The Leave 10 (Final One)

I am sure you will be happy to know this will be my final "The Leave X" post and I will be "returning to regularly scheduled programing" after this point.  Here, I have decided to wrap up the adventure with a smattering of odds-and-ends that were not key players in the trip, but are still (in my mind at least) worth my jotting down to remember:

• It was so VERY pleasant to see my beloved pup upon returning home.  I had so worried about her.  It gave me a lot of joy to see her wagging tail.
• As you may recall, INSECTS are definitely not my "thing".  I especially hate ants..... but truth be told... other than fruit flies and honeybees which I do (have) (currently for fruit flies (or have previously in terms of bees)) work(ed) with.... I generally do  not like insects.  So IMMEDIATELY upon return home, the first thing I did (and always do upon return) is to put our luggage out on the front porch.  I then brought out two garbage bags and began to sort... one for dirty clothes that need washing, and a second for clothes that are clean and do not need washing. The dirty clothes are immediately put into the washing machine (or if there is more than one load, kept in the garbage bag on the front porch until available space is in the machine).  The clean clothes are shaken, hard.... multiple times... OUTSIDE in case an errant insect might be lurking... and once I feel (reasonably) confident there are no pests,  they are returned to their closets/drawers.  Returning toiletries are then inspected and when deemed "safe" are returned into the bathroom. Gifts, do-dads, trinkets, etc. are then inspected and sorted and when deemed "safe" are brought into the house.  Work related items (computer, papers, conference books etc) are inspected and sorted and when deemed "safe" then put into the trunks of the appropriate vehicle(s).  Then the actual luggage is taken down to the end of the driveway and while open, each is shaken like hell to try to dislodge any potential critters and then returned open to the front porch for a day or two.
• Now, the reality is I do not EVER recall staying in ANY place that had NOTICIBLE insects in our rooms.... but I feel the above is a good added safety measure to TRY to not have migrated any errant insect from some distant place into our abode.  
• Then, a very nice, cleansing shower is the next order of the moment.
  

  Some other odds and ends of the trip itself:

• It is common to be "badgered" upon arrival (especially in the big city we were in) by the Concierge's Assistant to sign up for a "special offer".  We have never done this in the past, but, the promise of a free pair of tickets to a show (typically costing ~$200 for the two of us), had my wife and I decide to try it out.  
• The reality is, I KNEW to get the tickets, there would be a very "HARD SELL" session to buy into some sort of "time share" situation associated with the conglomerate hotel.  But, I also know that I CAN be STUBBORN AS HELL about getting talked into sales pitches.  
• So, we scheduled the very earliest "sell session" at the very earliest time we could and went.  We saw the presentation, which was to buy timeshare in "luxury hotels globally" for a set price.  I will not elaborate on the details other than their original pitch was for us to spend "$154,000" (plus a yearly into perpetuity $3500 "maintenance fee") for the privilege of these spaces.  My answer through each of the four different tiers of salespeople who came to hard sell us was a variation on "Well, it does sound wonderful, but I really do not feel comfortable acting rashly nor on the spur of the moment.  May I get some literature from you... so that I may contemplate this for several days and get back with you?"  My wife, who is much easier to convince, promised me as we navigated, that she wanted me to handle this whole task... because she knows she is a somewhat easy "mark" for salespeople.  Eventually, the fourth salesperson (a supposed "head honcho" in the company.... but he had a "peachfuzz" scruff of beard on his young face) had us down to a deal of approximately "$15,000" plus (roughly) a ~$1,000 maintenance fee for nearly the same product. My reply was the same refrain as listed above. Finally, they gave up..... BUT we DID get our gift!  One evening we were able to see "Mrs. Doubtfire - The Musical" at one of the venues.  My wife and I were debating between that show or watching Penn and Teller.  We felt a musical would be more enjoyable, and it was very good.  But... I do not think I would purposefully try the adventure of this type of "hard sell" tactic again.... it was very tiresome.  I unfortunately know they promise the moon and the stars.... but their realities are vastly different.  And, I do not like to spend money unwisely.
• I think there must not be too many folks in Nevada who sport a bigger, bushy beard like mine is currently.  Over the course of the trip, I truthfully had ~15-18 different folks COMPLEMENT me on my beard in one way or another.  Most were just a "Great beard!" kind of comment.  But, three of the more noteworthy of the comments included, "You're Rockin' a Great Santa!", and a second fellow who had a dark beard that was shorter wanted to "fist bump" me as he called me "Beard Bro!", and late one evening when we were walking back, a young kid (perhaps ~20 or 21) came up and hugged me saying he "wanted to have a beard like that someday".  Overall it was rather odd, but flattering. 
• One evening, because of the heat, we did not feel like traipsing about, and decided to eat and relax in our hotel room and then swim in the late evening.  On that evening, there was a wonderful (and by appearances, brand new) pizza place nearby our hotel that we decided to try.  They specialized in sourdough pizzas that were baked in a fire-oven.  It was also here that in addition to the extremely delightful pizza (with lots of whole, fresh basil leaves on top), my wife had a most gorgeous and enormous "house" salad that was an amazing sort of "chef's salad"...  and I was able to have a delightfully amazing and enormous arugula salad!  I really love arugula, but have never had a salad with ALL the greens consisting OF ONLY arugula.  It was absolutely amazing. We SO enjoyed the place.... that two days later, when it took us too much time to get TO the venue for "Mrs. Doubtfire" to have dinner before hand.... we decided to again have the exact same pizza and salads as a very late night dinner when we eventually ambled home from "Mrs. Doubtfire".   

