What are Your other Hobbies

[Rich Riddle]

Besides woodworking, what are your other "hobbies?" A closely related one to woodworking for me is restoring old woodworking machines (owwm). I tend to restore them for use in the shops or for friends. I also collect inexpensive wrist watches. You won't find any Rolex, Omega, or other expensive brands in the drawer. Mostly Seiko and Hamilton watches.

[George Bokros]

Muscle cars from the '80's, gardening, and drag racing as a spectator.

[Von Bickley]

Like a few antiques and I also like guns. Need to do a little target shooting, but it's been too hot to be outside.

[John K Jordan]

Rich, the discussion starter king.

Besides woodworking, especially woodturning, I currently play with (as time permits):

milling and metal lathes,
metal fabrication with welders and things
electronic repair/design
photography
embroidery (don't laugh, it's great for interacting with kids)
caring for farm animals (llamas, alpacas, horses, mini donkeys, etc)
PR with llamas: schools, churches, assisted living homes, special events
raising fowl: peacocks, guineas, chickens, etc
fiber things, e.g. alpaca fiber: shearing, carding, spinning, knitting
horses
beekeeping
music, piano: classical and hymns, folk guitar, brass
orchard and garden: pears, peaches, apples, blueberries, more
photography
astronomy
graphic arts
drawing
digging in the dirt with backhoe and bobcat
teaching woodturning
sawmilling
wood identification
carving
chip carving
teaching kids
surf fishing
testing my wife's gourmet cooking (a priority)
reading, reading, reading
avoiding TV (successful now for maybe 10 years)

previous hobbies: flying private planes, cave diving, caving, whitewater kayaking, motorcross, 3D graphics/modeling, watching TV

Never get bored. I did have a lot more energy though back when I was 65.

JKJ

[Mike Henderson]

I got tired just reading John's list. Mine are taking care of the house and property - always some project to do. And beekeeping.

Mike

[David Helm]

Rich, the discussion starter king.

Besides woodworking, especially woodturning, I currently play with (as time permits):

milling and metal lathes,
metal fabrication with welders and things
electronic repair/design
photography
embroidery (don't laugh, it's great for interacting with kids)
caring for farm animals (llamas, alpacas, horses, mini donkeys, etc)
PR with llamas: schools, churches, assisted living homes, special events
raising fowl: peacocks, guineas, chickens, etc
fiber things, e.g. alpaca fiber: shearing, carding, spinning, knitting
horses
beekeeping
music, piano: classical and hymns, folk guitar, brass
orchard and garden: pears, peaches, apples, blueberries, more
photography
astronomy
graphic arts
drawing
digging in the dirt with backhoe and bobcat
teaching woodturning
sawmilling
wood identification
carving
chip carving
teaching kids
surf fishing
testing my wife's gourmet cooking (a priority)
reading, reading, reading
avoiding TV (successful now for maybe 10 years)

previous hobbies: flying private planes, cave diving, caving, whitewater kayaking, motorcross, 3D graphics/modeling, watching TV

Never get bored. I did have a lot more energy though back when I was 65.

JKJ


. . . and what do you do in your spare time?

[Art Mann]

I love photography and spend entirely too much money on it. I carve things with my CNC router which is similar to woodworking but not the same. I sometimes do wiring or finish carpentry on Habitat for Humanity houses. My wife and I tour together on our Can Am Spyder. I could make a list as long as John's but these are the things that occupy my time right now.

[Brent Cutshall]

I like carving, pharming(spelled it wrong didn't I!), photography,(John you said photography twice!), cooking, collecting and identifying antique tools, collecting models of and identifying WWII aircraft, finding and photographing wildflowers, eatin' morel shrooms, pettin' dogs, shooting, and WATCHING FOOTBALL! COME ON GUYS!

[James Baker SD]

Classical music (especially Beethoven period).

Astronomy, both amateur observing/imaging and attempting to keep up with the latest theoretical developments.

(I used to follow baseball until the teams I like, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres decided they were minor league farm clubs whose business was to sell every exciting player they get to a "contender")

younger days when in better health, bicycle racing, especially in mountains.

