List Your Other Hobbies Here.

Zhumel Z10. Do you use a TELRAD? The skies really opened up when I made the switch.

 

i do. i have a spotting scope on it too, but i much prefer the telrad.
i'd love to have a reflector, not sure if i'd rather have a dob or newtonian though... this lx200 is amazing in general, but with it's focal length/f-ratio it's no match for a reflector of the same aperture for deep space objects. i'd love to have a takahashi apo too, but i don't think that will ever happen, lol. my brother in law actually let me borrow this lx200 5 or 6 years ago, and i don't think he ever expects it back. he gave me several hundred dollars worth of lenses too, but i like the good ol' 26 plossl for all around viewing.

 

My previous scope was on a Newtonian mount and, well, if you aren't taking long exposure pics I don't recommend it. Most of the eye pieces I frequent are wideview-- really handy for zeroing in on dimmer objects.

 

photography/ccd setup is actually what i was thinking about doing. for a while i was looking at the orion atlas 8 or 10... now it looks like they've both gone up about $400 since then

 

Motorcycles, well dirt bikes desert racing and a thing called enduros which are like a rally race (times and locations) in the woods.

Homebrew. I've got to be up near 100 gallons now made and comsumed by me. Two corny kegs.

RVs. I tow around a 30 foot RV trailer with a diesel ford pickup. Usually we head east towards the dry part of WA to escape the rain.

Pumpkins. 93 big ones this year.

Now chainsaws, just picked up my third saw from HD, a used makita 6421.

 

Let me see...

• R/C airplanes - both flying and building including detailed large scale (gas power) models. Everything but jets so far.
• R/C Helicopters - same. but none of those quad things
• Restoring our antique house
• Vintage audio - old 60s vacuum tube hifi gear, vinyl records, homebuilt speakers
• PC building, networking the house - not much anymore
• Hiking/backpacking/camping - havent in years but want to get back into as the kids grow up
• DIY everything around the house (painting, carpentry, electrical, some plumbing, a little bit of masonry, car repair) - does this count as a hobby?
• collecting tools

I was into astronomy as a kid... had a couple cheap refractors but always wanted to get one of those cool Celestron or Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes. Maybe when the kids get older I'll do astronomy with them.

You might be surprised being a borderline lib I also used to be really big into target shooting (rifle and handgun both) in school and was on the college team. At one point I wanted to collect old service rifles like the 1903 and Garand, etc... but the wife has a no guns in the house policy so that's not happening.


Edit - I forgot to add a couple-

Sailing... I was in the sailing club in college as well. 4.2m race sailboats. Been years since I was out on a boat but maybe someday.

Old cars. Always wanted to try my hand at a restoration. My interest ran more to old 50s-60s European sports cars than muscle cars however (vintage Prosches, Alfas, British cars etc... yeah I know most of them are unreliable POSs he he). I also thought having a reaallllly old car - think brass era/ model T etc would be interesting.

 

Keep them in the shop

 

Hobby lately, other than firewood and this FHC forum, has been coming up with gear/contraptions/set-ups that will counter gravity... to keep my firewood activity enjoyable as long as possible. Most of my old hobbies are in the rearview mirror these days... skiing, ultralight, motorcycle, music, snowsled. Still like to get around in an ole Jeep tho... my 4 wheel bike in the summer, with the doors off. Enjoy snow... lots of it... like snow shoeing and tugging logs on snow with the ATV.

 

Why can't you enjoy some music now?

 

Backpacking/camping, most anything outdoors
Hoarding of the wood
FHC
Being in the woodshop (when I'm not working my two full time jobs)
Range time and soon to be reloading

 

Most of my other hobbies also revolve around wood, trees, and outdoor fitness. Besides hauling, splitting, and stacking 10 full cords of firewood - all by hand - so far this year, I also enjoy:

• Planting and transplanting trees
• Cutting them down
  
• DIY home improvement
• Woodworking and collecting woodworking tools
• Milling lumber
  
• Hiking in my woods
• Cooking, especially BBQ'ing, and desserts
• Sand volleyball in the spring/summer, and indoor through the fall/winter
• Push mowing my lawn (yes, I actually enjoy it - I have 2 riding mowers, but I don't mow the lawn with them )

My previous hobbies were computers and video games. That eventually turned into my job, now of 10 years since September. I'm seriously considering learning to climb trees; unfortunately that would probably have to remain a 2nd job, because it would probably be a pay cut...

 

Oh, I listen all the time... juz don't thrash on the drums much anymore.

 

Hobbies in reverse chronological order - *sort of*

• Gardening - Our neighbor cut quite a few oaks last fall, which gave us more sunshine. I put in a very small garden and it was quite productive. I will enlarge it for next year.
• Firewood cutting/heating
• Cooking - Just plain old enjoy it. No breads or dessert work. Love to eat stews and soups with some good bakery bread.
• Motorcylcing - esp. in the hills and mountains with curves. Always enjoyed road trips in a car and with the 'cycle seeing new things and new country.
• Photography - always had an interest going back to the '70s. General shutterbug for a long while. Then tried my hand at some concert photography and now dabbling in some portrait work.
• Computers/technology - esp. Macs. Started with DOS back in the late '90s. Went through Windows up to XP. I took a few college courses in Comp Sci wanting to know more about programming and databases. Still have my hand in it at a very small parochial school: 2 days a week; I am help desk, photographer, web guy, and general IT.
• Fishing - Addicted to it for a while. Largemouth bass for a few years and then some light saltwater in the Delaware Bay. Boy, I loved it for a bunch of years.
• Music - Used to play a bit of guitar. Now it sits in its stand and I look at it a lot. I'm being nudged to pick it up. What I love doing now is post-processing concert or portrait photos and having the music cranked while I work. Now thats a great hobby!

Looking at the list, I still do everything except motorcycling and fishing.

 

That is cool bigfrank!

 

You have your priorities straight WeldrDave . Good to see!

 

Hobbies eh. Hmmmm. I actually need to dedicate myself to a hobby or two that I like to do. Something I enjoy and can do instead of working on another project. LOL.

I like c/s/s firewood, tractors, trucks, running and strength training, hiking, eating(lol). I use to hunt but got away from it because I was always wondering what else I could be getting done instead of sitting here waiting for a friggin deer to walk by . Hmmmm. I needs to thinks on this a bit. Good thread. This may help me get to the point of slowing down, a bit, and smelling the roses a little more.

 

I do a lot of stuff, so to speak. DIY projects, volunteering, the list goes on. But, none of those really qualify as hobbies for me.

That said, the only thing other than flipping chainsaws I do that could truly be considered a hobby is running. Specifically distance trail running. Nothing better for my head than hours alone putting miles on in the woods powered by nothing more than my two feet!

 

Alright! Maybe your trail running will pressure me into getting out there running more often. I had slacked off a lot this past year because of the fact that we bought this piece of property and I have been doing so much work to it that I wanted to get done. Still have a lot more I want to do, but need to do that a little at a time and still get out there and enjoy the family and a few other things I like to do. I am back into the routine of running every other day now. Not very far, but it is better than nothing.

 

That's awesome - any running is better than nothing!

 

This is the first year in a while where I did not run a half marathon in the fall. I just did not dedicate enough time to train for it this year. So I am skipping it this year and will make sure I do it next year. I need to get back into hiking some mountains as well. That is really fun! (I think I like lunch at the top the best though.What? It's the view!)