PipeTobacco

Addendum.... I almost forgot to mention..... I also was able to attend yesterday, the Retiree's Cigar Group..... like I also did (and think I mentioned at the time) last week as well.  Both days were great. Yesterday was an extremely pleasant, fun time talking with the guys.   I am quite glad my friend from Mass got me involved with the group.    

The Leave 9

With out flight CANCELLED, which neither my wife nor I have ever experienced before, we did not really know what to do.... nor what would happen with our luggage.   We were exhausted and devastated. 

So, we decided to go to the ticket counter, but the one at the gate had closed for the night. Ultimately we were directed to go to the actual ticket area where you CHECK IN upon getting to the airport to take your flight.  This meant we had left the "TSA" approved zone.

We ended up standing in a line for roughly two hours and we were told that the first guaranteed flight we could get onto would be THREE DAYS LATER as all the other flights were FULLY BOOKED.   We asked to be put on "STANDBY" for any of the earlier flights.  And, because this was a "weather related delay/cancellation" the airline did not have to offer a hotel room or anything...... and they DID NOT do so.  We also asked about our luggage, and were told that IF we were to take a flight with this airline, the bags would continue on their way with that flight.  However, if we were to try some other airline or some other way to get home, we would have to file a release form to get our luggage, which typically would take ~24 hours (or so they said).  

We were exhausted, but had no idea what to do.  We thought, perhaps we could rent a car and drive the many hours home...... it would at least be a helluva lot shorter than three days.  

But, when we tried to get a rental car..... because the chaos at Chicago O'Hare had been percolating all day long.... there was NOT a single car available in the vicinity to rent, nor any available hotel accommodations near the airport.  

To top it off, besides the huge number of folks in the airport.... because we left the "TSA Approved Zone".... while we were in line, the TSA CLOSED for the night, and would not reopen until 4:00am.  We were stuck in the entry zone to Chicago O'Hare.  That area is comprised of HARD linoleum-style flooring.... not even the thin business carpeting that blankets most areas that are not walkways in the TSA Approved Zone.  

We milled around and around until we could find one open seat (a stool, not a chair), and my wife sat on it, and tried the charger on the table by the stool (for her phone), but it did not function.  I took the phone and cord, and walked around until I could find and sit by a wall plug, which was right next to a vending machine and plugged her phone in and sat on the floor.  After about an half an hour, her phone had enough charge to be in the green zone, so I unplugged it and went back to her.  She had leaned her head onto the table and was trying to rest as she sat on the stool.  I really did not care anymore, and I ended up laying on the floor next to her, using my backpack as a "sort of" pillow, tipped my hat across my eyes to obscure the fluorescent lighting, and tried to rest/sleep. 

I had my alarm set for 4am.  When it clattered, my wife and I got up and proceeded to carry our stuff down the very long distance to the entry point for TSA checking.  We got into line (there were perhaps ~150 people ahead of us), and the TSA folks were rather slow to get started, putting up barriers, starting and restarting machines, all sorts of general early morning work they have to do BEFORE letting people in to be scanned and evaluated.

Eventually, we worked our way back INTO the TSA Approved Zone of Chicago O'Hare, and then we began to try to find the first gate that had a flight to our region that was with our airline.  When we got to that gate, we had to work to make sure that we WERE on the standby list.  And then we waited.

This first standby flight did not pan out.  We could not get on.

Same thing with the second flight.  It ended up letting TWO people on, but we were not at the top two of the queue.  

