jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,594
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Post by jamesp on Feb 4, 2022 9:45:49 GMT -5
It's already been briefly mentioned, but I think it warrants saying it again- there are many, many facets to this hobby. I won't list them all- you all know. So, if I get bored with cabbing or with doing preforms, I can wrap or do something else. Even just pulling cabs out to admire them is part of the hobby... and taking pictures. Lots of stuff to consider and master. I doubt I'll ever lose complete interest. As you mention Tela there are so many(as you said) facets -no pun- to this hobby. If travelling to a new location or simply going out to eat I find myself looking into the geology of any destination or wandering by commercial city landscapes scaped with imported rocks. Of all the places visited Zapata Texas was king of destinations. The quartz rich gravels are all mined locally along the Rio Grande. Parking lots, gravel roads, road underlayment, gravel piles at landscape businesses, etc, agate/jasper/wood rich gravels are everywhere. Up and down with the sun, couldn't get enough. Being an engineer I have learned a great deal and enjoyed building lapidary equipment or shopping for used equipment where ever. All the while challenged and kept in tune by such activity. The question posed so many time is what to do with tumbles. People love them. Especially kids. Great conversation pieces and ice breakers. Gifting them to family, friends, clients and associates is a win win. If you hand a few out everywhere you go you will find that there are many people interested in rocks, often times their kids. In some cases they get pretty buzzed about receiving them. As in the case of RTH building long term relationships. My girlfriend found her first arrowhead on an expedition I took her on 35 years ago. Poor gal is still stuck with me. Collecting is a real buzz especially if out in nature in strange and beautiful surroundings. Nothing like scoring some fine rocks. And perfect motivation to get away. Never met many rock hobbyists that I didn't like. They often have similar interests but that's a beauty in any hobby. People without hobbies are hard for me to understand but that's just me. Childhood memories going rock huntin with family and neighbors. Lucky me. Do the same with your kids/grandkids. List goes on and on and nothing negative to mention other than potential burn out. Fine, take a break and come back later. |
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Post by HankRocks on Feb 4, 2022 10:25:27 GMT -5
Good Topic. It's been 5 1/2 years since I have "retired" and have been able to spend a decent portion of my time with my rocks. So far I have not had a drop off in my interest. Doing a few Shows a year has probably helped in that regards. Covid has been the wild card in this for me, less Shows but also less travel so more time to build up my stock. I am anticipating(hoping) being able to travel more in the future so that time will provide a break in rock activity.
One thing that has surprised me is that I have really come to enjoy doing a few Shows a year. I enjoy talking to people who came by my booth. On top of that everything I sell is 100% created by me; cut, polished, found or dug so that if someone asks a question I can usually answer. The whole planning/pricing/booth layout is an excellent way to keep the brain cells working.
One of my goals when I retired was to be able to do more collecting which is still my favorite part of the hobby. That started out well up until Covid. The other factor that has reared it's head here is Father Time. Wandering off by myself in remote areas at my age is something I look to avoid.
Keeping interested is another reason I am always looking for large rock tumbling opportunities. I clearly do not do that to make sales items, it’s not a very cost effective exercise, it’s fun and I like the challenge.
Another factor with my continued interest is this Forum. All the neat people out here with their postings and pictures and different methods. I come out here 5 or 6 times a day and view and read 90% of the posts. I will probably never Wire-wrap but I enjoy the work that people do. That and I am always curious what that guy in Georgia is going to be into next! Or what adventure our fearless South Dakota river explorer is going to have next!!
Thanks to everyone out here, the best example I know of what Forums and the Internet should be!!!
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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 4, 2022 10:32:12 GMT -5
Good Topic. It's been 5 1/2 years since I have "retired" and have been able to spend a decent portion of my time with my rocks. So far I have not had a drop off in my interest. Doing a few Shows a year has probably helped in that regards. Covid has been the wild card in this for me, less Shows but also less travel so more time to build up my stock. I am anticipating(hoping) being able to travel more in the future so that time will provide a break in rock activity. One thing that has surprised me is that I have really come to enjoy doing a few Shows a year. I enjoy talking to people who came by my booth. On top of that everything I sell is 100% created by me; cut, polished, found or dug so that if someone asks a question I can usually answer. The whole planning/pricing/booth layout is an excellent way to keep the brain cells working. One of my goals when I retired was to be able to do more collecting which is still my favorite part of the hobby. That started out well up until Covid. The other factor that has reared it's head here is Father Time. Wandering off by myself in remote areas at my age is something I look to avoid. Keeping interested is another reason I am always looking for large rock tumbling opportunities. I clearly do not do that to make sales items, it’s not a very cost effective exercise, it’s fun and I like the challenge. Another factor with my continued interest is this Forum. All the neat people out here with their postings and pictures and different methods. I come out here 5 or 6 times a day and view and read 90% of the posts. I will probably never Wire-wrap but I enjoy the work that people do. That and I am always curious what that guy in Georgia is going to be into next! Or what adventure our fearless South Dakota river explorer is going to have next!! Thanks to everyone out here, the best example I know of what Forums and the Internet should be!!! Great post! And thank YOU for being a contributing member, too. I always enjoy your posts.  |
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Post by stardiamond on Feb 4, 2022 13:17:03 GMT -5
I currently have two hobbies; lapidary and cigars. They are both very similar for me. I am interested in having a diverse inventory of cigars and rocks. I probably have over 2,000 cigars. I haven't felt well for over a year and took a few months of from smoking. Smoking doesn't make me feel worse, I only smoke when I feel well enough to enjoy the experience.
