Hobbies

I seem to take on a new major hobby every ten or twelve years. Here are the six I have been most serious about, from most recent to oldest. Some day I may get back into flying or bridge -- you never know.

Corvettes

In July 2004 we bought our first Corvette. I remember taking evening walks with my Dad around our neighborhood and sometimes down to the corner to the Chevy dealer. We peered through the window at the Corvettes with the wire mesh covering the headlights saying something like, "That sure is a nice car, but $2500 is a lot of money." It took over 50 years to spring for the dough and buy a very slightly used C5. The picture shows our next 'Vette, a 2006 C6, in very good company at a car show in the mall. Member of the National Corvette Museum and Corvettes Limited of Central Georgia.

2010 Chorus Champion MedalBarbershop Singing

In the spring of 2003 I decided to fill one of my two free evenings per week. A local paper offered, among other opportunities, a jazz band and a barbershop chorus. Though I grew up on jazz and played saxophone in combos and bands most weekends of my later high school years, my recent musical activity had been the church choir and praise team – more like close harmony singing than jazz saxophone. I began singing bass in the Heart of Georgia Barbershop Chorus and changed to baritone in the 2010 Dixie District Champion Stone Mountain Chorus, which are chapters of the Barbershop Harmony Society, once known as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA). It's great to be a barbershopper!

Golf

I took up golf during the summer of 1999 when my wife and I started with four lessons. I have now played many of the courses in Middle Georgia, and some in Atlanta, Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Sumter, Charleston, Mobile, Raleigh, Texas and Aruba.

ADI AT-600 Handi-TalkieAmateur Radio

I got my Technician license in August of 1997 -- KF4TSK. My Dad and I first talked about getting Ham licenses almost 50 years ago. He never did, so mine is mostly for me and partly in memory of him. Ex-member of ARRL, Middle Georgia Radio Association, and Central Georgia Amateur Radio Club.

Duplicate Bridge

I played bridge about once a week in St. Louis and Boston, accumulating just over 25 Master Points. The highlight was winning the First Place trophy in the Future Master Pairs tournament session in St. Louis on 9 June 1990 with partner Mark Hunter. Recently, I have begun playing duplicate bridge in a local club again after almost fourteen years of inactivity. Member of ACBL.

Piper Arrow, PA-28RGeneral Aviation

I earned my Private Pilot license on Father's Day in 1969. The flight examiner was a fine gentleman named Howard James. Once licensed, my Dad was my first passenger and my wife was the second. In 1972, I added an Instrument Rating. I was a member of a flying club named Propaire, Incorporated, which was based at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport. I still have my log books, some dandy stories, and wonderful memories. Ex-member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).