DUKE CANNON IS A MAN OF MANY HOBBIES
It is known that Duke Cannon is a busy man who finds reward in long hours. And though we do take a well-earned breather on occasion, we are also firm believers in the old adage “idle hands are the devil’s workshop." In other words, we like to keep busy even when not officially on the clock, and this means hobbies (aka pastimes, leisure pursuits, etc.). Aside from your more standard activities—competitive archery, large-scale tree planting, prizefighting—here are some of our favorite ways to while away the hours while not feeling like a couch-bound lump.
WHITTLING
Grandpa taught us this one, and he was famed far and wide for his almost supernatural ability to expertly whistle Beethoven’s 5th while carving a three-dimensional masterpiece out of hunk of old broom handle. Was it genetics, observation, or purely osmosis that led to us absorbing this time-honored skill? We cannot say. Now, hand us that stick so we can swiftly and artfully use a pocketknife to shape it into a gnome.
BUILDING MODEL KITS
Sometime around Kindergarten we caught our first whiff of Testors®️ model cement and thus began a life-long affair with model-making. Whether it was hot rods, dinosaurs, or human figures with see-through bodies that reveal the anatomy within, young Duke Cannon faithfully assembled every sprue of molded styrene plastic set before him. Currently we have been concentrating our efforts on WW2 aircraft, and yes—we do hang them on fishing wire from the ceiling of our workroom for added realism, thank you very much.
WOODWORKING
Obviously.
BIRD WATCHING
It is all-too easy for one to take birds for granted, or worse, even view them as noisy, bothersome creatures. Nothing could be further from the truth, as you will discover once you are out of college and willing to expand your horizons a bit. Just set up a bird feeder in your backyard with 4-5 different feeding stations (cylinder, open tray, suet cakes, etc.), add a bird bath, and you now have a fledging hobby that will pay rich dividends throughout the day. Wait—what was that piercing cry? A hawk? No—it was the crafty Blue Jay, mimicking a hawk to clear room at the feeder. Get the camera!
DIVING FOR SUNKEN TREASURE
OK, fine—we don’t do this, but it certainly sounds like an interesting way to spend an afternoon. Adding it to the “to-do” list.
TINKERING
We are of the firm opinion that “tinkering” as a hobby genre gets a bad rap. It makes this rewarding activity sound random and pointless. But the truth is, ambling into a well-stocked garage with no concrete agenda is not unlike Batman going out on patrol at night: you know that you will run into a situation that needs your attention. Then, before you know it, that old clock radio is working like a charm, and citizens everywhere can rest easier.
