Hobbies: what do you do, or want to do?

Dexter Sinister

Unspecified Specialist
Oct 1, 2004
10,168
536
113
Regina, SK
I thought about putting this in the Fun and Jokes thread, 'cause it is about fun things, but it doesn't have the joking content the threads in there have, so I put it here. No doubt the cosmic Cosmo or the mighty Haggis McBossMod will move it if they think it should be somewhere else.

I took early retirement in April of 2005, and decided to take a year off before starting anything else. I had a long list of books I wanted to read and think about, which I've made a good start on. I taught myself to play guitar from books and tapes a hundred years ago, or so it seems now, and I've been working on improving my skills. I've been an amateur photographer for 40 years and acquired the magnificent Nikon D70s digital camera and have been exploring its features. And of course this place is an endless source of stimulation and I think counts as a hobby too.

None of that surprised me, I'd planned on them, but one thing did. I have long had a fascination with large naval vessels, for reasons I couldn't begin to explain, and in my youth built dozens of models of them. In retirement I find that long dormant interest has revived. I bought a couple of cheap 1:350 scale Lindbergh kits of HMS Hood and DKM Bismarck, and painstakingly painted and assembled them as they appeared in their final sorties in May of 1941. I discovered that one of the reasons they're cheap is because they're not accurate. But I had such fun with them I spent $100 on a beautifully detailed Tamiya model at 1:350 scale of USS Missouri, and ordered another, of HMS King George V, then I bought an airbrush, and an air compressor, and multiple little hobby tools... I'm hooked again, but this time with the level of income that lets me do them up right.

So, what hobbies do you have, or want to have? If time and money were freely available for whatever hobbies interest you, what would you do?

And just to maybe help motivate this a bit, here's a picture of Bismarck and Hood as I built them, taken with my wonderful Nikon D70s: :
 

Haggis McBagpipe

Walks on Forum Water
Jun 11, 2004
5,085
7
38
Victoria, B.C.
That sounds like a great hobby, Dex! The tiny detail of such work takes patience and a steady hand, I should think.

My hobby certainly seems to be this forum, ha ha, like you, and, like you, I like taking pictures. I finally broke down and bought a digital camera awhile back, and my, it sure is fun. The camera has the option of completely manual settings, which I like.
 

Sassylassie

House Member
Jan 31, 2006
2,976
7
38
Nice work Dexter, my husband is a carver and he started out with duck decoys and now carves Bagpipers, golfers etc. he is currently turning old wooden golf clubs in ducks, loons, and puffins. Now what are my hobbies: Restoring Antiques, attending actions--lord the characters you meet at auctions. I am a gardening/landscaping fanatic. I also collect vintage clothing and fabric. God what a dull duck I am.
 

Sassylassie

House Member
Jan 31, 2006
2,976
7
38
I bought my other half a CD from Lee Valley on how to play the harmonica. God what a mistake that was, he goes down to the "Man Pad" and plays Bob Dylon. The pain, the pain.
 

Dexter Sinister

Unspecified Specialist
Oct 1, 2004
10,168
536
113
Regina, SK
Well now, my thanks to those who responded, but I really expected to get more than this, and I'm a bit disappointed in this thread I started.

Am I to believe that in this eclectic and interesting group of almost 4300 registered users there are only *THREE* people with anything to say about their hobbies? Are there no quilters out there? No model builders? No model railroaders? No amateur astronomers? Nobody into RC airplanes? No stamp collectors? Painters? Sketchers? Photographers? Anyone?
 

FiveParadox

Governor General
Dec 20, 2005
5,875
43
48
Vancouver, BC
I like discussing and debating Canada.

I like studying languages.
I am studying English.
J'étude le français.
私は日本語を勉強します。

:)
 

Nuggler

kind and gentle
Feb 27, 2006
11,596
140
63
Backwater, Ontario.
8O 8O YA REALLY WANNA KNOW :?: :?: The reticence of posting hobbies may be due to the fact that most folks don't like talking about themselves..............??? Dunno. But, just for the wellness of the forum.............bla bla bla...........

Like SassieLassie's husband in the man room crankin out Dylan.... :lol: :lol: :lol: (damn I can relate to that). He and I should hook up :lol: :lol:..

My two sons and I have played guitar for as long as the river has ru.........well, not that long.....When my retirement came along, I started playing mandolin. :roll: Two years later, my dear wife even says she likes the sound. There is almost unlimited amount of learning material on the net and it has been most helpful. Not like learning the guitar way back when........buy a book and try and tune by ear and smash away :D :D

Also, very briefly, wood carving, carpentry, fly tying, fishing, camping, painting, doing day trips with my wife and dog up to the back country, canoeing, photography.

Enough already............somebody else's turn........

:!: :wink:
 

Haggis McBagpipe

Walks on Forum Water
Jun 11, 2004
5,085
7
38
Victoria, B.C.
Okay, I should add that I also like making nekkid people out of clay.

Then there is a song that I created on the piano. It's rather lovely, and quite long, but unfortunately I am not good enough at writing music to get the notes down on paper. As a result, the song lives in my head. I play it once in awhile so that it doesn't disappear from my mind, as so many other things are wont to do. I only have the one song at the moment, because if I start messing around with any other before I get this one down, this one is toast for sure. A bit of a pain, really, but that's okay, since I am as well. :lol: