Bonsai off season / side hobbies ?

[Cadillactaste]

Omg He is so gorgeous....

Thank ya kindly.

 

[penumbra]

A little late to this party but I've been learning sumi-e for the past seven months or so. Definitely inspired by the complete inability to find small scrolls or paintings for table top displays

Some pieces from tonight's class. Various bamboo compositions and a couple practice pieces of grass sticking out of snow

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I used to do a bit of this some years back when I had a gallery. So I can fully appreciate the work here. Bamboo was probably my favorite subject.

 

[Wood]

I am very definitely still amateur at this. It's finally started to look decent, and only a handful of my subjects look decent. Struggling a lot with non-plant material, and my plum/tree trunks still look kinda junk. Definitely enjoying learning though

 

[just.wing.it]

When I can't get my buddies together and jam, i like to make fishing lures out of wood.
Here are a few recent ones that made in the last few weeks. Some experimental shapes.
I'll test them in the springtime to see how they swim, if they don't, I will modify them and try again. If they still don't swim, they become cool keychain trinkets for my kids backpacks and such.

 

[just.wing.it]

My daughter (8yrs) painted this one.

 

[Carol 83]

Awesome

When I can't get my buddies together and jam, i like to make fishing lures out of wood.
Here are a few recent ones that made in the last few weeks. Some experimental shapes.
I'll test them in the springtime to see how they swim, if they don't, I will modify them and try again. If they still don't swim, they become cool keychain trinkets for my kids backpacks and such.
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Awesome paint job. My son is a fishing fanatic.

 

[Shogun610]

Hey everyone .. this is a cool thread glad I started it.. and fun to see what everyone does…. essentially we are all doing Bonsai and I think for me atleast besides snowboarding and hiking / physical activity .. it’s hard for me to find something that is comparable to how Bonsai makes me feel. This whole thread I think was about me exploring other side quests that I already don’t do outside of bonsai .. I think over the next few months I’m gonna share thoughts on how trying out this RC car stuff is and maybe another hobby .. if I could build something like this too some day I think that would scratch multiple Itches

And off season is winding down I really don’t have much time only another month and a couple weeks until I’m busy repotting and planning for another growing season.. also the studio has a lot of projects , so I start tomorrow.. I’ll post that stuff in my apprentice thread

 

[Sussi]

Hi alll, hope your off season winter time if you’re in N Hemisphere is going well! Obviously I dedicate every day to Bonsai in some aspect and will continue on for hopefully many many years .. obviously it’s a big part of my life and a constant passion but besides my Dog , Family, Friends , Bonsai ,Phillies , working out/ hiking and Career pursuits .. what are some other hobbies and passions you all enjoy? I have some bonsai pots in collection some for future use , others idk I like them on the shelf !!
Also very recently taken up RC Cars I got one today and another one is on the way it’s a Traxxas with some customized parts I got for future mods ! So please share ! We won’t always have time to put in 100% to everything at once but it’s cool to mix it up

Hi - sounds like you’ve got plenty going on there…
One of my other hobbies is making miniatures - dioramas and room boxes - and I’ve got a few in the making right now.
This here is a tiny, store bought Zelkova Parvifolia, and the white space to the right is for a bookstore, I’m building right now / with tiny little bricks, mortar, etc.
Scale 1:24, which in this case was the scale that fits the little tree best.
There’s a lot of work involved, building the store, and then I’ll have to fill it up with desk, book shelves etc - and books by the hundreds. Each book will be around 7-8mm x 5-6mm.
For this little project, the time period will be the late sixties - my early teenage years - so I was very happy to find the little Velosolex in 1:24, the preferred transportation for all the cool kids back then…
The bonsai tree is sitting in a separate pot, and it’s easy to pick up for watering and maintenance.
I finished the little table and benches yesterday, made from 1 mm pine wood, weathered with iron vinegar.

 

[KateM]

Sock measurements are in I charge 10$ for feet pics btw modeling them ! lol

A little teaser...

Next time on @Shogun610 feet and you'll have to pay.

 

[JudyB]

Dog stuff of course, wouldn't be a life for me without a dog! We do a lot of hiking, just back from another trip to Big Bend in TX, was a good one, been there 6? times now I think. The air quality is much worse than the last time we were there 7-8 years ago though, so it's sad that the far views are not what they used to be. We did see 3 mountain lions this time, that was super cool. In the last photo if you look in the tree fork you can see the last one of the three before it took off after the first two. Not a great pic, I was lucky to catch one at all and we were probably 40 feet away. Not sure what type of tree the white one is, but it's the largest one of those I've seen.