[Paul Saffold]

Bird watching, reading mysteries.

[Brett Luna]

Photography and digital darkroom
Shooting and handloading
Cigars
Whisk(e)y, wine, and beer appreciation
Fly fishing and fly tying
Cooking & Grilling
Home DIY
Charcuterie: making/smoking cured meats, sausages, fish, etc.
Reading (mostly science fiction, space program history)
Armchair astronomy (casual)...I also moderate a space/astronomy discussion forum
Bird watching (causal)
Flight simulation (MSFS, X-Plane, Saitek controls)

[daryl moses]

Hunting
Fishing
Hand loading [I've not fired a commercially made cartridge in many years]
Tree farming
Wildlife habitat improvement
Taxidermy [started out bas a hobby turned into a job, now just a hobby again]
Cooking
Home brewing
Hiking
Gardening
Craft shows

[Dwight Rutherford]

Von, hello from another ASA'r . 1959-1963

[Mel Fulks]

I'm a dabbler. Truly love real landscaping. Moving dirt and plotting views. Since I'm keeping this short gonna take the liberty of listing three favorite trees. European weeping beech, Japanese umbrella pine, and Japanese stewartia.

[Howard Garner]

Model Railroading in all its aspects is my main thing

[Andrew Hughes]

My second hobby is prospecting,Not far from me is a place that was a hydrolic mine sometime after 1850.So I enjoy metal detecting.Plus it's a hellava lot quieter than where I live next to a train track.

Aj

[Raymond Fries]

Flying R/C models. Currently building an FPV Drone. Gonna be awesome...
Like researching for quiet time.

Take Care and Enjoy Life...

[Kevin Womer]

I also enjoy coaching my son and daughters teams (baseball, basketball, football, volleyball), don't know if you can call it a hobby, but I do enjoy the time with my children and experience it provides for them. Anyway, that is how I spend a great deal of my free time.

[Jim Becker]

In addition to woodworking, cooking, photography, equestrian (riding), reading. I also help moderate two other forums; one for equestrians and one for Jeep enthusiasts.

[Wayne Lomman]

For the 3 weeks at work? Sleep. For the 2 weeks at home? Gardening, the farm in general, and doing the catch up jobs the disabled members of my household can't do. Cheers.

[William Adams]

Archery
Collecting -- books and fountain pens
Hand bookbinding

I also tend to be obsessive about things when I first begin them, taking a lot of notes which recently has led to things such as the Shapeoko wiki and reddit BicycleGear pages. I really should finish a book on typography which an Addison-Wesley editor asked of me.

[Al Launier]

In addition to hobbyist woodworking I spend my time on the following:


Viewing the New Posts on this forum ;)
Reading novels
Pocket pool
Archery
Fly fishing
News junkie
House designs for local builders
Yard & home maintenance
Golf

[Rich Riddle]

A lot of photographers....I envision Jim Becker and selfies, but that's a digression. Isn't photography a slippery slope of finances similar to turning?

[Jim Becker]

A lot of photographers....I envision Jim Becker and selfies, but that's a digression. Isn't photography a slippery slope of finances similar to turning?
I rarely am in photos, Rich...the "volume" of my photography revolves around these subjects plus food and family...and yes...it's a "slippery slope" due to GAS. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/DSC_2894_zpszd2m70iv.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/DSC_3012_zpsoogaxuik.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/DSC_2381_zpsewyv1ucs.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/IMG_7763_zpshgmos1hj.jpg

[Rich Riddle]

Jim,

I like your photographs....the bird looks like he's having a pensive moment. Though the horses are different, the rider seems to be the same. The rabbit is thinking how much he'd like to have a steak instead of leaves.

[Michael Weber]

Trying to relive my youth with motorcycles. Formally, beekeeping, silversmithing, old British cars, neonist (not sure that's a word). Probably some others I'm too old to recall.

[John K Jordan]

. . . and what do you do in your spare time?

