Harlock999
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- Oct 22, 2010
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Well, it's been 365 days of posting feverishly on BoB forum for me! When I came upon this site last year, I never could have imagined how much fun I would have, and it has been fun. In addition to learning about pipes and smoking, I learned a little about myself, and that's a good thing. Met some nice folks as well!
My tastes in tobacco and pipes have changed quite a bit, which shouldn't surprise me, as I really didn't know much when I started (still don't!). My favorite pipes a year ago were large, bent, sandblasted freehands, and I preferred Virginia flakes and aromatic blends. I still like the large freehand briars, but I tend to find myself reaching for smaller, smooth pipes (especially bulldogs) for smoking, and I mostly go for English blends now. A year ago, I was rather ambivalent about the bulldog/Rhodesian shape, and Latakia intimidated me!
I started out buying many cheaper estate pipes, but now, I'm more selective. I still purchase from a wide price range though, as I like both cheap and expensive pipes. One of the first nice pipes I purchased was a Stanwell billiard, and that one acquisition really spurred on my interest in finding and collecting cool pipes. I'm no stranger to collecting, as it's something I've been doing my whole life, whether it was collecting rocks or bottle caps as a kid, to collecting guitars and records as an "adult" (disclaimer: I'm not much changed from the kid I was).
I kept representative examples of pipes from my earlier days of PAD, but I sold off quite a few as well, especially as my tastes changed. I still watch EBAY obsessively, but I think that phase is starting to wind down. Speaking of phases, I've gone through several in terms of pipes. A few times now, I've thought that I had discovered the ultimate pipe carver or tobacco blend, only to move on as I assimilated more knowledge and refinement (ha!). I still favor traditional shapes over avant garde pipes however. My favorites are neo-classical pipes; traditional shapes that have been tastefully interpreted and modified by the carver.
An interesting by product of my pipe obsession is a renewed interest in photography. I've always enjoyed taking pics, but the challenge to try to take nice pipe photos is one that has really turned into a new hobby for me. Waiting for mother nature to cooperate, and being ready once she does, has been a great learning experience. Patience is one thing I've always struggled with, and taking photos of pipes using nothing but natural sunlight without any manipulation via Photoshop can test my patience, but it's been a lot of fun.
It's interesting to note how much turn over there has been in active members over this past year, but I'm guessing that that is not unusual in the world of internet hobby forums. Still, quite a few knowledgeable veterans have gone quiet, and of course new members join every day.
Anyway, I apologize for making this post so lengthy! Below is the Stanwell that helped spark my fascination with pipes, and it's near doppelganger that I was very happy to find recently. I guess some things haven't changed!
A little late afternoon October sunshine.
My tastes in tobacco and pipes have changed quite a bit, which shouldn't surprise me, as I really didn't know much when I started (still don't!). My favorite pipes a year ago were large, bent, sandblasted freehands, and I preferred Virginia flakes and aromatic blends. I still like the large freehand briars, but I tend to find myself reaching for smaller, smooth pipes (especially bulldogs) for smoking, and I mostly go for English blends now. A year ago, I was rather ambivalent about the bulldog/Rhodesian shape, and Latakia intimidated me!
I started out buying many cheaper estate pipes, but now, I'm more selective. I still purchase from a wide price range though, as I like both cheap and expensive pipes. One of the first nice pipes I purchased was a Stanwell billiard, and that one acquisition really spurred on my interest in finding and collecting cool pipes. I'm no stranger to collecting, as it's something I've been doing my whole life, whether it was collecting rocks or bottle caps as a kid, to collecting guitars and records as an "adult" (disclaimer: I'm not much changed from the kid I was).
I kept representative examples of pipes from my earlier days of PAD, but I sold off quite a few as well, especially as my tastes changed. I still watch EBAY obsessively, but I think that phase is starting to wind down. Speaking of phases, I've gone through several in terms of pipes. A few times now, I've thought that I had discovered the ultimate pipe carver or tobacco blend, only to move on as I assimilated more knowledge and refinement (ha!). I still favor traditional shapes over avant garde pipes however. My favorites are neo-classical pipes; traditional shapes that have been tastefully interpreted and modified by the carver.
An interesting by product of my pipe obsession is a renewed interest in photography. I've always enjoyed taking pics, but the challenge to try to take nice pipe photos is one that has really turned into a new hobby for me. Waiting for mother nature to cooperate, and being ready once she does, has been a great learning experience. Patience is one thing I've always struggled with, and taking photos of pipes using nothing but natural sunlight without any manipulation via Photoshop can test my patience, but it's been a lot of fun.
It's interesting to note how much turn over there has been in active members over this past year, but I'm guessing that that is not unusual in the world of internet hobby forums. Still, quite a few knowledgeable veterans have gone quiet, and of course new members join every day.
Anyway, I apologize for making this post so lengthy! Below is the Stanwell that helped spark my fascination with pipes, and it's near doppelganger that I was very happy to find recently. I guess some things haven't changed!
A little late afternoon October sunshine.
