# Hobbies other than winemaking?



## TechAdmin (Nov 2, 2022)

Aside from winemaking, what other interests or hobbies do you spend time on?


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## Arne (Nov 2, 2022)

Next few days a bit of sheetrocking for my daughter. Little bit of hunting, age is slowing me down with that. Fishing, pretty much done now til next summer. Will work on the pontoon during the winter, make a bunch of lures and paint a bunch of others. Last year found out I can use a airbrush so the lures come out pretty good. Still help out with the volunteer fire dept. Come spring suppose a garden will have to be planted again. Retired but manage to stay busy. Arne.


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## RevA (Nov 2, 2022)

Gardening, hunting, candle making, when the mood strikes some low level blacksmithing, wood turning, beer brewing, baking, canning - all of which are kinda seasonal for me. Then reading and writing which is an every week hobby.


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## Ted Brumleve (Nov 2, 2022)

Bought an almost 50 year old 28' sailboat that I am rehabbing and learning to sail. Might get back to sprint triathlons.


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## sour_grapes (Nov 2, 2022)

Ted Brumleve said:


> Bought an almost 50 year old 28' sailboat that I am rehabbing and learning to sail. Might get back to sprint triathlons.



That figure of the age of the sailboat caught me off guard -- it seemed quite old. Then I realized that my sailboat is a 1972.... (you do the math!)


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## wood1954 (Nov 2, 2022)

Furniture making, here’s my last winter projects. Looking forward to being driven into my shop by cold weather


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## mikewatkins727 (Nov 2, 2022)

Currently using a free suite of programs called OpenOffice.org to build a database for home inventory. At times I am in the wood shop doing something akin to what @wood1954 has been doing. Only problem, I've got 10 years on him and I am rapidly slowing down.


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## BigDaveK (Nov 2, 2022)

Gardening is my main hobby and there's always something to do. Being a country wine maker has become the largest offshoot, then there's canning and lacto fermenting. I have multiple gardens that expand a little each year and eventually my plan is to have them all join. Everything is from seed or propagated from cuttings, concentrating on rare or unusual. Haven't bought big box plants in years.
And I like to make sausage and pirogi because I can't find a good source nearby.
And I take a boatload of pictures - regular, infrared, time lapse.


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## wood1954 (Nov 2, 2022)

mikewatkins727 said:


> Currently using a free suite of programs called OpenOffice.org to build a database for home inventory. At times I am in the wood shop doing something akin to what @wood1954 has been doing. Only problem, I've got 10 years on him and I am rapidly slowing down.


Don’t want to hear that slowing down stuff. The closer I get to 70 the more I worry about that.


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## winemaker81 (Nov 2, 2022)

Woodworking projects, martial arts, shooting, archery, writing for fun, Dungeons & Dragons, programming.


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## vinny (Nov 2, 2022)

Cooking/eating, shooting, reloading, canning, gardening, building things around the property/house, anything diy. Happy hour!


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## JBP (Nov 2, 2022)

Passionate conservationist, foodie (cooking), puzzles, being outdoors, family (combined with foodie - the impulse to feed and nurture), summer cabin life/boating.

Want to get back to playing piano, non-technical reading, traveling...and so much more - need to retire (Retirement vs working).


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## ChuckD (Nov 2, 2022)

Woodworking… primarily furniture and dovetail boxes. Lately I’ve been building a timber frame storage barn. Also fishing, camping, gardening, sausage making and smoking meat products. I definitely need to retire.


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## NorCal (Nov 2, 2022)

Past hobbies; dirt bikes, tennis, poker, car restoration. Current hobbies; fabricating stuff, horses/property, vineyard. Future hobbies; trail riding, pickle ball.


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## ratflinger (Nov 2, 2022)

I'm rebuilding a '79 Corvette & shooting. Way it's going I may start shooting the Vette


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## Jovimaple (Nov 3, 2022)

Reading, genealogy, puzzles, creating photo books. Work, family, and social obligations take up the rest of my time. Looking forward to retirement or a winning lottery ticket.