My most expensive hobby was golf even though I rarely played. Lessons driving range and equipment repair added up. The reason I rarely played was the time involved to play 18 holes.
Tommy mentioned aquariums and my equivalent was rose bushes. I moved into my current house in 1985 and there were two rose bushes. I liked them and kept planting them until I had about 100 of all different types. Living things require care, rocks take care of themselves. Around 1988, the local deer took interest in my rose bushes and decimated most of them. I was losing some every year because they weren't getting enough sun. I waited about 20 years to start up again. I [planted 10 in the sunniest part of the yard and put cages around them. Caring for 10 rose bushes is easier than 100.
I've also had a hobby of duplicate bridge for about 60 years. It is different from growing roses, lapidary and smoking cigars because there is no inventory other than some books.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,594
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Post by jamesp on Feb 4, 2022 13:24:01 GMT -5
Well said Henry. So many have made comment about the quality of people on this forum.
Trust me many forums are totally different from this one.
"Thanks to everyone out here, the best example I know of what Forums and the Internet should be!!!"
Keeps me coming back for more !
If you are talking about this guy in Georgia he is smiling. And scheming. And planning. And admiring some Indonesian moss agate that just arrived(eat your heart out he he).
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Post by Rockindad on Feb 4, 2022 18:39:43 GMT -5
People without hobbies are hard for me to understand but that's just me. Not just you, put me in that camp as well. I sometimes find myself finding too many things interesting- not enough time, money, etc. to pursue everything. I'm continually telling my guys at work to develop interests/hobbies now and not wait until some day down the road. Seems to me that if you live the first 55-60-65+ years of your life being concerned with nothing but work and the day to day that you will probably not suddenly develop interests when you retire. At the risk of sounding extremely judgmental: There are a lot of dull people in the world. |
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Post by Rockindad on Feb 4, 2022 19:08:24 GMT -5
... definitely time to switch to a more relaxed pace for a while. This. I've been following closely and appreciating this thread immensely because it's a topic that is very important to me. I don't seem to have a "just enjoy it as a hobby" switch that I can turn on and leave on. Seems like every hobby I get into ends up getting out of control and becoming an obsession until it crashes and burn. Before rocks it was tropical fish - one tank when I was 10 years old came back to divorced/adult Tommy as a massive amount of tanks in a (too) small space and breeding fish for sales. It was an extremely toxic relationship that brought that 'hobby' to an end and left me hating the thought of ever doing it again even thought I love aquariums and always have. I don't know if this will make sense but when it came to the rock hobby this forum community is what allowed me to reach the breaking point, explode into health problems and burnout, yet stay engaged. I'm literally trying every day to understand "just enjoy it as a hobby" and I think I'm starting to get it. I have had a yin-yang experience here. There is so much inspiration and information to be had here that it is really easy to take that and go overboard. So many different materials and methods to work them........what to do next... But without a doubt, this place has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for me and am thankful that it exists. When I decided to shut down my woodworking business I still had a few projects lined up that I needed to finish. After completing and delivering the last order I shut the door to the shop and basically abandoned it for a long time as I was just DONE. Didn't want to think, talk or do anything remotely related to it at all. This is just a really long-winded way of saying thanks for keeping the forum going when you stopped actively working the rocks, I'd bet it wasn't easy at times. |
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stuckinohio
starting to shine!
