Off to see the Wizards

Tomorrow I will be finishing up my packing and preparation for the Rheinbach pipe show. I'm very much looking forward to getting to visit with such pipe world luminaries as Rainer Barbi and Tom Eltang. Fifteen pipes are going with me - seven Talbert Briars, four Talbert Mortas, and four Ligne Bretagnes (Two of which are handmade Collectors - including the usual greenie - and the other two are the smooth churchwardens pictured here). I'll also have this extremely craggy sandblasted monster Talbert Briar poker. I'll keep the smooth Talberts under wraps until the show, though one of them is quite nice. Oh yes, and there's a Talbert Halloween pipe in the bunch as well...

So, I'll be back next week with pics and a show report, and then new pipes for the website catalogs at last! Plus, I've got a lot of blog catching-up to do, including some interviews with Uptowns Smoke Shop, French pipemaker David Enrique, and an intriguing new pipe brand from China. All in all, August should be an excellent month for the blog reading!