed each article.  They had just had a big
convention in St.  Louis (this was in 1985).  Do any of you  know
if  this  organization  still  exists?  I  am tempted to become a
member just for the newsletter, but  they  offer  other  services
like club pipes and conventions.

Well that's all for now, but I think there is a  pipe  convention
here  locally  in  the  S.F.  Bay Area (are you ready for another
trip Steve?) I will write if I can find out about the convention.

[Norm, thanks for your comments, and congratulations on your new
creation! What shape did you carve? It's not too likely I can get to
S. F. for the convention, but I hope you'll make it, and that we'll
meet in person sometime!  Read on for some further, hopefully relevant
musings on your letter. -S.]

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