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I still have my first computer: http://www.retrotechnology.com/restore/6800D2.html

I cut my teeth on this thing. It had a whopping 256 BYTES of ram!

The next one was...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Scientific

Those are GREAT projects! Preserving that equipment is indeed important, and I imagine entertaining. I remember a Z80 based machine called "Super Brain" that was one of the first systems where everything was integrated into a single case. It was quite nice, wish I'd kept it. Televideo units of the same era were also nice. No, didn't keep that one either.

I help a gaggle of friends with their SWTP 6809 machines. I have designed many products using 6800, 6809, and 68HC11 processors. I liked them better than the Z80.

My first computer was an IBM 1130, which I was owned by the physics department at the university I attended. It was love at first sight. I used it quite a lot, and became quite proficient with it. I even attached devices to its storage access channel in order for it to run a linear accelerator and associated spectrometer. Years after I left the university they offered it to me for free; however, I didn't have anyplace to keep it at the time. Oh, how I wish I had that machine.

As my career developed I found myself working on PDP-8 and PDP-11/70 projects. Those took data from a supersonic wind tunnel. The PDP-11 is a fine machine. My experiences include applications around numerous mini-computers made by DEC, Data General, Computer Automation, and Perkin-Elmer, just to name a few. I actually used a surprising number of ancient microprocessors: 4004, 4040, 8008, 8080, 8086, 8088, 6800, 6809, 68HC11, and the amazing 68000. Of course the Z80 was everywhere. It would be nice to have those now, but I don't.

From time to time I get the urge to setup for making vacuum tubes. I have several tube-making books that were internal to RCA. Vacuum equipment isn't too expensive if you gather it from ebay.

It would be great to have you as a neighbor. Maybe we could even make some rockets.