Your toys/hobbies ?

[anethum]

Cycling, vegetable gardening, cooking, reading, and trying to maintain or improve my foreign language knowledge.

 

[Walt34]

I was active with radio control airplanes for almost 20 years but that interest faded after retirement. I'm not sure why - maybe it was a stress reliever to go down in the basement and build an airplane from a box of wood. After retirement I built one airplane but never flew it. Ended up selling/giving away everything but the small tools - those come in handy for other stuff.

So for now it is photography, I go off & on with that, reading, gym, and just putzing around. If we had trails around here I could pick up bicycling but the roads are not suitable for that so I don't, and DW has no interest in it.

I did learn to mount and frame my photographs. Bought a couple of books on framing/mat cutting, bought the mat cutter and went from there. There is a reason the frame shops charge so much - even with computer guided mat cutters it is still labor intensive. I spent about $500 on the manual mat cutter and mats but having the dozen or so done that I have would be three times that much at least.

The brick building photo is of the railroad roundhouse in Martinsburg, WV. There is some history to it - it changed hands many times during the Civil War. The army controlling it also controlled RR shipping for several hundred miles around.

The other photo is of DW's grandnieces a few years ago. They had added on to the deck and the kids were playing on the new stairs. DW loves photos like that and those two (13"x19") are hanging in her nephew's living room.

 

[Bamaman]

We have a house in town and a house out on the river. I cut grass, and cut grass.

A Bennington tritoon boat and a Waverunner are hanging in the boathouse.

We also keep a new fifth wheel camper in the North Georgia mountains.

I'm finishing rebuilding a balcony on the lake house with screen porches up and down. It's been a 1 year job.

 

[BBQ-Nut]

I'm only 4 months into FIRE, so my hobbies now are pretty much what they were while still w*rking. But I do have more time for them! I can see delving into new interests in the future though.


I have a small backyard garden that does reasonably well and is both a source of satisfaction and frustration (sometimes).

I love listening to music and have what I think is a very good audio system - so I'm an audio enthusiast and music lover.

I practice/teach martial arts, so 2 times a week I'm at the dojo leading classes. Sometimes I travel to train at seminars or attend events which are quite rewarding.

And - per my username - I'm an avid BBQ-nut. I'm getting pretty darn good (according to my family!) at it too. I enjoy the whole process from planning, prepping, and q'ing. That and the nods and grunts of approval when things turn out just right.

 

[pb4uski]

...A Bennington tritoon boat and a Waverunner are hanging in the boathouse.....

I feel like a pauper. My Bennington is only a pontoon and it sits in the water next to the dock and my Honda jet ski is on a lift... I would love a boathouse!

 

[Ronstar]

Hiking, biking, pontooning, kayaking, photography, woodworking, house projects, yard work, brewing, and flying my quadcopter. I'm going to start doing my own car maintenance and repairs if I can find the time.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Bamaman]

I feel like a pauper. My Bennington is only a pontoon and it sits in the water next to the dock and my Honda jet ski is on a lift... I would love a boathouse!

I am almost a pauper, too. The average new boathouse on our lake has a concrete deck over the boat and a concrete deck down low. $60K for a single boathouse and almost $100K for a double. They seldom build wooden structures any longer.

It'd be hard to retire throwing money around like that.

 

[kitesurfer2]

I retired 30 days ago...bought the concours a week before retiring. first week was 11 states and canada, picking up the trailer in canada.

 

[kitesurfer2]

the wife and I are both campers, hence the 'need' for the trailer. the wife prefers to camp out of the Miata

 

[Meadbh]

Before ER I bought an SUV with 4WD to take road trips, with room for golf clubs, which I also bought. Since ER I have bought a cooler and more golf equipment. I have also been doing more home cooking and have acquired better pots and pans and a few more kitchen gadgets.

That's about it, really.

 

[Ronstar]

Did some time lapse photography and brewing yesterday. It's great doing 2 different hobbies at the same time.

Brew day

 

[HFWR]

Did some time lapse photography and brewing yesterday. It's great doing 2 different hobbies at the same time.