I remember having some spare time one day last summer. I sat on the deck with some iced tea and watched the horses in the field. :-)

(That's an old joke with some of my friends who have similar properties and interests - when people see our farms and say they'd like to live in a place like this when they retire and sit on the deck and drink iced tea. Ha!)

My regret is not enough hours in the day and the annoying need to sleep. I'm at 4-5 hours sleep. Projects don't always get done immediately...

Fortunately I put heat and air in my new shop so when it's too hot to work outside I get a little shop time!

I hire teenagers to help with animals care and training (and clean up in the stalls and fields!) Anyone who wants some good honest work, come on down. This weekend I'm logging and sawing and splitting and processing turning blanks - two massive white oaks a neighbor needed down, a huge standing dead sassafras by the chicken house and finally, a walnut that has been incompatible with my best blueberry patch for years.

JKJ

[Scott DelPorte]

I like riding horses too, and there seems to be a fair amount of enjoyable work around here involved in maintaining the property.

[Jim Becker]

I forgot to mention that I also assist Professor Dr. SWMBO with her beekeeping hobby...I'm the chief assistance Beek, primary bee paparazzi and purveyor of fine honeybee condominiums. :) (the latter is the woodworking tie-in)

[Rich Riddle]

I forgot to mention that I also assist Professor Dr. SWMBO with her beekeeping hobby...I'm the chief assistance Beek, primary bee paparazzi and purveyor of fine honeybee condominiums. :) (the latter is the woodworking tie-in)Jim, if you suddenly start grading papers and assignments as a hobby, shoot me a private message. Don't you get stung by the bees?

[Barry McFadden]

Like a lot of others here I enjoy photography as well....mostly close up as opposed to landscapes ... and I like manipulating the pictures in Photoshop... if anyone cares to have a look at some of my work you can see it here.. http://mcfaddenphotography.weebly.com/

[Frederick Skelly]

Jim, Barry - Great pics!

Barry, some of your landscapes (especially those of fall folliage) knocked my socks off! I really enjoyed your "manipulations", especially the one where you sre playing cards with multiple copies of yourself!

Fred

[Jim Becker]

Jim, if you suddenly start grading papers and assignments as a hobby, shoot me a private message. Don't you get stung by the bees?
I don't think that I could be helpful in grading doctoral level epidemiology exams and papers. :) I've been stung three times; but only two times by "our" bees and then only because I wasn't paying attention. Honeybees are not generally aggressive...my other half (and most beeks) don't wear gloves most of the time, although veils are not really optional. You don't want to get tagged on the face, for sure...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/BeeKeeping/DSC_1179_zpsiupjlxiz.jpg

[Jim Becker]

Like a lot of others here I enjoy photography as well....mostly close up as opposed to landscapes ... and I like manipulating the pictures in Photoshop... if anyone cares to have a look at some of my work you can see it here.. http://mcfaddenphotography.weebly.com/

You do really nice work, Barry. I do post primarily in LR because that's all that's needed for most of what I shoot, but pull up PS when I need additional manipulation or to "remove" something from a photo. My current setup is a Nikon D750 with a variety of lenses; the equestrian pieces are primarily with a 70-200. For macro, I recently acquired a Sigma 105 f2.8 macro and it's "sharp as a tack"...although I have to deal better with depth of field as I get more into macro.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/BeeKeeping/b3440274-ff2f-495e-bd62-0a634c3e572d_zpskvoao5z0.jpg

[Rich Riddle]

Jim,

What is a beek? And don't the bees get angry when you steal the honey? I remember cartoons where they would chase the culprit into a pond. Do you have to worry about Africaization (right word?) of your colony? Any resource you have for beginning bees would be appreciated. We might like them on the farm since the folks who posted about livestock scared us away from them. And I am a simply adjunct professor. You would just be grading psychology papers and exams. We could call it, "Becker's psychological philosophy."

[John K Jordan]

Jim,

What is a beek? And don't the bees get angry when you steal the honey? I remember cartoons where they would chase the culprit into a pond. Do you have to worry about Africaization (right word?) of your colony? Any resource you have for beginning bees would be appreciated. We might like them on the farm since the folks who posted about livestock scared us away from them. And I am a simply adjunct professor. You would just be grading psychology papers and exams. We could call it, "Becker's psychological philosophy."

