what are your hobbies

[sag111]

I was thinking as I read the threads that I know how most in here feel about politics and such but what do you do for fun.For me I love to go to the American river and pan for gold I dont get a lot but we do have fun.I am also building a strip built kayak for all the rivers and lakes we have around here.I head out as often as I can to the park and dig coins with my metal detictor and have quite q few gold and silver rings plus about 30 thousand coins.I love to garden and have plenty of people bringing me flowers to plant.Let me know a bit about yourself so we can realey get to know each other better then just how we vote.O yea I love to blog

[DeaconBlues]

In the past few years, I have given up most every hobby I had; I no longer SCUBA dive, I no longer skeet shoot, I no longer target shoot (forever ago, I was quite a good shot, now I could not hit the broad side of a barn), I quit all the fun and interesting things.

For the past four years, I have been more or less imprisoned here in Arizona. You know, family obligations and all that shit. I have learned a LOT about automotive repair, and I have been forced to learn how to fix cars on my own because I cannot afford to pay someone else to do it. So now I am a "shadetree mechanic."

Recently, I have been trying, and not too much succeding, to germanate and grow some trees. Oddly, I find it frustrating but interesting. The type of tree that has me so interested, is the "black locust" tree (robina pseudoacacia), it is a VERY remarkable and interesting tree (try a web search for black locust tree, it has a fascenating history and amazing qualities!)

Now, re-reading that above paragraph I realize how pathetic and boring a person I am, that I can be fascenated and excited about something so boring as a tree type. I guess I am just a typical middle aged nobody who is going through "male menapause."

[sag111]

Yes Black Locust is a very interesting and very beautiful wood and I have made some very nice toys out of that wood now that said good luck on growing them.

[DeaconBlues]

Sag111, you might not know this, maybe you do... But the really unique characteristic of the black locust wood, is that is FLORESCES under black light. I have a few sample cuts, chunks of it, and it GLOWS under black light, not the whole wood, the bark and outer layer does NOT glow, but the "heart wood" which appears dark in normal light, will glow sort of yellow under black light. I have notices that the fresher the cut, the brighter the glow, the blocks that have been out for a while and dried out do not glow so much.

Additionally.... black locust wood is INCREADIBLY hard, at least on par with hickory according to what I have read, and it resist rot at least as well as teak wood. It is a good wood for marine use, making boats.

The black locust tree was almost lost to the last ice age, but a small number survived in what is now the ozark mountains.

The species was first brought to Europe and cultivated there by the French scientists Jean Robin and his son Vespasian in 1688. It is named after him (ROBINA pseudoacacia).

It is also an excellent fire wood, one cord will produce at least as much heat as one ton of coal, but it is much too precious to waste in the wood stove.

The tree has an extremely broad tollerance of Ph extremes, will grow in alkili soil where no others will grow, will grow in acidic soil where no others will grow.

Though indigenous to the Ozark Mountains, it was brought west by settlers, and oddly enough, miners, because the tree was able to take root even in mine tailings. Additionally, the wood's strength and resistance to rot made it excellent for mine timbers, it is better than cedar for fence posts.

OK, so I know more damn trivia about black locust wood than anyone would care to know... SO WHY have my efforts to get the seedlings growing been so damn dismall?

I germanated 72 seeds this spring, now I only have 12 alive, and two of those are like bonsai trees, no more than ten to twelve inches tall, the other ten, are scattered between three feet to seven feet tall. I sure wish I knew what made that ONE grow right, and the others stunted. I used the same soil mix in all the pots. I hope to put the ten good ones in the ground next spring. But I had much higher hopes, I had wanted to be a latter day "Jonny Appleseed," guess I fancied myself "The Black Locust Avenger" or something. From what I READ it should be easy to get these trees going, but my experiences are pretty disappointing so far.

Anyone have any ideas on how I can supercharge my tree growing results? Any forrest rangers out there know much about making trees healthier?

[kristoff]

Interesting. Some of my hobbies are not really hobbies but avocations. Some would consider some of what I do taxing or a job, I don't. Others are more readily identifiable as "hobbies."

During late winter I do tax preparation work for folks. I love it. Interesting - I learned long ago to speak IRS as a language.

I am currently setting up a transitional living house for people coming out of treatment programs. I get to make use of some of my old profession (pshrink) and give a bit back to others.

