April 2006 Archives

GREAT SCOTT!! (that's me)

In lieu of a backyard swimming pool I opted for this mega-mouthed meerschaum pipe which, by the way, proves MUCH more practical given the seasonal chaos of Chicago.

In case you come to this page interested in smoking/purchasing your first meerschaum pipe and don't know quite what to expect, please check out the huge online catalogue at AND Meerschaum.

If you DO know what you are doing and prefer a customized meerschaum pipe (based on your specifications, sent to Turkey, culled and carved by local meerschaum artisans, and then imported back to you), I am happy to tell you that AND Meerschaum can indeed accomplish this for you.

Say Hello To My (Newest) Little Friend!!

I must confess:

While I sit here (in the wee hours) contemplating your complex reactions to my highly academic site (NOT!) I am contentedly imbibing an aroma-filled pipe.

As you may also have guessed, I am thoroughly enthralled with culturally unique items. For this reason I experimented with Turkish Meerschaum pipes only to find that I could not turn back from their quality.

For this simple reason, I have persistently mentioned AND Meerschaum, owned and managed by a good (Turkish-American) friend selling authentic Turkish Meerschaum pipes. I now own three meerschaum pipes from AND, the latest of which is the following:

Here's a truly remarkable sight I encountered in Ueno, Tokyo. This entire Buddhist shrine is dedicated to the departed souls of children. Notice how the foremost Jizo Buddha and all the smaller decorated Guzo Buddhas are holding "wind mill" child toys. This place made a lasting impression upon me.

Look closely for an ancient depiction of an enduring (modern) proverb:

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Here are a few (non-digital, scanned) photos I took of the Toshogu Temple (東照宮) in Nikko. Forgive me for the quality of these pics, but I took these with a disposal camera purchased on locale.

here in Chicago. First sunburn of 2006.

Ryoan-Ji Temple is famous for its simple rock garden consisting of only white sand and fifteen rocks. The garden was created at the end of the 15th century and is widely regarded as a masterpieces of Japanese culture.

The rock garden measures 30 meters from east to west and 10 meters from north to south. In contrast to the times, this zen garden is markedly different from the elaborate gardens of the aristrocracy of the era. Thus the garden boasts NO visible life, only its fifteen rocks and white sand.