An incredibly charming rendition of the bamboo billiard from American artisan, John Crosby. While hardly an exact analog, there are aspects to the bowl that take my mind (a bit) towards Safferling's 'Quail'. Any similarity ends right there, for John creates a clean, rakish contrail within the shank and bit, beautifully augmented with four knuckles of creamy bamboo. It had never occurred to me that the back slope of a quail-like bowl would lend itself so well to a streamline modernism. Thankfully, it occurred to John and he executed the concept in a wonderfully uncontrived manner. It's pretty easy to picture this pipe crooked in your index finger, wisps of fragrant smoke curling heavenward from the bowl, using the bit in a baton like manner to emphasize the more compelling points of a friendly debate. Well, that last part is probably just me, and probably the reason that everyone leaves the table when I pontificate.

Bear Graves