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One of the wood choices for pipes is Arbutus which is also commonly referred to as Strawberry Wood for its color.  Not as popular of a pipe making material as Briar, it can offer some very interesting grain patterns which can be brought out through sandblasting.  Arbutus is also less dense than briar, so it is lighter which is a big advantage in a big pipe.

This pipe from Morgan Pipes is from the Bones series which are pipes that come "unfinished" and will color naturally with smoking.  This one in particular is a favorite of mine, as I really love the swirls which sort of remind me of "starry night" by VanGogh.

Ice WallReminder that winter is not far behind us at 5000 feet.

Even with the warmer temperatures, the ice remains on shaded cliff faces and slowly melts into Spring.

I grew up in Southern California.  Poway, outside San Diego to be exact. Winter was that time of year when the mountains got snow.  Once a year, my parents would load me up and drive me to mountains for a day of playing in it (sledding on my boggie board) along with half the county sometimes.  Once the day was over, we'd usually stop at Dudley's Bread and buy some fresh sourdough and mission bread and I'd have a cup  of hot chocolate to warm back up.  It snowed once in Poway that I can remember and it didn't stick to the ground.   We got frosts and I remember the sound of the fans in the nearby orange orchards and that they lit smudge pots to help protect the crops.

Since moving to the South, I've learned that snow and cold come and visit.  I really look forward each year to at least getting one snowfall that is deep enough for some pictures outside and maybe a day of not going to the office.  Cold days without snow... brrr.  We're having one of those today here outside Atlanta and for me it's a good excuse to stay inside, drink coffee and catch up on some reading.

I have friends who live in places where they have these temperatures all winter and lots of snow and they really seem to enjoy, or at least tolerate it more than I can.  But to them, the thought of a humid, hot Georgia summer is unthinkable.  In the end, I guess it really does come down to what we are used to.

To the image, a couple of years ago, I took a trip in early April up to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and took the image of some ice which remained up there, then I drove back home to a 70 degree day down here below.  It was nice to see, but I was happy for Spring.. if not the pollen, but that is a story for another day.

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When I used to work in South Carolina, one of our plants was in Orangeburg, SC.  I had seen pictures of the "UFO Welcome Center" in nearby Bowman, so one day I drove over at lunch to grab a few shots.

I don't know the history behind the center, but it is obviously someone's labor of love and came across to me as quirky in that "Outsider Art" kind of way.