When hundreds of pipe smokers congregate for a pipe show, common characteristics become noticeable, aside from everyone smoking pipes.
Pipe shows have a different demographic from the general population, skewing to a more advanced age with more men than women attending. That’s why, at pipe shows, most obvious is the preponderance of facial hair, and I’m not referring to unruly eyebrows with independent and fulfilling lives of their own (of which there are many, generally in even numbers, with some exceptions) or ear hair (it’s a cruel joke that our manly ears grow more hair than our heads after age 50), or that greatest of indignities, nose hair, which in some cases should be braided into existing mustaches. It’s nice to see so many younger men and women at shows now, people who don’t have hair sprouting from places we’d rather it didn’t, but they’re still outnumbered by old guys like me.
There are a lot of beards at pipe shows. Full beards, long beards, short beards, goatees, sideburns and mustaches of all styles are everywhere evident. You can’t throw a cat in any direction without it fetching up in one beard or another, yowling in disapproval and clawing for purchase among the follicles. (Sadly, show officers have grown wise to that trick, and I’ve been asked to retire my cat-throwing arm.)
It’s been speculated that pipesmokers gravitate to facial hair because of an inherent appreciation for the traditional: Pipes and beards, wrist watches (and pocket watches), pocket knives and quality pens are all at home at a pipe show. Maybe our attraction to pipes is a symptom of a general respect for the past.
We do seem to appreciate history, with an interest in historical pipesmokers and an attraction to pipes and tobaccos of earlier eras. However, I’m not sure that historical fascination can account for all the acreage of facial hair in our community.
I have an alternate theory: Pipesmoking makes one so content that the idea of shaving seems insignificant. When we’re communing with the universe over a bowl of Virginias, as the mysteries of the cosmos unravel before our pipesmoking consciousnesses, when we’re contemplating the great philosophical mysteries of humanity, getting up to shave is simply ridiculous.
That’s why so many male pipesmokers have beards. All pipesmokers are thinkers, and we have better things to think about than shaving.
@PappyJoe --Originally, I grew a beard because 1) I could; my profession allowed it, and 2) to save money. After a decade or so, it became as if it came with the face, ya know?
Well, l got almost 2 months of beard growth, and it was shaping up nice. But as I told you before, it's on again, off again, so I got rid of it last night. This time I did keep the mustache. For how long I really don't know...
I've often wondered if Maine might happen to have the highest per-capita population of beards in this nation. I doubt that many of them are pipe smokers, as we seem to have fewer tobacconists up here every year (but plenty of vape shops, head shops, and roll-your own ciggies shops)
AS a tourist, I always wondered about the lack of a tobacco shop in Bar Harbor, our favorite vacation. We've been there seven times, summer and fall. It did get weird (I before E, except after c, notwithstanding) when the cruise ship hordes started flooding the town, but we were there for Acadia during the day, and seafood and good beer in the evenings. When we came right after Hurricane Irene, however, we were the only folks in our motel. We've also rented a a cottage. Bar Harbor and Acadia? It's all good.
I too quit hunting after the military, not sure exactly why but I think I was tired of the noise and the smell. The sense of smell as we have discussed many times as pipe smokers is the strongest sense, and that my have been a sub conscious decision?
I just have too many guns, and too much ammo (goes along with too many pipes and too much tobacco), all stored in a very secure gun safe.....and with two handguns for home defense in lock boxes on the two upper floors. I used to go to the range I belong to quite often but I have slowed up on that here the last couple of years. I used to love to go target shoot while smoking cigars on nice weather afternoons. Fun stuff.......I need to get back to keep my skills up to par. I will go slightly aside here to say something I have always believed: I have ALWAYS met the nicest people at tobacco shops and at gun ranges.....my theory is because they are all "like minded" people.
@pwkarch - I haven't hunted since I joined the Coast Guard in 1972. Grew up hunting small game and deer mostly but that was a different time. It wasn't because I didn't like shooting or anything. I fired marksman scores with the M16, .45, 9mm, .38. I also took qualifying course with the 50 and 60 caliber.
Never fired a gun shot in the line of duty during my 21 years. Pretty much all my shooting were with still cameras, 16mm motion picture cameras and video.
Glad to have you join us in our friendly fellowship of pipe smoking. We look forward to your participation and contributions to our discussions. Any questions? Ask anyone !!!!
Greetings Gentlemen. A man can never have too many hats, pipes or firearms. Ex-wives is a whole nother ballgame. i'm an old Jarhead who likes his hats, whiskey, pipes and guns. Living in MI I find it a good idea to carry when near the larger cities
Hobb Knobbin’ and corn cobbin’ in my Vans driver’s cap. This was the first I ever purchased in that particular style. I’m a fan of newsboy caps as well. I usually order mine from The Hat Village in Long Beach, CA because Vans discontinued these.
Stuck at home during the pandemic and craving an outlet for self-expression, Andrew Peterka decided on a beard. Like many other aspirational beard growers, he visited a website, Jeff’s Beard Board, that offers advice. (Pro tip: Wait 13 weeks to see how much hair you can grow.)
