[jerri]

I have a variety of hobbies including traveling, photography, birdwatching.  I also dabble in astronomy, microscopy and woodworking.

[Stevenator_]

I love astrology and bird watching. I used to do a lot of traveling years ago, but flying these days is a pain.

Several years ago I bought a 6 inch reflector telescope thinking it would be a nice sized scope. I was sorely disappointed to find out that I needed something much larger for standard viewing. I could barely see Saturn's rings with it.

[notveryinteresting]

I too have 6 inch telescope, great for moon gazing, but crap for Looking much further out.

I probably ought to unbury it a sell it.

Danni X

[jerri]

I love astrology and bird watching. I used to do a lot of traveling years ago, but flying these days is a pain.

Several years ago I bought a 6 inch reflector telescope thinking it would be a nice sized scope. I was sorely disappointed to find out that I needed something much larger for standard viewing. I could barely see Saturn's rings with it.

Indeed, air travel is a major pain nowadays.  I have to mentally prepare myself every time I fly. 

I mostly just dabble in stargazing.  Showing family and friends views of Jupiter and Saturn is fun, though I also have a small telescope so the views are nothing like you see online from people with huge scopes. 

I built a sidereal tracking device to make it possible to take longer exposure photographs.  I've been able to photograph some comets that are not particularly bright by using that along with a decent digital camera.

[Stevenator_]

My autocorrect typed astrology when I meant to say astronomy.

One thing I like to do in the winter, is point out to friends the planet Jupiter and the Red Giant Star Betelgeuse. I find it fascinating that if Betelgeuse were sitting in place of our Sun, then because Betelgeuse is so huge, it would extend out past the orbit of Jupiter.

I think it's cool that you were able to set up a tracking device and take photos. I was so let-down by the six-inch, that I didn't pursue any other options.

I'm more of a casual type of telescope user, I guess. It can get complicated pretty quick and I somewhat correlate it to my shortwave radio. While the internal antenna on the Tecsun S-2000 is incredible, I know other options are available. It gets really complicated at that point if you explore other options.

[Beth14]

I enjoy Cooking very much. Taught myself through YouTube. I also enjoy doing Fantasy Baseball.

[Erica]

After a few years off, I started motorcycle riding again. Bought a 2023 KTM 390 Adventure with spoked wheels last year. Love, love, love that bike. I've owned or ridden just about everything you can think of, and this motorcycle is fast becoming a candidate for my favorite of all time. 

I've found that riding is one of the best activities for relief of PTSD. When I narrowed in on this bike but still waffled, my wife basically told me to buy it or she'd buy it for me. Love that woman. It's basically a form of EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, therapy. 

It's also pure freedom and reconnection with the world. I can even go on the occasional group ride when I normally struggle badly with any social interactions. I even had to put in a home gym just because I couldn't manage my interactions with the other gym goers. 

I stay off freeways and get out of town as quickly as I can. Back roads, dirt roads, Back Country Destination Routes is where I ride. After being off and now back on a bike, I can feel the difference and it's been both helpful and eye opening. I'll ride as long as I can.

And I can't recommend that KTM strongly enough. For those of you who know, imagine this:
The sound of a big 4 stroke single, singing along at 10,000 rpms (the redline on this bike). It's a glorious song. 

Erica

[Beth14]

Erica,
 So glad you are Happy and are enjoying your new ride. That is great. So important to be happy

[Erica]

Thank you Beth!

[huckleberrywine]

I've been an avid woodworker for over 50 years. I turned professional for around 15 years, building custom furniture and doing repairs and restoration of antiques until I quit enjoying my craft. Getting back to it after several years off and finding my groove again.

Lately I've been getting into photography as another creative outlet. Od attach pics but can't figure out how to downsize the pics... can someone coach me on that?
Huckleberrywine