The third flight, very late in the late afternoon/early evening.... I was actually rather "out of it" mentally by that time, but I could see from the electronic readout that we were THIRD and FOURTH in line for standby on this flight.... it was not a good feeling.   But, suddenly one standby person's name turned green on the list..... and that fellow was accepted about 20 minutes before boarding, then a second one about 10 minutes before boarding.  Then nothing.... further, until boarding began.

As people started to board, suddenly on the overhead monitor... BOTH my and my wife's name suddenly turned GREEN!!!!!  I actually started to cry literal tears of joy.  

It took a long while for boarding, but it was so wonderful to each have a seat.  We eventually took off, completed this leg of the flight, arrived at the airport...... and OUR LUGGAGE made it too!!!!  We eventually got out of our home airport and found my wife's car, and we drove the ~50 minutes home.

This was by far, the most difficult and challenging flight I have ever taken, but finally... we were home.

PipeTobacco

The Leave 8

My wife is not particularly fond of air travel.  And, with the way airports have gotten, especially with the claustrophobic and sardine style seating, but also with regards to the heightened security since TSA became necessary in 2001.... I tend to feel that flying may get you THERE a bit faster, but you will actually be more tired and exhausted than other means of travel.  

Our flights home (we had connecting flights), unfortunately did not go smoothly. Our connecting flight was from Chicago O'Hare.  Chicago O'Hare is, of course, one of the largest HUBS in the US and handles ~2,500 flights EACH DAY.  

On the day of our returning home, unfortunately very rough, stormy weather was traveling through the Chicago region.  And, these storms lasted a good portion of the day, and included very harsh thunderstorms, high winds, and even the threat of tornados (I think the only tornado to touch down, though ended up being in Mid-Wisconsin.... but then again, I was not really privy to news during this time, so there may have been many others within the Midwest on that day.)

With such weather, at an airport handling ~2,500 flights EACH DAY, this can and does lead to a whole helluva lot of chaos.  Here is how it transpired for us:

1.  We arrived at the Nevada airport 2.5 hours before our VERY early morning flight scheduled to leave around ~7:00am-ish (and my wife is very firm about arriving well ahead of the 2 hour ahead suggestion so it was VERY early), worked through check-in, TSA stuff, and were sitting near our gate for about 2 hours.... before notification was given over the loudspeaker system that our flight was "delayed" by an hour due to conditions in Chicago.  

2.  The one hour "delay" then moved to two hours.... then to three.  Ultimately, we then boarded the plane and then taxied towards the runway....... and then before being given clearance to "take off", we STOPPED.... and waited roughly an hour.... before we were informed that due to the chaos at Chicago, our "landing spot and time" and been transferred to some OTHER flight that too had been considerably delayed.... and we taxied back to the Nevada terminal.  

3.  After about 14 hours from our start of airporting.... we did receive new clearance that our flight could be accepted, and ultimately we left sometime boarded again roughly around 7:30pm to fly to Chicago.  My wife and I cheered, and happily boarded the plane.... and cheered further when we receivd a text (well, my WIFE received the text) from our airline, saying that our second leg flight TO HOME had also been delayed all day long and that it was now scheduled to take off from CHICAGO to home at ~1:00 am (which is of course the next morning after midnight).  

4.  We were truly overjoyed at the thought of getting back home, even though it would be perhaps somewhere possibly between 3 am and 5 am in the morning.

5.  So, as our phones were shut off, we were EXHAUSTED from airport sitting.... but also optimistic about getting home.

6.  Our plane landed in Chicago roughly around ~12:30am and we were anxiously getting prepared to hoof as fast as we could to whatever damn gate we would ultimately be assigned to.  

7.  Upon landing while taxi-ing into our gate my wife turned her phone back on...... and a text appeared.... due to logistical issues, our connecting flight had been officially CANCELLED... and we were urged to see the ticket counter to rebook a flight.

We were devastated, and then as we disembarked into the terminal..... it was like a scene from Soylent Green....... literally thousands of folks were stranded at Chicago O'Hare.  

PipeTobacco

The Leave 7

Even though, the majority of what I have written about my conference here seems wholly ancillary, the national conference I attended and presented at is a wonderful, valuable conference for me.  And, my presentation there also went well!  

There are five big national conferences associated with different facets of my research background.   I pick and choose between each year and if I am lucky enough to have my work accepted.... I try to attend as many as I can afford each year.  Usually it is two a year, and so of those five national conferences, I usually aim for the two (one in a lean year) that are in the more "interesting" locations.  There are (of course) a number of regional conferences I attend, and have many of my researchers attend as well... those are cheaper.