Although many corners of the internet breed trolls and leave bad behavior unchecked, the users of Beard Board present a counternarrative to those often male-dominated spaces with their positivity. Men celebrate and compliment one another, using expressions like “Grow on!” and “Beard on!”
The site’s founder, Jeff Falberg, 56, of Bridgeport, Conn., spent three to four hours per day maintaining its forums when he started Beard Board in 2001. Now, he has 10 moderators and four administrators who review every post and write encouraging responses.
Pipes, guns, beards, and Bourbon oh my; not much to say here except that I possess and enjoy all of them, though the enjoying the bread part is a bit difficult to quantify in any meaningful way.
Comments
The Hairy Pipesmoker
Monday, February 26, 2018 by Chuck Stanion
When hundreds of pipe smokers congregate for a pipe show, common characteristics become noticeable, aside from everyone smoking pipes.
Pipe shows have a different demographic from the general population, skewing to a more advanced age with more men than women attending. That’s why, at pipe shows, most obvious is the preponderance of facial hair, and I’m not referring to unruly eyebrows with independent and fulfilling lives of their own (of which there are many, generally in even numbers, with some exceptions) or ear hair (it’s a cruel joke that our manly ears grow more hair than our heads after age 50), or that greatest of indignities, nose hair, which in some cases should be braided into existing mustaches. It’s nice to see so many younger men and women at shows now, people who don’t have hair sprouting from places we’d rather it didn’t, but they’re still outnumbered by old guys like me.
There are a lot of beards at pipe shows. Full beards, long beards, short beards, goatees, sideburns and mustaches of all styles are everywhere evident. You can’t throw a cat in any direction without it fetching up in one beard or another, yowling in disapproval and clawing for purchase among the follicles. (Sadly, show officers have grown wise to that trick, and I’ve been asked to retire my cat-throwing arm.)
It’s been speculated that pipesmokers gravitate to facial hair because of an inherent appreciation for the traditional: Pipes and beards, wrist watches (and pocket watches), pocket knives and quality pens are all at home at a pipe show. Maybe our attraction to pipes is a symptom of a general respect for the past.
We do seem to appreciate history, with an interest in historical pipesmokers and an attraction to pipes and tobaccos of earlier eras. However, I’m not sure that historical fascination can account for all the acreage of facial hair in our community.
I have an alternate theory: Pipesmoking makes one so content that the idea of shaving seems insignificant. When we’re communing with the universe over a bowl of Virginias, as the mysteries of the cosmos unravel before our pipesmoking consciousnesses, when we’re contemplating the great philosophical mysteries of humanity, getting up to shave is simply ridiculous.
That’s why so many male pipesmokers have beards. All pipesmokers are thinkers, and we have better things to think about than shaving.
(Shhhhhhh -- Ok, I've cast the bait; let's see if I hook anyone anything.)
357 Magnum seven shot
I just have too many guns, and too much ammo (goes along with too many pipes and too much tobacco), all stored in a very secure gun safe.....and with two handguns for home defense in lock boxes on the two upper floors. I used to go to the range I belong to quite often but I have slowed up on that here the last couple of years. I used to love to go target shoot while smoking cigars on nice weather afternoons. Fun stuff.......I need to get back to keep my skills up to par. I will go slightly aside here to say something I have always believed: I have ALWAYS met the nicest people at tobacco shops and at gun ranges.....my theory is because they are all "like minded" people.
Never fired a gun shot in the line of duty during my 21 years. Pretty much all my shooting were with still cameras, 16mm motion picture cameras and video.
Love my Panama.
Bourbon of choice: https://westernsondistillery.com/our-whiskey-1#our-whiskey
EDC: Springfield Armory XDS .45
Glad to have you join us in our friendly fellowship of pipe smoking. We look forward to your participation and contributions to our discussions. Any questions? Ask anyone !!!!
i'm an old Jarhead who likes his hats, whiskey, pipes and guns. Living in MI I find it a good idea to carry when near the larger cities
Hobb Knobbin’ and corn cobbin’ in my Vans driver’s cap. This was the first I ever purchased in that particular style. I’m a fan of newsboy caps as well. I usually order mine from The Hat Village in Long Beach, CA because Vans discontinued these.
Stuck at home during the pandemic and craving an outlet for self-expression, Andrew Peterka decided on a beard. Like many other aspirational beard growers, he visited a website, Jeff’s Beard Board, that offers advice. (Pro tip: Wait 13 weeks to see how much hair you can grow.)
Although many corners of the internet breed trolls and leave bad behavior unchecked, the users of Beard Board present a counternarrative to those often male-dominated spaces with their positivity. Men celebrate and compliment one another, using expressions like “Grow on!” and “Beard on!”
The site’s founder, Jeff Falberg, 56, of Bridgeport, Conn., spent three to four hours per day maintaining its forums when he started Beard Board in 2001. Now, he has 10 moderators and four administrators who review every post and write encouraging responses.
That's pretty cool