Happy Birthday LIPIPE!

[LIPIPE]

Thanks Lesath: It was a great Latakia laden birthday. What else can you consume that is alcohol free, fat free, sugar free, salt free, zero calories and still feel so wonderfully satiated? I only have one man life to live so happiness matters and Latakia is truly happiness in a pipe. IPP puffing only a pipe smoking Respiratory Therapist could understand.

 

[PipeLeisure]

Happy belated Birthday buddy...I hope it was a great one for ya :cheers:

 

[dshpipes]

Happy belated b-day! How'd so many of us miss this one? :lol:

 

[LIPIPE]

Thanks Dave and Derek. Older guys like me appreciate when our sons keep up with us as buddies as well as fathers. It keeps us forever young. Your friendship is special and appreciated.

 

[DustyRoundup]

Yeah Happy Birthday to ya !

64 eh ? well, if that avatar pic aint too old , you dont look a day over 55.

Sorry this is a belated Happy Birthday
But to make up for that,, heres a little Irish poem, from
The Gael, sept 1904, p312. new York.. Im copying it out of a book called"A Treasury of Irish Folklore" By "Padraic Colum"

Here goes

My Pipe of Irish Clay

When I wish to solve those problems, which perplex the wisest men,
and deduce abtruse conclusions, that transcend all human ken:
When I wish to know the secrets which the pyramids infold,
Or to understand the statecraft of Rameses Great of old,
I just sit here quiet and easy, and all things seem clear as day,
When I see the smoke a-curling from my pipe of Irish clay.
But more dear to me than problems, or the Pharaohs and theyre kind,
Are the pictures which I then see of the land I left behind:
All the old haunts, and the dear friends, all the things I used to do,
The hopes and dreams of boyhood days, they all pass me in review:
Sure I'm thinkin I'm there again , and beside sweet Dublin Bay,
When I see the smoke a-curling from my pipe of Irish clay.
I'm climbing up the hill of Howth, or I'm boating in the bay,
I'm strolling by the Liffeys banks , or I'm bathing down at Bray:
I'm basking in the Phoenix Park, while the birds msing merrily.
The fresh winds waft the atmosphere of the mountains and the sea,
Or p'raps I'm on the Lucan road, eating berries large and ripe,
When I send the smoke a-curling, from my soft clay Dublin Pipe.


Well, I dont know if your Irish at all, but I figured you dont have to be Irish, to get the point..

Happy Birthday Lipipe

 

[LIPIPE]

Dusty: That avatar picture is about three years old. You will notice that my beard in that photo is very grey. I now have a few grey hairs on my head but I do still look younger than my years. Thank you for your friendship and your poem. I'm not Irish but rather a fairly typical New York Jewish man. I was born in the Bronx, New York (home of the New York Yankees) one day before Israel became an independent state and we both, Israel and I had "Bar Mitzvah's on the same day in 1961 and it was very special.

I've had a very interesting life and many Irish Catholic friends. I trained as a hospital administrator and served my first professional position as an Administrator at Mary Immaculate Hospital in New York City for a decade during the 1970's. I supervised all of the departments over those years and maintained close personal friendships with many of the sisters and priests that were my colleagues. We had a hospital campus Convent and Rectory. Interestingly, because I am Jewish, the Dominican sisters and priests sort of "let their hair down" with me and we had a unique and special relationship that would not have been possible if I were a fellow Christian. I mentored a priest who was also pursuing his Master's Degree in Hospital Administration. He always said "When I spritz water from the kitchen sink, it's holy". I learned early on to never wear anything red on St. Patrick's Day. Also during those years I conducted a training program in Emergency Medical Crisis Intervention working with hundreds of on duty New York City police officers for over five years. Later I served as a volunteer Auxiliary Police Officer on Long Island where I reside for fifteen years. I was a rather tough looking highway cop on the Long Island Expressway in full uniform. Needless to say I had many strong Irish friends and we never minced words or hesitated to enforce the law as brothers. I learned how to curse like an Irishman and love it.

Your poem and all the good wishes have made this a very special birthday. Never before have so many men from all over the country been so gracious and thoughtful. Your life in Montana is vastly different from mine on Long Island. I have studied your neck of the woods on the internet and would like to someday visit Glacier National Park and Whitefish Lake. Perhaps we'll have an opportunity to become personally acquainted. I'd certainly enjoy getting my hands dirty with you and experiencing the great outdoors that is your magnificent backyard. Stay well and in touch. Good friends are hard to find.

