Back in 1972 my next door neighbor, Judge Ayers, was an ornithologist. He and his wife, Darlene, spent hours walking through the woods look for different species of birds and taking pictures. He invited Lizzie and me over one night to view a slide show. My thought was, "could anything be more boring"? It was one of the most interesting evenings I've spent. Think not? Well, thirty-eight years later I still remember. The point is, the Judge's hobby cost him absolutely nothing except for the cost of gas and the price of film to look for the little critters and in '72 gas was selling for 25 cents a gallon.
I just finished cleaning a bass I caught last evening. It was a nice one. I caught it in the lily pads and it's nifty when the fish gulps the froggy, jumps in the air then dives for the bottom of the pads. However, it was one lousy fish. I began computing the money I spend on fishing and my other hobby, golf, with little return.
Fishing: cost of gasoline, lost lures, purchased lures, live bait, nicknack's like hooks, sinkers, fish net, bait buckets, refurbishing reels, wear and tear on the boat. This is getting monotonous!
Golf: monthly dues at the club, golf gloves, cart fees, lost balls, tournament entry fees, Wednesday night old men's pot game of $20, driving to and fro to get where I'm going. On August 5 I'll drive to the Chicago area to meet up with six fraternity bro's I haven't seen since '67 for four days of golf. Cost: hotels, breakfast, lunch, dinner, golf, bets and gas. It'll set me back $700 without breaking a sweat.
I have one thing in common with Judge Ayers and my hobbies. He and his wife talked to us. My golfing and fishing friends talk. In both cases there is camaraderie.
I could do that playing pinochle instead of spending money on my hobbies.
I'll blame my passions on my parent's. They pushed me into sports. If I had to do it all over again I'd have taken up the flute!
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