Jim, you are braver than I am. I always wear gloves.

Rich, the Africanized bees will chase you but they are not in TN around here and should not be further north. If you use a smoker properly, (most) hives are extremely gentle. Occasionally we run into a "hot" hive and if too obnoxious it might be time to requeen. If I open a hive without a smoker for "just a peek" a couple of dozen MAY zip out and try to attack/chase me away. This is not usually a problem except in the middle of the summer when there is very little nectar available.

Note that foraging (gathering nectar) and swarming bees (a big gob of bees hanging on something) don't sting unless stepped on or pinched. If annoyed by a bee, don't swat at it. Just makes them mad. The best thing to do if possible is walk into some thick vegetation with lots of leaves and stand there and the bee(s) will give up and leave. Shut and protect your eyes - you do not want to get stung there. If stung elsewhere, scrape away the stinger with a fingernail or knife immediately. FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN"T KNOW: The absolute best thing for treating bee, hornet, wasp stings is The Extractor by Sawyer, available from Amazon or from the camping section at Walmart. This is a suction syringe device which actually pulls the venom out of the sting instead of just treating the symptoms. I keep one on the tractor, utv, barn, shop, house, truck, and with bee supplies. Bee stings don't bother me much (except in the face), but using the Extractor, yellow jacket (hornet) stings went from hours of extensive and severe swelling to a small red spot.

For help with getting started with beekeeping, just ask. For some reason once you get them started, beekeepers don't know how to quit! Me, I'm mixing up more sugar water for feeding some starter colonies today, feeding, checking on supers, inspecting for health. Honey here is not abundant this year - last year I got 28 gallons from mostly one hive.

Since this is a photography and beekeeping thread :), here are some I think I posted before. I've used Photoshop exclusively for decades starting when I had a real job.


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=343598&d=1473093553


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=343599&d=1473093553

Macro photos of bees are fun - the bee is moving, the plant is moving, I'm moving, and the depth of field is almost zero.




http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=343605&d=1473095825

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=343602&d=1473093651

JKJ

[Frederick Skelly]

You know guys, I really don't NEED another hobby. But the more all of you post about beekeeping, the more interesting it sounds.

Did I mention I don't NEED another hobby? :D

[Rich Riddle]

It sounds as though Sir Skelly NEEDS another hobby.

[Jim Becker]

Jim,

What is a beek? And don't the bees get angry when you steal the honey? I remember cartoons where they would chase the culprit into a pond. Do you have to worry about Africaization (right word?) of your colony? Any resource you have for beginning bees would be appreciated. We might like them on the farm since the folks who posted about livestock scared us away from them. And I am a simply adjunct professor. You would just be grading psychology papers and exams. We could call it, "Becker's psychological philosophy."


John's answered most pretty well already. Professor Dr. SWMBO got started by taking a 5 month course locally. We also joined the local Beekeeper association and attend the monthly meetings. All of that plus many books and leveraging an online community called Bee Source has helped things along...

There are a number of folks here at SMC who are involved in beekeeping. :) It can be a very enjoyable hobby/endeavor and certainly is good for the bees and our food supply.

-----
John, she was gloved today for sure while doing a deep inspection and putting in the slat-boards we acquired. All three colonies were, um....a bit agitated from all that upheaval. Unfortunately, we're concerned about what was our best colony...some of it may have swarmed recently and it may currently be queen-less. A frame of brood and larvae was moved from the colony "next door" just in case that's what's happened.

[Bill Jobe]

Collecting wood.

[John K Jordan]

...Unfortunately, we're concerned about what was our best colony...some of it may have swarmed recently and it may currently be queen-less. A frame of brood and larvae was moved from the colony "next door" just in case that's what's happened.

I hope that will fix it. That happened to my best colony this year - it went queenless and I didn't catch it until too late and got laying workers, I used the strong hive/queen excluder method to take care of the laying workers (looked like a war zone afterwards) then requeened.

