“My wife, Raquel, says that I’m a hoarder. I tell her there’s a fine line, but I haven’t crossed it yet.

“I got into record collecting seriously about 20 years ago. I was at a retail shop in Highlands. This lady had maybe 2,000 albums and 45s for sale. I gave her $50 for them all. I had a ’65 Impala, so I loaded up the trunk and the back seat.

“Once I started, friends and relatives would say, ‘Hey, I have a bunch of records. Come pick them up.’ I’ve gotten them at estate sales, garage sales, and from people that I know. I just have a real passion for collecting and listening to music.

“Albums and 45s together, I have probably 15,000 to 20,000. I’ve alphabetized the albums. I have binders where I keep track of them. I’ve got a little bit of everything.

“Rock and roll is definitely my favorite type of music. But I like all kinds. I love CCR [Credence Clearwater Revival]. I love Chicago. I like [John] Coltrane, and Al Green, too. Being bilingual, I’m also able to enjoy a lot of Hispanic music. Whatever mood I’m in that day, I can find something to listen to in my collection.

“I haven’t listened to every single album all the way through. But I try to listen to some of each one. I might find something new that I like.

“I got my daughter a turntable, and she took like 150 of my albums. I got turntables for my two granddaughters, and they got records also. They come out here once in a while and start going through my albums. I say, ‘Make sure they’re doubles.’

“I’ve also got some cassettes, 8-tracks, and a jukebox that holds 80 records. I’m always looking for anything music related, like signs or little instruments.

“I hold on to most of what I’ve collected. But we set up at events sometimes, and sell a few things there. Down the road, we may look at opening a place on Texas Avenue, where I could sell a lot of my albums.

“I’ve been collecting music and other things for about 50 years. I’m 71 now. I think it helps keep me young.”

— Fred Aguilar

Another favorite pastime is collecting sports trading cards. Fred estimates he has more than 1 million baseball cards.

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• Implant ‘a miracle’ for music lover

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“My mom gardened a lot when I was younger. And way, way back, my grandfathers on both sides were potato farmers from Maine. So I wonder if there’s not something in my genes that just makes me want to grow stuff.

“My husband and I started with a little 4-by-4 garden, growing some tomato plants. Then we started growing more and more things, and experimenting. It was a lot of fun. The world seemed so crazy at that time. So we thought, when you can’t really control anything else around you, wouldn’t it be nice to grow our own food? We were working low-wage jobs, and I was in school. It was just so hard to pay for anything extra. We weren’t sure how we were going to make ends meet. It was a way for us to have a very cheap hobby that was like an investment. You actually get something back that’s tangible.

“From there, we moved from the concept of gardening to permaculture. In general how we grow things in the United States is a monoculture where you grow one thing, like a whole field of corn or strawberries. Permaculture is permanent culture. You do something that kind of mimics a natural forest. You plant trees, like canopy trees, and then understory trees, and then you grow things all around it. It creates a food web that makes it a lot more sustainable. It also gives you a variety of foods that you can’t always get at the store. It’s kind of hard to get kumquats and loquats and fresh figs, those kinds of things. And it’s convenient. Say if you want some basil. Instead of going all the way to Kroger, you can just walk out your back door steps.

“I think that if everybody gardened, a lot of problems could be solved. If something bad did happen, and everybody had a basic little bit of gardening, they’d stand a better chance of providing for their family. Plus, it’s good for mental health. Everybody is so busy, they don’t have time to do anything for themselves. If you can get somebody started gardening, they might go out there for two or three minutes, and they’ll end up staying for 10 or 15. And they’re doing something kind of mindful.

“We have a young baby, and we both work a lot. Our jobs are exhausting in different ways. But having the garden, and the way that we grow, it’s like knowing you’re doing something good for the environment that’s also good for your household. For us, it’s our refuge.”

— Catherine Hunter-McMillin (with husband, Matthew)

The couple run The Enchanted Food Forest of Southeast Texas from their home in Liberty. 

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• Parents coping with baby born during pandemic

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“My talented and crafty sister and niece have given me beautiful wreaths for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Their gifts were so meaningful that they inspired me to do the same for my friends and other family members.