 

[DustyRoundup]

Lipipe, you ever get up this way, and you bet , I'll show you Montana.

Ive whitewater rafted the river at Glacier , but have yet to get up in it, or on it , as Im sure youve heard of the road to the sun.

Whitefish lake?? are you referring to Flathead lake?,, hmm? Whitefish is on the north end of Kalispell, and the Flathead Lake is on the south end of Kalispell.

No matter, you let me know, and I'll schedule time off to cruise around the state.

Do you fish? ride horses? heck, if you hunt, Im smack in the middle of good Elk country, and theres Antelope within 30 miles,,not to mention deer and bear. But I think being out of state, your limited to what licenses would be availiable this late in the year.

Heck, if you take photos, theres deer and mountain sheep right behind the house, and moose are easy to find too.

You bet !

yeah, I do believe we come from two different worlds to be sure. I dont know if I could handle that busy of a life. Heck we only have 1 stoplight in my town

You take care.
and Happy Birthday

 

[J Soshae]

Glacier National Park is absolutely gorgeous! The "road to the sun" is nice once the snow is gone and they repair it from the winter avalanches. It is an excellent place for quiet and solitude. The park is pretty much an exact opposite of the hustle and bustle of New York.

Keep your eyes peeled for bears.

And I do hope you have had a most excellent birthday.

 

[LIPIPE]

Dusty: Montana on my mind sounds like a plan. I know what a one traffic light town is like. I have a small rural home in upstate NY on the NY Vermont border. I may well retire up there. Here on Long Island we used to have plain traffic signals. Now we have red light camera signals. You go through when the light changes on you and your vehicle is video photographed. A month or two later you get the bill in the mail. $200.00! If you try to stop short you get your ass plowed by the jerk behind you who is attempting to beat the system. Then that fast trip to the supermarket for a container of milk really gets expensive.

As far as riding and hunting well.....I have not been in a (horse) saddle in about 35 years and the only shooting my Remington 870 Express has done is paper at the range. I rode a Harley FLH 1300 saddle between 1976 and 1983. I'd certainly enjoy a hunt but not dragging the poor bastard out of the woods nor field dressing it either so I might cramp your style a bit. A trip on the road to the sun is appealing and a smoke with you there would be heaven on earth. You've given this birthday boy a good ol' time to ponder; it certainly would be my kind of vacation. I am a lover of nature and natural environments. No better place to smoke a pipe, and enjoy the company of a good friend. It would certainly be hot **** for an old Bronx kid to hang a Moosehead on the den wall over the fireplace and tell his friends "Marty and that Moose met up and it was a tough day in Montana especially for the Moose". Something to think about for sure. It would be one ******* great experience.

 

[Aristokles]

Good Lord, I'm away for a few days and miss a big event.

Happy Birthday to my good buddy, LIPIPES.

One day we WILL smoke on the same deck!

 

[LIPIPE]

Hey Demetri: Thanks buddy. You and I will certainly smoke together but no further than a handshake apart. If you've read all the posts on this thread you will know now that I am dreaming Montana and DustyRoundup sounds like a man to show off his magnificent state. Ever think you could break away for such an adventure? A 50 mile ride on the road to the sun? Moose hunting? planting an old ass in a saddle and posting so I don't break my spine? Fishing? What a great outdoor wonderland for a man to light up and enjoy a pipe. This thread has extended my birthday longer than any of the previous 63. I'm getting well wishes from so many guys it is a testament to the bond of friendship and brotherhood we've developed. My youngest son just landed a job in a Detrot suburb so I'll be driving out with him to help with the move and see him settled in safely. Perhaps on the way back I'll deviate a bit south and return via Pittsburgh. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Aristokles]

Please don't tempt me! I really enjoyed my quick visit to Montana back in 1990. Only meant to camp across the state for a couple of nights but stayed over for nearly a month in two rustic campgrounds. We ended up in Oregon where we "camped" for two years before I allowed my mother-in-law to convince us to move to Pittsburgh. I do question my sanity over that move. BUT winters in Montana, well,...I'm a southern man...not for me.

 

[LIPIPE]

Brother Aristokles: Now you've really peaked my interest. As a matter of fact, I have a brother-in-law and sister-in-law in Oregon whose home I have not yet had an opportunity to visit. You and I really have much to talk about.