I had ordered two queens for insurance in case one was DOA. During all this I found a second queenless hive with no brood or eggs. I moved a frame with freshly hatched eggs so they could grow a queen but when I opened it to install the spare queen about 5 days later I found a bunch of eggs and hatched brood on two frames! I suspect it had a virgin queen when I inspected it who must have started laying the next day. Fortunately, I called around and found a new beekeeper desperate with a queenless hive and happily took the spare as a gift!

My five colonies seem to be cookin' now based on the activity and the number of bees on the porches in the evening. I'll feed the two weaker colonies tomorrow and do a super check and a deep inspection at the same time. What a job when it's 90 out!

Hey, did you ever use the "listening method" on suspected queenless hives? A guy showed me this once - I walk up behind and put my ear flat against the back of a brood chamber on each hive and listen. A queenright hive will have a calm but busy "buzz." A queenless hive will have a very distinctive sound, louder, more frantic and higher pitched. Of course a healthy hive you just disturbed today may also sound different until tomorrow!

It looks like SMC could use a beekeeping forum! :) After my adventure with capturing the colony in the 30+" sassafras tree involving a chain saw and your hive box carpentry one might argue it even relates to wood!

343610

JKJ

[Bert Kemp]

Laser Engraving is my main hobby but I combine it with leather working and wood working. I make leather gun holsters, knife cases, coasters , vest patches ect that I engrave. I also make wood boxes and ornaments that I engrave.Oh I forgot to mention Motorcycle Riding, Its not a hobby but a way of life for me. I ride 30 to 40k a year the car gets used for home depot and bulk stuff at the store less then 3k a year. Been riding for 49 years.

[Art Mann]

I was a beekeeper on a small commercial scale for about 10 years. I worked the gentle bees like you could get from Walter T Kelley without gloves. However, the dark (German) bees from a captured wild swarm were wicked and required a lot of smoke to subdue. A new queen would fix that problem in a few weeks.

I can really appreciate the macro photos in the posted pictures. I have been a landscape and people photographer for a long time but I just started experimenting with a macro lens (Tamron 90mm f/2.8) in the last few weeks. Getting the right balance of shutter speed, aperture and ISO to get pictures that aren't motion blurry and have an acceptable DOF takes some practice and experimentation. My success rate right now is about 10%.

[Rich Riddle]

So the wife gave the green light for bees. I anticipate starting in 2017. Where you you beekeepers suggest starting? A website, or a book? I might be a bit too shy and timid at typing on a website.

[Frederick Skelly]

Two posts in this thread mention that changing out the queen will mellow out the hive.
1. Why is that?
2. How do you replace a queen - just pull her out and wait for a new one to grow, or what?

Told you I was getting interested. (Dang it.)
Fred

[Andrew J. Coholic]

I used to have lots of hobbies... heavy into RC model aircraft, mountain and road cycling, hiking, music (playing brass in a community band and guitar in a few gigging bar bands) working metal (casting and machining, mostly model engine parts and stuff), whittling and carving, canoeing, snowboarding and skiing, etc.

Then I had a couple of kids (now 5 and a half, and 2). Now my hobby is raising kids, lol. Everything else got put on hold.

[Jim Becker]

So the wife gave the green light for bees. I anticipate starting in 2017. Where you you beekeepers suggest starting? A website, or a book? I might be a bit too shy and timid at typing on a website.

First thing to do is find out about the local Beekeepers association in your area and start attending their meetings. You can do that now to start learning and preparing for next spring when you get started. There are also a lot of websites that are useful, although I will tell you up-front...if you have 15 beekeepers in a room and someone asks a question, there will be 16 answers. :D I happen to like Michael Bush's site (http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm) and books, but he has some ideas that are not always "mainstream". If you want to explore a forum site like this one for beekeepers, there's a decent one at "beesource dot com".


Two posts in this thread mention that changing out the queen will mellow out the hive.
1. Why is that?
2. How do you replace a queen - just pull her out and wait for a new one to grow, or what?

