Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: adirondack46r on March 04, 2008, 02:38:00 PM
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Just curious if I am just a strange b*st*rd or if there are others out there like me. My philosophy, albeit twisted, has always been to minimize the amount of stuff that I own. I profess to be a collector of nothing.
I own exactly one bow (Brackenbury), one flyrod (Winston), one shotgun (Browning), one rifle (ruger), one hunting knife, etc. Of the 30 or so whitetail racks I have been lucky enough to take (not all with trad) I only have 2 in my possession. All the rest have been given away - some to my sons, some to knife makers. I have found well over 100 sheds - all but 2 have been passed on, mostly to kids with an interest.
I read but I don't collect books. I write but I don't save journals. It just seems that the less I possess the happier I am - within reason, of course. Don't get me wrong, alot of stuff has passed through my hands, but I seem to be always whittling it all down to a few special pieces of equipment that I wouldn't give up for anything. When I'm gone there won't be a whole lot to stuff to argue over.
God bless you guys who collect alot of pretty bows. I think it's cool and I love to look at them. Based on the collections of bows I see here, and the collections of flyrods I see on some other sites it appears I am an aberration. Or maybe there are a few out there with the same sickness.
Oh, and by the way - exactly one wife. 30 years in May. ;-)
...Alrighty now, that was cathartic.
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I on the other hand am a collector. They always say watch out for the guy with one bow! Philosophically I'd like to be like you...but I sure enjoy shooting many bows and shooting an assortment of different fly lines. Good on you...Doc
Oh, I have exactly one wife of 31 years. Guess that my start on being a non-collector ;)
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(It just seems that the less I possess the happier I am -).............................................. Your not alone on this. The only things i save and collect is the gifts from others. Material world? yeap for many..
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I can relate to what you are saying. I am in the process of getting rid of my excess bows. Not getting down to one but maybe one or two shrews with an identical backup. I just got back from the Texas Sweat 08. I never saw so many beautiful bows in one place. There were probably more fine bows there than you will find in most archery shops. Seems as though most guys had a handful of custom bows. I brought my beat up, cut in half super shrews with the connexion hinges and barebones carbon arrows with no cresting. Not especially pretty, but I shoot them like nothing else. Same way with the pretty custom arrows with cresting and spliced fletching, custom knives/sheaths, arm guards and even gloves. My interest in traditional archery is for a simple, efficient, uncomplicated, unadulterated hunting tool. I came away thinking I need to upgrade my arsenal. I went ahead and ordered my first new bow ever, a super shrew classic in curly birch with the bow bolt. I will be selling a super shrew deluxe to replace when the new bow is ready. For some of us less is more than enough.
I also have only one wife (no exwife for me) same one for the past 29 years as of this May.
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Ya know... I like the sound of that. It may take me a few years to get where you are now but seems like life would be much simpler. I may take a good look at some of my collections this evening and think about simplifying a bit. THANKS, Seriously!
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I am a conpulsive "hunter-gatherer" if I find something when I'm out in the woods I seem to gravitate towards it . The less value it seems to have the longer I hold on to it . I hunt alot and I gather a lot . I have over 250 bottles I've found over the years and my kids will probably put them out for the recycle man when I die . Between that and my other junk it should keep them busy for awhile and keep them from grieving for me . I probably need help but I'm happy . Fred
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I value piece of agate with some geese painted on it that my son gave 34 years ago when he was 6. A recording on my answering machine(will never erase it) of my granddaughter singing me happy birthday when she was 5, and a cup she gave me when she was 2 with a Larson cartoon on each side, now worn almost off.
The only other things I truly I treasure are some extra fine muzzleloaders given to me by a good friend when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
As for bows, I have one cracked and sinew wrapped osage favorite, one back-up osage with a dozen or so superglued cracks on the back and just put the string on a new floor tillered bow for myself today.
Everything else I collected in the past has been given away or is waiting the next St Jude auction. My huge collection of osage staves is staying put for the present.
My only collecting vice at the present is tools. I have one of everything I need to make bows or flintlocks and don't hesitate to drop big bucks on the best I can find. When I get too old to use them I will give them away.
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I collect clothes that keep getting smaller on me. I think its the water.
Bill
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Bob,
If you want I can bring some fly rods for you to try out and play with a little this week end,if you don't mind bamboo.I seem to have a passion for the production cane rods of the 50's,Heddon in particular...........bet you'd fall in love if you tried one.I just seem to fall right into their nice slow action,and every one's an individual like a nice custom longbow.
Can't say I "collect" as such,since none of my accumalations are nice enough to be considered collections,but longbows,bamboo fly rods,damascus knives,and box calls all seem to gather around my house.
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I have lots of bows, knives, and guns. All of them are middle of the road production items. No custom bows no high doller simi custom guns no expensive knives but I have way to many of all of them ........YOU MIGHT SAY I COLLECT CRAP..... :bigsmyl:
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Not a collector you say? You've amassed a pretty good collection of Adirondack high peaks.
