My Ten Hobbies and Greatest Accomplishment

Here are my favorite hobbies, listed in order of how successful I feel with each one. I still enjoy them all to this day, and they help to keep me out of trouble!

I first picked up a guitar when I was ten, messing around with my brother's acoustic and "plunking" away at it. But it wasn’t until I turned twelve that I got serious about playing. The live album Made in Japan by Deep Purple completely hooked me, and I’ve been playing along with it ever since.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to play in various bands, exploring a wide range of musical styles. That experience has given me an appreciation for just about every genre out there.

I began playing piano in 2007 when I purchased "Alice," my beloved Steinway & Sons Model "A" piano. I found her in San Jose, California, and she became mine for $75,000. To me, she's the perfect piano, and I absolutely love playing her! While I wouldn’t consider myself a great pianist (and you probably won’t catch me performing), I genuinely enjoy sitting down and playing.

Back in the day, I played keyboards in various bands, which helped me develop an appreciation for the instrument. That experience, along with my love for the Hammond C organ paired with a Leslie speaker system, really deepened my connection to music.

The first band I ever joined was called "Odd," and I played bass. We were a three-piece band that performed in a church theater—quite the humble beginnings, right? At the time, I wasn’t skilled enough to play guitar, but I found the bass surprisingly easy to pick up thanks to my large hands.

These days, I only own one bass guitar, which I use exclusively for recording purposes. Good bass players are hard to come by, and I’ve learned over the years just how crucial bass is to a band’s sound—it can truly make or break the music.

The first instrument I ever played was the drums. When I was nine, I got a snare drum for Christmas and joined my elementary school band, where I had my first experience reading sheet music. Although I can read music, I’ve always preferred playing by ear, much like many great musicians. While reading music has its advantages, I believe truly connecting with a song comes from memorizing it and feeling the rhythm. It’s been years since I’ve owned a drum set, but learning to play gave me a solid foundation in rhythm that’s stuck with me ever since.

I first dove into flight simulators in 1998 with Falcon 4, and my love for virtual flying has only grown since then. These days, I channel that passion into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and can’t wait for the 2024 version to arrive. I’ve logged over 720 hours flying the TBM 930, Cessna Longitude, and Airbus A320 NEO, completing three around-the-world trips and landing at 225 unique airports. Each journey takes about three months and follows carefully planned routes that I meticulously track in a spreadsheet.

I began painting with oil paints in 2015, inspired by my love for Impressionism. I had three 28x34 canvases on hand and decided to take on the challenge of recreating a Monet. Unlike Monet's single canvas approach, my version took much longer because of the added complexity of working across three canvases. Ensuring the interior edges aligned seamlessly and maintaining cohesion throughout was both challenging and rewarding.

Watercolor painting is such a joy—both relaxing and challenging at the same time. Timing is everything; if you don’t work quickly and deliberately, it’s easy to overdo it and end up with a muddled mess. I’ve turned more than a few of my attempts into scrap paper because of this! The beauty of watercolor is that anyone can give it a try. Just watch a few YouTube tutorials and dive in—you might surprise yourself!

Adventure Motorcycling: After a 30-year break, I’ve recently rediscovered this thrilling hobby. My first bike was a Honda CBR 600-F2—a true crotch-rocket! These days, my focus has shifted to exploring backroads, gravel trails, and dirt paths in the wilderness, often paired with some camping for an extra touch of adventure. The need for speed is behind me—been there, done that. Now, it’s all about soaking in the peace and beauty of the great outdoors.

I create digital paintings using Rebelle 7.2.5 as my go-to software, with Affinity Photo for final touch-ups and color balancing. My setup features dual monitors and an Apple Studio Pro CPU. I paint directly on the main monitor using a stylus specifically designed for digital artwork. Personally, I find that the results I achieve digitally often exceed what’s possible with traditional media.

Programming and developing operations for my business brought me immense satisfaction. Working directly with clients and creating software tailored to meet their needs was both challenging and rewarding. I’ve also developed software for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 users and am recognized as a "Trusted 3rd Party Developer" on their forums, which has been a great experience.

Currently, I’m programming for FISH, Inc., a food and clothing bank, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to provide all the computers and servers for their operations. Giving back through technology has been incredibly fulfilling!

Hopkins Distribution Company, based in Reno, Nevada, is my pride and joy. It all began in 1992 and concluded for me on January 1, 2020. While I miss my employees and our clients, I’ve embraced the other side of work—retirement. It is not a four-letter word! However, work was always enjoyable for me. The complete satisfaction I derived from running the business kept me busy for twenty-nine wonderful years. I wish my employees the best while the business continues to thrive. This is the corporate headquarters for the business. In 2004 to 2008 we had three of these warehouses (615,000 square feet), but closed the extra two warehouses in 2008 due to the economy hit that everyone experienced.