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## Johnd (Nov 3, 2022)

Always been a hunter, still am, my 650 acre duck / deer hunting property is where I collect equipment, tractors, excavator, and skid steer. Got into blacksmithing / knife making during Covid, now have a full blown shop at home, and working on setting up some capabilities at the farm. Love buying the old anvils and leg vises and restoring / using them. Tire hammer and hydraulic forging press have eased the initial shoulder / back pains, and allowed me to make Damascus steel much more effectively. Been making my own tongs, top tools and hammers, knives, machetes, axes. Fun stuff.


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## mikewatkins727 (Nov 3, 2022)

@Johnd, you got some neat tools there. Maybe I should start life over and branch out.


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## MHSKIBUM (Nov 3, 2022)

I've started writing novels. The main character of my second novel, Gravity Games, is a master chef and sommelier supreme, Nathan Sherlock. He has a super nose for food, wine — and murder. Check out the reviews: Gravity Games


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## BernardSmith (Nov 3, 2022)

I make cheese and I bake bread and I write short fiction.


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## Obbnw (Nov 4, 2022)

I don't just make wine, I drink it too ; )

Unfortunately drinking makes me lazy so I only dream about being able to weld, make furniture, etc.

Kidding aside, maintaining the garden and grape vines is my real hobby, wine making is the side hustle...


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## Vinobeau (Nov 4, 2022)

Making things. Cabinetry, some furniture, a few canoes, turnings, stained glass, gardening and our course wine making.


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## Daboyleroy (Nov 4, 2022)

Wood carving and painting


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## Daboyleroy (Nov 4, 2022)

Also have a small garden figs, muscadines, apples, pecan, pears.and grapes.


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## vinny (Nov 4, 2022)

Vinobeau said:


> Making things. Cabinetry, some furniture, a few canoes, turnings, stained glass, gardening and our course wine making.


That is quite the canoe, sir. Nice work!


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## Vinobeau (Nov 4, 2022)

Thanks! For me the beauty of making boats and turning bowls, and to a certain point stained glass, is that not much of it requires any thing to be Square! This pic shows one mistake that I couldn't hide - one piece of the decking just wasn't quite long enough!


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## vinny (Nov 4, 2022)

Vinobeau said:


> Thanks! For me the beauty of making boats and turning bowls, and to a certain point stained glass, is that not much of it requires any thing to be Square! This pic shows one mistake that I couldn't hide - one piece of the decking just wasn't quite long enough!


ahhh, that's just a little character. Also, nothing a sticker wouldn't fix.


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## jswordy (Nov 4, 2022)




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## Terryfirma (Nov 4, 2022)

Writing, Gardening, foraging, preserving, fermenting, chicken keeping, fishing, Claw hammer Banjo, floor loom Weaver, wood carving, volunteering and supporting non-profit arts organizations. I collect a lot of things, but my Coffee pot collection is quite extensive:} 
I have too many hobbies!!


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## Jan (Nov 5, 2022)




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## bearpaw8491 (Nov 6, 2022)

Wood Turning and life-long outdoorsman, especially primitive technologies.


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## bstnh1 (Nov 6, 2022)

Gardening (indoors and out), landscaping, hiking, cooking, fixing anything whether it's broken or not!


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## Old Corker (Nov 6, 2022)

I used to make furniture years ago. Once we bought our first home that energy morphed into diy projects. Both inside and out. All things horse related and home improvement. I’ve owned a few tractors over the years. They become a hobby unto themselves plus I tend to invent things to do with it. There is almost nothing around our home that I wouldn’t or haven’t taken on. 
I did put some serious thought into taking up blacksmithing. Took a couple classes and made a couple of things and really enjoyed it. Ultimately I had to put it down because my hands are going south with arthritis and a tendon issue in both my thumbs.


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## crushday (Nov 6, 2022)

I'm a musician (play 15 instruments), song writer, recording engineer, luthier, bowyer, photographer, painter, creative writer (short story and novel), and public speaker. These are some of my hobbies.

Here's an image I took and won the 2011 Smithsonian photo contest with (the category was Americana):

This was taken in Miles City, Montana at the annual bucking horse sale.


