Leisure on Labor Day

On this day we celebrate labor in these United States.  This holiday is the result of agitation by the labor movement and a desire by authorities to appease, but also to establish something distinct from the Communist-leaning May Day!  For many of us, that means we don't labor today.  So, in honor of leisure, here are a few great hobby or leisure related websites to browse today:



For those interested in fishkeeping and the aquarium hobby, I have found FishLore to the be most useful site, and the folks that visit the chat room are most helpful!  There is a wealth of great information here: http://www.fishlore.com/



Many folks like to drink beer, but for those that take it a bit more seriously, and are interested in better brews, Beer Advocate boasts a good site.  I find it most useful for  the ratings and reviews of beers from all over the world, which can give a great idea of whether or not something is worth buying, or will be to your palate: http://beeradvocate.com/  Often, too, I might simply do a web search of "[name of beer] beer advocate" to skip straight to the review.



Getting outdoors is key, too, and if you like to hike, it is certainly helpful to have a site like this, which offers some good elevation-change charts, topo maps, and ratings, though it focuses only on Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia: http://www.hikingupward.com/  Not as good, I think, especially if you don't subscribe, but covering the whole country is: http://alltrails.com/  It includes maps, descriptions, pictures, and a number of other details.

UPDATE: This site is splendid for those that might like to hike specifically to the tops of peaks & mountains: Peakbagger.com




While you are out hiking around, you may well find yourself interested in identifying some birds.  Amateur ornithology is a worthwhile pursuit, and this website will surely be of use in that pursuit: http://birds.audubon.org/birdid



To close then, and still outside, this site is wonderful for identifying those objects in the night sky over your head!  It is the best source for information on visible satellites, asteroids, and comets, that I am aware of; and it has good sun, moon, and planet data as well.  It is: http://www.heavens-above.com/

Live well!