PAD Score

Back in early April, I had the wonderful chance to score a lot of pipes from a private collection.

 

Catini Pipe Review of Bent Fan Pipe

Luciano Catini is the president and owner of his own line of pipes and the president of his local pipe club, Pipe Cigar Club of Fermo, in Italy. More about Mr. Catini can be found on his site, Catini Pipe.

I was given the opportunity, pleasure, and challenge to try one of Mr. Catini’s pipes, then tell you folks my thoughts on the craftsmanship and experience I’ve had with the pipe of my own choosing.

 

It’s An Etsy Thing

In the past, I would post items for sale on ebay.com and had thought about posting pipes I’ve restored, cleaned up, or carved on Ebay. But then came my wife’s idea of a better place. You see, several of us in our family has different hobbies. I like pipes and pipe related things. Cyndi, my wife, enjoys all kinds of crafts, modifying computer components, and art projects. My sister-in-law (Cyndi’s sister) has found a passion for jewelry making, and Bob, their brother, has done several rock carvings and other interesting crafts that take a ton of time to do.
Since we each have our creative side flaring, Cyndi decided to rope us all into providing store content on Etsy.com. Sounds like fun to me. Besides, it’s easier to post a new item on Etsy.

Hence, the creation of the Ballew Family Artisans. You can grab the link there, or always find it on the top in the sidebar. I have a lot of pipes to work on, so hopefully those will go up real soon.

 

A Man’s Pipe Smoking Hobby

Being a new parent, I have found that I have little time for pipes and smoking them. Also, I don’t exactly look forward to standing out in the cold to smoke a pipe during winter. So, this chosen hobby of mine has gone wayward for awhile with hopes of rekindling my interest with warmer weather. I also have to find a way to smoothly accomplish my projects and tasks at work. With a lot of added pressure, I’ve been working sixty plus hours for the past three weeks.

 

Jeff Dunham – Spark of Insanity

Jeff Dunham has been one of my favorite comedians for a long time. He’s probably one of the most talented ventriloquists around.

Below is a couple of clippings for his new DVD. The first one, which came out last year was awesome. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.

Hope you enjoy the laugh.

 

Wikipedia + Everything Pipes = Pipedia.org

That’s right, there is now a wikipedia for just about everything related to pipes and collecting. This site was brought to the attention of a community of pipe smokers, collectors, carvers, and enthusiasts. I just felt if it was there, why not add it here. *shrugs*

So, without further delay, here’s Pipedia.org.

  It’s an awesome idea, and I hope it becomes a huge resource of information for beginners and seasoned smokers alike. I know that once I gain more than a few seconds of time and a bit of motivation, I’ll check it out myself.

 Happy puffin’!

 

Tattoos & The World I Live In

In this time and place, tattoos are everywhere. It’s common to see them on just about everyone we meet who are in their twenties and thirties. My wife has three herself and I have one. The one tattoo that is emblazoned on my skin is a tribute. It’s a remembrance of a man who meant the world to me. The man who instilled a set of morals that has shaped and haunted me as I grew into the man I am today. My grandfather, a distinguished man, a stand up man, a comical man, and a compassionate man, who loved his family and always strived to do what was best for all of us. My grandmother was just as equal as he was and many times superceded this man who I looked up to so much.