Other Hobbies (Page 2 of 2)

Very nice work Amy! And very scary!
My other passion besides playing music is deer hunting with bow and arrow. The last few weeks when not working. I'm up at four am, in the woods by first light and come out at dark. Needless to say, I've not been playing as much as usual lately. But will get back to playing and hopefully a winter gig in a couple of weeks.

Welcome to Chordie Wen.

Per Webster, a hobby is "any activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation."  Per that definition I guess I have several hobbies other than music:

Woodworking - I occasionally build small items but my real passion over the years has been designing and building houses.  Finding land to build on, designing a house that fits the area and then carrying through with the plan has been something I have always enjoyed.  I would usually start construction about September/October so I could work on the inside during the winter and have it ready for the market in the spring, although there have been houses that have taken over a year to build when family activities, my normal job or other hobbies got in the way.  I do all the work myself - masonry, carpentry, plumbing, wiring, etc.  Since these projects were time consuming, I only did it every 5-6 years. At age 64, I  might be getting a little old to start a new one although I have been thinking about trying to design and build a "tiny house".  I've also built 5 cedar-strip canoes over the years which I've used for some of my wilderness canoe trips.

Water sports - I've always had a passion for river-running, whether wilderness tripping, paddling "hair" runs or racing.  Over the years I've kayaked several eastern class IV-V rivers such as the New, Gauley, Cheat, Ocoee, Chattooga, as well as guiding raft trips for my friends.  I tried canoe racing for a couple of years before a shoulder injury ended that phase. I did manage to win a couple races at the '82 World's Fair in Knoxville as well as getting a few trophies in state-level races in Ohio.  I still kayak and canoe easier streams (class II-III) although now I row a raft when doing bigger water.  Currently there is a whitewater raft, a royalex canoe and 5 kayaks out in the garage.

Reading - I enjoy reading and collecting books about history. I have several books about the Lewis and Clark expedition and have just topped 60 hard-backs in my Civil War collection.

Fishing - As I've gotten older, stream fishing, especially chasing smallmouth bass has replaced my whitewater addiction.  Some years I've held fishing licenses in as many as 7 states as well as Canada. Catching smallmouth bass on home-made lures while fishing a stream that is a historical canoe route in a canoe I've built is near the top of my list of things I've done for fun. 

DE