Pipes and tobacco

  • Three Nuns tobacco in my trusty Dr. Grabow pipe this cloudy Phoenix morning.

  • Morning friends. Rivendell from The Country Squire in the pipe this morning while I wait for the pool repairman to take a look at our malfunctioning pump.

  • Thursday morning pipe. Three Nuns. I know it’s not the same as it was, but it’s interesting to note this was C.S. Lewis’ preferred brand.

  • Happy Monday of Easter Week, friends! I’m giving Royal Yacht a try and so far I like it!

    A prayer for today from my Anglican tradition–in hopes it will be a blessing:

    Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who celebrate with reverence the Paschal feast may be made worthy to attain to everlasting joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

  • Smoking a clay pipe

    A clay pipe can very inexpensively obtained from Pipes & Cigars. I got this one as a Christmas present this year. It offers a great, pure-flavored smoke, with some caveats:

    First, the bowl gets super hot, so be careful if–as I do–you have a habit of holding the bowl. You will have to adjust to grasping the stem in order to keep from burning your fingers.

    Second, since the entire thing is made out of clay, I found clenching as I am doing in photo to initially be not very pleasant due to the chalky texture of the material. I will say after some practice I’ve gotten pretty used to it. I don’t think it’s ever going to be as comfortable as other materials, but you figure it out, and if you’re not a big clencher it’s even less of a deal.

    There’s something very pure, unassuming, and honest about a clay pipe; the simplicity coupled with a quality, consistent smoke is what I find attractive.

    Fr. Nathan smoking a clay pipe

  • Thankfuk to RNAtreasures for this great find at a fair price. Perfect little pipe for walking the dog, reading, and on the go. The deep bend in the stem means cleaning is not quite as simple as my straight pipes, but it’s a worthy trade for portability and clenchability

  • Pretty stoked to give this new pocket pipe from RNAtreasures a go on my evening walk tonight. I imagine I’ll load it it up with some BLWB.

  • A couple of Christmas gifts from my lovely wife that will be treasured: an estate Tim West pipe that is light, smokes exceptionally well, and has a beautiful grain along with a book of Rilke poetry. The innaugeral smoke was Figgy Pudding from the Country Squire.