I know how that goes, because more than a decade ago, a very demanding day job left me only the late night hours to photograph, so I made the best of it.
This proved to be a turning point for me and my relationship with photography and today, I can't imagine being anywhere near as satisfied with any other outcome.
As for tinkering with cameras, that's as much a means to an end as a hobby in itself. For a time, there were no commercially available options available to meet my needs, so I had to make them myself. <shrugs>
And thanks for the kind words!
P.S.: If you're curious, I post a new photo every other day at my photo-blog:
https://audiidudii.aminus3.com/ ... check it out!