While not the MAIN reason, I have always (even as a kid) "liked" binoculars... Don't know why...they just appealed to me. It is POSSIBLY because my dad had a very nice pair in a brown leather case with red velour or felt-like lining, and they were treasured by him, so as a young child I was told to appreciate these (?) The pair was I beleive a decent (albeit not high dollar) brand and were likely 7x30 or 7x32s. Dad and mom were not folks who bough any "nice" things (one income, two kids, bills, expenses, etc.) but these were one of dad's prized possessions.
As to the idea of being a "birdwatcher" I was never keen on the STEREOTYPE of the middle-aged male birdwatcher-you know the male version of "Jane Hathaway" on
The Beverly Hillbillies... Or the other STEREOTYPE of an "effiminate" (to put it politically correct...) middle aged male wearing khaki "safari-type" shorts, possibly a khaki vest, wearing a khaki Tilley hat, and spending money on trips and binocs becasue he lives with his mother and doesn't have a mortgage! I never thought I would want to be ANYTHING like these "stereotypes"...
Later in life (2001 or 2002) my wife took a course at college that devoted a few weeks to ornithology. Suddenly, my wife became a great birdwatcher and could ID species I'd never noticed or knew about, even from 35 years of living here. I'll admit that this intriqued me, and also I was VERY OPEN to her saying she would like to buy a high quality pair of binoculars! I had once owned a set of Swarovskis but the pair I paid $550 for in the early 90s (and later sold or traded) was now well over $1500, so that ruled out Swaros. We were on one income so we limited our budget to $300, and ended up with a set of Nikon 10x Monarchs. Of course that was in the day where we thought 10x was better, and that we could "share" a pair of binocs for birdwatching... :-C
Anyway, I began buying binocs for ME (and her, after the 10x Monarchs were
destroyed in a car fire) and buying field guides. Now I'm the "bigger" birdwatcher, but she's probably still the "better" birdwatcher.
And as for the stereotypes, CLOTHING WISE, I have became the stereotype
almost...
Tilley Hat (I have TWO, but never wear them..) o
Khaki Vest (I have FOUR, that I rotate as daily wear...I am a law enforcement officer so I can legally carry a handgun and they make GREAT "covering" garments; also I hate carryng things in my pants pockets, and they offer many more pocket options) o
Khaki Shorts/Pants (All I wear-I own NO blue jeans. Usually Columbia Supplex pants, but sometimes "tactical" pants...) o
As for why I do now, it's such a stress-reliever!
It allows me to find "peace" in my little micro-environvent (or whatever micro-environment I find myself in) and find contentment...a couple of traits most folks have forgotten how to find in our electronic device tethered on-the-go world... :-C
