Cameras, Chattanooga, Warm weather work.

Well, I have a lot of catching up to do for my blog today.  One reason for my lapse has been a broken camera, but I plan to remedy that soon and resume posting photographs of my projects.   First let me say this winter has been much more successful than the previous two, mainly because of weather, but also because of strategy and luck.  My luck was having wonderful neighbors move in who wanted to restore their aging stone retaining walls, steps, and walkways.  I spent several weeks in December starting there and was aided by unusually warm weather.  That project will hopefully be ongoing through the season and I will have photos in the future.  Next, my strategy was to escape the cold temperatures and snow we normally experience here in Western NC this time of year, and I have been largely successful on that account.  I'm from Chattanooga, and have lots of family and family friends there, and I was able to schedule a number of projects which I just finished last Friday.  While there, I gave estimates for two more projects and will most likely return soon.  This is a good place for me to expand because the temperatures are 10 -20 degrees warmer -and even better- I can buy my stone quarry direct, allowing me to offer lower prices in that area.
Other exciting news is after reading Dan Snow's book- "Listening to Stone", I decided to sign up for a 5-day workshop with him in Newfoundland!  Soon after that, I found out the Stone Foundation's annual symposium is coming to Asheville NC, just an hour and a half away!  They will also be offering a workshop is dry stone masonry among other things.  If you haven't heard of Dan snow, check him out.  He has published two books, and he is a famous and well respected dry stone mason, as well as being quite a good writer, a quality which stonemasons are not always known for.