332. Lee Skiver, CPG: The Piper’s Favorite Pipe
PSA: Second Batch of ZIPPOs deadline 3/3 It is with considerable delight that I present the remarkable Lee Skiver this morning to those Pete Geeks who don't already know him. It's not every day that we meet a pipeman who's also a piper and a West Point grad! Ever noticed how many Pete Geeks are avid readers? In short, I’m an ex-Army recovering banker and current pest control operator who likes to play bagpipes, guitar and rugby, ride bikes, and of course smoke pipes! Outside my personal hobbies, I’m a married father of three, burgeoning Anglican and love to go on road-trip adventures with my family, to places as far-flung as South Dakota, South Florida, and the North Country of NY State. Not too long ago I moved to Charlotte, NC, unfortunately during the lockdowns, and haven’t had much time to seek-out other like-minded pipe smokers in my area. But when I can, I enjoy a convivial relationship with my local tobacconist, the famed McCranie’s. As far as pipe smoking goes, if I weren’t focused on Peterson’s pipes, I’d have no self control in my collection. Further, if I weren’t seeking unusual, uncommon, or undiscovered Petes to companion, my shelves would be overflowing with shapes and styles that I can’t live without. The 1990 System Commemorative set in Pebble Grain Rustic I will, though, share more, in-depth, about why, and how I came to know, appreciate, and love Peterson pipes, particularly the archetypal shape 9 (307). Every Pete has a story, or so the saying goes… In our current era or at least for myself in particular, it seems all too often that I’m caught saying “so, I snagged this new Pete online.” And, of course, there must be a great number of excellent stories behind the numerous estate Petes that one finds and companions, but most often those stories are left to flights of fantasy in my imagination and the stories that I hope to wrap them into over the course of our companionship. As a recently renewed (or is it refreshed?) Pete Geek, I find myself with an almost equal number of new and estate Petes. So I’m a bit challenged to spin a great yarn about any one of them in particular, although I might be able to conjure a fantastical backstory for some of my more unique pieces. “The little grey cells” aren’t up to the challenge right now, what with all the young enquiring minds in my household preoccupying my imagination with tales of unicorns and semi-friendly dinosaurs (T-Rex to be specific). I will therefore try to lay out my own journey to the pipe, joining the brotherhood of briar and most importantly, how I came to know to Mr. Peterson’s smoking instruments. Great Classic Range shapes I suppose the story really begins long ago in my youth, growing up in the Old North State (North Carolina for the uninitiated), during a time when tobacco was still a big going concern and rather conspicuous,…