What Pastimes Are Fading/Failing With Aging Boomers?

haha said:
Obliviously you are not a walker. But even those of us who keep our heads up usually do not have eyes in the backs of those heads. Though given enough bicycle creeps, eventually evolution will provide this feature.
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I am a walker, biker and driver in that order. I find the heads down walkers more of a pain when walking than any other obstacle. I have a also been a walker and biker in SoCal which I describe as no man's land for anything but cars.
 
Pickleball has taken over indoor courts that were used for basketball, tennis and volleyball. Three courts in the same space and foursomes. Very fast but not super energetic.

I gave up golf when I retired because it took too much time. It was OK when it was on work clock and dime. MIL gave it up when they forced her to rent a cart and a caddy, after golfing her whole adult life. She resented the need to hurry through the course.
 
braumeister said:
I grew up fishing on the party boats in Sheepshead Bay. Show up early in the morning and when the boat is full they head out to the fishing grounds. No drinking, as I remember it. Back to the dock in late afternoon. No idea if it's still that way, but maybe you should try that sometime.

We ate at least as much fish as meat when I was a kid, almost all of which we caught ourselves.

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=sheepshead+bay+fishing&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
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Yeah, this one was out of Howard Beach. Never again. We did too, wed and fri all year no meat, Now we just do the Fridays as meatless all year long.(most of the time anyway)
 
Bestwifeever said:
Reading the newspaper, obviously.

The needlework arts and crafts of knitting and crocheting, needlepoint, cross stitch and other embroidery, and maching home sewing of clothing and household items.

Speaking of live theater--we were recently at a wonderful show at an old theater and it was painful watching some patrons try to sit in the little old seats designed for the size of bottoms that were common several decades ago. Unlike the airlines, theater seats started small; by the end of the first act several people were standing in the side aisles rather than trying to sit in their seats.
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The cure for this seems clear. These people should look into some weight loss regimes.

Ha
 
Blue Collar Guy said:
When i retired I was all gung ho to go fishing. I remember my father taking me maybe once or twice and I went a few times with maybe 50 people from work. I had a blast. I go on a half day charter, Im sipping my morning coffee, almost everyone was drunk within the first 2 hours of the trip. Fishing was the furthest thing from their minds. When i came home the bride asked me you think you want to try the full day one? Hahahaha. Yeah, fishing like I just described is off the list now too.
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Wow, I completely forgot about deep sea fishing. That was fun for me decades ago, as a "get away from reality" total escapist thing, and was very special. I'd go with my friend from college, and yes, we'd have the cooler full of beer. I'd be three or four sheets to the wind eventually, sure, that's all part of it for me, but the fishing was fun too. I'm not obnoxious when drinking. We went off the Jersey Shore, for bluefish. Those were some awesome times. Hit the bars afterwards.
 
Yep, bluefish has always been one of my favorites. Sometimes I would come home with a dozen of them. I would clean them out in the yard on some newspaper, then bury the heads & guts under the rosebushes (we had some awesome rosebushes as a result).

Some would be dinner that night, some would go to the neighbors, and the rest into the freezer for next week.

Very hard to find bluefish here in the midwest, but when I see it I buy it.
 
Building model cars , reading MAD magazine . Are these things still around .
When we were kids we even had model car shows locally .
 
Breedlove said:
Building model cars , reading MAD magazine . Are these things still around .
When we were kids we even had model car shows locally .
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When I was a kid I used to build model cars, and even radio controlled planes - with balsa, tissue paper, paint, engine, servo/controls.

I still see model cars at Hobby Lobby (DW drags me along), so they must still exist. But I suspect there are fewer parts and everything is already painted with decals already applied?

http://www.revell.com/model-kits/cars/85-4425.html#.WVQzorFOmhA
 
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Softball and bowling around here. You used to have to sign up in winter to get into a softball league and now most of the independent centers are closed.
Bowling centers are closing left and right here, too.
 
garyt said:
Softball and bowling around here. You used to have to sign up in winter to get into a softball league and now most of the independent centers are closed.
Bowling centers are closing left and right here, too.
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Maybe it is regional, but where I live I rarely see "pick-up" games occurring anymore. Going to a park/playground with a group of friends and either just playing among yourselves, or meeting another group and deciding to play against each other. In summer the baseball/softball fields and basketball courts seem rarely used most of the time.
 
Midpack said:
When I was a kid I used to build model cars, and even radio controlled planes - with balsa, tissue paper, paint, engine, servo/controls.

I still see model cars at Hobby Lobby (DW drags me along), so they must still exist. But I suspect there are fewer parts and everything is already painted with decals already applied?

Revell 1/25 2016 Corvette® Stingray™ Plastic Model Kit
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I just happened to be at a Hobby Lobby today, just to see if anything struck my fancy while I was out doing some other errands.

I saw some model cars and planes, Revell I think, but I didn't look closely to see what the construction was.

Oh, I just clicked your Revell link, it has a link t the instructions, looks just like when I was a kid. Lots'a little parts, not sure they are still on a 'tree' though, and hand applied decals. Parts are color molded, I think they were back then too, but any self-respecting modeler did their own prime/paint over the factory color.

