This past Sunday I was scheduled for usher duty at the 8:30am mass at Our Lady of Peace when my ushering partner Jim said he brought something for me. As he pulled out the plastic bag from under his jacket, he revealed a pair of meerschaum pipes. You see, we had talked about my new hobby of pipe tobacco smoking one Sunday and he mentioned that he picked up a couple of meerchaum pipes when he was stationed at Ankara Air Station, Ankara, Turkey. He is not a smoker nor a pipe smoker, but this is something he had kept over his career in the miliary. They had been well cared for and stored in a closet. I said that I didn't have any meerschaum pipes but wanted to get one someday. I offered to buy 'em if he were to sell them someday. Well, this past Sunday was someday! I took them home with me, looked them over, then called him up with an offer. He took it and now I have two meerschaum pipes in my collection. Jim said he purchased them back in 1984.
The first pipe doesn't have a case and has a bent billiard shape. The meerschaum is carved into the shape of a woman's hand wearing a flower bracelet and holding a large egg. It also has a dark orange acrylic stem. It measures 6" long, 2-1/4" tall, and the chamber is 3/4" wide and 1-3/4" deep.
The second pipe has a black custom fitted case that is lined with red felt. The printed label inside of the case reads:
THE SHEPHERD
EVERY KIND OF SOUVENIRS
BLANKETS, TOWELS AND PIPES
Phone: 231419 ON THE BASE ROAD
BALGAT, ANKARA
This pipe is carved into a Beaded Raja wearing a turban and has a red acrylic stem. It is a beautifully carved pipe that measures 6" long, 3-3/4" tall, and has a bowl that is 2-1/4" wide with a chamber that is 3/4" wide and 1-3/4" deep. I haven't decided if I'm going to smoke in it or not. I think I should, but I haven't decided yet.
I have smoked the egg in hand pipe several times as I post this entry and the chamber is charring with the rim on the bowl turning slightly brownish. It's gonna take awhile before it really shows some aging :)
The first bowl of tobacco, and several after had a floral/perfume taste throughout. I think it faded after 7-10 bowls but my guess is that it was in the water used to clean/coat the outer parts of the meerschaum pipe after baking (just a guess). I really enjoy smoking with it but I just need to pay a little more attention when handling it because the bowl shows every little unintentional nick that I've created.
So there you have it! My first meeschaum pipes :) I hope to enjoy them for as long as Jim held on to them (29 years!)...maybe more :P