Cheers, and happy smoking!

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Author John From Seven Bridges Road

While tending to some business in Morganton, NC I wanted to stop at a local store to pick up some pipe tobacco. It hit me that I was in the home town of Cornell & Diehl one of the major blenders in the world for pipe tobaccos. Some call them micro blenders regardless, there top of their game. I grabbed my smart phone and looked up the website and got their number. A very nice fella answered the phone and I stated that I was interested in his blends and could he recommend an outlet or do they sell out of the plant. He kindly stated they did not and asked what I was interested in. I stated I was wanting Haunted Book shop and to browse some of his others as well.

He told me to stop by and see him. I thought wow what an opportunity to visit a blender with such a reputation, I jumped on it and said I would be right there.

Upon arriving at the drive way to the plant I noticed one thing, it was modest place surrounded by farm land and several Ostrich that had an equal interest in me as I drove in. Upon entering the sweet aroma of blends was delightful. I was greeted by a beautiful (and protective) hound who went by the name of Con. An employee greeted me and took me to the gentleman who spoke to me. I was floored at what a small operation this was but it was nice, you felt an American quality about the place. No robots, no fancy conveyor belts and all that plant jazz, just simple hand run packaging, labeling and tons of tobacco. One thing that really stood out was how polite everyone was and how happy they appeared. I mean these guys looked like they loved their work, it was refreshing.

The fella asked me what I wanted and that they don’t sell directly but he would help me out. Wow these guys got some blends, there must have been several hundred. Now keep in mind these blends are organic and still blended by hand! He stepped away shortly and arrived back with two tins. After thanking him for letting me stop by I asked if I could take a picture or two of outside of the building, he stated sure no problem. On the way out I said good bye to Con and the delightful lady at the desk who I believe to be Mrs. Patty Tarler the owners wife now that I seen her on the website.

As I was almost out the door the gentleman yelled out to me and tossed me a can and said, “Here try this one too!” Sure I said feeling like the kid in the old Mean Joe Green Coke commercial. These guys are top notch stand up kinda guys. I liked what I seen, I liked how I was treated and I love their blends. I will return, here is their website, take a moment and read about them and if in the need, call them for a Tin or two. These guys should be supported and respected for keeping an American tradition alive!

http://www.cornellanddiehl.com/

The Photo Tour:

When selecting your first pipe, the best advice to follow is “Pick one you like.” This is first and for most the best advise I can give you. The more you like how it looks and feels in your hand the more you’ll want to spend time with it. There are a huge range of materials, prices and designs so choose wisely. Also a crucial element is to bring a friend, and smoke your pipes together. One of the most enjoyable aspects of pipe smoking is the community that is build around it, talk’s of theology, life, family, and lots of good laughs.

While you’re buying the pipe, pick up a package of pipe cleaners (the soft, cotton ones are best for most purposes), and a cheap “pipe tool” or “tamper”; you’ll need them. Good luck and good smoking!

That’s why dudes gathering together for a period of time with no agenda other than meaningful conversation, pipes, and friendship is one of the most glorious and beneficial acts of the human soul. as the book, “The Social Pipe” states, “The pipe draws wisdom from the lips of the philosopher, and shuts up the mouth of the foolish; it generates a style of conversation, contemplative, thoughtful, benevolent, and unaffected.” the sweet fragrance of a burning pipe is a gift to all who are near. it is good for the soul.

To that I must say amen!  Keep smoking.

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Curious George 70 years later

A few months ago we found a copy of the original Curious George book in a used bookstore. The girl loves Curious George—she watched the PBS cartoon pretty often and has her own stuffed Curious George that she sleeps with sometimes. Naturally, Curious George has been a frequent request for bedtime stories, so I’ve read it quite a few times now.

The Curious George stories are fun and whimiscal for children, but somewhat disturbing for adults. The Man with the Yellow Hat is by far the most irresponsible guardian I have ever encountered. His general supervisory approach consists of taking George to new situations and then leaving for extended periods of time. His sole attempt at responsibility consists of his oft-ignored admonition to George: “Be a good little monkey and don’t get into trouble.”

The newer incarnations of the Curious George paint the Man with the Yellow Hat as an innocent, cheerful fellow who works in a museum. But the original Man in the Yellow Hat of 1940 was cut from a distinctly different cloth. Rather than a naïve museum curator, he’s a shotgun-toting, pipe-smoking explorer with a square jaw, ruddy complexion, and perpetual five o’clock shadow. The Man with the Yellow Hat oozes post-colonial paternalism as he tells George that he is going to live in a zoo and that he will like it there. (That’s right! You’ll live in a cage, and you’ll like it!) This version of the Man with the Yellow Hat would be voiced by Clint Eastwood before Will Farrell.

The Man’s parenting skills wouldn’t come across so well today. George becomes a simian juvenile delinquent, complete with run-ins with the law, substance abuse habits, and incarceration. Of course, those behaviors were all much more tolerated in 1940 among children, so why not a monkey?

In the original book the Man with the Yellow Hat leaves George unattended, resulting in a false 911 call, George’s imprisonment, and a prison escape via stolen balloons that ends up gridlocking the traffic in the city. The Man then shows up, tucks the offending primate under his arm, casually tosses the balloon man a few coins, and hauls George off to the zoo. Not exactly a happy ending by today’s standards.

But the mischievous chimp was such an enduring character that he returned for many more exploits. Along the way, the Man with the Yellow Hat morphed from über-masculine Safari man to a wide-eyed and wimpy museum nerd. It’s probably a change for the better, and it appears to have had a positive effect on George, who managed to kick his smoking habit. There are still quite a few issues regarding insufficient supervision, much to PETA’s dismay, but without the Man’s inattentiveness, Curious George wouldn’t be nearly as fun.

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Note on copyrights: Unlike most posts on this blog, the copyright holder of the images used in this post has presumably retained all rights. These images are used pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 107, and the author has concluded in good faith that this use complies with the requirements of fair use. Specifically, the purpose and character of the use is transformative, intended to use the lens of time to critique a work created nearly 70 years ago. The images have previously been published many times, and only small, low-quality portions of the original work (Curious George) have been reproduced here. These low-quality images are not direct market substitutes and will not have a negative effect on the marketability of the images or associated creative works. See Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569 (1994).

Just curious what is your favorite pipe shape?