1. Cut desired decal from sheet.
2. Dip decal in water for a few seconds.
3. Place wet decal on paper towel.
4. Wait until decal is movable on paper backing.
5. Place decal in position on model, face up and
slide backing away.
6. Press out air bubbles with a soft damp cloth.
7. Milkiness that may appear is for better decal
adhesion and will dry clear. Wipe away any
excess adhesive.
8. Do not touch decal until fully dry.
9. Allow the decals 48 hours to dry before
applying clear coat.
10. Decals are compatible with setting solutions
or solvent
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Oh, and a paint guide for each individual part too (and you can learn other languages as you go!), I missed that:

PAINT GUIDE
This paint guide is provided to complete this
kit as shown on the box.

A Aluminum Aluminium Aluminio
B Blue Bleu Azul
C Dark Gray Gris foncé Gris oscuro
D Flat Black Noir mat Negro mate
E Metallic Orange Orange métallisé Anaranjado metálico
F Red Rouge Rojo
G Semi Gloss Black Noir satiné Negro semibrillante
H Silver Argent Plata
I Steel Acier Acero
J Tan
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Anyhow, I picked up a few gliders and rubber power planes (sling and prop) just for fun. Some snap together, some are fairly involved construction. Next nice day I'll re-create the Charlie Brown kite & tree scene :facepalm:

-ERD50
 
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daylatedollarshort said:
Dining at chain restaurants like Applebees and Olive Garden -

Can chains survive death of casual dining? - Business Insider

"The casual dining industry's slump is rooted in new competitors better suited to meet customers' changing tastes. "In terms of casual dining, a lot of it kind of comes down to the brands that are just kind of dated," Radke said."
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It's my fault. I quit eating at those places a while ago.

And we do eat at home a lot more - both because we find great ingredients at the grocery stores, but also because I control my diet more carefully.
 
Picture 40 years from now when the future peoples in thier 60s "tex" a similar thread..

"I miss staring at my palm all day !!! I had SO MANY digital "friends"!!!!! I ate out every meal 'cause who bothered shopping or cooking for themselves? I miss having my self-driving car drive me around...I don't know where we went 'cause I was staring at my palm the whole time!""


Said while sitting in a motorized scooter in a 500 sq. ft tiny house ( with no pesky property to take care of!!!) .... with 65" wide seats and a weight limit of 800 pounds.

Said to no one in particular because they finally realized that their "friends" never existed to begin with:..."No one phone-diddles anymore!!" they will wistfully moan.....

Sarcasm light is on and yes I'm in "old man" mode!!!

Gotta go out and mow before it rains. Another lost art that "young people" can't (or WON'T) do any longer.
 
Mowing your own lawn? Me, my next door neighbor and an old ex-Marine up the street are the only ones left mowing our own lawns. I enjoy the mild exercise and just being outdoors, plus I hate to pay for something I can easily do myself. But judging by most of my neighbors, mowing your own lawn is beneath most people these days? Some say they don't have time, that's BS for most.

Maybe grass lawns will go out of fashion next...

When my last push mower died, out of curiosity I looked into what it would cost to pay someone to our lawn. I bought a loaded Honda mower and broke even after about 4 months...3 years ago. :D
 
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I mow mine-same reason as you. Besides, I find it funny to listen to the music I enjoyed in the 1970s (in a far different environment) through my Bose phones. Times have changed.

I'd love to get rid of my lawn and plant native grasses and wildflowers but the HOA would get on me. I'm happy to see the growth of xeriscaping in the SW, though.
 
We don't mow our "yard" (about 5 acres or so, and can't count on being home for sufficient time during daylight hours every 10 days or whatever). I do cut the fields with my tractor and rotary cutter every so often though (that's not time intensive).

Maybe I'll buy a zero turn if we have the place still once we get tired of traveling....
 
What's just about completely gone, and from fleeting observation shows no sign of coming back, is kids playing.

Going to a park, or just about anywhere, and playing.....without adults/parents organizing/directing/regulating, selecting who will play on what team at what time and where.....putting the kids in uniforms...being 'official'...and generally getting in the way of FUN!

I 'know' the parents 'mean well'; DW's SIL coaches his 5 year old daughter's soccer team............(Five year old kids need coaches?).......sheesh...from this old fart's perspective it'd be far better to let the kids make up their own game rules, choose their own sides, and sort out their own disagreements without being coordinated and classified.
 
dadu007 said:
Film photography.
Just this weekend I filled out a form to ship/sell quite a few of my older film cameras to a very popular online buyer (based in GA). Part of the reason is to raise cash for a top of the line digital camera, and the reason for that is that the best digital cameras now have much better resolving power than any film camera. (Yes, the look can be/is different, that's another argument...) At 20 bucks minimum per roll for trustworthy developing of odd film formats (120 film), I just can't justify it anymore. Plus, my children just don't care and never got the film bug (even though it's become slightly trendy lately).
Oh well,...
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Our 32 year old son is into photography and mostly uses digital cameras. Lately he's been collecting older 35mm film cameras and he likes to take a roll of pictures and send them in to be developed. They email him when the film is developed and send him high resolution scans. The prints come later in the mail if he wants them.

Someone mentioned model rockets. We did that with our sons when they were in elementary and middle school. Even I enjoyed that hobby! We bought the kits and painted our rockets and assembled them. We had an assortment of "engine" sizes (sorry, It's been a while and I don't remember the term). We would take them to a nearby school property that had plenty of empty space. Half the fun was having the kids run off to find the rocket after it landed.
 
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