As promised, here's the Skills, Hobbies, Interests, and Passions thread. I'll go first.

In no particular order:
Gardening, shooting, hiking, climbing, animal husbandry, mountain biking, reading, building things, piano playing, learning new musical instruments, perusing iconoclastic & free-thinking websites, cooking, watching good movies, astronomy, off-grid living, and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes

What skills do I bring to the table?
1. Carpentry, electrical, drywall, basic electrical & plumbing
2. Cooking
3. Firearms (handgun, shotgun, rifle)
4. Gardening and animal husbandry
5. Writing
6. Homesteading experience (solar system operation/maintenance, alternative septic, cisterns, power tool & small engine-powered equipment, basic off-grid home "engineering")
7. CPR/1st Aid
8. Map reading/land navigation/compass use

In the off chance that we need someone to parachute out of an airplane & land behind enemy lines, splint a fractured tibia (mine?), cut down a tree with a chainsaw, dig post holes, erect a ranch fence, build a chicken coop, lull the chickens to sleep with Native American flute, whip up a 3-egg omelette, put up a ceiling fan, install new batteries in a child's toy, retrofit a toilet, and then engage zombies with AK-47 and .45 handgun . . . I might be your guy.

Next . . . ?

We just got back from another trip or I would have posted sooner. Well hopefully on Monday, we will be propery owners in the ranch. . . so I guess I’ll go next since no one else has responded!
So here is mine, (Joe will post his later)

Interests, passions, hobbies. . .
Outdoors! Hiking, extreme backpacking, long distance day hikes, vertical and regular caving, canyoning aka technical canyoneering, weight lifting, Health/healthy living, college/freestyle wrestling, orienteering aka rogaining, exploring new places, traveling, drawing, photography, (horse) riding, training/care of animals, archeology, astronomy, biology, geology, anthropology, classic truck restoration, free thinking, survival/self reliance skills, getting out of the system, meeting up with friends, reading (only if I have the time), and many more!

Skills:
-map and compass
-endurance
-route finding
-climbing
-Animal care and training, specializing in canine.
I worked at Frank Inn Animals for 13 years. I was responsible for the care and health of 200+dogs, 150 cats, 4 horses, 2 exotic birds and 7 snakes. My secondary responsibility was socialization and basic obedience training on all the dogs. My Mal, the first dog I trained earned a CD and a CDX with high points. I miss that dog!
-Photo and artistic abilities.
I’ve done some freelance work, logo’s, dog art for show clubs, car club signs/shirts and such.
-Some automotive
My 1968 truck was a show class winner. My skills are in older chevy's, carb rebuilds, brake conversions, gap, restoration, upkeep and such- BUT don’t ask me if it is newer than 1970!
-Tires tires tires
yes tires. I’ve been working with tires for almost 10 years with Costco.
-Painting, flooring, some house repair
-CPR & First Aid certs
-Survival Training
With this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/user/abodudeman
He is a really good friend of ours,
Cody Lundin.
-Sustainable living
also with Cody’s help
-Some tracking

So I can do a few things, but the hardest part for me is finding the time!

Who's next?? anyone??

Very impressive resume, Sara. A true renaissance woman. I'll bet Joe's is equally impressive.

Good to have some people with skills here on the ranch.

I guess every one else is being shy.

Hi Bruce and Sara and FORUM:

Newbie here at the forum!

What do we bring to 4HR?
Automotive expertise (mechanic/engineering tech), motorcycles, ride em', repair em' used to race em', dogs, cooking/baking/BBQing, computer skills, home machinist (vert. mill, lathe), metal work, welding TIG/MIG, etc., Tactical firearms and edged weapons (some hunting when I was younger..), martial arts trained, general home repair, CPR/First Aid/A.E.D., living healthy, happy and off grid!

{drops to knees and bows deeply} We're not worthy! We're not worthy!!