With things being a bit more "lean" this year especially with the huge inflation we have been experiencing especially in air travel, I still have managed to aim for and have my work accepted at two conferences.  But, this one I was at.... was chosen NOT so much for the "interesting" location (tongue-in-cheek, you will see why below), but because, relatively speaking, it was on the "cheaper" side of costs and I could reasonably expect to reasonably afford to add this one to the more costly one in Washington D.C. later this year.  Please do keep in mind that "cheap" is a relative term.  Penny pinching me, finds most things far too damn expensive.

So.... this city is renowned for one thing.... gambling and casinos.  That is its original "claim to fame."

It may come as a SHOCK to you (meant tongue-in-cheek)..... but I find absolutely NO fun nor enjoyment in gambling.  I believe I have been at a casino twice..... MAYBE three times in my life (the experiences are wholly forgettable to me).  The first time I went.... just to see what it was all about, but was admittedly nervous.  The other one (or perhaps TWO?) times I was "dragged" there because others I was with wanted very much to go.... this (these) were while at "deer camp" many years ago.  

Gambling just does not enthrall me in any way.  I have played slot machines (yawn), I have played blackjack (yawn), and I have even played a roulette wheel (yawn).  I only did each of these things once or twice each, because..... to me, it is not enjoyable or fun.  IF I have a gambling gene in my genome, it must be fully ensconced and encased within methylation proteins so they are shut down completely and do not express.  I think..... perhaps I have thrown away maybe ~ $40 total (perhaps a bit less) in these casino games across my lifespan.   

Do not get me wrong.... I do not begrudge folks gambling at the casinos if it is their "thing" and they do so responsibly.  It just is NOT for me. My most frequent kind of "gambling" is that I will occasionally,  perhaps once a month or so, buy a $2 "Lotto" ticket and daydream a bit, until of course I lose.

My wife.... finds it mildly entertaining to go to the casino.  She is fortunately reasonably frugal, and probably goes perhaps once a year.... usually with a plethora of relatives from her side of the family who greatly enjoy such pursuits.  

So, being in the "land of gambling" my wife did have the idea that she would want to spend at least a little time in one of the casinos.  To my manner of thinking, in 2026, they are even less appealing than my prior forays from long ago..... the same (to me, silly) games.... but they have all been enhanced with dramatically more flashing lights, dramatically more and much larger electronic displays, and..... the worst part..... dramatically MORE noise (beeps, boops, etc). So, we came up with a plan.

In my pre-travel research, I happened to find that there was a cigar bar/lounge located in the complex of one of these massive hotels that also had a shopping center and a casino.  It happened to be in the complex that is called the "Paris" (I presume there is a Paris Hotel tied to the casino and what was likely called the "Paris" shopping complex or some such thing.... but part of this shopping complex had the cigar bar/lounge called "Montecristo".  

So on the last evening before our flights to return home began.... after the conference had concluded in the midday.... we moseyed over to the "Paris" complex, and she aimed for the casino (with the shopping complex as a backup if she grew bored), and I headed to the "Montecristo".  

My envisioned "plan" before we went on the trip, would be that I would go in to the Montecristo and indulge in a cigar and in a gin and tonic (as I think I have written about here, I really enjoy gin and tonics on the rare occasion I have an actual mixed drink.... I last had one in January of this year, at the 50th Wedding Anniversary party held for my sister and brother-in-law). 

The Montecristo was extremely elegant and "upper-crust" in appearance and all the staff were formally attired.  The place was REALLY impressive and beautiful.... and quite large.  Its "look" was quite classy.... and it definitely "outclassed" in appearances the more "homey" place where the "Retiree's Cigar Group" meets... which is in a smallish, semi-rural town in an historic, but somewhat decrepit storefront in its downtown.  

Upon entering the humidor room, I was met by a tuxedoed fellow who asked if he could show me around some of the various cigar offerings.  I let him talk with me a bit and show me a few things, but then I told him I would still like to look around more before I made my decision.  

Of course, things were outrageously expensive, and there were many cigars there that were in the $100 or more price range.  I did see one offering that was slightly above $500.   But, they had a wide assortment, even a few of which I recognized even from seeing them as an offering at the shop where the Retiree's Cigar Group meets.... but (as to be expected) much more expensive at Montecristo's. 

I ended up choosing a budget friendly, larger gauged "Churchill" style cigar called "JFR 770" because I truly am not that nuanced about cigars and did not want to spend my "life savings" (penny pincher that I am) on a cigar.  I paid for the cigar...  and proceeded into the lounge.  