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my wife say's I have to much junk. I think it is all priceless.
doug77
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For most of my life I tended to collect stuff. Not for the sake of just having, but when an opportunity presented itself I took it. So now I have a few firearms, a few bows, a few knives, quivers, calls, hats, lights etc. A few of my "things" are genuine collectors items, but none are things I can't live without. I already broke the cardinal rule and sold the first bow made for me 12 years ago. A few other things I lament passing on. I lost my attachment to the material things of this world a few years back in a journey that began with the death of my baby brother and culminated in the guy I am now (which is still changing for the better).
I'm not where you are yet, but I have learned the joy from giving something away is greater than the joy of keeping it. This last year I gave more than ever before and in return I received some things more priceless than any possession.
I keep my children's gifts. When I go I will leave them with a legacy and a whole bunch of letters and writings that I've kept, most of which only they would truly understand. I hope they will learn from them and me and not wait half a lifetime to begin really living.
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You are not alone. We are all "strange b" in our own way. That's what makes us unique and who we are. "Normal" is a setting on your dryer.
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adirondack, perhaps you are one of the few that has figured it out. You just can't take any of this stuff with ya. Aint gonna happen! However you can take the blessing with you that is received from giving something away. I respect a man who can part with his possessions.
I don't suppose i collect much of anything of monetary value. However i do like the "crap" that we acquire along our journey here that provokes memories. Pictures in particular.
I can't site the scripture, but there is a verse in the bible where that the Lord tells us to store up our treasure in heaven, not here on earth. Maybe someone can help me out and come up with the book and verse on that one.
kyle
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Kyle,
That would be the book of Matthew 6:19-20.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Amen brother. And let me add the next verse:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.
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Mike, I have been an admirer of bamboo for a long time. I have a feeling that if I could ever bring myself to "collect" bamboo rods would be high on the list. By the way, if the weather stays cold, we can swing wooly buggers through the deep pools and probably pick up a few 'bows.
Steve, You got me there. That collection of memories is one thing I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Kyle, Frankly, there's very little that I've figured out over the years but I have found that there's more wisdom in "the Book" than I'll ever be able to grasp.
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One of my favorite passages and one of many that inspire me. Granted I'm no philanthropist but it's surprising what seemingly insignificant item is a treasure to someone else. I have a bunch of insignificant :) Besides, it bothers me to have stuff laying around that I never use.
I know people who have an accumulation of things bought on a whim or an occasion and they get rid of nothing. Not that it's wrong to have stuff but it's irritating to see nice things rot and waste away because folks are too miserly to part with them. But then that's not true collecting I guess. As for charity and giving this site is the best I've ever seen and likely ever will see. :thumbsup:
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I used to be a collector and I used to only hunt whitetails locally.
I collect a lot less now and I travel to different states to hunt different things.
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I pick up things no one else wants that I know how to use or what they are for. Tools and materials mostly. Then I AM stuck with them, because no matter how long I keep them, it's still true that no one else wants them or is in a position to take them.
I make my self bows and have given away dozens, but still have a half dozen shooters. I have three table saws I have put back in working order--one went through a fire, one was in pieces and had parts missing and one had sat unused for 30 years.
I have a 2 band saws, a shaper and a 6" planer that all came from the dump or discard pile. I fixed them and use them, but the garage is full.
I do keep thinning out, but it's a really slow process.
Up side is that I always have the tool for the job and usually have the material I need. Even salvage lumber and wood scraps from the dump.
Do have the only wife I ever had and it will be 32 years the end of this month. No one will ever need her like I do, so I'm not giving her away.
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Here it is Kyle:
Matthew
19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
KJV
I couldn't agree more. I have three piles of stuff. Six months, one year, and three years. If I haven't used it in six months I pitch it or put it in the one year pile (must have good value for this). And so forth. I tend to gather things, rather than collect them, but have threatened on more than one occation to "get rid of it all and move into a teepee." I sometimes think the simpler life would be most preffered.
-Brett
Oooops! There are two pages :banghead: Figures my wife would beat me to the post.
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I haven't reached the zen point of not accumulating stuff yet, but I've trimmed the heck out of things I will carry around with me.
I tend to tell everyone I see struggling with a mountain of stuff....The more stuff you have, the more time you spend taking care of your stuff.
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Handmade old tools and weapons seem to hold many stories and mysteries, half the fun of 'gathering' them is trying to figure out who owned or used them, restoring them and using them yourself. No one said to keep them forever. It is remarkable how much you can learn from an old item and often by asking around you may stumble into a person who really knows what you have in your hand. Kind of like a 3D, interactive mystery novel! I once found most of the metal from an old bridle in one place, no leather left at all...whatever happened to the owner or his horse?
chrisg
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....If I haven't used it in six months I pitch it or put it in the one year pile (must have good value for this). And so forth. ...
My wife and I use the same criteria. Fortunately we're like minded on this issue. If we weren't I imagine it would be tough.
I remember when my grandfather passed away and we went through all of the things he had collected in his barn. Boxes and boxes of things that I'm sure seemed to have some use - bolts, nuts, parts, tools, scraps of metal, wood, on and on and on. He lived through the depression and I'm sure that might have had something to do with it. It tooks us days to clean things out and sort through them all.
