Hobbies and Other Interests

Love to read everyone's hobbies!
As John said, I love photography and artsy stuff, too.

I have always loved photography, and because of soccerfreaks, I am now obsessed with Instagram. Which then led to my new interest in photo editing, which I think is seriously cool. You can view my work, here:


SWEETBLOOD22 PHOTOS

I am not as good with pastels as John is. Here is my very first try at one:

SWEETBLOOD22 PASTEL

Jan Trinks said:

My Hobbies
John:

Here is what I do (and this is a fun thing you started). My mother was a super seamstress, unfortunately I did not follow that path (I'm the one who takes pants to the cleaners to be hemmed. I do sew buttons on and patch things) however, I am whiz bang at counted cross stitch needle work but since Charlie has passed away I have learned to knit and crochet. I just love it. It does go faster than x-stitch but I still enjoy doing that too. However knitting or crocheting is easy to do while watching TV and still be able to keep up with what's going on! I also love to cook and bake. So that's my hobbies for fun.

Jan (Basketcase)

Interesting topic indeed
Some very talented folks on the board. I have always enjoyed playing chess and still try and play as often as I can find another human being that knows how. Computers are just not the same as people are much more sinister. Running was always a huge passion and I have run a handful of Chicago Marathons. My left knee is causing me fits and I'm lucky to run at all these days. I currently enjoy pilates and yoga. I enjoy model trains and had a significant multi layered O gauge layout complete with trestles and switch yards but the wife reclaimed the basement and the trains are all in boxes. The cat however really enjoyed the trains as one of the cars was an aquarium that cycled a stream of fish around, choo-choo everyone.

My hobbies
Nice thread here--to see different sides of everyone who comes here for our one common reason. I have been a runner for many years and have been able to get back to that after treatments ended 3 years ago. My wife and I enter chili cookoffs that are within 4-6 hours drive from Atlanta. We get to meet a lot of great people, see some new places, and of course taste some great chili. Our goal is to qualify for the national championships for the two major chili organizations. My wife came very close to that by finishing second in a regional event last weekend--if she had placed first, she would have qualified for the ICS national. I am still trying to get medical clearance to SCUBA dive again--which is my all-time favorite hobby. My next favorite hobby is to build stereo speakers--and hope to get back to that once I can put my home workshop back into working order.

nwasen said:

hobbies and interests
Great subject!! and you are very talented John!!
*photography; been active since 1977 when I got my first 35mm. Used to shoot alot of dog shows, now just do for fun
*put together benefits...one this year "Rock This Town" with 6 bands and $$ going to our local Hospice and the Ashland County Cancer Association
*gardening-heirloom seeds only and no pesticides
*live music shows. I try and go to 2 a month up in Cleveland.
*reading
*movies
*crocheting-just got back into it after a dry spell since the 1970's
*cooking-love trying new recipes. Work part time as a server/bartender for an upscale caterer, so am always trying new foods....alittle tougher since the damn cancer but still fun

there you go
I had just put in a brand new garden when this cancer caused me to divert my energies last year. It was made of hardpan clay i had hauled in. I got a few things planted and the summer burned evverything up in our area. So I hauled in three pickup loads of compost last fall, and am planting like crazy right now. So far what's in includes broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce, kale, collards, spinach, peas, brussels sprouts. I'm not the purist that you are, but I certainly enjoy gardening!

Hobbies and Interests
Let me start off by saying I'm in complete awe of talent displayed by Dawn and John. Thank you for posting your work. Growing up I followed in the footsteps of my brother (10 months older) who was known for his artistic skills and still is today. I always heard (after they saw my art work) "Oh I thought you said you were Paul's sister" and he was voted most artistic in middle school and high school. Not me...can't draw or paint and his art teachers were shocked that we were related.

John-you should definitely think about submitting a piece of your work for consideration for the federal duck stamp. Not sure if you're familiar with Maryland's Eastern Shore but they host the Maryland Waterfowl Festival and they had some kind of involvement with the stamp or the artist was honored at the event. It's a great festival and your art work with fit in nicely.

Back to the topic of hobbies/interest. Since I initially joined on Mike's behalf, I will share some of his interests first.

