A woman in Massachusetts has done something remarkable.

My buddy Jeff told me his wife Annie hikes a lot on trails through the woods. Over the years, she has collected pieces of wood resembling all 26 letters of the alphabet. That takes a good eye and a great amount of patience. He posted the picture on his Facebook page and it drew a slew of great reactions and comments:

Debra Raymond Rose: I absolutely LOVE this...especially the M.

KC Ramsay: That's wonderful. I understand there's a booming market for ABC books.

William Blackwell: Pretty cool, but I might have to flag the X.

Jeff: That is 2 Maple Keys put together and the O is a walnut. Full transparency.

Here's Annie VanNest's full display:

Credit: Annie & Jeff VanNest
Credit: Annie & Jeff VanNest
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Annie's specific hobby is pretty unique. But there is an interesting off-shoot. I did some research and discovered there's a whole subculture of "twig art" enthusiasts.

In fact, there appears to be an expert in the U.K. His name is Chris Kenny and he gathers twigs and turns them into dancing stick figures and other pieces of modern art. Here's a link to his website, featuring some awesome pics of his work. And a Google search of "twig art" turned up this fantastic page of results.

But it looks like Annie VanNest has cornered the market on Pieces of Wood Resembling Letters of the Alphabet. It's pretty unique, but probably not the most bizarre hobby. A quick check of the Internet turned up these:

  • Navel Fuzz Gathering...Aussie Graham Barker has been collecting and storing his belly button lint since 1984 (and is probably still searching for a mate)
  • Hikaru Dorodango...essentially taking a ball of mud, dusting it with dry soil, and even sometimes glazing it
  • Extreme Ironing...atop rafts in rapids, underwater, mid-air during a skydive, etc.
  • Tape Art...incredibly artistic sculptures using scotch tape
  • Air Sickness Bag Collecting...enthusiasts are called "Baggists" and one guy has 388 bags from 186 different airlines (and is no doubt living in his mom's basement)

If you have an odd hobby or pastime, please share it with me here.

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