.
Holiday Play

So, what did all of you receive for Christmas? I must have been a damn good guy this past year as I received a lot of very beautiful presents. The highlights include:

1. My wife bought me a simply beautiful Peterson, full-bent brair pipe that has an ENORMOUS sized bowl. The color of the briar is a very unique, yet beautiful walnut color with a yellow-golden cast. I tried it out for the first time yesterday evening at it works even better than its artistry.

2. From one of my kids I received another beautiful pipe, this one is a Dublin shaped (the shape much like is the image on my blog site) that was hand made here in the upper mid-west, and is a very unique dark brown/grey color. I am looking forward to trying out this beast later today.

3. From some of my other kids, I received a plethora of grand reading materials including books on photography, novels by several of my favorite authors, and a wonderful book on prize-winning vegetarian foods.

4. From my middle brother, I received an absolutely beautiful bottle of Russian vodka that he smuggled back from a trip last month. I have yet to discern the brand or what the bottle says, but it is ornate and beautiful. It is slightly larger than a fifth. I am eager to sample said.

Add to these gifts several pair of pajamas, a handsome corduroy sport jacket, and various other items, and I can tell you that my family has been very, very kind to me. They needed not go to such extravagence with me, for they already give me bountiful love, but I do relish and appreciate the beautiful gifts as well. I am hopeful that my gifts to my various relatives were able to please them in ways that help them to realize how much I cherish them as well.

I hope your holidays were grand as well!

PipeTobacco