Told you I was getting interested. (Dang it.)
Fred

A lot of it is about genetics, but also about the manner in which the queen "rules" the colony. Keep in mind that the worker bees only live about 45 days max. So if you replace a queen with "hot" genetics with a calmer lady leader, the next generation will generally have a calmer disposition. Of course, there is still some element of chance there because a virgin queen mates with multiple drones (the males), so the genetics of the drones can come into play, too. Interesting fact is that with the exception of a relatively small number of drones produced in a colony, all of the bees are female. That's tens of thousands of girls... :D

Replacing a queen on purpose generally requires "pinching" (killing) the existing queen and either letting the bees create their own new queen from existing larvae that are at the correct age or by installing a new queen acquired from a beekeeper that creates and sells queens. In most cases, the queen arrives in a small, screened container that has a candy/sugar plug in one end. That little container is placed in the hive so that the colony can get used to the new queen's pheromones (and hopefully accept her). Either the bees will release her by eating through the candy or the beekeeper will release her after a few days if they don't eat through the candy as long as it appears that any aggression toward the new queen has abated. It's an unfortunate reality that a new queen introduced by a beek isn't always accepted by the colony.

Our first colony went queenless for a bit and wouldn't accept a new queen. Unbeknownst to us, they were already working the problem and they are back to being very strong. We are currently concerned about our second colony...while there was some brood in evidence today, there was no larvae or eggs that we could find. So as a precaution, we moved a frame (a frame is a rectangular wood construction that holds the bee's comb) that had eggs, larvae and capped brood from the strong colony to the one we are concerned with so they would have appropriate aged eggs and larvae to make a new queen if they choose to do so. This is a serious matter for colony survival for the winter...they need a laying queen to have the timing correct so there's a strong young force of bees to get through the winter by staying warm enough, etc. At this point in the calendar, obtaining a queen from another source is a bit difficult outside of getting one from places like Hawaii. Our third colony is going strong and we're not worried about that one.

[Barry McFadden]

Jim, Barry - Great pics!

Barry, some of your landscapes (especially those of fall folliage) knocked my socks off! I really enjoyed your "manipulations", especially the one where you sre playing cards with multiple copies of yourself!

Fred

Thanks Frederick..... glad you liked them....

[John K Jordan]

...We are currently concerned about our second colony...while there was some brood in evidence today, there was no larvae or eggs that we could find...

Jim, I had the worst time spotting eggs some times (old eyes?) since the light reflecting off the polished bottom of the cell sometimes tricked me. I finally hit on the perfect solution for me. I have a magnifier about 2" in diameter. I hold it in one hand and a small strong flashlight in the other and scan the frame laying flat on top of the open box. The eggs are so easy to spot now!

BTW, Frederick, I got started with bees when I first put in a garden when we moved to this farm about 13 years ago. I saw NO honeybees in the garden! I saw bumble bees, yellow jackets, and some kind of little wasp but without honeybees the cucumbers and melons suffered. I got a hive just for the pollination. My bee mentor said that happens a lot - people get started with bees for the pollination and eventually get out of it because of the honey (it's a lot of work).

My honey processing did become a lot more enjoyable when I got an 8-frame extractor and started using a hot knife for decapping. AND when I cleared out of the kitchen and made room in the new shop for the processing! The honey from here is amazing, very light, largely clover but with a lot of other things. I could sell every drop I get without even trying. Last year I sold over $1000 and could have sold twice that if I hadn't given so much away. And this was mostly out of one amazing hive with some from a second hive. The weather here was horrible at the wrong time so honey is down this year for me but at least the bees look healthy (and their winter stores here are loaded.)

Anyone who might be interested in beekeeping should know this: due to the mites and things imported from across the ocean the honey bee population in the US would probably mostly die out without the efforts of amateur and commercial beekeepers. And there goes 1/4 to 1/3 of our food supply. If you set up and manage just a single hive you will be part of the solution!

