Other hobbies

[Fishmanic]

I have a few chipmunks who dug homes in my backyard. One is under the shed, one just above the back steps , and one in the middle of the lawn. They're cute so I do feed them. I buy unsalted almonds just for them.

 

[jaylach]

I have a few chipmunks who dug homes in my backyard. One is under the shed, one just above the back steps , and one in the middle of the lawn. They're cute so I do feed them. I buy unsalted almonds just for them.

LOL! Try giving them some soft caramel! It is like a dog with a mouthful of peanut butter.

 

[emeraldking]

What kind of photography? I do a bit myself, mostly critters and scenic. I have a Cannon EOS Rebel T3. Sadly I only have two lenses, the original 18-55 MM and my pride and joy, a 75-300 MM telephoto with image stabilization. If you are ever looking for gear make sure to check out B&H at

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/

My 75-300 MM was a $650.00 lens that I paid $300.00 through B&H.

Here is some of my stuff:

Animals

Scenic

Wyoming mountains

Macro photography of insects.
I've got a Canon EOS 450D And three separate lenses.

 

[Fishmanic]

So @Back in the fold
It’s been about 2 years since you started building this ship.
Is this going to take as long as it took to build Noah’s ark…120 years? How’s this project coming along.
Post some of your latest pics of the build.

 

[Back in the fold]

So @Back in the fold
It’s been about 2 years since you started building this ship.
Is this going to take as long as it took to build Noah’s ark…120 years? How’s this project coming along.
Post some of your latest pics of the build.

I keep looking at it up on the shelf and I really want to finish it . It was a $1200 dollar model so I HAVE to finish it but I want to do a good job . A dozen irons in the fire and none of them are heating up .

 

[MuddyWaters]

This thread has been around for a long time, but I'll chime in. I like to read (historical fiction, fantasy, Sci Fi, biographies, some classics), golf (I suck, but it's great practice for patience), video games (although I haven't played a single game in about 8 months- does it still count?).

I became obsessed with my aquariums over the last months. Now, however, things are settling down- not as much research, etc. needed as before. I am biding time looking for the right moment to announce to my wife that I'm going to build a 29 gallon reef tank in the office downstairs, but that's going to take awhile LOL.

In the meantime, I'm looking for something else to dive into. I've been losing weight (63 lbs so far) and I've told myself when I get to 280 (I'm tall, but was working on getting just as wide) I will buy a gravel road bike- I rode quite a bit in my younger years- really enjoyed it. So, that's one, but it's a few months away.

I have also considered picking up crocheting. My grandmother taught it to me when I was a kid- it was a way to keep me quiet LOL. When my Dad showed up to pick me up (we stayed with Granny for 3-4 weeks during the summers), he was horrified that my grandmother had taught me crocheting (different times then, folks). He didn't say anything, though- I found out years later that he asked her, "what are you teaching my son?!?" Anyway, I kept at it for about a year, but there's only so many things you can do with granny squares. My wife told me that crocheted clothing is back in style, so I thought it would be nice to pick it back up and do something for her. After all, it would keep me quiet .

I will say that my recent obsession with the aquariums really woke me up to how important it is for me to have something new and exciting to do. I get bored easily and when I get bored, my mind wanders and that is not good for me LOL.

Ok- ramble is over.

 

[davros]

I second B&H - and they ship to Canuckistan for free too!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I keep looking at it up on the shelf and I really want to finish it . It was a $1200 dollar model so I HAVE to finish it but I want to do a good job . A dozen irons in the fire and none of them are heating up . View attachment 337567

It'll still be there when you get back to it. Looks like it'll be worth the wait.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I will say that my recent obsession with the aquariums really woke me up to how important it is for me to have something new and exciting to do. I get bored easily and when I get bored, my mind wanders and that is not good for me LOL.

So, what's on your radar for future pursuits? I ask because it's the same for me. I'm always picking up new skills and trying new stuff. Many I dabble in for a while and then let go, like jujitsu, genealogy, and stone carving; others sort of capture me and become part of normal life, like building bows and drinking really good tea. Right now I'm kind of into bark tanning hides, and I suspect that's going to be one that sticks, just because working with leather is so relaxing and useful. Besides, if I'm going to kill an animal, I like to use as much of it as possible.

Somewhere down the road, I'm thinking about building an Otzi-style backpack. And when I retire, I really want to learn legit carpentry (not just pounding together stuff that works but looks like crud), maybe even cabinetry. That would be a wonderful skill set to develop. And I want to try making a pow-wow drum for a Shoshoni-Arapaho friend. Maybe learn to make my own instruments some day. And learn to hunt predators, especially coyotes and bears. I wouldn't mind becoming an expert in primitive shelters and cob building. Then there are those two ideas for novels that have been kicking around in my head for several years...

Don't know if I'll get to half of that before I die, but I'll have some fun in the mean time. ha ha!

