Making things real; Passion for Pipes of the Year

Shank Stamping of 284 POY. Image © DJ Bassett. Used with Permission. All rights reserved.“Right. Another POY. (Yawn) Why should I care? It’s just another pipe and most POYs are not as good as the pipemaker’s regular production, in my humble opinion. You don’t even know what you’re getting when you order.”

Here you have the spoken and unspoken thoughts that a number of fellow pipesters have shared with me over the last three years. When I hear these things, I never argue. What’s the point? I know I’m not going to change someone’s mind on this subject. It’s not enough for some people to leave it at “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass this year.” To justify their inaction, they would rather impeach the whole project. I’m not sure why, but frankly it doesn’t matter why. As a good friend once told me, “Understanding is life’s booby prize.” There is absolutely no value in knowing why.

POY 2013, 284 by Jack Howell. Image © 2013 Neill Archer Roan, All rights reserved.I’ve now initiated and completed three pipe projects, two with Jack Howell and one with Rad Davis. All three projects were tremendously satisfying to me. To read enthusiastic feedback when someone has received their pipe feels great. To hear that same feedback when I see someone smoking their Churchill or 283 or 284 is an even better feeling because I know without the project, they would never have smoked the pipe about which they express so much joy and gratitude. What could possibly be better than helping to bring something into the world that would not have existed otherwise?

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Our Global Pipe Village

The darker the green, the more readers.

Have you ever wondered where your fellow Passion for Pipes readers come from? They come here from 51 countries from places ranging from Petaling Jaya, Malaysia to Tune, Denmark. I can’t help but wonder about that person in Tune. (Isn’t that a great name for a town?) That Dane visits often and stays quite awhile each time. Hello to whomever you are in Tune!

It intrigues me, as I sit here tapping away at the keyboard to realize that fellow pipe smokers in Hobart, Tasmania and Jidda, Saudia Arabia will read what I write here. Some reader in Linkoping, Sweden comes to the site often staying for 10 minutes and reading 24 pages. It’s amazing what one can learn about one’s readers these days.

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Musings and Announcements

I leave for the Chicagoland International Pipe and Tobacciana Show about two weeks from now. I look forward to renewing old friendships and to making new ones. This event is more than a show; it is a reunion. Frank Burla and his team are to be congratulated. Mounting such a successful show is a big accomplishment, but creating such a strong network of communities is an even bigger task. When I see all these networks of friends and colleagues in Chicago–and rarely anywhere else–I’m impressed.

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