JKJ

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys. Now I understand. This really is fascinating!
Fred

[Mike Henderson]

Beekeeping here in California is pretty easy, especially where I live. We have mild temperature in the winter so the bees never go "dormant" - they forage all year round, although spring brings the new flowers and the best nectar flow.

We have some Africanized bees reported in our area but I've never encountered any. Jim has already talked about requeening a hive, but I'll point out that you can buy a queen that has been artificially inseminated if you fear that she might breed to an Africanized drone.

Taking care of bees is pretty simple - after all, they survived for eons without man helping. But you can help them out occasionally. Hobby bees are not treated like the commercial bees used for pollination of almond orchards so they do much better. If you're interested in how commercial bees are treated, read "The Beekeeper's Lament". A good read even if you aren't interested in keeping bees.

I'm fortunate in that I became friends with a professional beekeeper (for honey, not pollination) so I get advice and help when needed (I do woodworking for her). I also use her extraction equipment. The problem with extraction equipment is storing it and cleaning it before and after use. If you're a hobby beekeeper, you'll probably only use the extraction equipment a couple of times a year. And the powered extraction equipment is fairly expensive, maybe $1,000 depending on size and bells and whistles.

If you're going to get into bees, MAKE SURE you're not allergic to bee stings and no one in your family is allergic. If you work around bees, you'll get stung. You'll want to do something and you won't want to go through the trouble of suiting up so you wind up getting a sting or two. At least, that's the way I do things.

And every now and then, you're walking in the area of the hive and one of the ladies decides to whack you. Don't know why, maybe she doesn't like your after shave:) or was just afraid you're a danger to the hive. Bees from a hive full or honey are more protective than bees from a starter hive (with little honey and brood).

Mike

[Since Africanized bees are in our area, I suspect most of the feral hives we catch have some Africanized genes. I should re-queen the hive I have and see if that makes them more docile.]

[Rod Sheridan]

Gardening and motorcycling.

Here's a photo of our bikes and tent at the BMW Rally in Hamburg NY in July.......Rod.
343632

[Dennis Peacock]

Gardening
Riding motorcycles (been riding for 50 years)
R/C airplanes (used to be an instructor)
Electric Bass guitar
Acoustic and electric guitar
Mandolin
Piano
woodturning
music in general
Photography
I LOVE to fly in real airplanes and I have 4.5 hours in a Cessna 172, one day, I hope to be able to fly on my own.
Upholstery
ok, I'm tired now....so I'll rest. :)

[Sherry Canon]

I read a lot and experiment new recipes in the kitchen(most of them don't turn out to be a success but still I try :rolleyes:)

[Tom Giles]

Fishing
Playing with the dog
Fishing
Gardening
and fishing

[John K Jordan]

Gardening

...R/C airplanes (used to be an instructor)

...I LOVE to fly in real airplanes and I have 4.5 hours in a Cessna 172, one day, I hope to be able to fly on my own.


Dennis, I had no idea there were R/C airplane instructors. I could have used one years ago. Now I have fun with R/C hellicopters and quads. We fly two little copters and one tiny quad around inside the shop and house and some bigger outside. Someday I hope to get a quad with a camera.

It was R/C airplanes that got me interested in flying "real" airplanes. I was at the R/C field here once watching some amazing flying (had a nice paved runway!) when a plane went by far overhead. As I was I watching it I suddenly thought, hey, THAT would be fun! I joined a club, found an instructor and got my private license in 1975 or so. Good fun (but what an expensive hobby!)

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

Yea, I did R/C years ago, John, and there are folks who are instructors in most clubs that are part of the major association. This is "back in the day" (early-mid 1970s) with our first RC plane. I guess you could say it was one of my first woodworking projects, too. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/RC%20Plane_zpsfz9zspms.jpg

[John K Jordan]

Yea, I did R/C years ago, John, and there are folks who are instructors in most clubs that are part of the major association. This is "back in the day" (early-mid 1970s) with our first RC plane. I guess you could say it was one of my first woodworking projects, too. :)


I think my first wood project was a plane too, sometime mid '60s. I glued up balsa pieces and covered with tissue paper. It made a fascinating pile of rubble in short order.

