Hobbies

[jimmym]

Visiting lighthouses volunteering and with lighthouse organizations.

Esther and I have been to over 300 lighthouses mostly since 1999 in much of the US and a number of other countries.

It's fun and you get to meet some grat people and see some beautiful areas .

Dennis

That's one of the best from the view of an old lightship sailor. They are amazing. We used to service the one at Saint George's Reef and in a storm (You don't wait for pretty weather....) the transfer's got pretty hairy! The Coast Guardsmen who were stationed there loved the duty. My older brother was at the lighthouse at Woods Hole, Mass. years ago.
It's lonely duty but it's very zen like and it changes a person.

I really want to learn to play chess (No, I don't have a clue...) so I might advertise in the paper for someone who will teach a beginner.

I may be wrong, but I think they have electronic hand held chess games that will teach you how to play.

[Lonesomedave]

I may be wrong, but I think they have electronic hand held chess games that will teach you how to play.

Thanks Jimmy, I'll look into that. I have a good friend who was going to teach me to play but he's had two strokes since. He's doing fine but he also got remarried, started playing the banjo again (He had been playing since the 30's when he was a boy) and he's been working at the, "Home Town Opry" on Fridays as well.
Not bad for a 76 year old fellow!

[ctlegend]

I am still working.
My day off is (Wednesday) on a good day, I will walk our dog for 40 minutes. Run some errands. Then I usually tinker around with writing. I have written some true-life stories and I am writing a fictional story right now. Family and friends have read my stories.
Golf is fun, but expensive and I don`t golf much anymore... you have to play at least 2 or 3 times a month to maintain a (good?) score. I don`t have time to play twice a month.
CT

[studiogirl]

After mulling this over for a day, I thought of something else...not a hobby per se, but something to think about.

I have friends here in Santa Barbara who travel every summer to Europe for little more than the cost of airfare because they do house swaps. I've looked into it myself and will actively pursue it in a couple of years when I talk George into retiring.

There are numerous reliable organizations that help match up travelers. My friends had a cat or two, so they found a French couple who also had pets, so they were comfortable with taking care of each others's pets. They also worked out car usage...international driver's licenses and insurance, etc.

They have been thrilled with their experiences. They've had no problems with anyone who stays at their place, and have enjoyed England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany and Portugal. I think next year they're going to Italy.

Outside of airfare and some reasonable travel costs, the expense is about the same as daily living...particularly if you dine in and have a vehicle to use. However, eating out and renting a car are probably not much different than doing that on vacation in the U.S.

I can't remember the name of the organization my friends use, but I can get it. Seems like a very cool way to travel almost anywhere.

[LJH]

I kinda suffer from 'Postman's Day Off' syndrome in that I sew and quilt for a living and when I have time off, I sew & quilt for fun. It's very cool to have a job you love that much. Also love to hike in my mountains, woodworking, building dry-stack stone walls, drawing (used to do that for a living), and hanging with my critters.

In days of yore, I pretty much lived every spare moment on my dirt bike, but I'm too stinkin' old for that now.

[Lonesomedave]

I kinda suffer from 'Postman's Day Off' syndrome in that I sew and quilt for a living and when I have time off, I sew & quilt for fun. It's very cool to have a job you love that much. Also love to hike in my mountains, woodworking, building dry-stack stone walls, drawing (used to do that for a living), and hanging with my critters.

In days of yore, I pretty much lived every spare moment on my dirt bike, but I'm too stinkin' old for that now.

That's a good selection.
I do have one thing in that range and it's kind of a hobby and I've been doing it since I was 8 years old (No, not that.....) and that's ironing. I taught myself to iron as a boy, before stay pressed stuff and now it's a relaxation sort of thing. Great when you've got a game on or some sporting event.
I actually made a lot of money in the military ironing dress blues for other sailors and as a lower ranking sailor I had to do a turn in the ships laundry once a year. You were required to work for ten hours a day on the crew's laundry but after hours, you did the officers and chief's and they paid and usually tipped as well so I'd stay up most of the night making money by doing the extra's. A lot of the guys would bring in stuff from home and I'd do that on my weekends (In port.)
I found out a lot about pond sailing and some of those boats are huge! You could almost sit on some of them! There are some that are nice and not too expensive so I need to check into the pond and see if that's doable.

[MartinG]

I don't really have a hobby...unless you consider eating a hobby. Maybe cooking?

I thought your hobby was "being silly" ?!?!

And what about wine appreciation, working out, ziplining and white water rafting ?

[studiogirl]

I don't really have a hobby...unless you consider eating a hobby. Maybe cooking?

I thought your hobby was "being silly" ?!?!

And what about wine appreciation, working out, ziplining and white water rafting ?

Martin...being silly is my job.

In all seriousness, working out, ziplining and whitewater rafting are activities I enjoy but not hobbies. Sadly, wine appreciation is something I experience only when I buy something over $10.

I honestly do think of cooking as a hobby, in addition to being a necessity (for us). I enjoy putting something together with what I have on hand -- that's the hobby part of it.

A lot of people (most?) find meal planning, cooking and cleaning up to be drudge work (I agree with the cleaning up part) but it has become an enjoyable thing for me to think about and act on throughout the day...each day. I've always felt that my garden is my palette, the kitchen is my studio and the plate is my painting. Sounds like a hobby to me!!

Dave...shall I sign you up for Gourmet or Bon Appétit so you can start "painting"? Great fun, satisfying, good for you (or it can be).... You could do an internship at 21 & Main...LOL

[greggroyce]

What started out as "hobbies" for me usually turned into carrears such as music,
racing electric and gas radio-controlled cars but one hobby I got into about 4 years ago which I truly enjoy is my saltwater aquarium.

Kinda pricey for all the different pieces of living
coral but well worth the enjoyment!

[wini]

I really want to learn to play chess (No, I don't have a clue...) so I might advertise in the paper for someone who will teach a beginner.

In Germany there are "open air" chess boards in some parks where people can play, so you can hang around, learn and meet new people. I guess there should be some of these in the US, too ...