Brew day

Might want to cut back on the caffeine...

 

[Sea Kayaker]

My screen name STRONGLY hints at what my #1 hobby is...and yes, I have a small fleet of them. Makes sense when this is your front yard.

 

[Ronstar]

My screen name STRONGLY hints at what my #1 hobby is...and yes, I have a small fleet of them. Makes sense when this is your front yard.

Awesome front yard, and photo too!

 

[robnplunder]

Current hobbies include golf, listening to music, and watching my 4k TV (and making my own 4k videos). ER hobbies will be everything I do now + reading, gardening, trading (stocks), traveling. I would not have enough time at ER.

 

[W2R]

I like mild-mannered video games like Animal Crossing. I have three Animal Crossing towns, one on each of my three 3DSXL handheld consoles (see below), and my cute little characters can visit one another's towns via local wi-fi. OK, my toys really ARE toys.... But this is SO much fun and very very relaxing for me.

 

[doneat54]

Wow! What an amazing range of hobbies/interests, thanks for taking part.

I guess my main hobby is the old car one. I a have a 1957 VW that I spent 7 years restoring, finished in '99 and still have. Put 15k miles on it, and it still looks stunning. Was magazine featured in 2000. I am presently restoring a '51 VW and also have a '69 Mercedes 280SL .....well my wife does. It was her reward for surviving 20 years of marriage to me some years ago. I have run a web business since 2003 as a hobby and make an restore some early parts for vintage VWs.

Avid do it yourself, project person, landscaper. Our home is an ongoing project/work of art. We have 3.3 acres of woods with a network of trails and I have an ATV which is a blast to ride.

Other hobbies are music and video editing, aeriel videography, photography, dining out, travel and racquetball (this is my 39th year playing the sport).

After retirement I want to get a modest camper trailer. In 2006, we went cross country in an RV with our kids and dog, in 6 weeks, 9500 miles, one of the best experiences of my lifetime. I want to do it again, albeit at a slower pace.

 

[devans0]

I always loved classical guitar, and am learning to play. DW got me started in kayaking. Fishing will be coming soon. I live where the soil is rich. Gardening and cooking will be taking some free time. I want to start yoga and running. I am getting ready to retire still.

 

[AnIntentionalRoad]

My main hobby is chess and I play in frequent tournaments, which provides a lot of social interaction also.

I spend a lot of time with my 32' sailboat.

I read and write. I finished 3/4 of my first novel late last year but haven't gotten back to it in a while to polish it off.

I surf when I'm near a coast, which isn't often.

We snow ski a few times a year.

I do some light computer programming when I get the urge.

My only new hobby started since ERing has been baking breads, croissants, and other goodies.

Sent from my SM-T237P using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[FIREd]

the wife and I are both campers, hence the 'need' for the trailer. the wife prefers to camp out of the Miata

Glad to see we are not the only ones camping out of a Miata! People usually snicker at the idea.

 

[Arif]

My main hobbies are cars and reading. I still have the first car I bought when I turned 16, a Datsun 280Z and it's going to be restored this summer. I also have a Nissan 300ZX twin turbo I finished about 3 years ago. We drove it to the Tail of the Dragon last week and had a blast driving a total of 2,700 miles in 6 days. I haven't decided what I'll fill my time doing once I retire.

 

[TheRedoubt]

I spend my days reading, writing (still working on that first novel!), home brewing, astronomy, programming, the occasional road trip. and learning chess and the guitar. Started a very small garden this year too.

 

[kitesurfer2]

Glad to see we are not the only ones camping out of a Miata! People usually snicker at the idea.

a little rack goes a long way!

 

[HFWR]

a little rack goes a long way!

Nice rack!

 

[kitesurfer2]

another hobby of mine is motorcycles...

i bought this motorcycle a couple pf weeks before i retired (apr 30) with less than 600 miles on it. i left on may the 1st and picked up the little trailer I had made for it. It now has 4149 miles after the ride to Canada.