hobbies – Page 3 – Thoughts From The Passenger Seat

2024, friends, hobbies, leisure time, life, Memories, photography, thoughts, Travel

August 21, 2024 Hump Day Photo

Posted on August 21, 2024 by nancyb422

Today’s Hump Day photo comes from the first week long motorcycle trip we took in 2013. We traveled with another couple and 2 single guys from Connecticut, down the Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah National Park, and along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Cherokee North Carolina and back.

*Brendan, Chris, and Mark Harley Davidson Factory York PA*

This picture was taken in the parking lot of the Harley Davidson factory in York Pennsylvania. It was on the last day of our trip. Because of a rain delay the day before we were running behind. We stayed overnight in York, but I think there either was no Saturday tour or we couldn’t swing the time because we were still a good 6 hours away from home.

About the trip –

We took off in early June and it was cold and rainy. The views were amazing on the Skyline Drive but for much of the ride on the parkway it was cold and foggy! Lesson learned #1 – we need to travel in the summer!

There was one other rider, who is still a good friend. He led the way and the focus was getting in a lot of hours on the bike. Amy, the other female, and I wanted to see sights! Lesson Learned #2 – plan the trip!

We rode on the Tail of the Dragon in Deals Gap, NC and went nice and slow! We went to the top of Chimney Rock and could see Lake Lure where they filmed Dirty Dancing. We stayed in Floyd Virginia and absolutely fell in love with it! We got caught in a monstrous rain storm on the highway and stopped for the day and overnight in Natural Bridge Virginia at this little motel where we pulled the bikes under the overhang and walked to the nearby diner for our meals.

After this trip, we continued to go on day trips, weekend trips, and week long trips with Brendan and Amy and Chris. We all got along so well and enjoyed some really great trips.

This picture reflects the start of those wonderful friendships.

2024, hobbies, leisure time, life, photography

Watching the Bees and Butterflies

Posted on August 19, 2024 by nancyb422

I love to visit the flowers in our garden. There are not as many fun ones this year as compared to last but there is plenty to keep me occupied.

I was out there over the last few days and came away with these – they are purple coneflowers and orange coneflowers along with some friends!

*Flowers and busy workers in the garden!*

The lavender was in full bloom a month or so ago but they got a haircut when the blooms died. I didn’t know to cut them and dry them. Next time!

I love watching the bees and butterflies up close. They are not bothered by me and my camera at all!

2024, hobbies, leisure time, life, relaxing

Experimental Collage

Posted on July 21, 2024 by nancyb422

On Saturday, I took a class at the Guilford Art Center called “Experimental Collage Workshop”.

I was more than a little nervous as I was driving to the center. I’ve never taken an art class before and it takes me a while to get my “creative juices” going!

It involved using a variety of medium to create a collage. The teacher brought so much material and it was fun to sort through everything there.

As I went through the packets of magazine pages, cutouts, words, and paper stock, I pulled out items that interested me. I realized I knew what I wanted to do.

As I was making it, I had to let go of my need to make things symmetrical or cut strips straight and of equal dimensions! The sun came about on my third try of a sun. As soon as I saw the green leaf paper, I knew I wanted it to be the roof and the teacher was impressed it was 3-D! I had to have Wally there and the cardinal was a fluke as I didn’t see it in the packet the first time I looked through it. I think it came out pretty good!

I’ve always had a thing for standard collage. My earliest memory was in third grade we had a collage project, maybe for our first communion, of a chalice and the communion wafer. I only remember it because it was in a yarn bound “book” of art work that hung around in the basement for years.

I love seeing the tile work in the subway stations. The two tours at Hearst Castle both ended up at the pool and it is breathtaking! The colors and the way they reflect off the water – I have so many pictures!

I really enjoyed this class. Once I had an idea of what I wanted to do, it became soothing to sort my material and cut out the items. I think it’s something I might explore at home!

2024, hobbies, leisure time, life, Writing

Everything I Want To Learn

Posted on June 19, 2024 by nancyb422

What are you passionate about?

I was thinking of the hobbies I have been really “passionate” about – knitting, piano, making cards, ancestry – and how that passion will be so strong and then wane. None of those have completely disappeared but they move in and out of my life like waves.

That’s when I realized I am passionate about learning. New skills, new ideas, history, people.

2024, hobbies, leisure time, life, thoughts, Writing

What I Can’t Get Rid Of

Posted on May 22, 2024 by nancyb422

Daily writing prompt

Do you have any collections?

I don’t have collections in the true sense of the word like Beanie Babies, salt and pepper shakers, or baseball cards.

My collections are:

My vast amount of family photos dating back to the late 1800s, and early 1900s on both parents’ sides of the family. Many formal portraits including families, first communions, and wedding parties. Informal photos are in photo albums and labeled with dates and locations!

My mother’s postcard collection. She had a big album with all the cards categorized by location. I hung onto it and finally took them out of the album. Someday I will write some stories about some of them.

My yarn, knitting needles, and knitting books. I have baskets of yarn and a slew of knitting books! I kept the yarns by weight in file cabinet drawers until I repurposed the file cabinet for my ancestry work. I was going to get rid of a lot of the yarn but never got around to it. I guess it’s time to put the yarn away again before any moths get to it!

Do books count? I have a lot of those and I keep buying more!

But if you’re thinking my house must be filled to the rafters, you’d be wrong! All of my “collections” are in a very large room over our garage that serves as our workout room in two-thirds of the room and my “she-space” in the remaining part. We’re lucky to have such a wonderful space!

2024, hobbies, leisure time, life, relaxing, Writing

Puzzle #2 – The Cantina

Posted on April 28, 2024April 28, 2024 by nancyb422

In January, I wrote about completing my first puzzle. I “got it for Christmas” in 2022 but it and the roll up pad sat for a year before our Aunt Mindy’s dedication to hers inspired me to start on mine!

After I took that puzzle apart, I looked for another by the same maker, Eeboo, but quickly realized my coffee table was not large enough! Evidently the “A Day In Paris” was the only one and that one just squeaked in.

We went to Amatos Toy and Hobby in Middletown to find a new puzzle (I was armed with the table measurement!), and I bought one by White Mountain called New York New York and is made up of New York State landmarks. There’s a bit of a theme there – puzzles based on places I’ve been. Anyway, the puzzle was a few inches too big but my husband told me he’d get a piece of plywood to cover for the few extra inches needed. Didn’t happen! 😂 I started looking for a coffee table that was wider. Can’t decide on one! 😂

I ended up perusing the puzzle aisle of Walmart with my measurements and found this Buffalo Games and Puzzles Charles Wysocki puzzle called “Sunday Morning Stroll”.

I’ve been at it for about a month now and boy, it’s a tough one! Usually I finish the perimeter first but for this one, I removed and switched pieces constantly because pieces that didn’t go together, seemed to fit! The pieces are smaller than the last and there are so many similar colors!

Every night as we watch our scheduled show, I listen more than watch it as I pick away at the trees and sky.

Now I need to find that new coffee table!