I am a private pilot, and enjoy helping do restoration work on vintage airplanes, presently finishing up my own airplane, a 1946 Ercoupe, also helping to restore a Monocoupe which belonged to famed airshow pilot, Harold Nueman from Kansas, and it will go on display at the EAA Airventure Museum in Oshkosh Wisconsin when it's done.I also build and fly RC airplanes, mostly sailplanes, and some giant scale airplanes.But have been in MRRing also since I was a kid.
Presently workking on a freelaanced PRR layout.
alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)
Yours In Model Railroading,
John
Littleton, CO
Milk cows and all the other things that go with a small 30 cow farm, as I do most of it alone. Drive school bus to support the cows.
No time for model railroad, but trying to get something going for the grand kids, before I have great grand kids is an insentive to keep plugging. Who knows, maybe by the time the g-g-kids come along I'll have something for them to watch.
Full time artist since 1990, but modelling trains has seen me get pretty sidetracked lately. I love all animals and mother nature.
Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0
This is a cool thread, i like learning what everyone does! As for me Im a tattoo artist in the biz for 6 years now. My hands are getting pretty beat up so im thinkin of changin careers, maybe something in the RR!! I was in the army for 8 years, 3 active and 5 in National gaurd.
I also play the drums when im not modeling,
Video gaming, Building gigantic cities (SimCity4), Upcoming schoolwork (AAAAAAAAAAAUGH!), And various other things that I forget.
To date, I have completed around 10 video games (maybe more).
I just turned 60. My first career was as an electrician--all kinds. Houses, grain elevators, factories, wired ambulances, wired large customs manufacturing robotic machines. Taught high school electricty and electronics years ago. Bad back, knees, etc. took it's toll and I had to change careers mid life. Now I have a desk job. Switched to accounting and now work for a large social service agency as Senior Administrator for Contract Compliance. I monitor over 20 contracts with multiple government contracts, Federal (Including HUD), State, Local, and private contracts. My agency has approximately a 2.5 million dollar buget and I personally sign the checks for about 1/2 million dollars of financial aid given out annually to individuals who are in danger of being evicted from their homes or foreclosed on, plus home repairs for the elderly who can't afford to fix their home, first time homeowner programs, etc. I love the work as it gives me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment when I have had a small part in saving someones home.
Outside of work, I am also on a board of a small women's and children's shelter. I am very active in my church. I have been an Angel Tree Coordinator (through Prison Fellowship. Years ago I used to do in prison ministry seminars but my health no longer alows that) at various churches for somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 years. Angel Tree gives gifts to the children of prison inmates (at their request) at Christmas time, helping in some part to try to keep the family together, reach the kids so they don't fall victim to following in their parents footsteps etc. Again this also gives me a tremendous feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.
As far as other hobbies, I am a magician, and do a few shows specifically geared toward kids.
My wife of 38 years and I used to love to hike and camp etc., but both of our health problems have put a big damper on that. Now we both have mobility scooters and take our hikes on paved bike trails (mostly created on old abandoned railroad beds). However we still haven't given up camping yet (although it has become very difficult). We love bird watching and our deck on our house and the back yard have the "perfect" bird watching habitat so we can watch birds on the deck or out the patio door (which is also in the room where my train layout is). My wife has a cat, who gets along fine with the birds. Although we are in the middle of town, we have a yard setting that is like being in the woods, and our cat shares his food with raccoons, squirrels, an oppossum, and a ground hog. They all come up right on the deck to the food and water that is just outside of the patio doors. We also share our beautiful shrubs and flowers with deer. Our house and yard really are our "dream home" that we dreamed about allmost 40 years ago. We call our home the "Woodland Garden" and hence my forum name being a combination of the "Woodland" and my model railroad hobby "Toots" making the name "Woodlandtoots"
My other hobby which I am just as passionate about as mr is BBQ Grilling and Smoking. I don't just do hot dogs, brats, and hamburgers, but I love to try all kinds of cooking. My favorite cook/author is Steven Rachien who hosts "Barbeque University". I love to experiment and create new receipes. My latest creation was a "Calzone" done entirely on the grill, including the dough.
We have four kids and seven grandkids.
I help my wife with the Discipleship House (transitional housing for ladies getting out of jail). (30 - 40 hours a week) We also baby-sit grandchildren, once or twice a month, usually on week-ends. We have six but never watch all six at once.
I substitute preach for pastors on vacation, teach a men's Sunday school class, direct the Discipleship Training Program (Sunday Night education program) at our church. There is no relationship to Discipleship House, just a similarity of names. I also teach the adult class in the D.T.
We also have pets - two cats Ebony and Ivory who love to sleep on the model rr tracks. I have a large yard (not near as big as Loathar's) that is on a steep slope. I mow it by push mower (powered, but not propelled). I'm a member of the Tennessee Central RR Museum and will be working the next two Saturday's 6 am 6 pm (counting travel time) during the "Day Out With Thomas" (the Tank Engine) event.
Since 1994 I have been to Russia 5 times and began studying the language since 92. I've let it slide lately as I probably will not get a chance to return. I will turn 72 before the end of this year.
In my spare time I like to watch football and listen to talk radio or classical music while driving or puttering around the house.
