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Young Lady

Church Memorial

Last to go Home

Father and Daughter

[Tess (Tassie D)]

Ok, posters, watchers and new volunteers tell us what your hobbies are besides going nuts trying to restore photos? We'd love to see links to your photo site if that is your passion, animals, whatever.

Mine is travelling in our caravan to the many beautiful places around this huge country. I also own every Stephen King book written and have read each of them several times. I've spent countless hours playing computer games as well.

[Pat]

Hi Tess,

Besides restoring old photos –you mean I need another hobby too?  Just kidding.  But considering that I never laid eyes or hands on Photoshop until just over a year ago and am completely self-taught it can be pretty all consuming just trying to gain the skills needed to have the honor of restoring some of the easier of the damaged photos in the OPR galleries. 

I have enjoyed landscape painting (oils) for years.

Both my husband (who hopes to become an OPR volunteer also after he retires later this year) and I enjoy photography.  We design note cards and gift wrap based on our nature /botanical photography.  Although we do occasionally sell our work in the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens gift shop we do this strictly on a hobby level –no website etc.   

My husband and I also share a joy of reading although one of his favorite genres is science fiction while mine is historical fiction.  Sorry Tess but Stephen King scares me half to death.

Pat

[Mhayes]

Tess,

You know what my new hobby is going to be.  For the rest of you, it is going to be adding a new puppy to my pack of 2 cats that have never been around one before. Thought I needed something to complicate my life. Later I hope to do obedience and utility for fun.

My first love was horses, but as I got older I gave that up for something safer: motorcycling. Then I got older again and that hobby was replaced by golf. Now in my twilight years, it is a rocking chair. OK, not quite yet. I enjoy photography, restoring, reading, and gardening. I have read a lot of Steven King's books, but I am trying to stay away from Cujo.

Margie

[Tori803]

Hobbies? I like reading cozy mysteries, quilting, and want to try my hand at making my own shoes since I have trouble finding shoes in my size to match my favorite outfits. I found instructions through http://www.marywalesloomis.com/. I've purchased the Plaster of Paris to make customized "lasts" (forms to build the shoe around). Since my husband knows I'm going to try this, I must succeed!

Tori

[lurch]

Hard to say what other hobbies I have - does fiddling around with Photoshop outside of restorations count? I do get in a lot of reading since discovering that my iTouch does it well and is easier to hold than a book (mostly science fiction/fantasy). And then there are cruises . . .

[glennab]

Great question, Tess.  Stephen King, huh?  I just got Under the Dome, because someone told me it was even better than The Stand, which I think is one of the most well-written books ever.  What did you think of it? 

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to read - and (you'd never guess this…) write.  Right now I'm reading a book on photo restoration for CS5 users.  Pretty basic.  Good information for a beginner - not much new.  Am also slogging through 1152 pages of one hoot of a book by Neal Stephenson called Cryptonomicon.  It's about cryptography and skips between WWII and the present.  The man's writing is even superior to Stephen King's, and that's saying a lot, but boy! am I confused.  May have to read it again just to figure it out.

I'd say OPR is my number one hobby - although I consider it more important than just a hobby.  I love restoring photos, and I also enjoy helping other volunteers when I can.

I've also been knitting a lot since becoming unemployed, as my energy level has been very low.  I just finished a blanket that I'm hoping to send to Japan for tsunami victims.



This is my beloved cat Aaron Neville's memorial blanket that's going to Japan, I hope.  I lost him about 3 weeks ago and miss him terribly. He spent 14 years as my shadow and constant companion. The cat population is down to only 4 - with one barely holding on.  The house is so darn quiet!

Other hobbies are doing anything in Photoshop, taking webinars and tutorials and gardening.

Cheers,

GK

[kevinashworth]

GK what a wonderful gift to give. Tomorrow i have to attend ANOTHER FUNERAL. It's getting to be a hobby. We have a saying here - "They go in threes". This time it's Uncle Arthur. The THIRD death in nine months.

On a lighter note, my mate and i often go down to the allotment.  England is so very over-taxed and food along with everything else here is really expensive. We grow veg and herbs there.  Summer will soon be here and we plan some boozy barbecues and invent recipes.

I also like to make interactive stuff with Adobe Flash, here's a screen grab of a recent project made just for fun - my own "Who wants to be a millionaire" game. if you nail the £1,000,000 question you can print out a personalized "cheque"  (terms and conditions apply*)

I'm not a big reader, but i do like Alan Bennett, he's so down to earth.





* I WON'T PAY OUT!!!

[haleygd]

Is traveling a hobby? Or is it photography and I go to a lot of places for my photos... Myself and a friend try to get to somewhere new every year. This summer (late July) we will be flying to London where we will spend a few days before getting on a Royal Carribean cruise ship for a 12-day Scandinavia & Russia cruise.

