Welcome to the AppalachianTrailCafe.net!
Take a moment and register and then join the conversation

Other Hobbies and Interests

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.

    • odd man out wrote:

      Everyone is welcome. We all have our wheelhouse when it comes to trivia. I only do well on nights that don't have many questions on recent pop culture (music, TV, celebrities, etc...). I'm weak in literature too. When my wife (retired reference librarian, MA in English lit.) can come, we are very complementary.
      That is similar to my wife. When we first got married we played a lot of trivial pursuit. She is an English teacher and artistic, and really good at literature, languages, and things like that. I am more history, sports, and math. We always good complimentary partners when playing against others.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      odd man out wrote:

      Everyone is welcome. We all have our wheelhouse when it comes to trivia. I only do well on nights that don't have many questions on recent pop culture (music, TV, celebrities, etc...). I'm weak in literature too. When my wife (retired reference librarian, MA in English lit.) can come, we are very complementary.
      That is similar to my wife. When we first got married we played a lot of trivial pursuit. She is an English teacher and artistic, and really good at literature, languages, and things like that. I am more history, sports, and math. We always good complimentary partners when playing against others.
      complmentary or complementary?
    • Back in the 80's I was attached to a ship pre-positioned at Diego Garcia. Our captain was always attempting to organize activities on the island, usually with little success. Then he decided he would organize a Trivial Pursuit thing which the entire island could participate. The way it worked, each entity on the island (there were 13 ships, the Navy, the USMC, the Royal Marines and others) would form their own TP team and we'd have periodic parties to play with each team in turn sponsoring the party. We held it at what was known as the Beach House. It had everything needed for a party - white sand, palm trees, barbeque grills - we supplied the food, beer and bikinied girls (in addition to the teams we posted a standing invitation to every female on the island). It was probably the most successful activity on the island since soft ball and drinking. Wonder if they still do it.
    • odd man out wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      odd man out wrote:

      Everyone is welcome. We all have our wheelhouse when it comes to trivia. I only do well on nights that don't have many questions on recent pop culture (music, TV, celebrities, etc...). I'm weak in literature too. When my wife (retired reference librarian, MA in English lit.) can come, we are very complementary.
      That is similar to my wife. When we first got married we played a lot of trivial pursuit. She is an English teacher and artistic, and really good at literature, languages, and things like that. I am more history, sports, and math. We always good complimentary partners when playing against others.
      complmentary or complementary?
      See I told you languages (including English) was not my strength. ;)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Jake Ace wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Dan76 wrote:

      Too bad there are not a couple of ATC members in your area to form a team. But then you’d have to share your winnings.
      I bet that Jake The Ace, pocket Rocket Socks guy would be good at trivia.
      more of a price is right kinda guy, but yes, l have been likened to a varitable cornucopia of useless knowledge
      people always say I know too much useless knowledge. But the way I see it, if I win at trivia, the information isn't useless, and if I loose, I don't know enough.
    • Tin Man wrote:

      Dan76 wrote:

      Any trainspotters amongst us?

      Do me a favor and if this unit is sighted, let me know when and where.


      up.com/aboutup/community/insid…-thespirit-10-27-2017.htm
      Thomas The Train visited the Danbury, CT Train Museum a couple years ago...
      american-rails.com/thomas-the-train.html
      I loved it when George Carlin said he was the inverse of Peter Best (replacing Ringo Star).
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      Nice! We need more bees. There's a big shortage, which people don't realize what a huge problem this is for the food chain.
      My brother-in-law was a beekeeper. Passed around 10 years ago, but I remember him being really concerned about the Killer African Bees and the impact they would have.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      Nice! We need more bees. There's a big shortage, which people don't realize what a huge problem this is for the food chain.
      My brother-in-law was a beekeeper. Passed around 10 years ago, but I remember him being really concerned about the Killer African Bees and the impact they would have.
      had an uncle who kept bees as well, he was 106 when he died...good for you Scotty, I always wanted to try my hand at that. On a different note, cause we’ve talked Birds before and it wouldn’t be rite if I didn’t drift a little bit. I’ve got this flock of cedar waxwings that have decimated my 3 holy trees...we’ll the berries anyway (they eat em whole) We put some flowering trees in over the years (five now) in an effort to help with the Bee population...what other things can we do to help?
    • Jake Ace wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      Nice! We need more bees. There's a big shortage, which people don't realize what a huge problem this is for the food chain.
      My brother-in-law was a beekeeper. Passed around 10 years ago, but I remember him being really concerned about the Killer African Bees and the impact they would have.
      had an uncle who kept bees as well, he was 106 when he died...good for you Scotty, I always wanted to try my hand at that. On a different note, cause we’ve talked Birds before and it wouldn’t be rite if I didn’t drift a little bit. I’ve got this flock of cedar waxwings that have decimated my 3 holy trees...we’ll the berries anyway (they eat em whole) We put some flowering trees in over the years (five now) in an effort to help with the Bee population...what other things can we do to help?
      One of the big things implicated in the loss of bees lately are neonicotinoids, a class of insecticide used in agriculture. They have been banned in Europe, but are still commonly used here. Invasive bee mites are a big problem too.