When I sat down in a very comfortable, leather chair at one side of the room, a young lady, again very formally attired came out and offered me a drink menu.  But, truthfully, the extreme heat (of course Montecristo was air conditioned, but I mean all the heat we had been experiencing all through the trip) made the thought of drinking ANY sort of alcoholic drink generally rather unpalatable to me.  So, I ended up asking her if I could get a large, iced tonic water with lime in it.  I do enjoy the bitterness of tonic water so it was a good choice, though I did miss the juniper flavoring of the gin itself.   

The large JFR cigar was a 7x70 so it was VERY large.  It was pleasant.  I sat, enjoyed the cigar in the peace and quiet, read a little bit of some of the literature I had accumulated at the meeting, but mostly I stared out the windows of the Montecristo into the shopping complex and people-watched... as a large array of people milled around from shop-to-shop.  

It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.  It was quiet.  When I met back up with my wife, she happily reported that she "broke even" from her adventure.  So, it was a nice late afternoon before heading back to the hotel to swim and plan dinner.  The Montecristo was nice to visit,  but I did very much miss the more homey feel of and the tremendously enjoyable conversations of my friends in the "Retiree's Cigar Group".  

PipeTobacco

  

The Leave 6

On one of the days of our journey, I met my wife during the lunch period and we found in one of the many shopping mall areas that many of the hotels had, a replica "Irish Pub" where we decided to stop to eat lunch.  

The heat had us both not feeling OVERLY hungry, but we wanted something fun and light.  Although a Guinness would have been fun to have.... both my wife and I stuck with simply iced water (she very rarely drinks, and the heat made the Guinness seem to me  less appealing than just the water).   But, what we had to eat was quite fun:

1.  We had an appetizer order of "Irish Deviled Eggs" which we shared.  The plate was pleasantly filled with many deviled eggs, and the filling was exceptionally creamy and had a beautifully nuanced flavor of spices (rosemary and basil were two I could identify).  We both thought they were exceptional and very delicious… much, much tastier than just a run-of-the mill deviled egg.  

2.  With our "light" theme, we then each decided to have a "wedge salad" (for me, with the dressing on the side on my salad).  It was quite pleasantly large, and it tasted wonderfully fresh…. and after each of our first bites, we both proclaimed simultaneously that it "... was the perfect thing to order".  

3.  We also shared a side of braised, brown sugar and tarragon seasoned carrots which were both tender AND crunchy, and their flavors were enticing.  

It really turned out to be a perfect and light lunch!  We were both very pleased.

PipeTobacco

The Leave 5

I did run while I was on my trip.  But, because it was in a heat wave (average daily high temperatures were around 114-118 degrees Fahrenheit (~46 - 48 Celsius),   I was glad that the hotel had a fitness center with a number of treadmills.  So, I ran inside the fitness center every day..... except for one day..... Day 4.

In my pre-planning for this trip, I looked up "parks" near where I was staying, and of the various options, some of which were costly "event" parks, some were "water parks", there was one that I did find that was a more simple, free, "picnic-ey" park with walking trails, pavilions and similar such items.  It was humorously named "Siegfried & Roy Park" presumably since either this magic/comedic duo funded a large part of it, or perhaps in honor of their long standing, well attended shows in the area.  I am not sure.  

On this very early morning, I got up around 5:30am and prepared to go running outside.  At that time of the day, just prior to sunrise, it was probably only somewhere in the 90s in terms of temperature.  I figured I could have an "adventure" and run to this park.  Normally when running outside these days, I have an arm band that can hold my phone so I can use earphones and listen to my Catholic music channel while praying the rosary.  However, when I first began running long ago, I first used different pack to carry my phone.  I believe it would be more commonly described as a "fanny pack" but I never used it in that sort of orientation on my body.... it would be horrible to run with something like that strapped around your waist.  For the brief period of time I did use it while running, I had it slung over my shoulder, more akin to a tiny backpack. It did the job in an "ok" fashion, until I found the arm band variety, which then supplanted it.  

But, today, I was going to use the "fanny pack" because... besides my phone, I had (in a sock) the pipe I brought.  And, also in the fanny pack, I had the small bag of a few pinches of pipe tobacco, and a small box of matches from the Iwan Ries trip a few years ago.  I dressed in my running gear and shoes, and headed down to the first floor.  