JKJ

[Bill Jobe]

Tom, you should give fishing a try. Very relaxing.

[Rich Riddle]

Well I went to the library and checked out about nine books on beekeeping; we're interested in staring in the spring. I am certainly glad I am not a male bee (a drone).....one moment of happiness in mid-air and you fall to your death, or the females chase you out to die when it gets cold outside. Poor fellas.

[John K Jordan]

... male bee (a drone) ... the females chase you out to die when it gets cold outside. Poor fellas.

From what I've heard, human females do that to human males too when they do nothing but lay around the house and goof off, won't work, won't even feed themselves unless they have to, make a lot of noise, and live only to chase girls.

JKJ

[Peter Kelly]

Cooking, snowboarding and telemark skiing.

Wish I had more time for hobbies.

[Van Huskey]

I also collect inexpensive wrist watches. You won't find any Rolex, Omega, or other expensive brands in the drawer. Mostly Seiko and Hamilton watches.

I am an uber-watch nut (a WIS AKA watch idiot savant), are you a member at Watchuseek?

I honestly have too many hobbies.

diving
cycling
climbing (rock and alpine)
audio/video
watches
beer
scotch
cars
boats
deep sea fishing
and the list goes on

[Van Huskey]

Model Railroading in all its aspects is my main thing

I used to be a big N scaler and when I lived outside Spartanburg I used to go to Rail and Spike before Mike (I think that was/is his name) bought it. I got out of the hobby about the time he bought it.

[Rich Riddle]

I am an uber-watch nut (a WIS AKA watch idiot savant), are you a member at Watchuseek?

I honestly have too many hobbies.

diving
cycling
climbing (rock and alpine)
audio/video
watches
beer
scotch
cars
boats
deep sea fishing
and the list goes on
Van,

I am riddlers on watchuseek.com with a post count less than 500. They teach me a lot there.

[Van Huskey]

Van,

I am riddlers on watchuseek.com with a post count less than 500. They teach me a lot there.

I am ilitig8 and have a few more posts there than here. It is an interest that my wife shares, which is good because she doesn't try to keep my spending in check (since she wears many of my watches) and bad because she doesn;t try to keep my spending in check. :)

Both Seiko and Hamilton have some of the best values in watches, I have thus far avoided a Grand Seiko despite Domo's best efforts, I assume if you are a Seiko fan you are familiar with Domo on WUS.

[Prashun Patel]

I like Chrono24. I am a neophyte in watches, but also prefer the technology and craftsmanship over the brand. Curious what do you think of the Tag Heuer Carrera 02T?

[Gary Cunningham]

For many years I was really into plastic models. 1/35 & 1/48 WWII armor and ac.
Fishing was a close second.

Now it is reading, and turning hardwoods into expensive kindling.

The wife & I also like browsing flea markets and antique stores.

[Jim Becker]

For many years I was really into plastic models.

I did award winning plastic cars while a tween/teen "back in the day". It was pretty enjoyable, too. Sadly they were all lost when the 'rents moved many years ago.

[Jim Finn]

In addition to woodworking, I do metal working. (sheet metal)
I also teach ballroom dancing with my wife, two days a week.

[Rich Riddle]

I never pondered we would have our own Fed Astaire in the SMC forum.

[Matt Meiser]

I did award winning plastic cars while a tween/teen "back in the day". It was pretty enjoyable, too. Sadly they were all lost when the 'rents moved many years ago.

I have one sitting on my desk in the basement right now. Its a model of a 55(?) Chevy like the one my dad and uncle raced in the 60's semi-professionally. Dad bought the model when he retired but never finished it so now its on my todo list. I probably haven't done one in 30+ years so its a little intimidating since I want to do it right. One neat thing available to day is inkjet decal paper so I can do the lettering to match the pictures of the real car (which thankfully is simple!)

[Jim Becker]

Yea, the inkjet capabilities of today can be wonderful for model-making. "Back in the day", it was all wet transfer "decals" including assembling in layers if you were trying to duplicate something. "Twicky"!