On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Travis Smith about his love of sidewalk stamps! That term might not be immediately familiar to you, but you've probably seen them -- they're the imprints, usually of contractors' names, left in curbs, sidewalks, and driveways. They're not used much anymore, and most of us probably walk past them without really noticing them. But not Travis.

Travis seeks out these stamps, photographs them, researches them... they're meaningful to him in a way that their creators likely never imagined. We'll talk about when he started noticing them, why they captured his interest, how he looks for them, and what it all means to him.

You can see some photos of Travis and a few of the sidewalk stamps we encountered on a recent walk around Austin's north campus neighborhood on our KUT show page. And you can check out Travis's instagram page to see his own sidewalk stamp photos!

Tell us about your thing and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Matt Jeanes about his love of vintage film photography. Matt's taken photos all his life, but a few years ago he made the switch back to using old-school cameras — the kind that use physical film. That quickly led to a hobby of collecting vintage and unique film cameras and a love of experimenting with different film, including some rolls that expired decades ago.

Matt shows off some of the cameras in his collection, which range from the sublime to the ridiculous -- he's got 1930s era cameras that look like works of art (and still work!) and a 1980s era Voltron toy that's also a working 110 camera. And lots more, too, of course!

We'll talk about the the unpredictable nature of using decades-old film in decades-old cameras, why that unpredictability is actually the point, and whyhe wouldn't have it any other way.

You can see a treasure trove of Matt's photos (and one photo I took of Matt using his vintage Minolta Hi Matic) on KUT show page.

Tell us about your thing and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with David Karp about his love of crocheting and knitting (as any crocheter or knitter will tell you, those are two separate but related yarn-based arts). David kind of stumbled into the hobby, deciding to work on a crochet kit after his kids lost interest in it. Much to his surprise, he fell in love with yarn hard and fast.

We'll talk about his origin stories, how he discovered that crafting with yarn quieted his mind and soothed his PTSD more than just about anything else, and so much more!

We're always looking for more interesting things to talk about so tell us about your thing and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Yael Ouzillou about her love of doodling. It's a practice she took up several years ago; she draws colorful and intricate designs, patterns and pictures to process events in her life and the world around her.

We'll talk about why she started the practice, why she prefers to call it 'doodling' and not 'art,' how it's helped her to embrace imperfection while seeing beauty all around her and so much more.

You can see some photos of Yael and her doodles at our KUT show page.

Tell us about your thing and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Matthew Bey about his love of loquats. For the unfamiliar, loquats are small, juicy, orange fruits; they're native to China but also grow in the wild in Central Texas. Matthew discovered loquat trees and their fruit when he moved to Austin around the turn of the century and quickly became a big fan.

We'll talk about how he discovered loquats, why he loves them, what recipes he makes with them, how he's become a bit of an amateur horticulturist in his efforts to raise hardier loquat trees, and why he decided to start Loquat Fest a few years ago!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Susan Hanson about her love of snorkeling. Every week, she puts on her gear and jumps into the San Marcos River to float a bit, take some photos, clean up any trash she sees, and occasionally recover a lost phone or wallet.

We'll talk about her first river plunge, which parts of the world she's snorkeled in in the two decades since, the friendships she's made (with humans, fish, and turtles), and what it's all doing for her. Oh, and we'll also talk about why she -- a person who doesn't even like to swim -- decided to take up snorkeling in the first place!

Check out some of Susan's underwater photos and see a short video of her in the river at our page on KUT.org

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Steve Jackobs about his nearly lifelong love of model railroading. He discovered the hobby at age 10, when his father (after trying the pastime for himself and finding it wasn't for him) gave young Steve an HO scale train set. Trains very much were for Steve, and he embarked on a journey that's been going on for fifty-plus years so far.

We'll talk about her childhood fondness for train sets, his teenage job at the local hobby shop, the home train layout he's built in the spare room in his house (which also doubles as his wife's home office), why he loves to create parts of his train world from scratch, and so much more.

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Niki Hansen about her love for kickball. She refers to it as a 'recess sport,' and though she loved it as a kid (and, she says, she was pretty good at it), she put it away for years before moving to Austin a few years ago. Here, she discovered a vibrant kickball scene and decided to jump back into the sport.

We'll talk about her childhood fondness for kickball, how she fell in love with it again, what it's doing for her heart and her soul, and some highlights of her kickball career (including getting out of an epic pickle)!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org