Where is everyone from?

[krains]

Kevin. Libra. I enjoy long walks on the beach and .... o wait, wrong website

I grew up in Huntsville, Tx but now reside in Houston after serving 8 years in the Marine Corps as a computer programmer. I build boat trailers for McClain now. I picked up leather in early December after learning that my real dad was an amazing leatherworker. The first thing I did was make him a semi-sheridan style Tandy craftaid that I put his initial in.

I attended the Peter Main workshop with Marlon(Rawhide) and absolutely loved it. Leatherworkers are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

[Washroad]

I haven't posted much lately.....

I'm Brian. I live in Orange (hey gunfighter48!) about 5 miles from Disneyland over in Anaheim.

I went to the same high school and college my dad and elder brothers did! I'm the 4th generation of my family born here, the 5th generation is doing well.

I was a truck driver for almost 20 years and now I sit in an office all day telling truck drivers where to go and what to do, I also supervise a 200,000 sq. ft. warehouse full of newsprint paper. I work for a sub-contractor to the Orange County Register (a fairly famous libertarian newspaper).

I was a hippy in the '60s but didn't do too well at it as I loved my hotrod '56 Chevy 221! In between chasing girls and surfing I would be street racing.

I started doing leather while in college. My brother came home with a watchband that I thought was cool and he told me he paid $10 for it! Wow! That was a lot of money in '69! So, I went to a Tandy shop in Anaheim and bought some stuff and started making watchbands and belts and it helped finance my higher education.

Did some work on/off for the next 30+ years, not too much. Always kept my leather tools even through a messy divorce!

I bought a fixer-upper house in '99 before the prices here got more ridiculous than they are now, and after I got the house to a point I couldn't do anymore and had to start hiring contractors, I remodeled my garage and have a small leather shop in there next to my mechanical area.

I don't make a lot of stuff, do a lot of practice, have a great time.

I read this board almost everyday and sometimes 3 or 4 times a day. I was almost beside myself when it crashed!

[howardb]

Fort Wayne, Indiana. Boredom capital of the USA.

If you are into geneology, our downtown library is one of the best spots in the nation for research.

Our zoo is one of the #1 children's zoos in the nation. Seriously, bring the kids and spend a day or two.

Other than that, ain't much goin' on.

Brent

[David Fields]

I'm in Louisville, Kentucky. Was born here, lived here my entire life and will most likely live here for the rest of my life. I'm about two miles from Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby.

[CitizenKate]

What a great thread - I love reading about everyone's lives and the places they live...

Thanks to being the child of a career air force man, I was born in Gainsborough, England, and also lived in Germany for 3 years when I was very young. But most of my life, I've lived in Kansas. My parents were both very crafty. My dad was into leather work, gun smithing, and photography, and my mom was into everything else - sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, quilting, collage, etc. So I had a lot of exposure to many various crafts as a youth, as well as playing various instruments.

After a series of twists and turns in my career (at one point I was studying music education at Wichita State University), I became involved in the IT world during the early '80's and have pretty much stayed there since. Today, I live in Manhattan, in the northeast part of Kansas, in the Flint Hills and close to the Konza prairie wildlife preserve. (Did I mention Kansas State University? ) I have two dogs (Mushka and Nigel) and two cats (Harley and Lucky), all rescued from animal shelters.

Sometime during the 90's, I was strolling through the craft market at the Smokey Hill River Festival in Salina, KS, when I came upon the booth of one Ron Musser of Pennsylvania, who had on exhibit an impressive assortment of tooled leather game boards. I was instantly fascinated with the idea of a leather game board, and all kinds of ideas for themes started buzzing around in my head, so I decided to pick up leather work again. Game boards are still my specialty, but I have also branched out into other things in order to make use of the mountains of smaller leather pieces I have left over.

Kate

[Regis]

After reading many of the great places people have lived, I thought I'd fill in the blanks between Irwin, Pa. and Pensacola, Fl.

Grew up around Duquesne, McKeesport, & Irwin, Pa.

Airforce (62-73)- Denver, Co; McGuire, NJ; Hahn Germany; Klamath Falls, Or; Ramstein Germany; Giford, Il, Grand Forks, ND

Civ (73-today)- Manassass, Va; Memphis, Tn; Corpus Christi, Tx; Pensacola, Fl (20 years here)

That is simply toooo much travel except..... I married greatest little lady in the world in Memphis.

[ClayB]

I was born in Crosby, ND. Heck, I don't even know where that is! Never been back as far as I know. My parents were both teaching somewhere near there at the time. We lived in Antelope, MT. for the first five years of my life. My dad was the principal and a teacher there. Then we moved to Missoula, MT where my dad finished studying for his masters in accounting. Once he got that, he got a job working for an oil company and we moved to Ponca City, OK where we lived for about 5 years. From there, we moved on to Oklahoma City, OK and were there for about 5 years. Then we moved again to Salt Lake City, Utah where I stayed until I graduated high school. The rest of my family still lives in Salt Lake. Me, about a half hour after graduation, I got in my 1952 Ford pickup and headed back to ND. I had been spending my summers on my grandparents ranch in the ND badlands since I was 10. That's where I always wanted to live and still do. I ran a cow/calf operation on the ranch until about 6 years ago when I sold off the cows and leased out the ranch. I really liked working with cattle and being my own boss, but trying to hold down an almost full time job and running the ranch was taking a toll on me and my family. For the past few year I have been pouring cement and climbing around on roofs, putting up buildings, etc. I don't enjoy all that much, but it pays the bills and gives me time to carve on leather so I'll do it until something better comes along. We've still got 3 horses, a dog, way too many cats and some of the prettiest scenery in the world!

[shirleyz]

Hi all,

I'm here in sunny Las Vegas but hail originally from Leeds, England. Among the few things I miss of England are dry stone walls, greenery, and fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. The Nevada desert is now funnily enough 'home' to me. Both my daughters were born in the states, and so I'm not mum, I'm morm! The English side of me kind of got lost a little, until I speak to another Brit on the phone, and then the accent really comes on strong. I hope to become a citizen this year, just so I can legally vote for whoever is running against whoever my mother-in-law is voting for!

I originally came here after living in the Bahamas for four years, and meeting my husband Joe there. We were working in the casino industry, my husband still is. Being involved in the openings and training of casino staff, we have lived in, Iowa, Illinois, Mississippi, Loiusiana, and Nevada. The only way I will leave Nevada is for either a home in Wyoming or S. Dakota, (fell in love while on a Sturgis run), or beachfront property anywhere warm.

Started in leatherwork a little over two years ago, when my old man thought he was going to pay $2,000 for a Paul Cox seat. So thank you Paul, you got me going.

ShirleyZ

[Art]

For that kind of money I hope it had a Rigidair system attached!

Art

Started in leatherwork a little over two years ago, when my old man thought he was going to pay $2,000 for a Paul Cox seat. So thank you Paul, you got me going.

ShirleyZ

[fleabitpokey]

I am in Sonora CA. I have my 5 year old Grand daughter,and a mini pincher. I have 2 Sons, both US Military,1 Daughter,and 2nd Grand daughter,close. Have been on the working end of a pitchfork at the racetrack for most of my life. Now I want to learn how to work with leather. This is a great place to visit and gain knowledge. Thanks for sharing.

Stephanie