Member since September 2021
Posts: 31
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Post by stuckinohio on Feb 9, 2022 6:59:48 GMT -5
realrockhound , just send your excess rock to me and ill hold it for you . If your looking for new places to explore come on down and i can get you into some good area's that need a person to play in them. Stuckinohio : i would like to suggest you look into where there might be a club you can join . for several yrs i drove about 75 miles every couple months to a meeting back in Michigan . Here in Arizona there are lots of clubs and a lot of groups that arent even clubs ,just people that get together to talk rocks and go on runs . if you get to western Az and my health permits i will take you out into the mountains I appreciate the offer and might take you up on it someday. I hope your health issues are OK, if they're not I hope you see improvement soon. I've searched for clubs and groups in my area, and despite living in a large city, there's nothing happening within a 50-100 mile radius. I think the pandemic brought about the demise of many local rock clubs in areas with little to no useable source material. This is frustrating- hence my handle on this forum- but it sure has fed the travel bug within me. Thank god I'm at least a state over from Michigan! |
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,612 
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Post by RWA3006 on Feb 9, 2022 9:36:34 GMT -5
[/quote]In just the last couple of months I've gotten into the habit of putting a polished rock in my front left pants pocket.[/quote]
I always keep a polished rock in my pocket. That way I always have one to gift to somebody, plus I just like rocks so why not keep what's dear to me nearby?
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,612
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Post by RWA3006 on Feb 9, 2022 9:40:31 GMT -5
People without hobbies are hard for me to understand but that's just me. Not just you, put me in that camp as well. I sometimes find myself finding too many things interesting- not enough time, money, etc. to pursue everything. I'm continually telling my guys at work to develop interests/hobbies now and not wait until some day down the road. Seems to me that if you live the first 55-60-65+ years of your life being concerned with nothing but work and the day to day that you will probably not suddenly develop interests when you retire. At the risk of sounding extremely judgmental: There are a lot of dull people in the world. This is exactly right, there are a lot of dull people in the world and I'm constantly preaching to my young friends that everyone should have at least one hobby and some kind of a collection. |
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Post by Rockoonz on Feb 9, 2022 11:31:26 GMT -5
In a way, I think that almost all people have a "hobby", if you define that as an idle time pursuit.
Unfortunately, it seems that for many, that activity revolves around their device.
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,612
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Post by RWA3006 on Feb 9, 2022 17:27:26 GMT -5
In a way, I think that almost all people have a "hobby", if you define that as an idle time pursuit. Unfortunately, it seems that for many, that activity revolves around their device. Interesting. I never considered hobbies to be "idle time pursuits" but I think you're right in the context of how most folks approach it, especially with the dreaded device. I'm probably a freak because hobbies to me are an outlet to pursue meaning, excellence, passion... to prove to myself I can take something to a level I never before imagined. The joy of the quest to me is exciting, intoxicating and I always endorse an obsessive fling with a new interest to push the frontier far beyond anything reasonable. Nothing less than a tour de force will do and it's not because of ego but rather the exhilaration of accomplishment. I often fail but once in a while I get it right and then as I reflect on how much work it cost me I am glad for the experience especially when beauty is created or revealed. I believe our spirits would just wither away if there was no challenge to pursue and hobbies are excellent media for this purpose. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Feb 9, 2022 18:04:54 GMT -5
In a way, I think that almost all people have a "hobby", if you define that as an idle time pursuit. Unfortunately, it seems that for many, that activity revolves around their device. Interesting. I never considered hobbies to be "idle time pursuits" but I think you're right in the context of how most folks approach it, especially with the dreaded device. I'm probably a freak because hobbies to me are an outlet to pursue meaning, excellence, passion... to prove to myself I can take something to a level I never before imagined. The joy of the quest to me is exciting, intoxicating and I always endorse an obsessive fling with a new interest to push the frontier far beyond anything reasonable. Nothing less than a tour de force will do and it's not because of ego but rather the exhilaration of accomplishment. I often fail but once in a while I get it right and then as I reflect on how much work it cost me I am glad for the experience especially when beauty is created or revealed. I believe our spirits would just wither away if there was no challenge to pursue and hobbies are excellent media for this purpose. I swear you need to have the nomenclature of RTH Poet Laureate! Very well put Randy! |
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Post by Rockindad on Feb 10, 2022 19:02:03 GMT -5
RWA3006 said: I'm probably a freak because hobbies to me are an outlet to pursue meaning, excellence, passion... to prove to myself I can take something to a level I never before imagined. The joy of the quest to me is exciting, intoxicating and I always endorse an obsessive fling with a new interest to push the frontier far beyond anything reasonable. Nothing less than a tour de force will do and it's not because of ego but rather the exhilaration of accomplishment. What an excellently eloquent post Randy! This sums up EXACTLY how I approach my interests. I know a lot of people like to have more casual pursuits but for me it is all about the excitement of learning something new or reaching a new level, which is especially sweet after some failures. Getting the heartbeat up and adrenaline flowing is a good thing. If you told me a few years ago that I would be falling asleep thinking about how rocks move in a barrel or what I could try next for a slurry..........but here I am. The exercise our grey matter gets from these other pursuits should not be underestimated as well, much better than staring at a screen for hours on end.
