Interest 1: I dabble in computers and programming, so here is a Slot Machine I designed for the kids to try and break!

Interest 2: I fancy myself a weekend carpenter, so I entered the National Western Red Cedar Association Design and Build Competition. I took Runner-up to the Grand prize by designing and constructing a Japanese style gate, fence, and garden area for our home. For my effort, I won a battery powered lawn mower.  I wanted to construct something reminiscent of Yoshiko's hometown. Here is how it turned out:

Interest 3: I enjoy playing Chess. Many years ago, I played regularly at the Spokane Chess Club at Gonzaga University. Today, when I need a quick, challenging game I go online to play, but I prefer to challenge an opponent in person. 

Interest 4: Like everyone else, we're trying to retain some youthful functionality. Yoshiko works out regularly and vigorously on a Nordic Track cross country skiing machine and exercycle. She also cross trains with dumbbells. Her discipline and tenacity is phenomenal and  it never ceases to inspire me. I must be on the fifth re-build of that ski machine since she chose it as her primary mode of exercise.

I, on the other hand, used to enjoy putting in 25 to 30 miles a week of carefree road running, which I did for nearly 25 years. Unfortunately, all that pounding aggravated my lower back, so I switched to an ergonomic stationary bicycle. Additionally, I spend a few days a week down in our basement, where I have put together a makeshift torture chamber. The gym consists of free weights, low-impact power tubes, benches, weighted  pulleys, a chin-up/dip tower, and a bazooka boom box, which staves off boredom.

Interest 5: Reading is one of life's relaxing, relatively low cost joys. Yoshiko reads literary and history books, some about countries where her pen friends live. She also enjoys reading cookbooks, Japanese magazines, and The Smithsonian Magazine. I read history, true crime, adventure, medical, and other non-fiction books; however, I have read more than a few novels. Here are a few book recommendations:

Interest 6: Recently, I have garnered an interest in digital imaging. I have an Epson Perfection Photo scanner, which came packaged with PhotoShop Elements in the bundled software. This is a great deal! Elements retails for around $100, and it is the sibling of PhotoShop, which is a $600 full-featured digital imaging program used by professionals. However, don't make the mistake of thinking Elements is a cut-down version of the flagship program. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of its big brother, but it does have most of what digital imaging hobbyists require, and it has some nifty features that the professional version doesn't include.

I have been studying photograph restoration and archiving techniques. Our family has a backlog of irreplaceable, and sometimes deteriorating, photographs that need digitizing, restoration, and archiving. In conjunction with the learning process, I am restoring some photographs. Here is an example of a severely damaged 65-year-old photograph of my mother. The delicate original photograph is one square inch in size, and the film was actually bubbling and flaking off. I attempted the restoration and was satisfied with the result, even though my skills, at this point, are limited.