Recreation and Hobbies Articles
posted on 25 November 2011
In the Stone Age year of 1984 A.D. I decided to become a photographer. At the time, my friend was into maternity photography, and I really saw the creativity of taking great photos.
If you are very young or forgetful, this was before digital cameras made everyone into Ansel Adams. If you are very young or forgetful, Adams was a great photographer. I bought a new 35 mm camera at Montgomery Wards (again, for the young or forgetful, a now-defunct department store similar to Sears) complete with flash, carrying case and tripod. I set about mastering the use of f-stop, light meter, shutter speed, flash, carrying case and tripod. It wasn't that easy. A local vo-tech offered a free photography class for adults, so I took it. The instructor had us taking pictures of items with different textures - a banana, my foot, a horse apple - for the young or forgetful, a big, bumpy green thing that grows on a bois d'arc tree, also called a hedge apple or Osage orange. Then I had the opportunity to be a volunteer assistant for a real, live wedding photographer. I fetched things for her and snapped a few shots for practice. One day she, Judy, called and said she had an offer to photograph a local beauty contest for kindergarten through high school girls, but she couldn't make it and would I like to take the job? Oh, wow, gosh, sure I said. A real professional picher takin' session! So I went and I took pictures and let me tell you, they were awful. But you know those parents bought them anyway. They were pictures of their little girls, and I guess that was more important than the quality of the shots. That was my one and only professional shoot. Soon after I took a job that gobbled up all my time and ended my career as a photographer before it got off the ground. But it must have been in the family genes. Today my daughter, my niece and two daughters-in-law are all pretty good photographers. |
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posted on 14 July 2011
When it comes to great getaways and holidays, nothing beats fishing in my book. It's just one of those things that allows me to calm my mind and rest. That is why whenever I get the chance or the opportunity to go fishing, I would head out to a lake and bring out the old hook and line. However, lately I've been feeling a bit down since there are hardly any place for me to fish in. All the good spots are either always taken or are now gone and I don't know any other area that I can go to.
Fortunately, my prayers were answered when I came upon some good lake texoma fishing guides which are bound to lead me to better fishing areas in the lake—or so they say. However, when I began reading and digesting the information, I realized that a lot of the things it said was correct. Now I no longer have to worry about where to go fishing since Lake Texoma is the best place there is for it. |
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posted on 16 February 2011
My college days were full of activities like playing football and basket ball,bunking classes to go for movies etc. I had a friend who used to disappear whenever we were free. I came to know that he was fond of angling and he used to spend hours fishing, with our carp fishing tackle and rods. One day I too accompanied him. We went to a secluded part of the backwater and he taught me how to attach bait to the hook. He told me to keep absolutely quiet. I cast the line into the water and waited. After some time I felt a pull and I pulled my line. It was empty. My friend told me to be patient and wait till the hook got sunk into the fish. I waited and waited and after what seemed hours there was a healthy pull on my line. I gave enough slack to the line. It became taut and I asked my friend what to do. He tested the tautness and told me to haul in the line. What a wonderful sight. There it was. A silver colored fish dangling on the hook. I was exhilarated and that was the beginning of a great hobby. |
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posted on 8 January 2011
Cycling is a lot of fun, but it's also very sweaty at times, and yet if you stop - and the weather's cold - you can quickly cool down and even become very cold. So what to do - what kind of cycle clothing to buy? First off, carry a decent sized backpack with cold-weather clothing like a cagoule, gloves and a hat if the weather is rather cold. You'll find the very act of cycling keeps you fairly warm, but you may need to wear some gloves as the extremities will still feel cold.
If you're too warm when cycling, adjust your clothing - too hot and you'll sweat a lot - and this sweat can make you feel very cold when you stop cycling. The key is to be able to adjust your clothing easily to make your cycling comfortable for you. You will quickly learn the best combinations based on the climate. |
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