-He LOVES hunting, fishing and anything outdoors.
-I'm adding boating separately-his fishing boat is is pride/joy but he hasn't been able to take it out since he was diagnosed but he did fish last year, just not on his boat. Hopefully this summer
-Our dogs. We have 2 labs-Chelsea (chocolate) and Popeye (yellow)
-"tinkering" in the garage with his gadgets, guns, fishing rods (how many does one need anyway?), 4-wheeler, tractor, truck, etc...LOL

Now my interests
-anything craft (knitting, crochet,sewing, scrap booking)
-working in my garden
-the dogs (sometimes I'll take them over everyone else)
-I manage a USA swim club in my spare time. My daughter swam for years and once she stopped swimming club,I couldn't give it up so I stayed on. She now swims in college and I'm the "swim mom" there...yeah me.
-I use to run and even did a 5k for Susan G. but eventually gave it up because of back pains. Now I just walk.
-reading

It's nice to read everyone's posts about their hobbies/interests

Chris

Hondo said:

Hi John
Yes I must say very good thread indeed.

My Hobbies are
Model Rockets
Model RCA Air planes & Boats
Fishing but not as much as I would like too
I still love scuba Diving but can’t because of the ear problems, but still looking for any way I can to get under the water, ROV or Min Sub.
Small Engine Repairs
And Best of all Preaching

Still loving live 3 times cancer survivor and no plans on giving up yet.
No wonder I don’t have any spare time.
Hondo

Good thread....
.......as usual Skiff

Fishing, hiking, kayaking, backpacking, nature-viewing, Taiji, volunteering at local dog shelter, and trying to get back into photography (but no time!)

Greg

Hondo said:

Hi John
Yes I must say very good thread indeed.

My Hobbies are
Model Rockets
Model RCA Air planes & Boats
Fishing but not as much as I would like too
I still love scuba Diving but can’t because of the ear problems, but still looking for any way I can to get under the water, ROV or Min Sub.
Small Engine Repairs
And Best of all Preaching

Still loving live 3 times cancer survivor and no plans on giving up yet.
No wonder I don’t have any spare time.
Hondo

So much talent here!
John...your art is AMAZING, it just draws a person in! I've gone back three times to look.

For myself, I guess it's my animals...the horses and my dog. Tho they feel like family, in reality, they are a hobby. I spend a lot of time in the spring, summer and fall, making sure our pastures are lush and weed free (I pull them, instead of using chemicals)...and my Moj helps me...no kidding, we call him "MoJo the weedeater". If I miss one, he'll stand over it, staring at it.... and will NOT budge until I come back and pull it...bossy boy.

We live at the edge of Glacier Nat'l Park, and in the old days when the horses were younger, we'd haul them to Nat'l and State forests to do our riding. Now, we stay pretty close to home when we ride.

I'm a decent carpenter, too...I love remodeling. My girlfriend's husband is a carpenter and we have talked about after retirement we'd do remodeling as a little side business...

p

Skiffin16 said:

Pastels...
Dawn, you are better than me with pastels....LOL, I don't use them. The Prismacolor is actually higher end colored pencils...mainly color suspended in a wax base.

I have did a few pastels, but hard to keep my hands out of them.

For me art has been a progression, starting from pencil, pastel, oil, then acrylic and finally colored pencil.

I do the latter two more than anything when I force myself to make time.

I usually have at least one thing on the board, just to keep me into it, and several ideas on my mind.

I try to visit out door art shows to keep my juices flowing as well.

I played with serigraphy (silk screen) for a while, but never spent time to become good at it.

MarineE5, I have a pretty messed up background ancestry wise.

I grew up basically as an only child, then through the years, I'm now at the point of having eight half brothers and sisters.... Four of them, I'm the oldest, and the other four, I'm the youngest.

I actually met my blood father once, I wasn't sure if he was at the time, and he didn't volunteer information.

Later after he passed away, his wife told their four daughters... They spent 10+ years looking for me and eventually found me through my wife's FaceBook, LOL...

That was the year after I finished up Cancer treatment....

Best,
John

Correction
Ok, I didn't mean "pastels". I guess I should have said drawing/artwork. I used pastel pencils.