Albert Einstein: pipe-smoking party reptile

Although I've already covered Einstein as a "featured pipe smoker," I felt compelled to add this photo, which I came across just yesterday.

A smoke-filled backroom

With a couple of women corncob pipe smokers.

link

Pictures of the Bertram

I've been wanting to take some photos of the Bertram for some time now, and I finally got around to buying a decent digital camera, so here they are. I've mentioned this pipe before, and posted some old "before & after" photos when I was refurbishing it, but I never posted any photos of it with its new stem.  You can see that I've smoked it a few times--it has some lip marks which I should clean off, I guess.

For more info about this pipe, just click on "Bertram" under the labels in the sidebar.

Two kinds of truth

This quote doesn't have anything to do with pipe smoking, but it's from one of my favorite pipe-smoking authors, Raymond Chandler.

There are two kinds of truth: the truth that lights the way and the truth that warms the heart. The first of these is science, and the second is art. Neither is independent of the other or more important than the other. Without art science would be as useless as a pair of high forceps in the hands of a plumber. Without science art would become a crude mess of folklore and emotional quackery. The truth of art keeps science from becoming inhuman, and the truth of science keeps art from becoming ridiculous.

--- Raymond Chandler, ”Great Thought” (19 February 1938), published in The Notebooks of Raymond Chandler (1976)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on film, 1928

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on film!  In this 10-minute filmed interview from 1928 he discusses Sherlock Holmes and spritualism.

No, no pipes in this film.  But, he was a pipe smoker, and as is my wont I occasionally post items Holmesian interest because it's my blog.

And on a personal note, oh how I would love to have such a clip of H.P. Lovecraft, just to hear what his voice sounded like.

Samuel Seymour

Here's a film clip of the old TV show "I've Got a Secret," with 96-year-old Samuel Seymour. A very interesting clip that also has a pipe connection.

Like a Sir

Found at verydemotivational.com.

Vintage Ad: Genuine French Briar Pipes

From an old Sears catalog, date unknown.

Via Voice of the Monkey.

Pipe, not pipe #1

click to enlarge

When is a pipe not a pipe?  When it's a cigar holder.  Here we have a nattily-dressed late 19th century young man, complete with top hat, smoking his cigar in something that looks somewhat pipe-like.

Honestly, in my opinion, he doesn't pull it off.  If he was thirty years older, maybe, but as is, I can't help but think that this is the 1890s version of the modern douchebag.

From My Ear Trumpet Has Been Struck By Lightning via Brer.

Happy New Year!

Although I don't do much to observe this time that was arbitrarily appointed as the beginning of the year (in some cultures--personally I think the year should end/begin with the Winter Solstice), I hope the coming year brings you much pipe-smoking pleasure.

Graphic found at Laughing Squid.

Santa takes a break

From ca. 1900.  Via Victorianon.

Featured Pipe Smoker: Captain Robert Falcon Scott

Robert Falcon Scott (1868 - 1912)

Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman.

These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for.

Robert Falcon Scott was a Royal Navy officer who made two expeditions into Antarctica. During the last one, he reached the South Pole, but he and his four companions died while trying to return. Their bodies were discovered several months later, and left buried beneath a cairn of snow.

The above photo was taken during that expedition in 1911.

Link:  Captain Scott's final letter revealed for the first time

J.C. Leyendecker: Thanksgiving

Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874 - 1951)

Illustrator famous for his magazine covers, especially for The Saturday Evening Post.  His style was an enormous influence on Norman Rockwell.  This piece was used for the cover of American Weekly of July 24, 1946,  and shows the artist painting a portrait of a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast while smoking a pipe and preparing his own meager meal of sausages cooked over a small cast-iron stove.

Thanks to PowerOfBabel.

More news about the movie "Barquero"

I briefly mentioned Barquero once before.  The new news about it is that if you're a subscriber to Netflix's streaming service, it is now available for streaming!  If you're a fan of westerns, or Lee Van Cleef movies, or pipe smoking, or especially a western starring Lee Van Cleef who does a lot of pipe smoking, you should see it.

Ia R'lyeh pipe smoke ftaghn!

Great Cthulhu takes a break from driving artists and poets insane. I don't know how he manages to light a pipe under the ocean, but I suppose if he can get his fireplace to burn, then the pipe isn't much more difficult.

via Lovecraft eZine

Blending

Here's what I've thrown together to smoke for the time being:

1 part Latakia
2 parts burley
4 parts Virginia
4 parts Perique

Nice, but I think I'll increase the latakia.

UPDATE: I changed my mind. The leaves are beginning to meld now and the latakia has asserted itself just a little. I'll have to give it a few more days before I make a decision on this blend.

Today's work

Today I made a trip to the only tobacconist in the city (that I know of): The Humidor on San Pedro Ave. I have run out of all my favorite bulk tobaccos and I don't wish to smoke too much of my "good stuff" all at once, so I bought some various bulk leaves to whip up some of my own concoctions.

I bought 2 ounces each of Virginia and Perique and 1 ounce each of burley and Latakia. Before leaving their parking lot, I whipped up a quick pipeful of Perique mixed with C&D's Gray Ghost for the drive home. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and it was a good, long smoke. I have smoked Perique straight before, and enjoyed it, although it isn't something I want to do too often. However--and I should preface this with in my experience--straight Perique is difficult to burn. It works much better with a little something extra to more or less serve as an accelerant. The Gray Ghost is on the dry side and worked very well.

I also purchased a bunch of bristle pipe cleaners and a small container of Zippo lighting fluid. This stuff is hard to come by around here. I used to be able to buy it just about anywhere, but now no one stocks anything but butane. I think I might get a butane lighter eventually but I want to make sure I get a really good one that will last a long time, so I'll have to start researching that.

Upon arriving home, I mixed another very small sample with some of all four leaves and am enjoying it right now. Later on I will mix bigger samples and allow them to meld for a while before smoking. Right now it's just nice to have some decent bulk tobacco again.

And finally, I dropped off a pipe that needs a stem replacement. It is a pipe that I rescued from an estate lot and have never smoked because the stem was so badly damaged, but when I get it back I'll be sure and write something about it--after I've had chance to smoke it.

The end of an experiment

Some years ago I put up several batches of tobacco in vaccum-sealed bags, and eventually smoked all except one which somehow got pushed to the back of the cabinet and I overlooked it. Later I rediscovered it and decided it would be a good candidate to test long-term tobacco storage in vaccum sealed bags. So I put it back and decided to wait.

I did this because although I asked in different online forums about it, I got only replies such as, "I don't think it will work because..." or "it might not work because..." or "sounds like a good idea! let me know how it goes..." No one ever gave me an unequivocal yea or nay on the subject.

So let me now tell you, after 4 years and 3 months of storage: It does not work. So if you're thinking about this method for long-term storage, forget it. You will only waste your tobacco.

The tobacco in question was 2 ounces of C&D's Bayou Morning. Upon slitting open the bag, the tobacco had hardened into a near rock-like chunk. Small pieces could be chipped off which immediately fell apart into a nearly dust-like powder.

And that's that.