Let me welcome you to my little personal nitch in Cyberspace. I'm Steven (Steve) Gray and I own 'the Shed' and all the craziness inside. Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles County, California), I eventually moved to Canyon Country (extreme northeast L.A. county) for about 5 years, then to Atascadero, CA. for just over 12 years, and finally to my current location in Sonora CA. I'm 53 and a high school graduate. I served 6 years total in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve as a radar technician, some of that time being spent aboard the guided missile frigate USS Julius A. Furer (FFG-6), and have pretty much worked for a living ever since. I also managed to earn my private pilots license 30 years ago, but haven't used it for many years. I was a senior computer R&D technician, working in and around the engineering departments of several companies for the better part of 20 years, both in the L.A. area and on the California central coast. About 16 years ago, I made a career change and became a full time machinist, not surprising since I grew up around a machine shop.I became interested in the antique engines back in the early '70's, but didn't actually enter the hobby until late 1991, when I bought my first engine. I own and operate my own non-commercial private machine shop for support of the hobby and any other projects (usually several) I happen to get involved with. I'm currently retired, occasionally working with others in the engine hobby while trying to keep my hand in maintaining my own collection. Recently, I've realized my interests are changing and my thoughts are now swinging more towards the vintage automotive world. During the course of the past year, I managed to obtain not one, but two early Ford flathead V8 vehicles, both trucks, and now have decided to down-size and relinquish most of my collection of stationary engines. My spare time (yeah, right!) is spent tending my property, doing restoration work during the winter, attending the now rare engine shows during the summer, and generally trying to stay on top of this thing called the Internet. I've been a lover of the Sierra Nevada mountains for 40+ years and, finally, have made the move to the area.
