What We Do? What are Our Hobbies?

[TbirdTim]

Since we now now most of our ages from the other post, I thought that it would be a good idea to start a post that lists what we do for a living and/or what are some of our hobbies. This could also be a great way to connect people that need certain services, while at the same time sharing a common love for our new Thunderbird's.

I am an Architect, specializing in residential architecture. I have had my own business since 1994. My home plans have been featured numerous times in several magazines, including "Southern Living" and "Better Homes and Gardens". My firm has produced several show houses and model homes for various builders and publications over the past few years, in Atlanta and in other parts of the Country.

We provide custom home designs for single-family residences, ranging from 1,500 square feet to over 27,000 square feet. For anyone interested in having me work with you on a custom home design, feel free to contact me at my e-mail address: TbirdTim@*******

My hobbies include: Following the daily happenings on "fordthunderbirdforum", video editing (working on years and years of old family film footage, compiling them into an interesting documentary of my family), landscaping, swimming and ,of course, Thunderbird's!

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[joelja]

I have been retired for 5 years, having been lucky enough to retire from IBM at the age of 51.

I love cars...always have. But the Thunderbird has taken this obsession to the next level.

I also am a baseball fan....go Braves!!

I am an active value investor and have been lucky enough to do well in down markets as well as up markets by following some rather straight-forward principles. I love the internet and spend a couple of hours a day, at least, researching and tracking stocks.

I play golf...poorly, but it is a great way to spend a day or two a week.

And I spend even more time tracking the Thunderbird Forum, which is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

My wife and I travel quite a bit. Recently, mostly to Philadelphia(where I am right now) visitng our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.
It was while visiting in Philly last February that I FINALLY found a dealer( the owner is a patient of my son-in-law) who sells all his TBirds( 18) at MSRP. Faulkner Ford in Quakertown, Pa. Outstanding people.


I cannot wait to get the TBird...so i can spend time driving, washing, waxing, and generally gloating. It's been a long wait.




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blue/blue/full blue/premium on order: VIN #16050

 

[RedBirdDlx]

Good idea, Tim. I'm sure, based on the number of posts that some of us have, others were going to take up a collection to "buy us a life".

I'm a retired Ford manager with 20 years in Dearborn and 12 in the field "Regional Office". Today, my wife and I take care of our grand daughters, 4 yrs. and 15 months, during the day. (Most rewarding Job I ever had).

We invest in the stock market, swim, walk and love to travel. (Acapulco a couple times a year). When the Bird arrives, we will take more weekend trips. (Joel and I are in a dead heat to get our rides.)

 

[thenewtbird2]

Hobbies mostly - spend way too much time on this computer but I love it. This forum has consumed a lot of my time. When I'm not in front of the monitor, I'm at the sewing machine working on a quilt. Exercise has taken a decided backseat and I really should get back to my old love of swimming. I do get out of the house though as "Chryslertcnut" & I take weekend trips with our cars, attend our various car club meetings, and vacations are planned around our love of old cars.

 

[Birdman93]

Retired from the US Navy-SEAL 6 and 2,with a total of 22 years-in 1998. Now Director of Security for a major DoD contractor, and Founder of the United States Thunderbird Association as well as president of the Cedar Valley Thunderbirds, and organizer behind Thunder on 66. I also own my own Studio, SilverWolf Studios.

I enjoy Photography, Scuba and Flying-but my number one passion is-you guessed it-Thunderbirds!

BTW-for those of you who haven't realized it yet-Thunder has been basically a one-man operation, with backing by a GREAT woman, and a lot of help from some friends. So if it seems like you haven't received much in the way of info about the trip through the mail, please be patient-I only have two arms.

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*************, Chairman-Thunder on 66

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[niteflight]

I'm an Architect, like T-Bird Tim. Unlike T-Bird Tim, I'm not self employed (admire you for doing it), but work for a large office in Seattle. For the past 7 years, I've been doing mostly Department Stores and Shopping Centers in Japan (I'm fluent in Japanese), Korea, Singapore, and the UK.

My hobbies are design, listening to and playing music (piano, string bass, and a bit of guitar), and giving Freyja a bath. My latest Quixotic endeavor (now that I have the T-Bird) is to obtain my Japanese Architect's license.

 

[jt2233]

I am retiring from AT&T in 13 days. I am 54 years old I have been with them for 31 years and 269 days.
I have 3 kids all married and 5 grandkids. I am still waiting for my T-Bird. I've all ways wanted a 57 Bird, so I thought at my age the 2002 would be a better fit. I love baseball (Yankees) and football (Giants) and living in the Northwest (Seattle) well you know what they think of the Yankees. I also love to play (hack) golf. I am a coin collector, and I like to work in the garden. I am planning on starting a new business, but I'm still waiting for my Bird, should be here in June or July.