[Johnboy]

It's spring so it is time to start seeds in my small greenhouse. I currently have some leaf lettuce growing. It will be a couple more weeks before it is ready. On the 6th I started 2 varieties of tomatoes, one variety of pepper and a couple flats of flowers. In years past I have had more than that growing but I am cutting back. Later on I'll direct seed some cucumbers, summer squash and zucchini. So gardening is my hobby. I also like to mow the grass. (I probably can expect some shrinks at my door for that comment.) I have learned over the years that when I am behind the mower no one is going to bother me unless it is important. So that is some mindless time other than being safe doing it. Plus I make a game out of it since I mow in different directions each time. The biggest challenge is when I mow at an angle to get started right so I hit the corners when I go down the center angle.

I do like camping but have sold all the campers. I have had some serious health problems the last couple of years that have kept us close to home. So we, my wife and I, don' t get to get around like we used to. Plus 6 grandchildren can keep you busy especially when the moms and dads need your babysitting services.

Glenna, glad to see you back. I like your blanket, and where it is going.

Johnboy

[Tess (Tassie D)]

Its great to read what everyone else loves doing. Tori I never would have thought of making my own shoes. I too have trouble buying to fit my big feet so I don't bother lol.

Pat we'd all love to see some of your note cards and landscape paintings. I can't paint or draw to save my life lol. And here I am helping restore?

Margie, Cujo was the only book I only read the once. I felt sorry for the dog. I'm sure your little sweetie will be nothing like that. Besides she's about 1/10th the size.

Lurch I'd be no good on a cruise, seasick would be my forte. It must be lovely to wake up somewhere different each day though.

Glenna, I have read The Stand more times than any other and loved the movie too. Second favourite would be Duma Key.
I love the blanket, its just beautiful. How long does it take to make one?

Kevin those boozy barbecues sound great lol. Is the UK summer as miserable as everyone seems to say?
Thats mean not paying out on the 1 million. Looks like great graphics though.

Hayley travelling is definitely a hobby. We try to get away as often as possible. Some of the places you are going to sound awesome.

Johnboy I hate mowing the grass but love the look of it when finished. Your veggie garden sounds great. We only have 4 lonely watermelons and 1 tomato plant in our at the moment. With winter coming on I don't know which will win but I suspect frost will.

[philbach]

Well outside of taking photographs I do a lot of biking.  In the winter I live on Seabrook Island near Charleston SC.  In the summer we live in Wisconsin.  My wife and I have pedaled all over Florida, NC, and Wisconsin.  I am getting a little older now so riding isn't nearly as "intense" as it used to be.  But later this summer we will ride along the Lake Michigan Shoreline from the Milwaukee area to Washington Island. 

This photo was take a few days ago at Middleton Gardens which is located on the Ashley River near Charleston SC.  A plantation established in the early 18th century.

[Hannie]

I read all the interesting things that volunteers do and I realize that my life is pretty boring!
It is high time I start picking up on some of the things I used to do: biking, going to concerts, sewing, crochet, ballet (OK, maybe I'll skip that one  ), photography.

Most of my time now is consumed by fixing up our apartment, housekeeping, babysitting and OPR!
One of these days I want to make a lovely cruise, one of those were you are completely looked after and don't have to do anything you don't want to!
We had planned a Cayamo cruise a couple of years ago (Miami) but unfortunately hubby got ill and we had to cancel just 2 weeks before the cruise.  One of my daughters and her little girl went in our place and they had the time of their life! 

Tori, shoe making sounds really interesting, what would you use for stitching or could you make them without?
Glenna, the blanket is really beautiful.  It must have taken a long time to make?

Kev, I love quizzing, never miss an episode of the Eggheads.  Your project looks pretty good!

Hannie

[Pat]

Margie what kind of puppy?  You’ll have to post his portrait for us. 

Tori I love quilts.  Following is a look at my first attempt at quilting back in 2004.  It covers our queen size bed.  The pattern is called Second Honeymoon.  I know, I know my points aren’t pointy enough, my stitches are way too big and that’s why it was also my last attempt.   I’ve never heard of anyone making their own shoes, how fascinating!   You’ll have to post a photo of them on your feet after you’ve succeeded.



Johnboy how I loved the small greenhouse and very large vegetable garden we used to have.  We also had large decorative herb gardens that called hundreds of butterflies and birds which started my love of close up butterfly photography.  Unfortunately we had to give up our large yard about six years ago for condo living as it just got too much for us to care for.

Tess following is a page from our catalog that shows the front of one of our note cards and the matching envelope flap.



This is a small section of the 24x36-inch piece of matching gift wrap.



And here is oil painting I did of the Coquille River Light in Oregon.



Phil what a beautiful photo! 

Pat

[Mhayes]

Tess, thanks for an interesting and fun post. It's great to see what all of you are doing and what a range of talent. Love seeing the photos from GK, Kev, Phil, and Pat. Tori yours was the most unusual as I don't think I've heard of making your own shoes. Don't let Hannie fool you as her life is not boring! As I read all your posts it so interesting to see what you do and it sounds like everyone is ready for spring after this winter. John, I think we ought to get you into either building a maze or scenes on your lawn.

Pat here is a picture of my little girl that I will pick up this week. She is an 8 wk old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
Tess, Hannie, and Kiska have been bombarded with puppy pictures, so your request was probably met with eyes rolled back in their head. 



Margie

[Pat]

Margie you didn't tell us her name!  Does that mean we get to have a naming contest?

Pat