I Like to make things with wood - my 2-1/2 car garage is set up as a full cabinet shop - very much an amateur though.

I have a mini-lathe mill that I use to turn and make custom pens and mechanical pencils out of woods, acrylics, bone, etc.

Haven't done it in some time, but I was once a rather accomplished leather carver and artisan. My greatest fun was to carve three-dimensional scenes in large pieces of leather, color (paint) them using herbal alcohol dyes and a couple of acrylics here and there, and frame them in my wood shop.

I do other things too, but not as a regular hobby. In between I do a lot of socializing...

[Uncle Flo]

Don't sleep much eh, kristoff? --FLO--

[FianceeUvBigGuy]

Yoli is in da' house! ('cause I'm working at home!)

Hobbies? Well, let me seeeeeee...

Shopping
Good eats/cooking
Shopping
Partying
Shopping
Secks
Shopping
More Secks
Shopping
Hunting
Shopping
Fishing
Shopping
Melting credit cards (See: Shopping)
Swimming
Shopping
Pampering myself (with the help of pedicure/manicure specialists, masseuses, hair messer-withers.)
BUT NO WAXING! 'Cause I'm pretty much a "Spanish Hairless" breed, 'cept for my head, of course
Shopping
Learning more re: Castration
Shopping
Aggravating car salespersons
Shopping

I occasionally drag out my flute and sit by the pool, playing a piece by Chaminade...very sweet melody and very soothing.

Back to work, Yoli!!!

Love to all,

Yolanda

[wolfpuck]

ok well here's my list of hobbies
pc games
console games
movies
walking
staring at motorcycles (until i get one)
cooking
eating
comics
cartoons
playing pool
and doing Jackass stunts with my buddy chris.
well... and just about anything else i can find to do free.

[ramses]

My hobbies include SCUBA, shooting hand guns and long guns, playing guitar (i suck at it), blogging here. I really want a motorcycle but it would piss everyone that know me off. I'm thinking of getting a street legal dirt bike and start doing some track racing. That may also ease wife into the idea of me riding!

I used to do a lot of hiking in the mountains and have summited several of the larger peaks in Washington state (Ranier, Adams, St. Helens). I go through spurts in reading sometimes. Last year I read Anne Rice's Vampire series and Witching Hour Series. Both were awesome.

I just bought another road bike and am getting back into cycling. I'm going to try and get in the best shape of my life this year. Already lost 30 lbs and feeling great. But more than anything, I like spending my time with my little girls (age 2.5, and 7.5). They are incredibly smart and beautiful and light up any room! I'm not biased though... :-)

I almost forgot, I love to cook! I can make a gumbo to die for or hand mad chicken enchiladas as well as grilling and BBQ. I'm really the only cook at my house. Everything the queen makes has directions on the side. Uh, don't tell her I said that. OK? :-)

[sag111]

Wow I love this because when we talk about what we do we put some depth in who we are and what we like.I would love to see some of your work Krister and I bet you would love some of that Black Locust wood to work with as it is very beautiful for pens and so on.Watch thoes thorns on thoes trees pervert.

[gandalf]

Well, I play the piano and organ ...by ear
I piece quilt tops
build furniture, the latest being marble inlaid end tables (the marble is from Italy when We were over there.
Photography
travel
crunises in the Caribbean
cooking and baking.

[A-1]

Well, I play the piano and organ ...by ear
I piece quilt tops
build furniture, the latest being marble inlaid end tables (the marble is from Italy when We were over there.
Photography
travel
crunises in the Caribbean
cooking and baking.

...does it leave marks on you face...?



...does mine...

[Daughter]

My hobbies include reading, playing Guitar Hero, shopping, cooking and baking, wasting time on the internet, travelling, having people shove sharp pieces of metal through random parts of my body and getting tattooed.

[gandalf]

Hasn't left any yet. With the word "organ" in there, I thought I better qualify what was meant.

[Paolo]

I used to enjoy photography.

My hobbies now include taking care of a 9 yo. a couple days a week.
Chasing 2 - 15-yo's around most of the week.
Keeping tabs on a 19 yo. out in the real world now.
Wondering if a 17 yo. is in as much trouble as I think he is.

Then there's the baseball / fallball photos. Football photos.
Then there's work.
Then there's Grandpa ... Mac would appreciate that one.

Sometimes I get to watch a movie and chat on the phone in the evenings.