 

[Birdman93]

jt-

My grandfather retired from AT&T back in 1982-he's on the list of the AT&T Pioneers-started when he was 21, in 1932, when it was still listed as IT&T.

Ask about the name Vern Fieldstad, and the time JFK visited Salt Lake City, to start up the first generator at Flaming Gorge Dam-I still have the pictures from that visit, including the pictures of Vern and JFK together. That visit took place in 1962.

BTW-want to add to your collection? I have a friend here in Cedar Rapids who has some VERY old coins he wants to sell-good price too! They date back to between 235 and 400AD. The coins were appraised in 1985-he will sell them for the appraised price of $25-35 per coin.

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*************, Chairman-Thunder on 66

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[Gobird]

OK people, here is my .02's worth. First off I'm a blue collor worker in a production machine shop for a local company although we sell our product nation wide and are close to 100 yrs old. I run CNC machines among other things, basically a machinist without papers. Been at it for over 27 years total.
Divorced and found a real good Lady 20 odd years ago and between us we have 4 kids and at this point in time have 6 grand kids. People, after over 20 yrs of being together finally quite asking us when we were getting married.
My past times are this board,gardening, my two gold fish and koi ponds, jet skiing in the summer at the river and of course taking care of my three babies.
I'm 53 soon to be 54 and my better half is a little older. In 5 or 6 yrs. we'er retiring and getting out of this cold weather and moving to Florida.
We also have a few rental properties that we own and do all repairs to these ourselves so we keep pretty busy.
This Bird is not our retirement car. I hope that one of the 05's might be.

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02 T-Bird 9293
69 Vette
73 MGB
97 F-150 4x4
2-Seadoo Jet Skies
a dog a cat and a couple hundred fish in my pond

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[RichardS]

I do software for a living...but thats boring so we will skip that.

My hobbies are fishing, fishing, and fishing.

I bought my wife a t-bird so she wouldn't give me such a guilt trip about fishing so much. Problem is, I love this car so much I don't fish so much. Know my hobby is driving her around craft and antique stores in north georiga and waiting while she shops. I stand around and talk to people about my car. At least the trunk is small so she can't buy much.

 

[RTBRD_aka_jodrod]

I work for a multi-national concern in electronics, in particular, radiation effects on electronic circuits. Our primary products are inertial navigation systems and spaceborne computers for use in rockets/missiles and satellites. I am currently at Brookhaven National Labs on Long Island, NY testing some sensitive circuits for radiation induced upset. Still is chilly up here as compared to home.

I could retire in about 6 years but in reality it will probably be closer to 10 to 12 years.

Hobbies include working around the house, helping the wife with here favorite pastime, gardening, fishing, bowling, football (college & pro) traveling (going to the Bahamas at the end of the month, Thunder/midwest in Aug./Sept.) and of course cars.

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[LON O'CONNELL]

I am the Service Advisor for the Cummins Engine Distributor in Amarillo. We work on and overhaul Cummins engines in trucks, irrigation units, farm tractors, construction equipment, etc. We are also the Distributor for Onan generators. We have generators for motor homes all the way to back up generators for hospitals, grocery stores, and several other locations including the Ballpark in Arlington, Tx. home of the Texas Rangers. Our company flew several generators and men to ground zero to supply electricity for the rescue workers.

My hobbies include this Forum, playing on the computer, defenitly Thunderbirds and Drag Racing. My father & I used to drag race professionally in the 60's & 70's and I still like to attend a few races a year to keep up with the old friends still involved.

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Yellow/Yellow Prem. 02 Bird w/full accent
1999 F150 Super Cab 4x4 Off Road
1998 Taurus SE Sport 24V

 

[TbirdTim]

What an interesting group! I've been away from my computer for a few hours, but it was interesting reading about everyone.

RichardS, I noticed that you are from Atlanta, send me an e-mail if you are interested in the BIG Thunderbird road rally that we are having in May.

 

[greyfox11]

I retired one year ago after 35 years working for Moore North America. The past 10 years as Vice President of Sales for a group selling outsourcing of mailing projects, all 1st class mail, stmts, tax forms , etc.

Hobbies include golf, play 3 or 4 times a week (10 h'cap). I buy/sell/ride/collect and restore old Japanese motorcycles. Currently own 15 and have owned 235 in the past 10 years. I have several mini bikes, quads,and electric scooters that make my house the gathering place for the 6-12 yr old kids in the neighborhood. Clean car nut, all of the cars get washed twice a week and have been to a car wash once in my life.
Favorite pastime is 4 yr old grandaughter that I get to see 4 or 5 times/week.
I am so busy now, I don't know how I ever worked.

 

[GABIRD]

I sell Electronic Payment-Cash Management software as Regional Manager in the Southeast for a Southern California based company.

