Hobby Thread - January 17, 2026 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies (TM) a spin it landed on sea glass.

[Top photo: Glass Beach, Kauai, Hawaii]

What are you hobbying?

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. Discussion of current events, religion and politics can elsewhere. Pants are optional. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.

Play nice. Don't be a troll and do not feed the trolls.

What is sea glass? Sea glass is naturally tumbled and frosted glass that is found on beaches along oceans (and sometimes large lakes). It is old broken glass from bottles, jars, tableware, shipwrecks, etc. that the sea has transformed over decades into smooth, gem-like treasures. The constant churning of waves, salt water, sand, and rocks rounds off the sharp edges, etches the surface, and gives it that signature frosted, matte appearance. Some call sea glass "mermaid's tears."

Do you enjoy hunting sea glass? Do you collect and take it home or just enjoy?

Where are your favorite places to find sea glass?

If you take it home, what do you do with it? Display, turn it into jewelry, etc.

Have you found other glass goodies on the beach, like fishing floats?

We'll save shells for a thread of their own at some point, so save this post for glass.

Sea Glass Travels: Glass Beaches of the World

Kauai, Hawaii

Glass Beach on the island of Kauai has been a favorite spot of mine for the last ten years. When my youngest son was two months old, we flew to Hawaii to spend the last month of my maternity leave on the island, and I took him to this beach with me. The first time we went to Glass Beach, the sand was covered in tiny, worn down glass pieces; all I collected at the time was a small jar of sand.

Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

A few years ago, my son had a hockey tournament in British Columbia. Per hockey coach rules, he had to be at the rink an hour before the first game of the day for warmups. I looked at a map of the nearby area and saw that there was a little beach and boardwalk in downtown Sidney, so I grabbed a cup of coffee and decided that I'd start my morning with a walk near the ocean at sunrise. The sunrise was breathtaking and once the sun was up, I was able to see glass on this little patch of sand to the right of the pier, which I later learned was called Glass Beach by locals.

Prince William Sound, Alaska

While exploring the Prince William Sound in Southcentral Alaska, we've found pristine black sand beaches that rival anything Hawaii has to offer, beaches filled with dried starfish and shells, and a secret Glass Beach.

My friend and I stumbled upon Glass Beach one day when we decided to explore an island we'd seen many times from the boat.

Our starting point had thousands and thousands of shells littering the beach, and as we rounded the bend, we saw that the beach was stacked with sand dollars in all stages of their life cycle. Rounding the far corner or the island, we came to two rocky beaches that we felt were ripe for glass...and our intuition didn't fail us! This beach has given us glass in all shades of green, teal and blue, some large egg shapes, and a green glass "gumdrop."

Others at the link, but where have you sought and found sea glass?

What do you do with found sea glass? Make jewelry!

I did not know that tumbling glass to replicate the look of sea glass is a thing. Apparently, all you need is a small rock tumbler and broken glass. Anyone done this with glass or rocks or ?

Make your own glass allows you to make things like a sea glass Christmas tree.

Running for Exercise and Fishing for Calm: The Benefits of a Hobby

The 7 Characteristics of Healthy Hobbies

Optimal hobbies are not only inexpensive and low risk but can also be enjoyed into advanced age with friends, improving physical and mental health along the way. And if they provide other ancillary benefits such as networking, career advancement, or generational wealth, so much the better. Here are seven characteristics of healthy hobbies.

1- Low Cost
2 - Not High Risk
3 - Longevity
4 - Camaraderie
5 - Physical Health
6 - Intellectual Stimulation
7 - Relaxation

Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did an home building theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

Notable comments from last week:

Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, contribute your own. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.

posted by Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

| Access Comments