jeanluc83
Omono
I have recently started a new hobby, Live Steam. Well, it is something I have always been interested in and dabbled in about twenty years ago but now I’m starting to get serious again.
For this conversation it is not all that important but for those interested, Live steam is the building and running of miniature steam locomotives. They are not toys but fully functional machines capable of pulling cars filled with people. Building engine is a large commitment in time and money. A modest engine will take around 5 years of steady work to build and cost $15-$20,000 in materials. It is not unheard of for large locomotives to cost upwards of 6 figures by the time they are complete with builds lasting well over a decade.
Anyway, back to my point. I have been gathering information on the subject for a while now. One thing that struck me is how much of the advice in many of the books can equally be applied to Bonsai. I recently picked up a copy of “So You Want to Build a Live Steam Locomotive” by Joseph F. Nelson. The introduction contains the following passage that is equally applicable to those just starting out in bonsai.
Here is another passage that I thought was interesting when considering the discussions about bonsai professionals.
I just found it interesting that two completely different hobbies could share such basic similarities.
For this conversation it is not all that important but for those interested, Live steam is the building and running of miniature steam locomotives. They are not toys but fully functional machines capable of pulling cars filled with people. Building engine is a large commitment in time and money. A modest engine will take around 5 years of steady work to build and cost $15-$20,000 in materials. It is not unheard of for large locomotives to cost upwards of 6 figures by the time they are complete with builds lasting well over a decade.
Anyway, back to my point. I have been gathering information on the subject for a while now. One thing that struck me is how much of the advice in many of the books can equally be applied to Bonsai. I recently picked up a copy of “So You Want to Build a Live Steam Locomotive” by Joseph F. Nelson. The introduction contains the following passage that is equally applicable to those just starting out in bonsai.
If a person is building something for the first time and will stick with one “Instructor”, he has a good chance of completing his project successfully. However, if he plays his “Instructor” against the field, he will have a lot of fun, but he will be so confused that he will never get his engine built. Besides, his “Instructor” will get fed up very soon and dump him in a hurry. What the novice locomotive builder thinks is a major disagreement between “Experts” is, in most cases, a matter of tolerance or semantics.
Here is another passage that I thought was interesting when considering the discussions about bonsai professionals.
This isn’t intended to be a text book, but is intended to be used as a guide. Many subjects covered herein will be open to controversy… It is then to be expected that certain statements will be open to question. It is a well known fact that the “Experts” do not always agree, in fact, some “Experts” are always looking for fly specks in other “Experts” black pepper.
I just found it interesting that two completely different hobbies could share such basic similarities.