Hello and welcome
Hobbies fill space in your life, Make some time to make something!!!
We all have hobbies of some sort... Things we like to do when alone or with friends... This is a place to show and discuss that which makes you happy...
Me I'm into modeling, large, small, anything that strikes my fancy, cars, boats, ships, aircraft etc... I'm a member of several forums devoted to modeling for many years...
Come on in and look around, post yours, talk and discuss...
No politics, No hate... Most of all enjoy your time...
Nowhere Man
When I was a little kid, I used to collect coins, but never got too far with that. Then I graduated to photography, and it has been my hobby ever since. This was my first comera.
And I had a guidebook like this.
My best film camera was a Canon F1, a very professional film camera. I bought the first one sold in Toronto in the early 1970s.
When I had my first own home, I built a very professional darkroom and processed my own photos. I had a Leitz Focomat 1 enlarger which was a real treasure.
But eventually digital took over, and now I use a Panasonic camera with a 30X zoom Leica lens. My photos are well known on NT.
I've not been out and around much lately to take photos, but the nice weather will come again soon.
Mine is reading books, especially military history, fantasy, and Sci-Fi. I used to do plastic modeling but arthritis in my hands has put a crimp on that.
I love to read as well mostly history, some scifi, but a good historical novel will get me laying back till I fall asleep, sometimes before I finish the book {chuckle]
My eyes are beginning to get to me, so the modeling is slowing down though...
Didn't Bruce do models of subs, or something.
He may have leaned conservative but I liked him.
My two favorite SciFi/Fantasy authors are David Weber and his Honor Harrington/Honorverse series, and Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarion/Paksworld series. Christopher Paolini's Eragon/Inheritance series as well.
Yeah it was his group that never took off, maybe if he had posted more to it...
David Weber I've heard about but not the other two... right now (for the last yew years at least) I've been into historical novels so the more recent Sci Fi has taken a back seat unfortunately, I still grab an Asimov or one of those Star Trek pulp paperbacks to fill in the bored spots every now and then...
The Eragon/Inheritance series is pretty good. Years ago they tried to make a movie about the first book and it was a total botch job from the get go.
No, the group worked well within itself. Just didn't wanna get involved in the FP BS - so we didn't.
He was building a large model of the USS Lapon, I assume, because he served on her.
He was also heavy into machining and making his own ammo and rifles.
He hasn't commented in 4 years.
Building The Uss Lapon: The Hull - Uncle Bruce | The NewsTalkers
I missed that one but it was posted to History, not his model forum which I had a couple of post to as well... He did a gun boat in that forum as well if I remember correctly... I just wish he had kept it going...
Bruce would have served on the USS Lapon SSN-661, what he ws building was the USS Lapon SS-260 an old WWII Gato class sub...
You must be talking about "The Usual Suspects" which was his private group, and is pretty much a defunct group now, I'm not a member anymore so I wouldn't know who is or isn't.. but the group still exists... We are talking about his model building group which doesn't appear to exist anymore...
If you haven't read it I would recommend, ''Korea, The Forgotten War'' by Max Hastings.
Actually, I have the book and it was interesting.
One I would recommend is On to Berlin by General James Gavin. Lots of good information there, although some of it reads like a commercial for the 82nd Airborne. Not surprising since General Gavin commanded the 82nd during WWII.
Some years ago I met a young Sergeant from the 82nd (on recruiting duty) and, wanting to find out how much they taught their people about the unit history, I asked him if he knew who was the most famous soldier in the 82nd. He thought General Gavin until I pointed out that; before it became an airborne division, the 82nd was an infantry division, called the All American Division (hence the AA on their shoulder patches). It was called that because, during WWI, they had soldiers from all 48 States. One of those soldiers was a Corporal from northern Tennessee named Alvin York.
Although I've been interested in WWII Special Operations history, largely because my high school history teacher was a Captain in the 101st Airborne during WWII, my main period of study was the period between 1880 and 1920. Very interesting transition period in both military and naval history.
A couple of years ago, Mac had some very interesting historical photos. Some of us had a lot of fun finding out more about them. Maybe he has some more.
Lately, I just haven't had much time to stop around. Wife has been in either hospital or rehab since last August. Covid was only a small piece of it. Three major surgeries. We're hoping to finally get her home sometime this week.
Kav, isn't that about the same time that you gave up jumping out of perfectly functioning airplanes and riding very fast motorcycles????
A good one I have is Savage Continent by Keith Lowe. The book deals with the aftermath immediately following the end of the war in Europe, which is something many people do not even think about. A fascinating read.
Yeah it is, and no one said or proven that they were perfectly functioning airplanes. It was also about the same time that I quit racing crackerboxes, hitting the beach at 60 mpg was a bit over the top even for me.
I hope that your wife is doing better.
I also enjoy reading and learning new things as I age...the curiosity of childhood has never faded.
YouTube is treasure trove of new subjects to explore.
Absolutely Greg, there is a whole world outside of politics... Science, telescopes.. I ground my first mirror when I was 15... One of the wonders of being retired is I can pursue just about anything I want to...
With the internet anyone can...
Pow Wow dancing, fishing, and studying history.
Pow Wow dancing is out at my age, fishing is still in as is history.
I've seen some of that Pow Wow dancing, you want to talk exercise? {chuckle} some of it will really get the heart racing... Two years ago I gave away most of my my fishing poles keeping only one, once a year I head down to the Cowlitz and try for a Steelhead, can't handle the hiking and packing in anymore...