That's about it.
loathar wrote: conrail92 wrote: Like you tmcc man My dream car is also a ferrari (Best Car EVER) except mine is a Ferrari F430 Spider. HEREBut I would settle for just about any kind of ferrari. And the 08 Ferrari F430 Scuderia also looks awesome. But each car comes at a price... a 200,000+ price :( What about the F-50 Barchetta Convertable? Personally I'll take a Saleen S7.http://www.saleen.com/saleen_s7_main.htm
conrail92 wrote: Like you tmcc man My dream car is also a ferrari (Best Car EVER) except mine is a Ferrari F430 Spider. HEREBut I would settle for just about any kind of ferrari. And the 08 Ferrari F430 Scuderia also looks awesome. But each car comes at a price... a 200,000+ price :(
Like you tmcc man My dream car is also a ferrari (Best Car EVER) except mine is a Ferrari F430 Spider. HERE
But I would settle for just about any kind of ferrari. And the 08 Ferrari F430 Scuderia also looks awesome. But each car comes at a price... a 200,000+ price :(
What about the F-50 Barchetta Convertable? Personally I'll take a Saleen S7.http://www.saleen.com/saleen_s7_main.htm
Not a bad choice for either you mentioned. How about the 360 Challenge Stradale.
I have been self employed as a mortgage banker for the last 14 years. Iam married with three children and find little time to do anything lateley except work, take care of the home, play with the kids and then find time for the hobby. I used to be an avid snow skier and played hockey until a few years ago, but now am retired due to a lack of time!! I hope to get back into skiing as my oldest daughter is 8. The only sport I currently engage in is an occasional round of golf. When the dust clears in a few years, I hope to have completed a 12x12 room sized n scale layout loosley based on the WSOR / CNW of the mid-90's.
loathar wrote:PA&EER-Those cartoons are GREAT!! It would seem we have a similar point of view.
Thanks. I try to update them every other day or so, but recently I've been giving myself a break so I don't burn out.
-George
"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."
Yea, price would be the only problem for me. The Scuderia is one really nice looking car, but for reasons that I can't explain, the F40 is my dream car. Plus, it was the first street legal car to legitimently hit 200mph (Ferrari claims 201). It was featured in Automobile Magazine's 25 Greatest Cars of all Time. I'll PM you a website dedicated to just Ferrari's.
Sorry for the off topic discussion guys
John, it sounds like life can be very tough for you at times but you must be a pretty stand-up guy to have stuck by your wife for all these years. There aren't many of you left.
Mondo, your life sounds pretty interesting to me. Being able live on a small pension and savings for 14 years qualifies you as a pretty resourceful guy - I'll bet you could write a good book on it.
Outside this hobby I play soccer, read, play Xbox360, run, and bike. Right now, I caddy, not my favorite job at all, but when I get my license (I am 17) I plan on working at either a car dealership or a place called Awe Tuning which works on Porsche's, Audi's, Volkswagen's, and BMW's.
CudaKen, I love your car. But, I'm sorry to say, my dream car is a Ferrari F40. I just love that car. The looks of it for some reason, and the fact that it is one of the only Ferraris with a twin turbo setup just draws me to it. I would also like to have a Ferrari 250 GTO, followed by a 65' Corvette, Red with black, 427 and a 4speed, a 63' Split Window Vette, a 95 Toyota Supra TwinTurbo and the list goes on.
Hi Gang,
I've been reluctant to repond to this thread because compared to some of the folks who have replied to this posting, I lead a pretty boring life. I'm 59 years old and have been married to my 2nd wife for 14 years. (First marriage of 20 years ended in divorce....it happens). Never had any children, have no siblings and lost both parents in the last few years. So, it's pretty much the wife, dog and me.
I taught high school Math/Biology when I was just out of college, from 1970-1972. Became a computer programmer for a large insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut and was promoted all the way up to Assistant Vice President by the time I was 43 and then was "downsized" at the ripe old age of 46, back in 1994, just after marrying my current wife.
Luckily, I found model railroading at that time and discovered I was having so much fun, that I couldn't go back to work. So, I've been retired for 14 years. I may write a book on how to live "bare bones" on a small retirement pension and some savings. I have discovered that big houses and lots of money are NOT the key to happiness. It's peace of mind. And, I can say that not having the stress of my former career has given me lots of peace of mind.
I walk the dog and take her to visit an elderly friend of mine almost every day. I check the MR forum and Ebay every morning, sell railroad artifacts (railroadiana) on Ebay, work on my layout, read and spend time traveling with the wife and dog. We love Disney and spend 7-10 weeks a year in Orlando. We rent a home down there and with our annual Disney pass, literally go to one of the parks every day while we're down there, at least for a couple of hours or so. I guess I'm just a big kid at heart.
I love to read till 3:00 a. m. when it's perfectly quiet and the wife and dog are sleeping. While I love sports on TV, sometimes I watch reruns of "The Twilight Zone" on TV and other old programs and it brings me back to the 1960's....when I watched them with my parents.
In my much younger years, I white-water rafted, designed and general contracted a home, canned, fished, did target shooting, loved sailing my 17 foot sailboat and believe it or not, collected buttons and stamps. (I probably shouldn't have mentioned the buttons and stamps) but we're all "bearing our souls", aren't we?
I have been a "Big Brother" to an 11 year old and sang in the church choir. Come to think about it, I've got to find some new things to do because Model Railroading is my main focus right now.
Here's a photo of the wife and Sally, our dog rescued from the Hartford Pound (we got her off "death row".
Mondo