It was still very hot outside, but probably only in the mid 90s.  In the very early darkness with just a glimmer of dawn occurring, I turned on my "gizmo watch" to record my distance, and slowly jogged off in the general direction of where the park would be.  Navigating the city is not easy, nor traditional.  This is the "off season" in Nevada, and most everywhere was under some form of repair or construction.  But I hoofed and hoofed for a while, trying to see more of the area, but also being sure I was still heading generally towards the park.  I finally found the park, and looked at my watch, I had only ran a little tiny bit beyond 2 miles (~3 km), but that was fine by me, due to the heat.  I walked deeper into the park.  I saw a walker in the distance, but not really anyone else.  The park officially opened at 6:00am, and it was only about 6:30 when I arrived.  As to be expected in Nevada, there really was not much in the way of greenery in this park.  But, it was pleasant.  Deeper into the park I found a rather isolated pavilion and sat down.  Unlike the city, it was QUIET and peaceful, and much more contemplative.  

Due to the ambiguities of TSA in flying, I know better than to bring a lighter in my carry on material..... it is not allowed and would be confiscated.  That is why I had matches, instead.  But, with the ambiguities of TSA, I also did not want to bring with me an expensive pipe, so what I did bring with me was one of my "work horse" large bowled, full bent Dr. Grabow pipes.  It was one that had always been extremely reliable and had had ample use.  But, it was also (in my opinion) very nice looking, and as I had done some polishing of my pipes a few months ago, it looked VERY nice to me.  I took out the small bag of the pipe tobacco.  As you know from my prior post, it contained some of the McClelland's M58 that a very nice friend had sent to me.  I was eager to relive its beauty.  But, it must be noted, that I never routinely smoked a pipe filled only with an aromatic blend.   Most aromatics, including the M58, are made of VERY mild pipe tobaccos so as to not obscure the flavorings of an aromatic.  But for me, the quite mild take of an aromatic alone, usually did not appeal to me.  Do not get me wrong... I enjoy the flavorings of many aromatics.  But, and I guess I learned this from my Dad, it is my long standing preference to always mix the aromatic with some more robust, pipe tobacco that is unadorned with flavorings to give it more a greater "heft" or "substance".  So, in this case, the bag had it in a mix of roughly 50% M 58 and roughly 50% simple, plain, but more robust Sir Walter Raleigh cube cut.  

As I sat in the pavilion, I started to carefully and patiently fill the bowl of the pipe with this blended pair of pipe tobaccos.  I was pleased that I apparently still had a good judging eye, as the amount of the leaf I had brought in the small bag, was able to completely fill the bowl to just the right level of firmness.  Even though I have often used what is sometimes called a "parfait" approach to filling my pipe in the past (one layer of regular pipe tobacco, then on top a layer of the aromatic), this time, I was working slowly to assure and even mixture of both tobaccos throughout the bowl (the two tobaccos WERE mixed in the bag, but their two different cuts (shredded for the M 58, cube cut for the SWR) had them naturally disaggregate a bit in the bag.  

I looked around a bit more, and decided to orient myself into a seat that allowed me to face in the direction of the mountains of the region.  Mountain viewing is not something I am commonly privy to, and so it seemed an especially good view to choose.  The pavilion also provided shade from the sun for me, which was also very helpful.  

It is both very comforting to me, but also a little surprising.... that all the old gestures, actions, and movements involved in filling and smoking a pipe.... did not feel at all "rusty" nor "atypical".  In fact, it felt so perfectly natural, that it still felt akin to eating, drinking, breathing.... it was just a normal, ingrained set of behaviors.  

I then clenched the stem of the pipe gently between my teeth, and I removed one of the nice, wooden, blue-tipped matches, and gently scraped the head against the rough side of the box.  The flame erupted easily and then settled into a warm, yellow, raindrop shape at the head.  I tilted the shaft of the match downward slightly to coax the flame to widen a bit, and then brought it up to bowl of my pipe, and began the slow process of drawing the flame into the crumbles of leaf.  Even though there really wasn't much if any of a breeze to speak of, I naturally cupped my palm around the bowl with the upper portion of my palm creating a shield to protect the flame of the match from being blown out by any errant wind. 

I then shook out the match, and with my thumb, gently pressed on the leaf to even it and firm the top a bit.  Then I ignited a second match, widened its flame, and relit my pipe until there was a full, even ember across the top.  

Words could not adequately describe the pleasure and joy I experienced with the rich flavors and textures of the beloved pipe smoke.  I experienced a pure comfort gently move throughout my body, and I could feel my facial muscles relax.  The peach flavoring (well, actually apricot as reported by Pat M) accentuated the beauty of the area around me, feeling especially fitting for the array of brown, orange and blue hues of the scene before me. Indulging in the beauty of that pipe and the pipe tobacco felt so profoundly beautiful, I could feel tears of joy well in my eyes.  My body felt at peace.

