I bought a new pipe yesterday
Yesterday I found a small tobacconist shop in Florence, KY. I had stopped at the mall there as many malls have a tobbaconist in them. Just my luck, this one didn't. I asked several people if they knew where one was, explaining what a tobacconist is to a few of them, but no luck as they all said they didn't know.
I guess there must be either a lot of non-smokers there or some pretty lost folks as it turns out the tobacconist shop was right across the street. It even had the word "Tobbaconist" right on the sign in great big letters.
I walked over to browse their wares and sample some of their tobacco. First thing I found was a nice pipe case I had been looking for. I then found a tobbacco that would make a nice daily smoke. Then I saw them.
There in a glass display case was a collection of meershaum pipes. Meershaum is a German word meaning seafoam which aptly describes the beautiful white mineral of which these pipes are carved. Meeershaum pipes have some unique qualities that make them highly desireable collector's pipes as well as some of the finest smokers in the world. One thing about them is that as they are smoked the oils frm the tobacco leech into the mineral and change it from white to amber to a golden brown. The trick is to not touch the meershaum with the fingers during the coloring process as the skin oils will cause the coloring to be blotchy.
I spent several minutes examining the various meers, each one more appealing than the last.
I narrowed it down to three that I really liked, totalled the purchase in my head, shook hands with reality, and settled on one.