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## sour_grapes (Nov 6, 2022)

crushday said:


> I'm a musician (play 15 instruments), song writer, recording engineer, luthier, bowyer, photographer, painter, creative writer (short story and novel), and public speaker. These are some of my hobbies.
> 
> Here's an image I took and won the 2011 Smithsonian photo contest with (the category was Americana):
> 
> ...



I wanted to give both a  and a  but evidently you have to choose one or the other!


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## vinny (Nov 9, 2022)

Well, if we are doing show and tell, I might as well elaborate.

My main hobby is building and making things. All of my other interests tend to lend inspiration to that goal.

I have posted some of these in other threads, but mostly it is do demonstrate how I use all other hobbies as an excuse to improve or make something

I took the studs out of the pantry wall and built a cabinet for our canning.





I installed a counter over the washer and dryer for a wine making area.




I added under cabinet lights and a few other bits, but can't seem to find the finished pictures.

Now, if I can save a buck and make something I need, well then we are really having fun.



A buddy bought this, it is an annealer for reloading brass. $350 delivered.



I made mine, with some improvements for $75. Everyone always says, 'but what about your time?'. That's completely missing the point, this is the hobby! I got hours of tinkering with this, sourcing parts, coming up with a random plan in my head and putting it together. I managed to pull it off better than I originally had planned and had fun making it.





currently I am working on a wine pump to transfer, filter, bottle, etc. and a lift table/cart to drag carboys around so I don't have to lift them. The two together should eliminate much of the lifting and risk of making a mess, while keeping me pleasantly entertained.


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## wood1954 (Nov 9, 2022)

Nice, that’s what hobbies are. I’ve never felt that my hobbies should pay for themselves financially, they pay by keeping me sane. I love woodworking and sometimes it pays but I never enjoy paid work as much as making something for family or friends, same with wine, I love learning about making wine, just wish I’d quit making mistakes.


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## ChuckD (Nov 9, 2022)

@vinny @wood1954
Whenever I see some new gadget I start looking at how I can make my own… I can typically make something only slightly less functional for only double the price! 

But my version will weigh twice as much and survive a large meteor strike!


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## tullamore (Nov 9, 2022)




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## Noontime (Nov 10, 2022)

I About 2 years ago I discovered scratch build/kitbashing model making. Creating a model using plastic styrene sheets and random found plastic parts (containers and other retail products, stuff found on the sidewalk, etc, other plastic model parts, all called "greeblies" in general). Collecting the greeblies is just as much fun as building the models. Image below is a spaceship I've been working on... still needs to be painted.


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## Jovimaple (Nov 10, 2022)

Noontime said:


> I About 2 years ago I discovered scratch build/kitbashing model making. Creating a model using plastic styrene sheets and random found plastic parts (containers and other retail products, stuff found on the sidewalk, etc, other plastic model parts, all called "greeblies" in general). Collecting the greeblies is just as much fun as building the models. Image below is a spaceship I've been working on... still needs to be painted.View attachment 95112
> 
> View attachment 95113
> 
> View attachment 95114


My mom makes miniatures and uses a lot of found objects. I save anything little and she puts them to remarkable use!


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## Noontime (Nov 10, 2022)

Jovimaple said:


> My mom makes miniatures and uses a lot of found objects. I save anything little and she puts them to remarkable use!


Cool. It's really amazing how little pieces of "trash" can be turned into something cool looking. The model pictured has razor blade sleeves, the rear exhaust is a fireworks canister I found on the ground after July 4th, the body is made from juice bottles, it's got earbuds and lotion caps, and plastic spacers from hair dye, juice box straws, mouthwash cap, and on and on.


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## Jovimaple (Nov 10, 2022)

Noontime said:


> Cool. It's really amazing how little pieces of "trash" can be turned into something cool looking. The model pictured has razor blade sleeves, the rear exhaust is a fireworks canister I found on the ground after July 4th, the body is made from juice bottles, it's got earbuds and lotion caps, and plastic spacers from hair dye, juice box straws, mouthwash cap, and on and on.


When Mom first started with her miniatures hobby, she made 1" scale furniture for a dollhouse she built. I remember one cabinet was made out of a Kraft Macaroni and Cheese box!

