Retirement gift

[malcolm]

My wifes mentor is retiring after probably 40 years in the same dept.. For the past 5-7 he has been the chairman. This is truely one of the great men of which you only meet a few in a lifetime. His only real hobby/activity outside of radiology is birding/nature/hiking. He and his wife of many years are both very active. We considered some really nice glass (binoculars), but a group of people already went together and did that. Memorable is more important than expensive, but we will spend what it takes within reason.

[Fixed]

walking stick
http://www.walking-stick.net/acatalog/Hiking_Range.html
imho cheers :beer:

[saab2000]

If he's a real enthusiast it's going to be hard. My family members ask me what they can give me and the answer is, "Nothing that won't make your eyes water when you see the price."

Real enthusiasts in their chosen hobbies generally have all the good stuff.

Maybe a rare glossy picture book?

[rePhil]

Since he has the glass how about a trip to a birding area / national park for a hike?

[catulle]

Whoa, these guys are fast: binoculars, walking stick... How about a nice pocket knife. Or a GPS. Or a compass. Or a note book (for the outdoors). Or a book.

[Michael Maddox]

How about Olsen's Standard Book of British Birds, The Expurgated Edition?

Sorry. That's all the material I have for birders. :p

[JohnS]

How about a nice pocket knife.Great idea. As William knows, you can never have too many knives. You could even take it to a jeweler and get the blade engraved with the occasion. Brands to consider include Benchmade, Cold Steel, Spyderco and Emerson. I would suggest something in the 3-4" range with a 50/50 serrated blade. Stay away from the popular name brands like Gerber and Buck...they mostly suck.

[Kevan]

Canon G9

[Blue Jays]

As mentioned by Catulle, wow, these fellow forumites are remarkably fast with their wonderful suggestions!
Perhaps a donation to one of his favorite groups which would allow the mentor's name to subsequently be held in perpetuity vis-a-vis the donation?

[Samster]

Televue 76 mm APO refractor. (http://www.televue.com/engine/page.asp?ID=132) Birder's dream, if he doesn't already own one...

[Sandy]

MY twin brother is a bird of prey expert, at least I think that he is. I have given him two carved (out of wood) birds- one an American eagle and the other a red tailed hawk, if I remember. There are stores that sell them in different sizes, hence different costs. They are really well done and I believe that he really likes them.


Soaring Seagull Sandy

[97CSI]

How about a birding trip (with his SO) to Cape May, NJ? Is the number one flyway on the east coast and has a large Audubon Society bird sanctuary adjacent to the shore. Especially well known for raptor migration. Also, has tons of shore birds and other migratory species, such as warblers. The town itself is known for its Victorian homes, many of which have been turned into B&Bs. Has many excellent restaurants (we had a large bowl of lobster bisque for dinner at the Lobster House on Tues....yum), an excellent beach and is not crowded, but still great weather for the shore during September (thou not the height of the bird migration). You can google Cape May and check it out. It is considered one of the top birding spots in NA, with ammenities to match.

Edit: As a side note, the casinos of Atlantic City are about an hour north up the parkway, if they wish to head up for a show and dinner. Restaurants in Cape May are as good, but perhaps not as 'swank'.

[Kevan]

http://dutchguard.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DG&Category_Code=BIRD&ovchn=GGL&ovcpn=bird+clock&ovcrn=song+bird+clock&ovtac=PPC

[pjm]

magazine subscription?
my parents get this, its a very nice mag...
http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Default.aspx?r_d=y

[stevep]

im with the trip.
pay for some nights in a cool b&b somewhere bird folks congregate.
plum island in newburyport, ma is bird heaven im told.
dont know where you are located... but somehting l;ike that would be memorable.

[DarrenCT]

anyone ever see this Janet Lee pool player chick?

she is kinda hot!

[catulle]

http://canopytower.com/home.htm

[Ken Robb]

My wifes mentor is retiring after probably 40 years in the same dept.. For the past 5-7 he has been the chairman. This is truely one of the great men of which you only meet a few in a lifetime. His only real hobby/activity outside of radiology is birding/nature/hiking. He and his wife of many years are both very active. We considered some really nice glass (binoculars), but a group of people already went together and did that. Memorable is more important than expensive, but we will spend what it takes within reason.

Please give us a price range.