 

[simonas]

Aquariums are my main hobby but I am also majorly obsessed with bonsai, making model kits, cars repairing mine and driving them and football as I am an avid lifelong fan of manchester united

 

[Back in the fold]

So, what's on your radar for future pursuits? I ask because it's the same for me. I'm always picking up new skills and trying new stuff. Many I dabble in for a while and then let go, like jujitsu, genealogy, and stone carving; others sort of capture me and become part of normal life, like building bows and drinking really good tea. Right now I'm kind of into bark tanning hides, and I suspect that's going to be one that sticks, just because working with leather is so relaxing and useful. Besides, if I'm going to kill an animal, I like to use as much of it as possible.

Somewhere down the road, I'm thinking about building an Otzi-style backpack. And when I retire, I really want to learn legit carpentry (not just pounding together stuff that works but looks like crud), maybe even cabinetry. That would be a wonderful skill set to develop. And I want to try making a pow-wow drum for a Shoshoni-Arapaho friend. Maybe learn to make my own instruments some day. And learn to hunt predators, especially coyotes and bears. I wouldn't mind becoming an expert in primitive shelters and cob building. Then there are those two ideas for novels that have been kicking around in my head for several years...

Don't know if I'll get to half of that before I die, but I'll have some fun in the mean time. ha ha!

I love this ! This sums up my philosophy perfectly . Picking up new skills and trying new stuff . Don’t know if I’ll get to half of it before I croak but I’ll have some fun in the meantime . Try new things , learn new skills and see what you can do . Some skills come in handy and others are just fun but it beats sitting on your hands and wondering what you’re going to do tomorrow , which is usually nothing . No matter what you pick to do it’s been done before by plenty of other people and you’re just as tricky as any of them . They never did it before either .

 

[GaryE]

I need to follow that philosophy here. I am in a rut. I find tons of things that amuse me with the fish - and I am still learning how after 57 years. My other hobbies tended to fall away with age and injury (sports).
Since I started volunteering to teach English as a Second Language, I've been 're-animating' skills I made a living with until the early 1990s. Before I shifted to High School teaching, I taught English as a language for 17 years. The field has changed, but not much. The big change is me, and I have had to get my head into where it needs to be to do a good job. You have to quick on your feet with adult students, and constantly adapting. I start a new group of immigrant and refugee students this week, and have now been hired since we're building a program. I'll be training teachers.
This is a city that lost population on a large scale for close to 30 years. The sudden arrival of immigrants who like it here and want to try new things has been a gift. Like in a lot of small places, generations of the bright and curious have left for the larger cities, and those who stayed behind have too often been nostalgic and suspicious of changes. It isn't a place where language teachers abound, as new languages arriving was unexpected to locals planning ahead for careers.
That'll keep me busy, but unfortunately, it's something I've done before and that I just needed to resharpen.
Somehow, retirement has become semi-retirement with a couple of very part time jobs appearing.
I need to get hiking and occasionally kayaking when it gets warm enough.

 

[gwand]

I am mostly retired but still work part time as a researcher. I stopped seeing patients in 2018. Fish keeping has become one of my semi-retirement hobbies. I also love music from the baroque and classical era so I signed up for a 100 hour series of lectures by Robert Greenberg, composer and musicologist. I could never have made this commitment working full time. I am also an avid hiker and enjoy birding. I’m a gym nut. I work out in a gym almost every day. Volunteering has become sort of a hobby. I deliver hot meals to home-bound people every Wednesday. Very satisfying.

 

[GaryE]

I am mostly retired but still work part time as a researcher. I stopped seeing patients in 2018. Fish keeping has become one of my semi-retirement hobbies. I also love music from the baroque and classical era so I signed up for a 100 hour series of lectures by Robert Greenberg, composer and musicologist. I could never have made this commitment working full time. I am also an avid hiker and enjoy birding. I’m a gym nut. I work out in a gym almost every day. Volunteering has become sort of a hobby. I deliver hot meals to home-bound people every Wednesday. Very satisfying.

Baroque music is a fascination of mine. I am tone deaf and unable to look at how music is put together, but all of my fish know Bach, Vivaldi and Telemann very well. They're also experts on punk and African hip hop...
Maybe I need to get into birding. I'm never going to be a gym guy. I'm mining this thread for ideas.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I am mostly retired but still work part time as a researcher. I stopped seeing patients in 2018. Fish keeping has become one of my semi-retirement hobbies. I also love music from the baroque and classical era so I signed up for a 100 hour series of lectures by Robert Greenberg, composer and musicologist. I could never have made this commitment working full time. I am also an avid hiker and enjoy birding. I’m a gym nut. I work out in a gym almost every day. Volunteering has become sort of a hobby. I deliver hot meals to home-bound people every Wednesday. Very satisfying.

Baroque music is wonderful. Do you sing or play an instrument? It's never too late to take up the violin or the harpsichord. What kind of hiking is available in Maryland? When I travel back east I'm often surprised at how much wild country there still is, close to or even within major urban areas.

I need to work out more. At my current rate, I'm never going to make the olympic weight lifting team.