Her interests have led her to smaller and smaller scale stuff. She mostly works in 1/4" scale now. She makes room boxes and scenes. She made tiny bottles out of the tips of plastic hearing aid filter holders. The bottles are the ends of the black things shown in the second picture.


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## Jovimaple (Nov 10, 2022)

More of my mom's hobby (I wish I were as talented as she is but my hobby consists of finding little stuff for her to use):


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## balatonwine (Nov 11, 2022)

Hobbies? People still have time for hobbies?

I use to do model railroading, garden railroading, wood carving, crafting, sculpture, etc. I wrote poetry on occasion.

These days... heck. What time I have is used to survive....


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## Noontime (Nov 11, 2022)

Jovimaple said:


> More of my mom's hobby (I wish I were as talented as she is but my hobby consists of finding little stuff for her to use):


Absolutely fantastic. I love that pool room. Amazingly impressive and thanks for sharing.


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## vinny (Nov 11, 2022)

Jovimaple said:


> More of my mom's hobby (I wish I were as talented as she is but my hobby consists of finding little stuff for her to use):


Hey, don't cut yourself short. Making wine and refilling empty wine bottle is a fun hobby. It's also an art! Unfortunately, It's a burden that we can't refill full bottles. We have to do the work to keep emptying them. Sometimes it leaves little time for tinkering and developing new hobbies. 

Just remember, we understand!


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## wpt-me (Dec 6, 2022)

Turning wood and acrylics on a lathe. Then doing craft shows to support it. 
Did 10 shows in 12 weeks. I'm tired!!

Bill


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## Shurt1073 (Dec 6, 2022)

I fly rc planes .... some 3-4' and others 7-8'. I have planes that fly over 100+ mph but the fun ones are easy flyers around 30-40 mph. I retired in 2018 and took lessons for a couple months. When I'm flying, this 59 yr old feels about 12 yrs old.


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## mikewatkins727 (Dec 6, 2022)

@Shurt1073 I, too, took up flying model airplanes in the early 2000s. Just never got the hang of landing properly. Today I miss flying but to get back into it I'd have up grade all my electronics. Fly high and break the surly bonds of the earth.


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## mat_ski (Dec 6, 2022)

I love fishing, bass, pike and even trout fly fishing.


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## Shurt1073 (Dec 6, 2022)

mat_ski said:


> I love fishing, bass, pike and even trout fly fishing.


I fish 1-2 days a week at Newton Power Plant lake in Illinois. Yep, its a 2 hr drive but the best Largemouth fishing I've ever seen. I had a 5.12 in July there. Lots of my videos of Newton are on Youtube.


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## Markybones (Dec 6, 2022)

I enjoy music, and have played guitar since I was 12, a very long time ago. I also really enjoy photography, reading, and writing. I used to backpack when I was younger, but that ship has sailed...


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## ChuckD (Dec 6, 2022)

mat_ski said:


> I love fishing, bass, pike and even trout fly fishing.


This year was one of the best I’ve had for big fish. Multiple 18” smallies and big pike too. All on NE Wisconsin rivers.


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## mat_ski (Dec 6, 2022)

ChuckD said:


> This year was one of the best I’ve had for big fish. Multiple 18” smallies and big pike too. All on NE Wisconsin rivers.



The pictures are from northwoods where we do annual family trips and I get to explore all the local rivers and streams. Unfortunately this year my son (under 1 yo at the time) got very sick so we had to cut the trip short and that smallie was the fish of the trip



Shurt1073 said:


> I fish 1-2 days a week at Newton Power Plant lake in Illinois. Yep, its a 2 hr drive but the best Largemouth fishing I've ever seen. I had a 5.12 in July there. Lots of my videos of Newton are on Youtube.



I mostly do the kayak river rat thing on northern IL and southern Wi rivers. 
I am thinking about a boat and once I get one I’ll definitely take a trip there.


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## offthehipevents (Dec 6, 2022)

By day I'm a Custom Framer. But hobby wise I am all over the place. In my spare time I draw, and paint. Sculpting has taken a backseat to working with resin. I also like old world arts like book binding, spinning wool, weaving, leather working, and paper making. For relaxation I enjoy reading, listening to music, and playing video games.... And dreaming about new wines to make.


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