Nestor Miranda

Had a nice time at a local cigar store. https://www.facebook.com/leafandcedar/
Got to meet Nestor Miranda and get a box of his Cameroon La Aurora cigars.  And he signed the box which was nice.
I love supporting local cigar stores here in Louisville, and there are several very good ones to choose from.

Alcohol tobacco and firearms!

     They need to pay my UPS and Mail carrier more money. I just love sitting on my ass and ordering online for the important things in life. O.K. the beer was delivered by a guest to my house, but they were not sure what kind of tobacco or guns I like so they brought beer. I usually like to visit my local tobacconist or gun dealer, but this week it was rainy and I may melt in the rain.
     The cigars are from Holts, an online and physical store in Philly that I have visited and used for years.
     They have these great samplers and small packs so you can try brands without buying a bundle or maybe your local shop does not carry certain brands. The ammo is from Midwayusa, another great online retailer that I use quite often. ( you know, zombie apocalypse, rabid squirrels, etc.).
Pretty soon when my mail order bride shows up I will be all set,.Just kidding Tamara,.
I still encourage visits to your local small business, but eventually Amazon will send bottled air and cash to everyone in the world and we will all be sitting pretty!

Boycott Nat Sherman cigars.

https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/america-s-largest-cigarette-company-comes-out-against-fda-exemption-for-handmade-cigars
it is sad to see cigar maker come out against premium cigars.

Florida and the Cuban connection

     While on a recent trip to the Florida west coast I noticed a lot of cigar stores on almost every strip mall. In two of the stores were on site cigar rollers from Cuba. One shop in Madeira beach in the shopping area known as Johns Pass, was Cuban Paradise cigar & cafe. Two rollers were at the front rolling cigars, 10 hours a day producing a couple of hundred fresh cigars. ( see pics ) I sampled several of there Toro maduros which were excellent.
     Another cigar stand was in Dunedin. The down town area of Dunedin has quite a few breweries and restaurants, and our guest Mark asked if  I smoked cigars and we walked down the street to a little open air area where there was a little shed with a Cuban couple in it with hand rolled cigars in display cases. The story goes that Emile and Rose were both licensed Pharmacists, but their certifications were not valid here. So they opened a wine bar and cigar shop here and are doing very well. Both have their citizenship’s and are trying to live the American dream. The double corona I had was excellent and the ash could have stayed on all the way down the length of the cigar if I tried to retain it. ( see pics ).
     Where the tobacco comes from I did not ask, all I know is that my originally planned smokeless trip turned out to be a joy. So if your out and about in the St. Pete area keep your eye open for these and I am sure many other cigar shops.

Winter outdoor lounge

     Welcome to my outdoor man cave lounge! This is my lower deck that is enclosed with clear vinyl tarps and ridgid plastic roofing from Home Depot. The heavy duty 30 mil tarps were supplied by Tarpsnow.com. They are available in many sizes or custom sizes. I hung it with screws along the deck beam and posts, and secured to the bottom with 1x1 lengths along bottom.
     Three sides covered with clear products and back of house and slider on the other. Keeps the wind out and if I need heat I have the coffee table fireplace,( plenty of fresh air available, no CO issues thank you, I am a licensed professional). In summer I have mesh tarps from Harbor Freight for bug screen. T.V and cable connections, a smokers paradise. Not at all expensive to have temp walls if you have something similar. I can slide open the clear corrugated wall behind me for more or less airflow, usually a prevailing wind from one end to another, and the room can get up to 60 or more degrees most days inside. So if the winter blues have you shivering while trying to enjoy a smoke, then look into some clear tarps for a quick enclosure setup.