PhD II:
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Who
What
When
Where
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Archives:
[PhD I]
PhD II
BD3 Wish List
Rick Baker's Lanski Auction
Sean's ASC screen saver
jf2.com
To the Nub!
Cuban Caddie
Other Cigar Stuff
Pismo Beach, California
Saturday, November 28, 1998
At right is a picture of the "PhD-tray" that Rudy made for me to commemorate the day. What a guy! Check out Rudy's cigar page. Note the "PhD" inscribed at the top (inset)!Eats
Around the fire ring
The Dog Rocket Launch
(on time and under budget!)
Sunset
And, we raised $175 for the Carson Edward Lanski Education Fund.
The PhD certificate.
As Lynn (my wife) put it, "Now I understand. I still don't like cigars, but I really like cigar people." PhD brought out such great folk. What faith ASC (news:alt.smokers.cigars) people have, and apparently it is well placed. We didn't really know who we were inviting to our house, and none of the attendees really knew diddly about their host.
Rick Baker (my first face-to-face ASCer) offered very helpful tips along the PhD trail. And then Tanith jumped in (oh my god, the food was unbelievable, and it just kept coming!). I had actually connected in a virtual sense early on (last spring) with Alleycat. Even though he lives in the Shasta area, he has connections still to our area, and somehow we figured that out via ASC conversation. The San Fran Cigar Society boys (Jan and Steve B.) were last minute "out of the blue", and turned out to be quite a kick; thanks again for the Glenlivet ash trays around. Gregg, a Pismo-ite, has been a cigar buddy for a while now, and we've done a bunch of fun "research" together. (Shhhh, I think he's been lurking on ASC...) And then there were a couple local friends, definitely newbies, who were entirely blown away by the whole thing. Their jaws still haven't got back up off the floor. They just couldn't get over how friendly, generous, and interesting everyone was. It's a beautiful thing!
I had never seen a pre-embargo Cuban before. But by the end of the day I had smoked one (TYTT!). And I thought (only a few months ago) that a vintage Macanudo was the cat's meow. This 1950-something stick was solid as a rock, yet drew like a dream. Beautiful ash, perfectly even burn the whole way. And creamy - I think they coined that word for that cigar. Kept getting richer as it smoked on. Burned my fingers.
Then there was that one-of-a-kind shape by RyJ (TYRB!). A britannica #2 (celestiale finos, if I remember right). What a wonderful smoke as well. It was my last of the day around the dying embers of the fire with the three of us who closed it down.
Still in the 'dor (TYSB!) is a Cuba Aliados, the cigar that preceeded Puros Indios by Alando Rios (hope I got that right). It's waiting for a good reflective moment. Had my first PI at PhD, too.
As it turned out, some valuable connections were made. There was the medical video imaging conversation, the housing in town connection, a babysitter lead, and a possible caviar connection to Belarus. Whodathunk?
Oh, and let's not forget the ASC first, as far as I know: a genuine launching of a dog rocket! This project was handled by my son, Trevor, who just kept walking around wide eyed saying "Wow!" all day long! (Remind me to hide my coolerdor.)
And ya know, we got the only 10 hours of non-rain weather here on the central coast since last Friday night (it's raining here still, Monday night!). You should have seen the sunset.
Many thanks to everyone that made PhD a fabulous gathering! And I do mean everyone!
There were a couple of you who couldn't make it for one reason or another. Based on the company you keep, I'm even more anxious to meet you, and I trust I will at one event or another very soon!
Jamie, in a cloud
Update: A few weeks later a turn of fate bestowed yet another great gift upon PhD. Kate Stark offered to do a logo for an ASC event, so I suggested/asked that she check out PhD. And low and behold! So, many thanks to Kate for the cool logo!