I don’t have a lot of free time these days.  I have lots of things I love to do when I get it, though.

I love to hike.  I especially like the tops of mountains.  I’m not in very good shape, but I was able to do some interesting hikes last year.  My favorite hikes include Deseret Peak, Notch Peak, and Squaw Peak (it’s an easy one, comparatively).  I’m usually slower than my friends these days, and I go through a lot of water.  But I love doing it.  I’ve got a book of Smokies hikes, and I’m going to try to avoid the crowds.

I love to travel.  I enjoy driving, but I don’t mind flying, either.  I travel for the experience of seeing and feeling new places.  I travel to touch pieces of history and integrate them into myself.  I love to visit cities and just walk around.  My favorite cities to walk in are New York, Seattle, and New Orleans.  I like to eat the food and watch the people.  I like to smell and feel these towns.

I love national parks.  My favorite is Glacier, but I also really like Arches, North Cascades, Zion, and the Smokies.  One of the best experiences I ever had was driving up Going-to-the-Sun Road on fine summer Sabbath morning.  It was just me and David in my old brown wagon, starting at about 6 AM and climbing up those beautiful sweeps.  You drive past waterfalls and wildflowers, until you break through Logan Pass.

I love historic places.  I’ve been to Gettysburg and Manassas, Petersburg, Vicksburg, Monticello, Monmouth.  I love church history, too.  I’m been to Palmyra, Kirtland, Nauvoo, Martin’s Cove, Chimney Rock, and so forth.  I like to see and feel the places where the most important events happened. 

Adding Isaac and Charlotte to these adventures has been natural.  They’ll grow into more and more fun trips with me.

When I can, I like to play music.  I wish I had a small group to play with, but all my musical friends are all over the earth.  I recently figured out how to use Reason to build a virtual synth rack on my computer.  This is loads of fun; I can lay out a whole track very quickly.  I also just got a nice practice amp (gift from my in-laws) for my guitar (gift from my sister-in-law), which is ultra- fun too.  I’ve been able to get a decent digital stage piano (Yamaha CP-33) so I can stay sharp, and a cheaper keyboard for the kids to play with/practice on. 

I still really like computer games.  I love strategy games, especially the Total War games.  I also like to play online with my friends when our schedules allow.  We all have kids and we’re in different time zones now, so play time together is rare.  I also love weird games on the console that I can play with friends and family.  Chu Chu Rocket is a good example. 

I like to read.  I have a Kindle, which is awesome.  I never lose my place when I fall asleep, and I can keep a wide variety of books on it.  I love all kinds of books.  I have a soft spot for fantasy, though I am particular about it.  I like the Wheel of Time (In spite of its flaws and its never-ending books, it’s interesting and I’m excited to see how it comes out).  I like George R. R. Martin, Ursula K. LeGuin, Tad Williams, Robin Hobb, and many more.

I like science fiction, too.  My favorite author these days is John C. Wright.  I also really like Jack Vance, Ray Bradbury, Dan Simmons, and Neal Stephenson. 

I also really enjoy reading history and biography.  I just finished a biography of Davy Crockett and several histories of various Arab/Israeli wars.  I read philosophy, but it makes my brain work.

I write just a tiny bit.  I have a few stories in the works.  I don’t write much poetry anymore; I’m not grumpy enough.  I just write for fun when I have the notion.

I think that’s a pretty good summary of my spare time uses.