Hobbies? Who has time for hobbies, I'm retired and the wife's "honey do" list is extensive. When I do get a little time to myself I indulge in a couple different things. I design and build electric guitars, modify rifles for use in long range target shooting, or build small refractors for local schools and folks who can't afford commercial products. Riding motorcycles fits in there somewhere as well.

 

Tripper,

Us guitar builders have to stand united - I'd be pleased to see your work. I await delivery of a set of templates to build the old Mosrite guitars. As for shooting Garand's, I'm sure its a hoot but my first (and last) pull of the trigger on a Barnette 50 caliber is something I'll never forget! Time constraints also prevent me from trips to the range but my wife and I still make it out occasionally.

Clear skies,
Fred

 

I fly RC Gliders as my other hobby.

http://www.lisf.org/home/wp/

If you click on the video on the left side, that is me narrating the video.

 

I used to hang out with a young guy who was into the motorized ones. He devolved into chasing people with it. I lost interest and avoided him after that. But it looked like a lot of fun. Non-motorized sounds more my style. I love bicycles and other non-engined devices. Aside from a few Go-To-telescopes, of course!

Thanks for sharing, Ed!

Dave

 

Dave,

If you ever make it to Long Island, let me know and I will get you up and flying. It is very easy and a lot of fun. Much easier than powered planes and much more relaxing. And, our flying field is surrounded by wooded bike and hiking trails.

 

Thanks, Ed! Sounds fun. If you come up to Northern Vermont, bring one - we have lots of sky, too. We don't even allow billboards on our roadways - the whole state is nature-paths and bike-routes!

We'll probably outlaw cars soon enough!

Dave

 

I enjoy hiking and in a way it and astronomy are interlinked for example last night I was hiking back down a canal towpath,mainly in the dark green bortle class range,and Ursa major was reflected in the canal water plus the stars through the now leafless tree branches sort of puts us in perspective on our planet.I stop every now and again to examine celestial bodies using a monocular I always carry,last night 8x25(think I just got m1 and m82 with it?).

 

Fluffy says:

"You what?? You have to sleep sometime, Mr!"

 

Tipper, here is one of my latest musical creations, LOVE IN THE CLOUD:


Cheers,
Reggie

 

FLASHBACK: 1974 -

Sun Ra:




Dave (?)

ps: Thank you, Reggie!

 

Hibernating, Dennis? Me too. And we've been well below 0°F here with the (constant) wind-chill factored in the -20°F as well, with the wind howling like you hear it in low-budget horror-movies! I've never heard that sound before - except in the aforementioned cinema - and it says: "Don't even think about going outside, buddy!"

And yes indeed - Reggie knows his art (music in his form) very well indeed! But we artists are, by nature, never satisfied and will try to improve & embrace our creations. So barring being hit by a meteorite, we'll be graced with more 'tries' to capture the totality. My art is generally in my writing. With the occasionaly venture into sculpture and photography (terrestrial, usually).

Re: Global-Warming - it's working as predicted, Dennis. This level of bone-crushing cold is in it. The North-Pole is getting our weather, subsequently melting and raising the ocean-level, as you and I freeze here. Warm air rises to North, cold air is sent South (from our perspective) to make room for the warm. Most people of a non-scientific background can't grasp this phenomena. Go into Yahoo! News and read the commentary after any one of the shoddy weather stories it runs. There seems to be a plethora of such letters from people who actually believe that Elvis Presley lives in the mayonnaise-jar in the back of their refrigerator. More of them than anyone has thought!

Now where did I leave my whip & chair.....?

Dave

 

Dennis, Dave, thank you both so much for your kind words. I put my all into my hobbies, whether it be music or astronomy. Being able to synthesize the two is an even more powerful experience for me. Dave, you are right about us artists never being satisfied and our quests to "capture the totality"; I would love to check out some of your writings and see some of your photos and sculpture!
Dennis, don't give up. Brave this cold, cloudy spell until the next temperate, clear night, and when that happens take full advantage of it!

Pax Vobiscum!
Reggie

 

Totally socked-in the gray clouds here, winds are howling at gusts of at least 40mph.....What's not to love?

YUCK!

What anti-virus are you using, Dennis? Some of them are viruses! I scan my system daily (background automatic) with Kaspersky's, and the free edition of Malwarebytes. The last time I got bitten was by a browser-hijacker in CloudyNights - where I tried to read an article - which put XXX-porn in my face. Figures! Malwarebytes found it right away and killed it.

In any event, it's nice to see you again, Dennis. Seems you're surviving the "Holidays" or, as I call it: 'Avarice-On-Parade. '

The windows are rattling,

Dave