All kidding aside . . . that's an impressive resume, you guys. Sounds like you are a valuable addition to the community.

I'd love to pick your brain(s) someday on the machine shop skills and the tactical firearms/edged weapons.

Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you, but Sherrian was impressed.

Thanks for chiming in.

Bruce

Hi Bruce:
Although it was a bit late for my post, I thought what the heck, huh..?
I believe Cindy and I drove by your place on Sunday and since we didn't see your (Sherrian's) truck, we drove to the end of 4HR.
Cindy and I took the oppurtunity to drive around 4HR to "learn" the routes and enjoy the street signs.
We were lucky to run into Sherrian at the intersection of Red Bluff Tr. and Twisted Pine Point. On that note; traffic signals need to be added to "new business" at the next Board Meeting..... Cindy and I enjoyed meeting her and having time to chat a bit.
We enjoy 4HR and are planning our build there when things settle down here (California) a bit. You will see us off and on as we survey and mark our boundries, plan placement and such.
Hope to meet you next time we're out!

OOOOook....finally getting brave enough to add to this:

Darleen's Skills, hobbies, interests:
Writing
Photography
Cooking
Camping
Hiking
Route 66



Steve's Skills:
Guitar playin'
Minor Electric work
Mechanical ability
Camping
Hiking
Route 66

Hi guys!
Sounds like some good skills there.

What do you like to cook? I've been on a cabin fever cooking binge myself lately. Found a good recipe for chicken-fried steak with sausage gravy (YUMM!!) and have been on a cooking with marsala wine thing, too, e.g. chicken marsala; beef with a balsamic/marsala reduction.

If you have a recipe you're particularly proud of (and are willing to share) you could submit it to the 4HR newsletter. [The March issue is in process now, so it could go in that issue . . . .]

And we just got a electric dehydrator. So, I've made three batches of beef jerky that are just plain GOOOOOOOD!

I like Rt66 folklore, stories, travel tips, etc. myself as I've driven it (sort of, without all the sidetrips) a couple times. Coming from Chicago, it was hard not to when visiting my folks in Sedona and relocating from a brief stay in L.A. Great road trip!

Thanks for chiming in. Feel welcome to share more stories and info here. The more the merrier, as they say.

Oh...my mouth started watering when you described your cooking! I love cooking Italian food! Latest was a Broccoli Breadzagna (Lasagna with toasted bread instead of pasta). Tuscan Chicken is another of my favorites with artichoke, dried tomatoes, mushrooms and Italian squash blended with a light sauce over chicken.

Love Route 66. So neat that the ranch is not that far from it. I have been writing for the Route 66 Pulse for the past two years. They should have another issue available in two weeks (will be available in town). :)

We must exchange recipes
Darleen

Hey, that sounds like a plan (exchanging recipes)!

I just made Lydia's (the lady from PBS) version of sauteed asparagus for dinner tonight. Italian cooking is definately YUMM-eeeeeeee.

I also got two Indian cookbooks from my brother this past Christmas. I originally thought there's no way I'm gonna do Indian. Well . . . I actually tried a few recipes from the cookbooks and they were deee-licious.

The thing about Indian cooking is that you typically need to invest in several new spices like cumin seed, tumeric, cardamom (sp?), coriander seed, and other exotics. They like to make pastes of some spices like ginger, garlic, etc., toast other spices, grind up certain combinations in a mortar & pestle, and even have you create your own home blends (like garam masala) from several spices. Other than that, it's no big deal. A recipe is a recipe.

The results will blow your mind, though, with the subtle and exotic flavors that permeate relatively unassuming foods like basmati rice to even the prosaic lentil.

I also discovered that curry powder is a creation of India's British colonialists and not a part of "authentic" Indian cooking. So I had to lose the curry powder unless I just want to create an Anglo version of Indian food.

Enough of the Food Channel . . . .

Anyway, we're pretty open to yummy food recipes. Bring it on!!