I assume the piece below was written by Mr. Fredrichs although it was sent
by Ken.  Please thank him for me.  Now, how come none of these smart guys
live in southeast Vermont, near me?  I could sure use some of you guys.  I
especially think someone the likes of you would be a really good resource
for this masonry class, if and when they get it up and running.  Maybe I
can entice some of you fellas with a vacation in the country for a short
stay?  I think it would be great if the kids in ALL our building trades
courses could be exposed, at least minimally, to the preservation side of
the trade.  Ruth




At 3:06 PM -0500 1/27/04, Gabriel Orgrease wrote:
>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)
>
>--
>To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
>uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
><http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>

--
Ruth Barton
[log in to unmask]
Dummerston, VT

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>