Hobbies include Internet Site Development and helping others learn more about computers. Always in computers but enjoy the personal side of life with 2 Dogs (Yorkie & Min. Poodle), 4 Granddaughters, and a wife of 39 years. (Married young)

 

[NMJeff]

I'm a 29 year old tax attorney/CPA. I work for PricewaterhouseCoopers in downtown Detroit and I live about 30 miles north in Rochester Hills.

I'm single, so I enjoy going out with friends and looking for ladies. I love all major sports and I'm a huge fan of the Tigers, Lions, Pistons, Red Wings as well as the University of Michigan (even though I am not an alum). In my spare time in the summer I play softball twice a week and try to golf as much as I can. I also like to work outside. In the winter I'm pretty much limited to playing a little pickup basketball, watching sports and hitting the bars and clubs.

Since I'm one of the younger ones here, you may wonder how I became interested in the car. I have been a TBird geek since I was about 6 years old when my father passed away. He was a Ford executive who had many TBirds in the 60s that my mother told me about and would show me pictures of. So whenever I'd see a 60s Bird, I'd ask my mom if my dad ever had one like that. When I heard in '97, after the old Bird was discontinued, that there was a plan for a new two seater around 2001, I looked for every piece of information I could find from day one. I put a deposit down in September of 1999 and did the Neiman Marcus call in a year later. It was great to finally get the phone call telling me it was in on September 25, exactly one year after the day I phoned in. The wait was well worth it!

 

[Erict]

During the winter months, we ski, Ice boat and travel.

During the summer months, we spend most of our spare time on our sailboat exploring lake Champlain.

 

[lil55bird]

I retired about a year ago after spending 25 years in the semiconductor industry and the last 10 years in the consulting business. I'm still doing a little independent consulting but not enough to get in the way of my hobbies. I've had a 55 T-Bird since '79 and have been working on a body off restoration for the past year. In 92 I built an ERA 427 Cobra that is a major summer time hobby. I drive it at various road course events sponsered by the Mile High Cobra Club and the Colorado Exotic Car Association. In the winter, skiing takes up a major portion of my and my wife's time. We have a townhome at Copper Mountain and spend more than 1/2 the winter there. I work as a volunteer host/mountain guide. We also like to travel. Will be in Florida in a couple of weeks and are planning to go to Australia in July. As you can tell we are enjoying staying busy being retired.

Lee White

 

[Hobobob]

What an interesting thread! I'll say right from the get-go that since I'm the GRAMPS of this forum and have had more years to collect things and travel, I better abreviate my story. What did I do? People who come to tour our place and don't know me, ask the same question. I tell them I owned a few houses of ill-repute on the west coast. After the shock, I tell them the truth that I'm a 3rd generation apple and pear grower in the Yakima Valley. I also owned a trucking business for several years to support the farm. My hobbies are about everything BUT golf. I had 22 antique and collectable cars, but sold off ten of them in the last three years. I have 1 55, 2 56's and 2 57 T-birds, plus some other cars. I have six old jukeboxes plus 2 57 t-bird jukeboxes. I have old barber chairs, a shoeshine stand, old gasoline signs, beer signs, coca-cola, and Elvis, memorabilia. Guess I better stop there. "thenewbird2" and "Chryslertcnut" have been here several times. We host a lot of car club gatherings from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. We have also traveled extensively in the last 30 years. Said enuf, except if you are ever in the Yakima area, you are welcome to stop in and visit.

 

[tbird]

I thought everyone might want to know a little about me. I am 30, married 5 years this month. I will probably never purchase a new Thunderbird or any other car that expensive unless I am filthy rich. After being in the car business with my wife for several years, I think we both got cars out of our system. Why do cars have to depreciate darn it! We did buy a new Sable last year but it was 0.00 percent financing for 60 months, so I don't count it. lol. I have been self employed since the age of 26. I own a small web site design company, I have a 125 Gallon Marine Fish tank http://www.biddlefamily.com/my_pets.htm and two little rugrats. I collect coins too, my grandfather was a Federal Bank Examiner for the FDIC, so I got a jumpstart on Proof Sets. I'm also into all kinds of electronic gadgets and home theater stuff. We have enough LED's in our house to light it up without regular lights. 🙂 I collect DVD's and when we watch a movie in our house, the windows rattle. 🙂

Feel free to check out http://www.biddlefamily.com some of the pics are old though, been busy trying to make some ching ching.

Oh yeah when I was a pup, I was salesman of the month at the Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership the same month they named our dealership the top volume dealer in North America. I sold a ton of Town Cars. 🙂 We got to meet some of the top dogs at the Lincoln division, and they brought us a big cake. Cheap thrill, and made them a few hundred thousand dollars.

Tbird

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