As I had ran to the park, I had worked through praying two of the decades of the Joyful Mysteries.  But, as I sat there in the park, looking at the mountains, I decided to start again with my rosary prayers, but this time I thought it more fitting to focus on the five decades of the Luminous Mysteries.  So, over the next hour, I sat there, feeling profoundly peaceful, quiet, contemplative, and prayerful as I focused on these Luminous Mysteries as I continued to enjoy my pipe in such a bucolic desert setting.  

By the time I had finished the rosary, I only had a few more minutes beyond that with my pipe... before its wonderful contents had completely converted to ash and the ember expired.  I knocked the whiteish/grey ashes out of the bowl and quietly put my pipe and all the other items back into the fanny pack.  

But, I did not want to immediately leave.  I wanted to remain within the beautiful artistry about me, and I wanted to extend and savor the beauty I continued to mentally and physically experience from the now concluded pipe.  So, I sat there probably an additional 20 minutes or so, before I stood, and then walked back out of the park.  

Once out of the park, I started again to slowly jog back to the hotel.  I did get off track a bit on my way back, so in total, I slowly ran a total of ~4.5 miles (~7.25 km) that day..... below my usual, but sufficient for the day and for the heat.  As I jogged back, I finished with praying the remaining three Joyful Mysteries as I ran... so as to not leave those unfinished.  

Upon my return, I headed up to the room, but quickly changed into my bathing suit, went up to the top floor pool.... and splashed around for about 10 minutes to cool off.... went back to the room, changed, and was able to get to the 10:30 am talk I wanted to see at the meeting.   

PipeTobacco  

The Leave 4

Although it is perhaps NOT a good idea to admit this, but one of the television programs my wife and I have grown fond of watching is called "Hell's Kitchen".  We have probably watched most seasons of this program and it features the chef Gordon Ramsey, as he navigates a group of contestant chefs through various tasks, cook-offs, and dinner services in his restaurant by the same name as the program..... to eventually select one finalist who will win a job as Head Chef at one of his various "Hell's Kitchen" restaurants that Ramsey owns and operates.   For those of you know may have no knowledge of the show, it is a rather bombastic affair, with a lot of yelling and urgency through the entirety of the show..... and sometimes that "intensity" gets a bit tiresome.  But, we still watch.  

Well.... as we have been regular watchers of this show for several years, there is routinely featured, many challenges where the food these contestant chefs are tasked with producing and serving are of several "signature" Gordon Ramsey dishes.  He demands (especially for dramatic effect) perfection in the preparation and serving of these dishes, and when they do not meet his standards, he becomes irate, and will often literally smash and thrown the errant preparations on the floor, or wall, or ceiling.  

So, over the many years of watching, my wife and I had often commented on some of these signature dishes and how it would be interesting to try them. The MAJOR dish neither of us had had that we really felt would be interesting to try was Beef Wellington.  For a number of years we would scour menus of places we would go in search of a restaurant that had Beef Wellington on their menu... to no avail.  Sure, there were a small handful of instances where we saw an on-line menu of a place we were traveling to with Beef Wellington.... but none ever panned out..... either it was not on the menu the day we could go, or it was no longer on the menu, or in once case, the restaurant had closed for remodeling.  

So, it has been a bit of a culinary "holy grail" for us to find Beef Wellington somewhere, just to finally TRY it.  Every time we would see it on the show, it would remind us of our quest.  

But, over the years, there were several of Ramsey's "signature" dishes that were novel (to both of us anyway) that we thought it would be interesting to try them.  The "big four" were:

a.  Beef Wellington [main course]

b.  Lobster Risotto (or any of his various Risottos) [an appetizer]

c.  Pan Seared Scallops [an appetizer]

d.  Sticky Toffee Pudding [a dessert]

So.... when this conference came into fruition, we both decided that we would purposefully plan to actually have a dinner at the actual "Hell's Kitchen" there.  So, my wife made us reservations (fortunately, a few months in advance, as the dates apparently run out quite rapidly).  

So, on the evening of Day 3 of the journey, after I was done "conferencing" for the day, my wife and I set out (hoofing in the 114 degree heat) to walk to "Hell's Kitchen" to have dinner.  We were both still basking in the relief that our pup was doing well, so it started to feel much more vibrant and relaxing as well! We had already ascertained it would be PRICEY.... and so as to keep my penny-pinching anxieties at bay, we had a few guiding principles:

1.  My WIFE would the one to use our card to PAY for the meal... so I would not have to look at and see its exorbitant price.... and I would not be as aware of how guilty I should feel about this extravagance.

