LA Pipe Show 2006 Recap

I was able to attend the Southwest Pipe and Cigar League's Los Angeles pipe show this last Saturday. This makes for an enjoyable afternoon and I shared it with my friends Brant and Van. This show has many beautiful pipes, tobacco, books, and other tobacco related items. The atmosphere is always wonderful (yes, you can actually see the atmosphere). A room full of folks smoking pipes with friendly conversation. There is a wonderful aroma of fine tobacco smoke.
Greg Pease was there with his Fog City Collection of tobacco for sampling. I tried Montgomery and Telegraph Hill. My vote of these two goes to Telegraph Hill, I’ll have to get a few tins of this. Rick Newcombe was there signing his book In Search of Pipe Dreams. I regretted not getting this book two years ago at the show when he had his first edition, so I was lucky enough to snap up the last one this time. Mr. Newcombe signed my copy and we talked for a bit. Van, Brant and I each picked up a tin of Highland Targe by Rattray's for a really good price. There were also some immaculately carved briar pipes that rivaled some of the astonishing meerschaum carving.
Brant is the luckiest guy I know. Somehow it seems that whatever raffle he is in, he wins. The first year we were there we bought some raffle tickets; with which he won two tins of tobacco. The second year he didn't win, but that was only because he was late to the show and didn't buy any tickets. This year he walked home with another addition to his tobacco cellar, Cornell and Diehl’s Corinthian mixture which is part of their new Heritage Series. Not only this, we are members of the North American Society of Pipe Collectors. All members of this group are involved in a raffle every month for a pipe carved by some American carver. The first year he was a member he won a J.M. Boswell pipe...Disgusting! (not to mention all the non pipe related things he has won)
Finally, the highlight of the show was hovering over Paul Perri's table. Paul Perri is a pipe carver that resides in Hawaii. He has been carving pipes forever. Well, not forever, but the first pipe he carved was on the same day that Charles Lindberg made his historic flight across the Atlantic. The date was May 21st, 1927. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why more American’s know that date as the first transatlantic flight when it was, more importantly, the day that Paul Perri carved his first pipe! Mr. Perri's pipes are wonderful, as is his personality. It is splendid to be able to converse and shake the hand of the man who carves them. His wife, Mrs. Perri, is a delight as well. Each of us purchased one of his pipes. Brant and I bought our third Perri and Van obtained his first. I cannot understand why his pipes are so undervalued; I believe that he could charge much more for the exceptional creations he sells. I really take pleasure in standing over the table comparing multiple pipes I would love to possess, and then being forced to narrow it down to solitary pipe. Here is a picture of my Perri pipes. The one in the center is my newest.

They are beautiful...Don't you think?
Looking around you may think that the art of pipe carving, tobacco blending and pipe smoking is dying out…but you would not have guessed it from the activity at the show on Saturday. At least there are a few of us who will keep that ember burning.