Eldon:

Funny, I spend my time dreaming of Illinois :rolleyes: (just kidding). Actually hubby was being recruited for a job at UofI-Champaign/Urbana but pulled his name out just a few weeks ago. If you're ever visiting in Arizona let me know and we can go on a piano jaunt!

I'd have to say my hobbies now are: gardening, birdwatching, native desert plants and goofing around with the kids. If we had more land, my hobbies would absolutely include horses and dogs. As a kid (still in Arizona, a MUCH different place then!) I had my own horse and spent hours riding every day, 4H clubs, etc. My favorite was endurance trail riding. My dad was and is an amateur obedience dog trainer, so we also had several impeccably behaved dogs hanging around. A great childhood!

I'm jealous of Jodi and Pique...

Nina

my dog's an english mastiff. i don't know how to insert one of my own pictures so i'll try inserting a web picture of a mastiff:



this is a very famous mastiff named hollesley medicine man. i hope it comes out.

ha ha! it worked. fyi: mastiffs are the grotrians of the dog world

[ March 10, 2002: Message edited by: pique ]

I was born and raised in Champaign/Urbana. Cornfields. Soybeans. Papa Del's Pizza. Jodi

Hobbies, eh? I don't spend nearly as much time on them as I used to but here goes:

• Gardening, like lots of you folks (is there a connection with the piano?)
• Computers. Well, actually, that's my job, too, but I play around with 'em at home too.
• Languages. Yes, I'm a certifiable foreign language junkie. So far I'm passable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese and can fake my way through some Italian.
• Cooking. But few of my original creations will ever leave my kitchen. (For which fact gastronomes worldwide breathe a heavy sigh of relief!)

I also used to go hiking and camping when I was younger, but haven't been in so long, I can't remember if I enjoy it.

[ March 10, 2002: Message edited by: Matt G. ]

Pique:

Wow, mastiffs! I love large dogs, would love to live in a climate where we could own a Bernese Mountain Dog or two, get 'em to plow the lower 40...

My dad swears by Golden Retrievers and Labradors and I must admit, his dogs have always been delightful, if a little on the petite side.

Nina

Right now the hobby that is at the forefront is gardening. Roses, vegetables, citrus, and lately a meditation garden on the side of the house. Spring is here and there is lots to do. I just finished building some shade structures and the planting around them is almost complete. Tomatos are in and I got my first rose yesterday!

In the winter I like the desert. Time was when I would spend my whole time there riding dirtbikes as fast as I could. I still ride, but these days I am just as happy to sit around and chat. There is something about the desert that lifts my spirit. I used to roadrace streetbikes, but decided that is no sport for an old married guy like me.

I also cook - mostly bake - but not as much as I used to. Two kids fill up the rest of my time - watch for my son in the major league baseball draft this year. He is generating some interest from the pro scouts.

Reading is big with me, as are architecture and design. This house is done (finally!), although SWMBO might not agree with that statement. Before we had kids we used to buy houses for renovation and resale and may go back to that in a couple of years when they are both out of the house.

As usual, the only real limitation is time.....

Damn! Roses and tomatoes. It's still cold as hell here. I don't wanna hear anymore! :rolleyes:

Fact is, the ONLY heat outside at my house is in the manure pile. I scooped up several buckets with the tractor...for a guy's garden. It was sure steaming. :rolleyes:

it really seems that gardening and piano have a connection! Maybe both helps you to relax and give your brain a break.
I hardly can wait until the weather becomes warmer and I can start planting flowers for the summer. Last summer I built a small garden pond and I am looking forward to put in the first water lily.
Besides gardening and playing the piano I like travelling. Luckily my job sometimes gives me the opportunity to make short trips to different European countries.
In April I will be going to Vietnam for a holiday - anybody here who has already visited the country??
Gruss an Brendan und T2 - Nici und ich würden gerne einmal ein "Klavier-Treffen" in Deutschland machen - vielleicht gibt es noch mehr Leute im Forum, die Deutsch sprechen oder manchmal in Deutschland sind...

Ruth

Grusse an Ihnen auch!

Natuerlich wuerde es aber schoen sein, wenn wir alle treffen konnte. Im sommer fahre ich nach Italien (ungefaerlich fuenf Wochen von Juni bis Juli). Vielleicht ist es moeglich nach Deutschland zu fahren, sobald dass das Operfest fertig ist. In Avril oder Mai weiss ich mehr ueber die Reise.

Dann koennen Sie alle hoeren was fuer ein schlechtes Klavierspieler bin ich!

maybe you guys need to go start a german-speaking thread in the coffee room? :rolleyes:

Given the discussions we've had on English grammar and their resulting fallout, I'd suggest that adding another language would only aggravate the situation. There's always Esperanto or does that term belong in Larry's little test thread.

