The midweek “hump day” brought an unseasonably cool evening, a perfect opportunity to unwind on the back porch after dinner. For the occasion, I selected the All Saints St. Francis cigar—a 5 1/2 x 50 box-pressed stick wrapped in a luxurious Ecuadorian …

And so it begins — cold weather smoking. When the colder weather settles in, it ways takes some extra effort to get outside to enjoy a cigar. I think “Do I really want to do this?” The answer is of course “yes” so I grab a jacket, fire up the propane h…

Another fall weekend, another road trip. This time we were headed to Blacksburg to catch the VA Tech football game. In Southwest Virginia, nights can get chilly this time of year, but Friday evening’s mild weather let me comfortably enjoy a cigar on t…

Live rock and roll is good for what ails you.

Some random thoughts about…everything

With the days getting shorter, I’m drawn to the deck for an after-dinner sip and smoke when an early sunset meets unseasonably warm weather. I was grateful for just such an evening this week.Still Austin Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon was my choi…

Camping and Birding on the Outer Banks

I picked up a bottle of J. H. Bards Skipper’s Select Toasted Barrel Bourbon while visiting the tasting room a couple months ago. I had nearly forgotten about it until now but on a very pleasant Halloween evening, I decided to open it. Trick or Treatin…