 

[RaginCajun]

Short term international missionary and disaster relief with the southern Baptist convention. I go to Lamwo, Uganda in November, right on the border of South Sudan, and we provide free medical care.. food, we minister to those who want to hear the good news. The median age nationally is 16yrs old! 2.5 million orphans. We test and treat everyone for malaria, #1 cause of death in Uganda. We deworm them because they ALL have worms.. vision test and we prescribe glasses.. I have repaired a broken well and fixed rain collection systems.. never know! Last yr in 2024 some of our doctors and surgeons repaired a man’s hernia on site and a testicular issue with a young boy. Never know until we get there. My family and I have 4 children we sponsor there. I included some photos, one photo is me with our 4 children in Lamwo.. if you look at the sign on the door behind us it reads, “no food today” my 2 favorite photos of the ones I posted are of a man and woman receiving their first ever Bible in their native tongue!! That is pure joy!
Be salt of the earth

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

Not sure what type of tree the white one is, but it's the largest one of those I've seen.

It's definitely unique; I'm only a couple hours drive from there, and I don't recognize it at all. Did you see any Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeanna)? Quite a striking species as well.
But that Texas Madrone (Arbutus xalapensis)!? Oh, one of my all-time favorite trees. I love that flaky bark hiding the smooth, graceful trunk and branches. Unfortunately, they are next to impossible to cultivate, and the slightest root disturbance is too much for them, from my research and limited experience. They are prolific at Guadalupe Mountains National Park; an incredibly unique and diverse ecosystem. I really need to get to Big Bend.

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

Short term international missionary and disaster relief with the southern Baptist convention.

Amazing! Hands and feet, brother! Love is action.

 

[RaginCajun]

Amazing! Hands and feet, brother! Love is action.

Hands and feet, bro. Amen!
God bless you

 

[JudyB]

It's definitely unique; I'm only a couple hours drive from there, and I don't recognize it at all. Did you see any Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeanna)? Quite a striking species as well.
But that Texas Madrone (Arbutus xalapensis)!? Oh, one of my all-time favorite trees. I love that flaky bark hiding the smooth, graceful trunk and branches. Unfortunately, they are next to impossible to cultivate, and the slightest root disturbance is too much for them, from my research and limited experience. They are prolific at Guadalupe Mountains National Park; an incredibly unique and diverse ecosystem. I really need to get to Big Bend! I feel ashamed.

Oh my, 2 hours and never been... We've tried Guadalupe a couple times, but the weather always stopped us, once for ice, once for wind...Don't think we saw any alligator juniper, but they have remnant populations of some cooler climate trees left over from when the climate was very different. A few aspens even, in the highest area. It's basically a high sky island, the rim is 2-3000 feet off the desert floor. There are quite a few pinions still there as well, and a weeping variety of juniper. Love Madrone, they just won't transplant though... Big Bend will be different for a couple years, they are closing the basin area (for at least 2 years!) to rebuild the facilities there, and that will take away several trailheads up to the rim area. You can still get there but going to be more logistically challenging as water there is basically non existent. They close that basin area in a couple months...

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

Lifting weights, boxing, riding/working my motorcycle, hunting, hanging with my dog and cat.

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

Oh my, 2 hours and never been... We've tried Guadalupe a couple times, but the weather always stopped us, once for ice, once for wind.

The drive from El Paso up to "The Pass" can be hairy. Once went up the mountain with snow blowing over an inch on the road in 70 mph winds. At night. In freezing fog. At 15°. I completely understand.
It's actually probably closer to 3 hours, but still. No excuse.
Thanks for the heads up on the park area closings.

 

[Carol 83]

Short term international missionary and disaster relief with the southern Baptist convention. I go to Lamwo, Uganda in November, right on the border of South Sudan, and we provide free medical care.. food, we minister to those who want to hear the good news. The median age nationally is 16yrs old! 2.5 million orphans. We test and treat everyone for malaria, #1 cause of death in Uganda. We deworm them because they ALL have worms.. vision test and we prescribe glasses.. I have repaired a broken well and fixed rain collection systems.. never know! Last yr in 2024 some of our doctors and surgeons repaired a man’s hernia on site and a testicular issue with a young boy. Never know until we get there. My family and I have 4 children we sponsor ther,e. I included some photos, one photo is me with our 4 children in Lamwo.. if you look at the sign on the door behind us it reads, “no food today” my 2 favorite photos of the ones I posted are of a man and woman receiving their first ever Bible in their native tongue!! That is pure joy!
Be salt of the earth

Very humbling and inspiring. You sir, are a good man.

 

[Baron von Smoogle]

I dabble in woodworking, fused glass, photography, flamework bead making, silverwork, pottery, alcohol inks, but mostly work in scratchboard. I also do astrophotography.

 

[RaginCajun]

Very humbling and inspiring. You sir, are a good man.

I’m just a vessel but I appreciate the kind words. Thank you, ma’am.