Brenden surely while spending 5 weeks in Italy this summer, you'll be able to find time to meet Nici...and I doubt that any of us would consider you a bad pianist.

Come on, now, pique...I didn't say anything about your dog posts, even though they don't interest me.

I did, however, laugh out loud at one of your posts because I wasn't aware of the context.

sorry to all non-german speakers - I'll stick to English now - helps me to - hopefully - improve my language skills.
Brendan, if you'll make it to Germany you're invited. I live in the Rhein area as well as Nici. Not far from her city, at least for US standards ;).
Which opera festival are you going to visit and where exactly?

Regards
Ruth

It's going to be at Lucca, near Florence (I believe). I had planned on going to Japan afterwards, but lately I've been thinking that I'd like to trek through Europe for another week or two.

I've often thought that Mastiffs looked pretty Groti. Of all my dogs, my favorite was a gelded Dachshundorfer but when he died, I had to settle for a Baldwin.

WELL!
Every good horseman (and hopefully equine vets) :rolleyes: knows that Quarter Horses are the Steinways AND Bechsteins of the horse world!

Sorry, Eldon.

Quarter Horse = Yamaha (it's a cowpony, for pete's sake)
Thoroughbred = Charles Walter (elegant, refined)
Warmblood = Steinway (WAY overpriced)

Jodi (and, you do know that I am teasing you, right?)

[ March 11, 2002: Message edited by: jodi ]

ROFLOL!!

Matt G. wrote:


"TUNING in to nature" ... "In HARMONY with nature" ... "The RHYTHM of life's cycles" ... hm ...

Plus, they both take patience and perseverance.

[ March 11, 2002: Message edited by: Bernard ]

I think that the tie in may be that gardening, like piano, is a solitary pursuit. I don't suppose it has] to be a solitary pursuit, but around my place everyone disappears when the shovels come out.

I can design as I please, modify things each year and do it all in blessed silence - outdoors to boot.

Glorious!

hm. interesting thoughts.

playing the piano and gardening are both very contemplative pursuits. for me, they are both avenues into a dream-like state, they are both creative.

i prefer having company when i garden, though. i recruit my husband, or friends, to at least be in the yard with me. and if they aren't available, i like the feeling of the dog and the cat hanging out with me and following me around the flower beds.

i think both pursuits involve an appreciation of beauty as well.

Ok, no more German...

Brendan,
don't worry about being a bad pianist - I'm still a beginner and am pretty sure that this won't change in the near future.
Good or bad pianist aside: if you make it to Germany this summer that'll be great.

All,
does any of the other horse addicts around here actually own a horse (or maybe more)?
Just curious.

Ruth,

Vietnam is my homeland. I live in the US now. I left Vietnam in 1982 but came back to visit in 1995. I still have family and friends back there and hope to go back for a visit soon. How long are you going to be there? You can check out http://www.vietscape.com and http://www.vietnamtourism.com for Vietnam Landscapes.

Have fun,

To answer Nici's question - my daughters both ride (my oldest, 10, is a fanatic and wants to start jumping). We don't own a horse, but I'm sure getting a lot of pressure.

Nici - I retired my thoroughbred mare a couple of years ago, she was a hunter (jumping) and I did that for years, but for the past 6 years, I have really gotten into dressage. (not only does Germany make nice pianos, but they also have some of the best dressage riders/horses in the world :)) I am currently lucky enough to be able to work with some nice Swedish Warmbloods that belong to a friend of mine. Jodi

[ March 12, 2002: Message edited by: jodi ]

jodi,
will you be able to continue your horse passion after you move to washington?

to KimNgang,

I will meet a friend, living in Japan in Bangkok, then we both go on to Hanoi where we will visit a friend who works there. We will continue south by bus/train/maybe take a flight from Hanoi to Hue. We have no fixed schedule. I think you have to decide what is possible and where exactly to go when you're in the country. We only have 17 days, which is a bit short, but we really want to visit Vietnam and look forward to seeing some of the beautiful landscapes and get to know more about the country and its people. We will fly back home from Ho-Chi-Minh-City on 6th of May.
I guess a lot has changed there since you left Vietnam. It seems that the country is developing really fast.
Regards
Ruth

Ian,

oh yeah I can imagine that you get a lot of pressure from your daughter. I was the same at her age
I was pressing my father hard to buy that lovely Arab mare their neighbours owned and were willing to sell. But, to no avail. My father knew better than me that owning a horse is quite a commitment financially and timewise.
That's why I postponed buying a horse for a long time, precisely until I'm retired...

I agree on the connection between piano and gardening. I think its another chance to interpret, to make something of our very own. we are given a beethoven sonata, and we interpret it as we please, watching it grow and form under our fingers. We are given sunflower seeds, and we plant them where we wish in our gardens, and watch them grow under our care and watering. We pick out the weeds that grow around the sunflower, we fix the mistakes in our piano sonata. Can you see the parallels?