I remember helping him cut bricks with a simple hand saw and water. These days, crews bring out loud electric saws for every little cut. Sure, it's faster, but you lose the touch for judging the material. He could tell if a brick was brittle just by the sound it made while cutting. I still use his old saw on small jobs, and it never lets me down.
I mean, I was really proud when he tried to mix the mortar on his own for the first time. He got the consistency way too thick, and our foreman walked over and asked if we were using glue instead. We all had a good laugh, and now it's a funny story we tell new guys. It's just a small win seeing him learn from it and get better.
I was at my cousin's wedding last month, stuck making small talk with her new father-in-law. He found out I lay brick and immediately started questioning my methods. He's old school and believes dry mortar should always be mixed by hand for proper feel. I've done jobs where we used a mixer and the bond was just fine, especially on big commercial projects. We stood there arguing while the bouquet toss happened behind us. It was funny but also a bit tense. Where do you stand on this? Do you ever get into these debates at social events?