2.  We both would only drink water..... which actually was preferred by both of us.... my wife does not really drink alcoholic beverages much (perhaps 1 or 2 each year), and my more "robust" drinking of perhaps 1 or 2 drinks a month on average) is not a whole helluva lot different.  And, it so happened that with the heat, we BOTH were much preferring water anyhow.

3.  We both agreed that we would only order the items we had specifically agreed upon.  One appetizer each, one main course each, and one dessert we would share (and we were planning on sharing the different appetizers and main courses as well).

4.  So we ordered a) the scallops dish, b) the lobster risotto, c) the beef wellington, d) the Sticky Toffee Pudding, and because we needed one more main course dish, the one that most appealed to my wife was their "Crispy Skin Salmon".  I was indifferent to which additional main course we would order, so we ordered the "Crispy Skin Salmon".  

The food WAS absolutely delicious.  We both ended up with the same rankings of our preferences..... again EVERYTHING was delicious, but our rank order of preferences was:

1.  Lobster risotto - amazingly creamy, and the unique spices (I could not identify them) were beautifully present and exceedingly unctuous and delightful.  And, even though I am actually rather indifferent about lobster, it was very well done, and my wife (who really likes lobster) reports that it was excellent.  

2.  Sticky Toffee Pudding - in all regards, this was as close to a "perfect" dessert as either of us have ever had.  It was "cakey", and it was beautifully caramelized and warm. The spices were delightfully vivid and broad and tasted extra "fresh" if that makes any sense.  The concept and execution were amazing.... I still remember the distinct flavors and textures very well.  

3.  Pan Seared Scallops - I had never had scallops before.  My wife has, but was never excited or impressed.  We both found these to be very delightful.  They were smooth, had pleasantly browned edges, and they had another sauce upon them that was subtle, but had a hint of rosemary in it, and on top were what is called "micro-greens".  

4.  Beef Wellington - perhaps it was because we had waited so very long for this.... but the Beef Wellington, while EXCELLENT, paled in comparison to the above three items.  I was anticipating a plethora of rich flavors and textures as was my wife.  Again, it was very good..... it was enveloped in a pastry crust (which was good, but ordinary), the mushroom "pate" surrounding the beef was tasty, but NOT particularly unique in flavor, and the beef (which was only allowed to be served "medium rare") was tender and pleasing..... but.... again it was not "unique" in a way both of us were anticipating.  Medium rare was also a rather "unique" experience for both of us, as both my wife and I tend towards "medium well" when we have beef (I do not often eat beef, but when I do it is usually medium well OR well.... my wife has it far more often than me, but typically goes medium well).  The very BEST part of our beef wellington was the rich and tasty "wine demi-glaze reduction sauce"  that was served on the side.  We both wished there would have been more of that sauce, as it truly added tremendously to the flavor profile of the dish.   

5.  "Crispy Skinned Salmon" - a very good salmon dish.  It had a pleasant dill flavoring with it.  But, both my wife and I have had similar salmon before at other places.  So, it was EXCELLENT, but not particularly unique.  The one aspect of Ramsey's variation of this dish that was part of the reason we ordered it was the "Crispy Skin" aspect.  Neither of us had had that previously.  Now, truth-be-told, I am not really "into" eating any kind of skin from anything..... no chicken, no salmon, no duck (I have never had ANY duck actually), no pork rinds either.  But, I was game to give it a go for the sake of this experience.  My wife was surprisingly for her, a bit "weirded out" when we finally got the dish, about actually eating a piece of fish skin.... she told me she thought it was only to imbue a unique flavor to the salmon itself. I remembered from the many cooking shows we have watched over the years, that the judges always DID eat the crispy skin on salmon.  So, my wife ate a very small bit of the skin and still felt "weirded out".  When I tried it with a bit of the actual salmon... it WAS crispy and crunchy.... and it had the vast majority of the spices in it so it complemented the salmon nicely.  But, texturally, it did "weird me out" a bit too.  I do not think I would ever PURPOSEFULLY order a "skin" dish of any sort again.... and if I did, I would probably leave the skin part alone.  

So, overall we had a very exciting time at our "big adventure" to Hell's Kitchen!  We were both really glad we were able to arrange it and we both had a wonderful time trying all these dishes we had heard about for so long.  And, the restaurant itself, even though glossy and "television show focused" in the LOBBY with all sorts of show related memorabilia available for purchase.... was quite beautiful in the dining room.... and it felt very romantic for both of us during our meal.  

* * *

Today is the Retiree's Cigar Group.  I am planning on trying to be there.  I am hoping I can get enough work done to make it so!  I would really like to talk with the guys.

PipeTobacco