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Post by holajonathan on Feb 11, 2022 23:00:15 GMT -5
In a way, I think that almost all people have a "hobby", if you define that as an idle time pursuit. Unfortunately, it seems that for many, that activity revolves around their device. Interesting. I never considered hobbies to be "idle time pursuits" but I think you're right in the context of how most folks approach it, especially with the dreaded device. I'm probably a freak because hobbies to me are an outlet to pursue meaning, excellence, passion... to prove to myself I can take something to a level I never before imagined. The joy of the quest to me is exciting, intoxicating and I always endorse an obsessive fling with a new interest to push the frontier far beyond anything reasonable. Nothing less than a tour de force will do and it's not because of ego but rather the exhilaration of accomplishment. I often fail but once in a while I get it right and then as I reflect on how much work it cost me I am glad for the experience especially when beauty is created or revealed. I believe our spirits would just wither away if there was no challenge to pursue and hobbies are excellent media for this purpose. And if you don't believe him, ask to see photos of his coprolite sentry towers. |
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,612
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Post by RWA3006 on Feb 13, 2022 13:12:24 GMT -5
RWA3006 said: I'm probably a freak because hobbies to me are an outlet to pursue meaning, excellence, passion... to prove to myself I can take something to a level I never before imagined. The joy of the quest to me is exciting, intoxicating and I always endorse an obsessive fling with a new interest to push the frontier far beyond anything reasonable. Nothing less than a tour de force will do and it's not because of ego but rather the exhilaration of accomplishment. What an excellently eloquent post Randy! This sums up EXACTLY how I approach my interests. I know a lot of people like to have more casual pursuits but for me it is all about the excitement of learning something new or reaching a new level, which is especially sweet after some failures. Getting the heartbeat up and adrenaline flowing is a good thing. If you told me a few years ago that I would be falling asleep thinking about how rocks move in a barrel or what I could try next for a slurry..........but here I am. The exercise our grey matter gets from these other pursuits should not be underestimated as well, much better than staring at a screen for hours on end. EXACTLY! It makes me feel alive and vibrant. Once I succeed in taking an endeavor to a personal best I usually move onto another interest and then after a while I return to the previous project and inflict great ambitions upon what I once thought I couldn't improve any more. It's so fun! |
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,612
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Post by RWA3006 on Feb 13, 2022 16:54:49 GMT -5
I think it's appropriate at the moment to mention that people are different and what works to prevent burnout for one person may not for another. I respect the choice that some make to merely dip their toes into the water. I suppose each needs to find what they enjoy most.
I mostly prefer to drive hard on one thing for a while until the lure of another interest pulls me away. I have many interests or hobbies to cycle through but always seem to come back and experience the joy of rediscovering an old favorite.
Lately I've badly neglected lapidary work in order to pursue ammunition manufacturing which has been one of my favorite pastimes since 1974. It makes my coprolite hobby appear inadequate.
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Post by Rockoonz on Feb 13, 2022 17:05:21 GMT -5
I think it's appropriate at the moment to mention that people are different and what works to prevent burnout for one person may not for another. I respect the choice that some make to merely dip their toes into the water. I suppose each needs to find what they enjoy most. I mostly prefer to drive hard on one thing for a while until the lure of another interest pulls me away. I have many interests or hobbies to cycle through but always seem to come back and experience the joy of rediscovering an old favorite. Lately I've badly neglected lapidary work in order to pursue ammunition manufacturing which has been one of my favorite pastimes since 1974. It makes my coprolite hobby appear inadequate. Couldn't you combine them? Shoot the $#!+ into them? |
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,612
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Post by RWA3006 on Feb 13, 2022 17:55:36 GMT -5
I think it's appropriate at the moment to mention that people are different and what works to prevent burnout for one person may not for another. I respect the choice that some make to merely dip their toes into the water. I suppose each needs to find what they enjoy most. I mostly prefer to drive hard on one thing for a while until the lure of another interest pulls me away. I have many interests or hobbies to cycle through but always seem to come back and experience the joy of rediscovering an old favorite. Lately I've badly neglected lapidary work in order to pursue ammunition manufacturing which has been one of my favorite pastimes since 1974. It makes my coprolite hobby appear inadequate. Couldn't you combine them? Shoot the $#!+ into them? Lol, you guys never disappoint with the coprolite humor. Love this place. I suspect there's not enough coprolite in Utah to balance the ammo "hobby" out. This little distraction began in a small shed and grew into a business with employees. My hope is to soon get to where I can step away and renew my coprolite hobby. |
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