And I'll cry if I want to. Repeat, etc.

Nope, no tears at the DAM Christmas party. Unless you count streaming tears of joy upon eating Lisa Anderson's dinner she prepared.

We don't have a lot of pictures to share here, but know that it was a very nice time for everyone there, and a much needed chance to blow off a little steam prior to family holiday adventures. These guys and gals have really had noses to the grindstone for a while now, and with a very busy winter and spring approaching, this break will be a short one!

Oh, and kind of a fascinating story behind the song: "It's My Party". ~ by Karl Zarling

Gene Rayburn asks, extending that crazy-long microphone stalk, "This brick is so unique (Audience: HOW UNIQUE IS IT?!), the masons were forced to smear it with 'BLANK'?" I'll give you and Charles Nelson Reilly a moment to ponder this, while Dawson scribbles down something just naughty enough to still make it to network.

Yes, I've dated myself, but it's a fun memory. And this chimney stack recently dated itself a bit, in both the physical size of the existing brick and its very unique finish. Our client had reached out to us for repair of the chimney's cap and quite a few courses of hard to match brick below that had deteriorated over the years, and this is a good example of DAM's ability to solve a unique challenge, even in this small job.

After a little searching, our friends at County Materials ultimately came up with some of the now-forgotten brick size, in a couple of colors that were at least close kin to the existing brick. It was then up to DAM to do some creative spattering and slathering to the surface to attempt to blend with the rest of the veneer that was not requiring replacement. Longtime in-house brick guru Pat Janzer and all the guys did a great job, as usual, and it turned out pretty well! Nice job, great client, and good result.

Now, please stay tuned for The Gong Show. ~ by Karl Zarling