Welcome to BoB, brother Vercer!!! I'm in the Volunteer State... opposite end from NC.
At 50 years old, I have been a cigarette smoker for a long, long time! And, I've decided to convert to a pipe. Knowing that you too were a cigarette smoker, my curiosity is aroused. If I may, how heavy of a cig smoker were you... how many a day? How are you dealing with the habitual craving to light up a cig??
I'm just curious. I still find myself lighting up a cigarette fairly often during the day. But, I'm smoking a lot less cancer sticks than I was when I started... thanks to my pipes!!
Speaking of pipes... if you want to try out a Peterson or any other quality pipe, check out Ebay's estate pipes. They can usually be had for a fraction of what the new ones go for. And, if it happens to be that you get one that you don't care for, you might have a decent chance of getting a good portion of your money back by selling it on Ebay!
Good luck!! And, again... welcome!!!
Robert