Golden Era Passtimes / Hobbies

[MPicciotto]

Besides the modern HO trains when I find them cheap I pick up the vintage wood and paper kits from the Golden Era, I have a handful of War time Model Railroader magazines as well. Another common pastime especially among young men returning from WW2 was home woodworking, building shelves and furniture around their homes. Check out this thread for some on that topic:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...and-workshops&highlight=garages+and+workshops

Matt

 

[Blackjack]

I think dancing would have been a big one, at least all the oldsters that I've talked to would lead me to think that. I've tried my hand at whittling, (not very successfully I'm afraid,) but I am a musician and force my family to sing around the piano especially around Christmas.

 

[Mr. Hallack]

Old tube radios. Not just collecting, but I am in the beginning stages of fixing them. I have about 25 in my collection. Brought most of them back to life. But I am still learning since there have been a few radios that completly baffle me as to why I can't get them going!

 

[Blackjack]

You are in luck Mr. Hallack!!!!!
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/tubetuner/r601p.html

 

[Gilbey]

Playing my 78's on my vintage Thorens is my favorite pastime. The music brings you back in time.

 

[Heater]

Target Shooting! Looks like fun to me.

 

[Adorn]

I think if I wore an outfit like that I'd make someone take me target shooting just so I could use those epic binoculars. We used to go plinking with our .22s as kids but it's been years since I've done that.

As for me, I'm your basic home keeper/domestic lady. I knit, sew, embroider, decorate, bake, and can can plum jam so good it'll make your head spin. I like to walk in the park and picnic and read. I like to hang laundry, too...but I'm not sure if that counts as a hobby. I'm planning on digging a little victory garden outside my apartment, since it looks like some of the other tenants have garden plots, too.

 

[MariantheLibrarian]

I knit, sew, and embroider. Cooking has become more of a hobby at this point, since I eat meals at work. I'm working up the nerve to go swing dancing. A friend at work is teaching me how to play Mahjong and dominoes.

 

[CopperNY]

fencing, target shooting, bicycling and archery. currently looking for a venue for swimming.

 

[Puzzicato]

Target Shooting! Looks like fun to me.

My husband and I have decided that this picture is us. Him with the Lee-Enfield & pith helmet, me in a cute hat and excellent shoes.

Prone rifle was his discipline when he shot competitively, so it is very appropriate!

 

[scottyrocks]

I am in the process of putting together a workshop (again) in my current digs. I love making things out of wood and doing general home improvement.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Ah, a question right up my alley.

My hobbies are scale model building both aircraft and automotive,
playing jazz guitar, mostly songs of the 30's, 40's and bebop era
painting the backs of leather jackets WWII style,
making WWII group and squadron patches,
collecting WWII memorabilia
watching old movies with my wife.

 

[Widebrim]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but matchbook covers. I still have my Dad's collection sitting in the bedroom...

 

[BoPeep]

All the obvious ones for a Retro-housewife: cooking, baking, gardening, canning, sewing, quilting, knitting, crochet. But with the additional duties of a full-time Shepherdess, I also get to enjoy shearing sheep and spinning wool. Although as was mentioned earlier, the line between hobby and responsibility is blurred.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

My main hobby is playing the board game Go (also known as Igo, Weiqi, and Baduk). The game was invented in China around 2000 B.C.E and was very popular in Asia during the golden era.

Here is a Life Magazine article from 1942 discussing the game as it relates to Japanese war strategy. Putting the racially charged language aside (an unfortunate relic of the time) the article is actually a good introduction to the game.

 

[Foofoogal]

I owe my business to my mom who encouraged us to collect something as children. I started with TV guides and postcards about 9 years old.
One sister collected salt and pepper shakers and one brother also collected match book covers. (sort of scary now to me)
Every parent should help their child get started in this.

My hobby now is pretty much rolled into my business. I used to cross stitch. I am attempting to some crafting with the button redos as I have so many.
Honey does woodworking and gardening when he finds time and I help with this of course.
(hold this basically)
:whistling :whistling :whistling
me and the hours and hours sitting in home improvement stores and lumber yards.

 

[sheeplady]

Things I do for fun are crocheting, spinning, and sewing. I also like to bake and cook and garden (veggie and flowers). I am interested in historical gardens. I do a lot of food preservation (freezing mainly), I want to triple the space in our garden for this next year. I want to learn how to can, we have two upright freezers and if I enlarge the gardens we will need more space. I would like to raise most of our own food, so I am working towards learning the skills that are important to do so.

I like house restoration, and I seem to be "skilled" at stripping paint (and wallpaper). I've taken paint off of wood, plaster, paperboard, wallpaper, and many things that should have never been painted in the first place. I don't mind painting. I'd rather restore something with my own two hands than hire it out. I like "interior design" and decorating. I've just decided that I want to learn electrical wiring. I like learning about the history of the places I lived in.

 

[martinsantos]

A past time of mine was "a must" in the 30s and 40s: photography, developing at home (Kodak, just before the war, made almost half of its money with material for amateurs, making their own photographs at home).

I tried for a while about home movies, in the 16mm and 8mm gauges. Very hard to get fresh film to shoot, unhappilly. My Keystone get few rolls to shot, so I declined about a Bolex.

 

[rue]

I'm a retro housewife too
I love cooking, baking, gardening (veggies and flowers), needlepoint, etc. I would love to learn how to can, so I'll try next year when we put in a larger vegetable and fruit garden. I'm also into historic preservation of homes and buildings and collect as many books as I can on it. My husband and I take great pride in bringing our 1908 home back to it's former glory and that we do it all ourselves.

 

[RadioWave]

Scrabble's always good in my book, and I wish I had spent more time dancing when I had the chance...