      Ceder Waxwings are great, I don't get to see them very often. I had a pair of goldfinches outside my window today, so that made my day.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Cool, but who do you get to take care of bees if/and, or/ when you need to be away?
      Relatively low maintenance. :)
      My brother-in-law had around I believe 1,000 hives. I remember helping him take off soupers during the "harvest". Also helped him move hives to different areas for blossoms (palmetto, orange, etc.). We always tried to do that in the dark.

      Complete opposite of milking cows. That is like being on a chain gang. :thumbdown:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Cool, but who do you get to take care of bees if/and, or/ when you need to be away?
      Relatively low maintenance. :) My brother-in-law had around I believe 1,000 hives. I remember helping him take off soupers during the "harvest". Also helped him move hives to different areas for blossoms (palmetto, orange, etc.). We always tried to do that in the dark.

      Complete opposite of milking cows. That is like being on a chain gang. :thumbdown:
      what are the soupers?
    • IMScotty wrote:

      Jake Ace wrote:

      what are the soupers?
      The 'Supers' are the boxes the contain the honey comb for harvest, as opposed to the boxes that contain the queen and eggs and brood, and honeycomb for the bees.
      Obviously all of my directions were given verablly instead of written. :rolleyes:
      Now that IMScotty wrote it out, it makes more sense. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      Nice! We need more bees. There's a big shortage, which people don't realize what a huge problem this is for the food chain.
      As a past beekeeper it is clearly more difficult with all the bee mites and other issues to keeping bee's happy - but the shortage of bees is over. Honey Bees reproduce far faster than mammals and what happened a few years ago is not happening now. What most people don't know is Ants are pollinators too.
      IMScotty Glad you got back in the game... I will wait until I retire.




      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • Wise Old Owl wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      Nice! We need more bees. There's a big shortage, which people don't realize what a huge problem this is for the food chain.
      As a past beekeeper it is clearly more difficult with all the bee mites and other issues to keeping bee's happy - but the shortage of bees is over. Honey Bees reproduce far faster than mammals and what happened a few years ago is not happening now. What most people don't know is Ants are pollinators too.IMScotty Glad you got back in the game... I will wait until I retire.





      Now I am jealous, the only equipment I got to use was a bee vail, gloves, smoker, and a tool like a flat blade to pry apart the supers. Never got to wear coveralls that look like they came from NASA. X(
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • odd man out wrote:

      I was talking to a local beekeeper at a farmarket and she said they just harvested honey once per year, so the hone we bought all summer was actually from the previous year. Any truth to that?
      Probably true. In South Florida we had different seasons for different blossoms (orange, palmetto, etc..). Orange was the most valuable. There was also what they called bakery, which was like a catch all (thus not individual consumer grade). Of course it was around 40 years ago when I was helping out. Wow, it is starting to feel like I am getting old. :S
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • It depends on the beekeeper and what they are trying to achieve. Many beekeepers will keep all the suppers on the hive and then harvest everything in the fall. Some beekeepers want to get honey produced from nectar from a particular crop (Buckwheat honey, Tupelo Honey, and so on), so they will pull off the supers after that particular plant stops blooming.

      I pay someone with an extractor to extract my honey, so I tend to do it just once in the fall. Different flowers produce honey in different colors. Around here the honey I get in early spring from the tree nectar is very light in color, while the honey some beekeepers get from purple loosestrife looks like motor oil. In the past my honey has been a classic golden color, but it has been a long time, I will have to see what this year brings.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • i got a sample of manuka honey at costco -- the rep was telling me all the great benefits it has -- and then i saw the price -- something $40 for a pound! at costco!

      i gotta believe honey is honey -- so i didn't take any home with me.

      any of you experts got an opinion?
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      i got a sample of manuka honey at costco -- the rep was telling me all the great benefits it has -- and then i saw the price -- something $40 for a pound! at costco!

      i gotta believe honey is honey -- so i didn't take any home with me.

      any of you experts got an opinion?
      To the best if my understanding: So far as I’ve seen it’s all pseudoscience and quackery. A few years back a compound found in manuka honey was found to have potential benefits in very specific labratory experiments where it was appied topically along with antiviitics to antibiotic resistant staph infections, but no proven therapies have come from it yet. Even if these applicants do prove useful, it is applied topically in a clinical setting, consuming it does not convey any benefit besides it being tasty.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
    • max.patch wrote:

      i got a sample of manuka honey at costco -- the rep was telling me all the great benefits it has -- and then i saw the price -- something $40 for a pound! at costco!

      i gotta believe honey is honey -- so i didn't take any home with me.

      any of you experts got an opinion?
      Honey is Honey - overpriced for New Zealand.... I hear Hobbits had something to do with it.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • The beekeeper I talked too never sold honey branded as coming from a certain flower (clover, apple, etc...). She said you can put two hives in the middle of the same orchard and get different honey since you never know where the bees are going to go. I was wondering if anyone has tried to make honey from milkweed. I have some plants in my yard and when the flower they smell amazing and they are always covered with bees. But the plant itself is apparently very distasteful. I was wondering what the honey was like.