“I have always enjoyed decorating my house for each holiday, as well as my classroom when I taught. Around Christmas in 2018, I made wreaths for three of my close friends and my sons’ families. After Christmas, those friends came over for a wreath-making party, and they created spring and Easter wreaths.

“I certainly don’t consider myself an expert. But other friends have asked if I would share what I know, and I enjoy doing that. Throughout last year, I continued to create wreaths because it was fun, relaxing and even therapeutic.

“Under our current circumstances, it also provides peace for me in this chaos. I’m busy thinking of someone who might find joy and a distraction from the daily reports through my Facebook posts. It’s a catch-22 right now, but I wish I could host a wreath-making party. Hopefully, after the restrictions have been lifted, I can have that party.

“I made 20 to 30 wreaths last year. Except for one Astros wreath, I never kept any of them. I considered this wonderful hobby a form of ministry. I donated to nursing homes and various fundraisers.

“As more people saw my wreaths, they encouraged me to start selling them. That took courage to even consider because I never thought of myself as marketable. I never wanted the joy of making wreaths to be overshadowed by pressure or a deadline. But this January, I finally decided that I’d give it a go.

“There is a plethora of fabulous wreath makers. Just as a flower doesn’t compete with another flower in a garden, wreath makers don’t, either. We all have our own appeal. My style has certainly evolved and, hopefully, improving with each wreath I create.”

— Paula Groberg

See Paula’s wreaths on her Hang It Up page on Facebook. Find information there on how to order one of her creations.

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“I really like to paint military rocks, eagles, U.S.A. rocks. I’m proud of my country. I love my country. One time this lady wanted me to paint a picture of a tattoo. It was a military scene with a flag and these soldiers shaded in. I thought, OK, tattoos are straight-line work, so it should be pretty easy. When I looked at the tattoo more closely, the bottom had these tombstones all lined up. And it almost killed me to paint that. I just had a very emotional, really hard time painting it.

“When I finished, the lady who ordered it never came to get it. So I kept it for a long time. Then we did a show over in Crosby, and they were having a gun show the same day. There were a lot of people interested in the military. So this one guy came over and said, ‘How much do you want for that rock?’ I told him $20 is usually what I charge for the big ones like that. He gave me $50 and said, ‘Thank you very much.’ He loved that rock. He said, ‘I’m going to keep it forever.’ I went back over to the gun show later, and he had a display. That rock was showcased on his table. I told him how difficult it had been for me to paint it.

“That’s one that just really resonates with me, that stays with me. But I was so happy he ended up with it. Because I think these rocks really find where they need to go. I mean, that woman wanted the rock at first. But I guess it just wasn’t her rock. It was his rock. It ended up where it needed to be.

“I think a lot of times, when people find these rocks that we hide, the messages we paint on them are really meant just for them. And that’s pretty cool.”

— Vickie Sims

She belongs to the Baytown Rocks group, which helped launch the local rock-painting craze. You can find some of her creations there, as well as on her Vickie’s Rocks page.

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• Painted rocks help build human connection

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“When I started, I painted very simplistic rocks. They might have a little heart or a bee on them. Then I saw what other people were doing, this very detailed artistic work, and I decided to challenge my abilities. I found a bunch of ideas for designs online, and I just started painting.

“It’s been great fun. I’ve painted all sorts of things. I love to paint encouragement phrases, lettering with flowers and details. I also started getting requests from people for specific things, like a memorial rock for their pet that passed away. It kind of mushroomed into a pretty big thing. Before I knew it, I had painted hundreds and hundreds of rocks.

“Besides being a great artistic outlet for me, I really enjoy hiding rocks around town for others to find. People will post photos showing their kids holding some of my rocks. And they’ve got these big, beautiful smiles on their faces. I’ve also seen tears for the rocks placed at loved ones’ graves.

“The impact these rocks can have on people is really amazing. The ability to spread a little happiness, a little hope, makes what I do so meaningful. It’s more than a hobby. It’s building a connection with people.”

— Vickie Sims

She belongs to the Baytown Rocks group, which helped launch the local rock-painting craze. You can find some of her creations on their Facebook page, as well as on the Vickie’s Rocks page.

