Fishing - I've always loved to fish since I was a kid and spent at least half of my summer weekends on the Ventura Pier in California. Fished tiny ponds and lakes in Oklahoma and Missouri when I visited relatives as a kid. Now that I am in North Idaho we have lots of great lakes stocked with rainbow trout and full of native catfish, perch and 6-7 various trout species. I work seasonally and have a flexible schedule so some weeks I might go fishing 2-3 times in a week. Funny thing is I don't really like fish as much as I used to, so I catch and release or give them away.
Motorcycles - My first street vehicle was a motorcycle. Dad bought me a little Yamaha 175 enduro, then a retired Kawasaki 1000 police special. I crashed a Honda CX650 custom when someone turned in front of me then took some time off when I had kids and a family car was more important than a bike. When my kids got older I started riding again on a Yamaha Virago 750, which I like the cruiser style of. I've since upgraded to a newer model of the same bike and still love to ride, though the long North Idaho winters take a bite out of my riding time.
Hunting - Grew up hunting rabbits and quail as a kid, but living in the north part of Los Angeles County the population soon grew and squeezed out the few rural areas we had. I've rediscovered the sport since I've come to North Idaho where the deer, moose, elk and waterfowl populations seem endless.
Guns - I've always loved guns and have been shooting blackpower rifles and pistols since I was a kid. I loved my Kentucky rifle and pistol, but in my late 20's traded them for a camera lens I really wanted. I'm slowly acquiring a small collection again: two single action revolvers, 9mm pistol, pump 12 gauge shotgun, .308 bolt action rifle, couple of lever .22 rifles and a Pietta 1858 New Army black powder revolver. So many cool guns to own but so little disposable income these days. Kinda related, I also collect knives. Nothing very expensive or exotic, but I've got a few nice ones and a couple of nice hand forged machetes I got as gifts. Thinking I might need a throwing axe or two soon.
Model Rocketry - When my kids were young we would shoot them off and they loved it, but my kids have all grown with only my 16 year old daughter left at home. I still build one on occasion and she humors me by going along to shoot them off once in awhile.
Stunt Kites - I used to fly stunt kites with a friend in California who had a huge collection of the big ones that could drag you across the grass/sand if you were not careful. I still own a few smaller kites and go out a few times each summer.
Geocaching - My family used to hunt for geocaches a few times a week and I've spent my time rushing out to get a first-to-find on a brand new cache. It's just me and the youngest daughter at home now but I still go out on occasion. To be honest, playing Pokemon Go has taken it's place since that game came out.
Dungeons & Dragons - Loved to play when I was younger, but haven't sat down with anyone other than my kids to play in years. I mostly get my roleplaying game fix via computer RPGs these days.
Photography - Took some college courses and got a job as a newspaper photographer back in 1988. I got burned out and left the profession in 2000, not touching a camera for almost seven years. I worked for a while managing photographers doing group photos in a theme park, then managed a district for a company that does school and yearbook photos. Left than and now do some freelance work...senior photos, weddings, events and such. I occasionally turn my police scanner on and listen to the activity in this sleepy little rural town. If I shoot something newsworthy I submit it to the local paper, but their budget for photography is zero, so it's just for the fun of doing it again. The crowning glory on my resume as a serious photojournalist who has been published in books, newspapers and magazines around the world...well, I make a bit of coin shooting Santa photos at the local mall during Christmas. I've got a pretty loyal following of parents who come back year after year because I love kids and like to think I shoot pretty good portraits. You can catch me there when the Easter Bunny visits and for Halloween as well.
Scuba and free diving - I grew up in the ocean in Southern California. I took up free diving (wet suit, weights, mask and snorkel only) then got my open water scuba certification in my early 20's. Almost all my diving has been solo and I enjoy the isolation and beauty of being underwater. Nothing else maters when you are down there. Free diving down 20 feet to hold on to the sea grass and let the surge pull you back and forth is amazing. Back then I didn't have the money to go on boat dives very often, so most of my diving was from the shore which is probably my favorite. Other than authentic Mexican food, I miss the ocean the most after leaving California.
Computers - like everyone else in this thread it seems, I too like to build my own and tinker with computers. I repair them on the side for folks. Living where I do there aren't many regular jobs to be had. I have a good summer job with the city, so having other income streams from photography and repairing computers helps pay the bills.
Books, movies - I seem to spend more time these days seeking the escape of a good book or movie. I like all kinds of adventure fiction, and have a love of old 30's & 40's pulp fiction writers like Robert E. Howard and E. R. Burroughs.
Blacksmithing is on my possible future endeavors list. My father is a machinist and I asked him one time what got him interested in the trade. He said it was when and old man gave him a sheet of copper and showed him how to make a bowl with a ball-peen hammer. He was hooked ever since. I've always thought learning to forge steel would be a hell of a lot of fun. Not sure if it will ever happen, but I've done a lot of reading and research on the subject. I've been on the lookout just in case I cross paths with a cheap anvil or a hunk of railroad track that would work.
Reenacting - interested in, but will probably never actually do. The first time I photographed a civil war reenactment I got to talking with some of the participants about my love of black power firearms and the period. I was invited to come up and try it out, but couldn't get over the idea of looking silly and never did. I did volunteer for a day at Sutter's Fort in Sacramento to dress up like a Mexican vaquero and teach school kids how to use a lariat. I hadn't been on horseback since I was 10 years old, but I had taught myself to rope. The fort let me use some of the beautiful, handmade leather riatas they had and it was a very good day. When my kids were little I would take a soft cotton rope and lasso them for fun as they ran across the room. One time I lassoed my son's feet, not thinking about the header he would take into the carpet. He was only about five, but I'm not sure he's forgiven me even after all these years.
Ham Radio - I have one that doubles as a scanner and have thought on and off about going for my license. I still haven't but understand they are dropping the Morse Code requirement and might get off my butt and do it eventually.
Coaching - I coached Little League girls softball for several years when my daughter played. She's older now and last year we went back and coached a team together. It's my small way of trying to give back to the community. I teach the girls good sportsmanship, ethics, and how to work hard to win, but not at any cost. My overall theme is that nothing is easy and it takes hard work and effort to succeed both at softball and life. The parents (mostly) love me for it and every year we've had a winning team. I've done things in my life that I'm not proud of, and I hope in some tiny way I am making up for it.
There is a long list of other hobbies I engage in from time to time. It seems that escaping into something fun is a recurring theme in my life. I can be very single-minded and almost obsessively attack a task when I need to. I also know how to work under pressure and meet a deadline thanks to my years of working at daily newspapers. Still, I find myself wandering off to find something fun to do when the work can wait or just doesn't interest me at the moment. Maybe if I were more driven I would be more "successful" today, but I sure would have had a lot less fun.
Edit: Forgot to mention writing book sized posts on ATOT.
tldr: good for you!
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