Tell us more brother... everything is open territory here..
I was a Fancy Dancer and yes it is very exhausting. I still fish as often as possible and I've fished in many Bass tournaments, local not the FLW or that level, but my biggest largemouth is 11 lbs 8 oz and my largest smallmouth is 6 pounds even.
I've fished for steelhead in the Smith and Klamath rivers and on the ocean side, I have a 375 lb blue marlin and an 85 lb tarpon a 32 lb northern Pike and a 43 lb musky.
This is a Fancy Dancer (not me) the regalia is spectacular in most cases.
From the few I have seen, it does look physically demanding.
It is physically demanding that's why it's dance for younger men. I was in excellent shape but I finally quit when I turned 50.
Here is a little native hip hop with Supaman fancy dancing with Red Elk dancing the jingle dance.
The regalia is beautiful, took a while to make it I imagine... I'm down with that message, we need more messaging like that my friend....
Supaman is a joy to watch.
Typo on the weight of the tarpon, it should read 65 lbs not 85 lbs.
Aw that's ok, my only ocean fishing experience was as a boy with my father, he took me out on Long Island Sound off Block Island for some Cod Fishing once with his cousin... 10 foot swell in a 25' boat.. {chuckle} I was green most of the day... But he brought in the biggest fish I'd ever seen, was half again as long as I was tall and I don't know what it weighed but it was a real job to get it in the tank... when we got it home it stretched from one end of the kitchen table to the other with the tail hanging off... (table big enough to seat 7 for dinner) Good eatin' as well....
The biggest Steelhead I've caught was a 27 pounder, on corky and 15lb line, the cowlitz just down from the barrier dam... Half hour fight to land him...
Unfortunately a landslide off the bluff above took out the fishing hole about 25 years ago or so since then I go to the Nooksack for my fishing...
All fishing stories are good, especially the big ones, something to have a beer over around the campfire...
I like trains, real and model ones, Plymouth and Dodge cars and trucks, gardening and collecting stuff I might use or find interesting
I have the 3D part files to print a UP Big Boy, just have to figure out the scale of the model in the files and reduce it to a manageable size for a desktop display...
Currently as it is right now it builds out to approximately 5ft long without the tender...
I have 2 HO scale Big Boys, an old Riverossi I got when I was about 10 and a new Broadway one. Trying to get trains running in basement But all the other stuff is in the way. I did most of my train playing a club but we lost our building
I like fishing, swimming, camping, canoeing-kayaking, and riding my motorcycle. What I like and do the most is fix things and I collect Tools, there's no such thing as to many Tools. I also enjoy going to Yardsales looking for old camping and fishing gear and tools.
That reminded me that during my last 5 or so years in Toronto I used to go to garage, yard and church sales on the weekends seeking treasures that I was able to clean up and refurbish such as vintage silver, china, cameras and stringed instruments and then sell the silver and china on eBay for a profit, but I collected and kept the vintage cameras and musical instruments.
My wife is the yard saler between us two, she's never seen one she could pass...
You never know when you might discover a diamond in the dust pile. A friend of mine found an antique dobro-type Martin guitar at a yard sale that she bought for $20 - it was worth 50 times what she paid for it. My ex-wife and I did do well at a flea market in Cape Cod, we happened to be walking past a stand where the vendor was just putting out two beautifully framed old large Maxfield Parrish prints that we bought for $20 each. As we walked out with them a couple of other vendors tried to buy them from us. During our marriage they hung in our dining room, but she has them now.
That's what she said as I'm looking at that radial arm saw with the gots to buy price tag... I have a garage full as well, but alas about 15 years ago with my dream '65 chevy half ton sitting in the drive way for four years I came to the realization that I was not physically capable of doing the work anymore... Still got the garage full of tools though although it is now configured as a wood shop...
I am into reading, have a Kindle so download a slew of books, mostly fiction with historical leanings. I like to garden any time of the year, always something to do. I started researching marbles since I found some old handmade Germans my dad had as a child, he was born in 1920 (passed 2019), so they are older. It is amazing what you learn via internet, sometimes way too much info, my little brain gets overloaded with marble info, but it is fun and interesting. I also enjoy coloring, just plain old coloring books with colored pencils, it is relaxing, and always music playing in the background. Good thing I am retired!
You all know about my hobbies of photography, freshwater planted aquariums, nerdy tv/movies. I also like to read and cook on occasion. I'm now dabbling a little bit with video editing for YouTube videos.
Don't do much - am retired - golf 4 days a week (pathetic handicap),
mechanical 3d puzzles, model USMC aircraft (F-8E, UH-34D) strum the ol' guitar,
riding my War Pony (2009 Softail Classic)
LOVE historical novels (Kindle) and anything written by W. Michael Gear, Asimov, Heinlein, Vine DeLoria, SciFi, Federal Indian Law stuff, trying to re-establish my rose garden (in NM?) - had 36 in FL, taking care of 11 cats (with 2 beautiful, starving Maine Coons).
Used to do Traditional dancing, Color/Honor Guard, but that friggin' age thing crept in
Built a B-24 (balsa) with twin Enya 39's and flew it once - pieces all over the runway - boy, was Dad pizzed.
Oh yeah - have learned to want to do whatever my wife wants me to do.
Pretty much takes care of my boring life.
Eating (Haha)
My new hobby is working with my photos, some of which I post on the Newstalkers Creative Arts page. I started doing it seriously last spring, and I'm having a lot of fun with it.