I honestly think my aversion to collecting stuff is a character flaw. I own rental houses but I refuse to keep old plumbing and/or electrical parts or wood in the hope that I can use them some day. Everything I don't use gets tossed. I view Home Depot as my own personal (albeit expensive) storage unit.
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chrisg, you and I travel the same paths in thought and reflection. I envy those with bare tables and sparse decoration on the wall. Expanses of vacuumable carpet, room to sit on the sofa, room for more than one person in the kitchen...
But these are fantasies, carefully arranged rooms for the furniture mongers and photographers. Not life as I know it. From beads to bows, coins to rifles, if you can find more than one, then there is a minute difference somewhere, and I want to explore it. A victim of my own collecting, I cannot undertake a project without a major rearrangement of stuff, just to find a space to work in.
I have not seen the surface of my reloading bench for years. Arrowmaking activity is largely accomplished on the balcony, where I cast my roundballs, cool pies and repot plants.
I wish I could keep it simple, I really do. The only thing simple around here is me.
Killdeer :archer:
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My wife says pack rat, I say collector of fine things (even if they're not worth anything)
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I do collect outdoor related gear, weapons, etc. and have enough of everything to outfit a small sporting goods store. But everything else gets purged every several years. My basement , garage, etc. are as clean and organized as my great room. House rule. No exceptions!
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As a hospice volunteer; I once shared my time with a man who had cancer for many years. He was of course on hospice; which means the end of his pain was coming.
I asked what he did for a hobby; and he said he collected stones. I saw a metal detector and asked if they were gold stones; and he said no- just stones he thought were interesting.
He had piles of small stones. Just ones that caught his eye; or that he liked the feel of.
I really had time enough with him to think about that; and I figure that he was probably pretty welcome in heaven.
Afterall; how many of us apprecitate the little things like that?
Some things just have a value that you can feel; or sense. I have some 'pack rat stuff' myself. :archer:
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i love knives and buy and trade for many. also give most away when the feeling hits me that it belongs to someone else. i seems to allways say "ain't now way i'm parting with this one!!! ", only to make it a gift to someone down the road.
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I guess I fit the collector (or pack rat) criteria in that I rarely sell or trade something I have aquired. This does lead to things accumulating around the house ;) . I do actively seek out US service rifles (Garands, Springfields, etc), so I guess I'm a "true" collector in that regard :) . Its strange because when I go on hunting or camping trips, I'm a notorious minimalist...lol.
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I am the owner of nothing, just the caretaker for now.... someone else will be the caretaker of my bows when I am gone. good luck.
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How can you use just one fly rod? I did that for over 10 years and I could kick myself for all the missed fish b/c of the small trout rod I was using. I now have five rods, each one is for a particular set of streams. I once lost a walleye that was huge while using a 7' 9 ' four weight rod my fav shore breakfast.. never again. While the older bamboos are nice I am very much into a local builder - lesh rods. incredible rods, the people I see with them will put tippet right up to the line. all the tools to make them are hand made by lesh and the finishes are made from local wines.
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Hey finger lakes,
One rod - 8' 5 weight Winston IM6. It has done it all for me for the last 5 years. Now, I only fish the mountain streams and tail waters of East Tennessee. It does everything I need.
By the way, I lived in Ithaca for a couple of years. Been through Groton many times. The first 3 deer I ever killed were on the hill side across rt 13 from Robert Treman State Park. Ithaca is "Gorgeous".
Tight lines.
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Treeman is a great spot, it is bow hunting only and becomes the best place to go when gun season starts. There was a buck that scored 155 taken outside the park 3 seasons ago. I saw one that was in the 150s last season there. Love the winstons, also love sage
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46r.......ever fish any of the Park streams that flow into Fontana? Hazel, Eagle, Forney, etc....
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adirondack46r....great thread, you have a PM
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46r - I have been trying to simplify my life for years now. It has been a challenge though. My Grandfather had always preached to me to save everything because you will never know when you will need it. I used to do that and found that you rarely use any of the junk that you save. I believe that all this junk bogs you down and distracts you from the important things in life - like family,friends and experiances. Thanks for the thread, it reminded me of where I want to go in life.
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CJ5, I have spent all my time on the watersheds of the TN side of the smokies - Little River, Abrams, Little Pigeon, Clinch and Hiawassee. One of these days I going to do a backcountry trip on the NC side.
'dackman, Well said, and I have become even more aware of the "vanity" of "things" as I creep up in age. (I'm about to celebrate the 11th anniversay of my 39th birthday.) Not only that, watching my son with my first grandbaby makes me smile like no custom bow ever could.
Having said all this, I'm not a hermit living off the land. I just have an aversion to piles of stuff.
Frankly, you guys have surprised me by resonating with this topic. I thought it would get ignored, or that you would politely point out that I was off my rocker.
I'm going to give you one more Bible verse that puts a nice bow on this topic. (Thanks mods for tolerating the evangelical undertones.) It is 1 Timothy 6:7.
"For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out".