Related:

• Painted military rock finds its true home

The post Painted rocks help build human connection appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’ve always been into cars. It’s always been my hobby. I’ve had five or six different cars over the years that have just kind of been toys to play with. Right now, I have an ’89 Mustang that I’m completely redoing. I’m not going full-blown race car with it. It’s just something that I can take to the track to play with, but also still drive on the street.

“Both my grandfathers used to race, so that was something in my life growing up. My grandfather on my dad’s side has a ’66 Mustang that he’s taken to the drag strip for a long time. Ever since I was a kid, I’d go with him to help check the tire pressure, cool it down, prep for the track.

“He doesn’t compete like he used to. He’s getting older and can’t do it as much. He’s been trying to get my dad to take over and get into it. But my father’s afraid of it. He doesn’t want to break the car or anything like that. My grandpa told me, ‘This car was meant to be driven.’ I mean, it’s racing. You build it, race it, break it, fix it. Then repeat.

“It becomes a real love-hate relationship. It can break the bank. And it can become a strenuous task at points. If you’re not passionate about it, you’ll fall out of it easily.

“It’s been a strong bonding thing for us. Most of the time I’m with my grandpa, all we talk about is cars. A lot of people go fishing with their grandpas. For me, it’s always been at the track. I have a lot of great memories.”

— Ryan Nugent

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“I taught kindergarten and first grade for 30 years. I miss the children. But I don’t miss the school system. After 30 years, the system had changed so much. It was no longer fun to go to work. It was all about what shows up on your paperwork.

“In Louisiana, there’s something called the DROP program. You can retire, but still work three more years. You get paid for that, plus your retirement. It was an incentive to keep experienced and qualified teachers in the school system. I did not go for that. I told my husband, ‘I think I’m just going to drop out.’ I was ready. When I retired, it was not hard for me at all. I had so many things that I still wanted to do in life.”

Any advice for others considering retirement?
“You have a lot to look forward to. Have a lot of hobbies and do those hobbies. Whatever it is you want to do, try it. If you decide you don’t like it, then try something else. I had a couple friends who retired and have gone back to work. They don’t like to be at home all alone. But there’s way too much out there to see and do. So go look for it.”

— Elizabeth Rick

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• She’s on the road again — and loving it

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“I enjoy playing all kinds of things, like tennis and chess. But I wanted to choose one and be decent at it. So I chose pool. I started playing when I was 14 at a place in Highlands called Pop’s Highlander Club. The owner used to sit in a recliner, and he had one or two pool tables downstairs. It was just a nickel or dime a game. I got hooked on it. Being able to make a white, round object do what you want it to do, there’s nothing like it.”

Are you pretty competitive?
“Oh, yeah. I hate to lose. I don’t care what it is: tiddlywinks, mumbledypeg, pool. I don’t like losing.”

The post He’s a competitor, and he doesn’t like losing appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“Through the years we’ve had all sorts of hobbies. We start out with something and then we go nuts. We had exotic birds for a while. Then we raised Dobermans. When my husband was doing over-the-road truck driving, he decided I needed something else to do here at the house. That’s what got us started with plumeria.

“He always liked the way the flowers looked, so we started small and it’s just kept growing. We sell a lot, like at the Plumeria Society shows. People around town know me. I’ll run into someone who will say, ‘You’re the plumeria lady.’ I used to be the bird lady. Then I was the dog lady. Now I guess I’m the plumeria lady.

“It’s fun. I enjoy it. But it’s a lot of work, too. I think this is going to be my last hobby.”

— Elaine Williams

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“My husband and I love to go antiquing. It’s a hobby, so we go as often as we can. We call it the illness. It runs in the family. I think it’s a nostalgia thing. You see shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars where they unearth valuable things. But to me, it’s not really about finding something that’s going to be worth the most money. It’s more about getting to see a lot of cool, old stuff that brings back memories for you.

“Doing estate sales is great, especially if you like looking at little treasure troves of stuff. You never know what you’re going to see.”

Find anything unique setting up for this sale?
“Well, we have J.R. Ewing-branded beer. We have two six-packs, but one of them is going home with me.”

— Tina Salley and Emily Ray

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