hobbies...

hobbies... 

                                                           

    I recall riding my bicycle in the mid 1950s from my home to the Indianapolis suburb of Broad Ripple, a distance of about one mile.  Some of the time, one or more of four guys accompanied me:  Mike Farkas, Mike Kelly, Phil Ward, or David Evans. 

  It was exciting to walk around and gawk at the new merchandise in Ed Shock's Hobby Shop. I bought many wooden or plastic air planes, boats, and cars in those pre and early teen years.  

  The really skilled model collectors and builders could buy blueprints for a vintage Gato-SS 212 Submarine or a Boeing B-29 Super Fortress at Shock's. 

  Shock's Hobbies was where I purchased endless tubes of model glue that inevitably smudged on my fingers and workspace.  

  I procured my first baseball cards from Shock's to start a modest collection.  In reality, I coveted the bubble gum enclosed in the package more than the cards.  My two younger brothers had great card collections that were kept neat and orderly in shoe boxes.  As a testament to my carefree attitude, my entire collection was scattered on the closet floor.    

  Collecting cards and building model planes, cars, and, boats was something I did because all my buddies were avid hobbyists and or collectors.

  Going to Ed Shock's Hobby Shop was the fun part of the hobby experience for me because I didn't really enjoy assembling those models.  Inexplicably, I grew tiresome of them by the end of the first day of ownership. 

  Once I got my latest purchase home and started to assemble my prize, seldom did I have the patience to do the job as instructed.  

  I was not a builder, fixer/repair person, or collector. 

  Huh?  What's up with that? 

  Hobby Lobby isn't in the same league as Ed Shock's.  You won't smell the sulfur from a chemistry set, the essence of acetone or alcohol in the glue holding a balsa wood, World War II helicopter together, or the waxy scent of a smooth, shiny, plastic PT Boat recently assembled by a Shock's Team member and on display.    

  The lack of hobby shops might suggest boys don't have hobbies today. I doubt it.  They just obtain their crafts in a different manner than going to a classic store like Ed Shock's. 

  Today my leisure/hobby time is spent cooking, traveling, reading, writing, walking, and, driving Red Thunder (2003 red Thunderbird convertible). We enjoy going to Florida to see our two grandsons, Leo and Dallas and across town to visit with Isabel and Emma, our two granddaughters. 

  Each activity has its own dynamic that is fulfilling.  I never tire of any enterprise.

  Today, I am not a builder, fixer/repair person, or collector.

  However, plenty of other people do collect and maintain hobbies.    

   A recent blog highlighted a married couple who own two Mustang Shelby Cobras. According to each of them, it is as much about an investment as it is a hobby.  However, in today's post, a true collector and hobbyist, Curtis Edwards, 67, discusses his collection and hobbies along with his future expectations.

  I was the vice-president and general manager for a pump distribution center out of Cincinnati, he told me. We had offices in five states and we did about 30 million in sales every year. 

  You recently decided to retire.

  Well, we sold out to a much larger company from South Carolina, he explained.  I told them I would stay for one year and I did that.  My year was up at the end of last September. 

  How do you plan on spending your spare time now that you are officially off the books?

  I do have an agenda, he smiled.  I collect vintage motorcycles and I play music. I am going to have fun with both of my passions.  We are also going to travel.

  You told me earlier you are married. 

  Yes, I am.  We've got three girls, nine grandchildren and one great grandchild, he said proudly. 

  Lets take your hobbies one at a time.  What kind of music do you play?

  I play the blues, he said.  I built a mancave downstairs for a home theater and music studio.  I play the guitar, sing, and, play some drums.

  Do you write music?

  I've written some tunes over the years, he confirmed.  Nothing you've ever heard of, but, it's fun. 

  Were you ever on stage in your musical career?

  I grew up playing on stages throughout my 20s and early 30s, he reminisced.  I had to put it aside for work and family type stuff.

  Sensible stuff happened.

  Unfortunately, it got in the way of fun all the time, Curtis laughed.

  Lets switch gears and talk about your second hobby.  How many motorcycles do you own?

  Right now, I've got eight in my garage, he said. We recently sold a couple so we could buy two pinball machines for the basement we just remodeled.  

  What kind of vintage motorcycles do you collect?

  Moto Guzzi Italian motorcycles, he replied.  I've got some old two-stroke Yamahas, Hondas, everything but Harleys.

  Do you have a motorcycle you consider a top dog?

  Probably my prized one is a 1973 Moto Guzzi Eldorado, he recited.  To me it is the most beautiful bike ever made.  I always wanted one, but, brand new, they are kind of out of my price range.

  How did you happen to get this one?

  A buddy of mine had a collection of Moto Guzzis. He had about 40 of them and he died, Curtis told me.  He was kind of a hermit.  He lived in a shed with these bikes and a cat. I always joked with him that when he dies, he was going to leave me that Eldorado in his will.  

  So, your wish became reality?

  Well, he died, the place got boarded up and the bikes were gone, he recalled. About three months later, his brother reached out to me.  I didn't know him, but, he calls me and says, He didn't leave it to you.  I said, What are you talking about?  He said, I'm just joking.  He told me who he was and that Ken wanted me to have the Eldorado.  

  What do you think the value of the bike is today?

  Probably 13 or 14 thousand, he quoted.  I've got about eight in it.  That's one that won't ever get sold until I go.  

  What about traveling.  You said you and your wife will do some sightseeing. 

  Yes, we want to do some motorcycle touring, he answered. My wife rides too.  She's as big a motorcycle fan as I am. 

  What's the longest distance you have traveled on a motorcycle? 

  We took a trip that was over 18 hundred miles, he replied, but, I'd like to do a cross country trip before I'm too old and broken down and unable to do it. 

  Since you don't have the 9 to 5 grind anymore, have you created a Bucket List?

  I have done just that, Curtis nodded.  I want to spend more time with our grandkids and smell the roses.  I've really humped the past 10 years, so, now it's all about slowing down and absorbing what is around me more. 

  Curtis, I wish you well and I hope you take that cross country trip soon. 

  Thanks, we will I'm sure, he grinned. 

  Coming up: a conversation with a retired judge; more POS; an interview with the creator of Nashville Pics, and; another oddities, observations & ?'s. 

  And, finally.  The most misused, underused, used or abused object, item, commodity, or, thingamajig has to be the automobile horn.  

  When it is used discreetly, it can jolt a driver awake and cause him or her to steer a wayward auto back on the road.

  A car horn could alert a nearby driver to the perils of a pending collision if the course of the machine is not altered.

  Electric cars are so quiet, the NTSB has reported an increase in pedestrian accidents.  Perhaps using the car horn has helped avoid even more injuries.

  A car horn can be used by bullies too. 

  What good does blasting away on a car horn do if a car in front of you is stalled in the road?

   Repeatedly blowing a horn at the car unloading passengers in front of the supermarket seems like an aggressive act.   

   We were recently behind a car traveling west.  The intersection was blocked by a northbound car because his lane had not moved forward.  The driver in front of us chose to lay on his horn, pull around the protruding vehicle in a reckless manner, and, flip the offending driver the bird all at the same time.  

  A car horn.  Like anything else, it can be used for good or mischief. 

  HUH?  What's up with that?