hello >>>>>>>>>>>>>>oh boy,an interesting question with no where to go cause were all iced.over.my most vivid learning point ever was when i was directly told by my super that id never make a good block mason.end of day,pick up your lunch box and get out of here.but he told me sorta nicely.it was a real turning point in my carreer as a mason.it told me manythings.......1. production would probably never be my forte(although i can hold my end of the wall up with most anyone now,almost 20 years later) 2.long straight lines were not how i saw the most creativity in,tho ive also grown to see the sheer beauty in a well laid brick wall,done in the most efficient way .3.ive developed a way to communucate with other people a new way of seeing masonry,that if  i do my job correctly,they walk away with a "new set of glasses" with which to see brick and stone work and hopefully appreciate it a whole lot more.4.i work year round doing work i love and support my family comfortably and we have ou

r needs and some conservative wants met{we have 5 kids,26,23,21,17,and 12}//////////what ever happened to the mason that told me id never measure up? he fell off a scaffold about 8 years ago and has been a parraplegic ever since.he still works as a n estimator with his brother and doesnt remember telling me what he did when he did.they appreciate the work i do and cannt under stand how its all done ,how we make it all fit together.a direct quote from one of them,"id rather scratch shit with the chickens than lay a rock"5.my way of making a good living in masonry has been to do a really good job at jobs that other masons dont want to touch,sorta the brainsurgury of masonry!stonework,restration of very old structures,mortor analysis and duplcation,highly detailed work,and work that needs close communication with the client are the ways that ive enjoyed my self fot almost 20 years now and made a good living at it to boot///////////////id better sign off now and allow someone in to tell their story/////////////stay warm and happy/////john friedrichs (chair PTN Masonry Committee)

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