[malcolm]

Ken, I would say 0-2k, maybe more for something really nice. Thanks for the suggestions so far. He was already given binoculars and a digital camera by various groups. This would be from my wife and I. Thanks again

[MilanoTom]

I can be pretty particular (peculiar?) about my stuff (not just bike stuff, but shirts, ties, pens, watches, etc.) and I have a tendency to buy the things I want, rather than wait. When my significant other complained about not knowing what to get me for a Christmas gift, I told her, "Look, you know which bike shops I use; all you have to do is go to one of them and ask what they think I would like."

Is there any chance you can talk to any of his friends or any sort of merchants that he might frequent? They might have the best clue about what he'd like. It may have nothing to do with bird watching (e.g. there might be some uber-expensive cigars or whiskey that he'd love to have, but couldn't justify purchasing for himself).

We should all be so blessed as to have someone who thinks so highly of us.

Tom

[IFRider]

Get him custom made hiking boots by the legendary boot maker Limmer Boots (www.limmerboot.com). If you are a hiker, especially a serious hiker that has been doing so for many years, the quality and materials in modern boots pale in comparison to the boots of yore. Modern boots may work more than fine, but there is nothing like a hand made all leather boot (especially one that has been made to fit perfectly). It is kind of like the difference between an off the shelve carbon trek and a hand made to measure steel frame. Limmer makes a custom last and keeps it so in the future you can get replacements or another pair for different use. I am sure you could add airfare to the gift and be in the range you are looking to spend.

Warren

[J.Greene]

I nice 12ga Browning Citori would be a fine gift for a bird guy atmo.

JG

[catulle]

I nice 12ga Browning Citori would be a fine gift for a bird guy atmo.

JG

:) A 20ga. Giubileo for me, thank you.

[gt6267a]

thinking local, an annual pass to oak mtn with something they might not purchase for themselves, a day with the oak mountain naturalist (http://www.alapark.com/parks/feature.cfm?parkid=9&featureid=16). the add recommends the naturalist for schools, scouts and anyone who would like to talk about nature. what about sponsoring a private hike with this person talking about the ecology and animal life of the park? depending on the person the hike could be fascinating or extremely boring. maybe call and see if the naturalist has an a-game. if so, a day with that person might be fun.

[97CSI]

Get him custom made hiking boots by the legendary boot maker Limmer Boots (www.limmerboot.com). If you are a hiker, especially a serious hiker that has been doing so for many years, the quality and materials in modern boots pale in comparison to the boots of yore. Modern boots may work more than fine, but there is nothing like a hand made all leather boot (especially one that has been made to fit perfectly). It is kind of like the difference between an off the shelve carbon trek and a hand made to measure steel frame. Limmer makes a custom last and keeps it so in the future you can get replacements or another pair for different use. I am sure you could add airfare to the gift and be in the range you are looking to spend.

WarrenOrvis also handles a line of custom boots: http://www.orvis.com/store/product_directory_showcase3.asp?dir_id=885&Group_ID=909&cat_id=5174&subcat_id=6117

[Ken Robb]

Ken, I would say 0-2k, maybe more for something really nice. Thanks for the suggestions so far. He was already given binoculars and a digital camera by various groups. This would be from my wife and I. Thanks again

Back in Rivendell Reader (#25 maybe?" Grant Petersen raves about custom mocassins from a company in Wisconsin. Some of their models have boar hide soles and are reputedly the best for stalking. They are several hundred bucks a pair so that puts them in the "Memorable" category for me. You send them a tracing of your feet and they send you your custom shoes in a few months.

I think a gift certificate for those would be great for an outdoorsman.

[capybaras]

+1 for Sandy's idea of original art. A few years back the Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center in Canton had a beautiful exhibit of bird carvings - like duck decoys but all different kinds of birds. They were really beautiful - not like cheesy fake carvings at the Christmas Tree store. Or else an original painting - there are lots of bird artists/illustrators - maybe you could even get an original Sibley drawing?

[slugbottle]

http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/2178-VOLUME-THE-BIRDS-OF-AMERICA-J-J-AUDUBON_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ28272QQihZ006QQ itemZ160205028159QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[t. swartz]

im with the trip.
pay for some nights in a cool b&b somewhere bird folks congregate.
plum island in newburyport, ma is bird heaven im told.
dont know where you are located... but somehting l;ike that would be memorable.
+1, and the field glasses :banana:

[Louis]

How about Olsen's Standard Book of British Birds, The Expurgated Edition?

What if the guy really likes gannets? Malcolm's wife would look pretty bad.

[keno]

but are there taxidermists who specialize in rare birds or simulations? Here's one: http://www.taxidermy.co.uk/birds/other.htm

More conventional, quality bird prints. Ever been to his house to see what he likes to collect, bird items or otherwise?

keno