I didn't have to go too far. I just ran up I-5 to Marysville, about 20 miles north, to fetch more concrete for my kitchen counter top project. See, this product isn't sold in typical suburban big-box home improvement stores. To buy my Ardex Feather Finish, I had to venture into a legit construction materials store.
You know the kind of store I mean.
Where they sell hard hats bedecked with all the local sports teams' logos.
Where a solid layer of dust and grit covers everything in sight.
Where all the employees are wearing work gloves.
Where the guy behind the counter asks if you have an account with them.
Where they carry your purchase out to your car, because you are a girl and they don't want you to get dirty or nothin'.
I was definitely not in Kansas anymore.
^ National Marine Exhaust??? Hey! That shop is owned by my friend, Scott.
AKA Conman.
AKA husband of my BFF and former teaching partner, Heidi.
And I impulsively decided to pay him a visit.
What happened next was amazing.
He invited me into his shop.
Okay, no. I invited myself.
I didn't take any photos during my visit. I was too busy absorbing information about this foreign land. I stole these images off Conman's Facebook.
^ But anyway, Scott graciously showed me around the floor, explaining how they make gigantic exhaust systems for gigantic boats, and pointing out things like lathes and presses and welding stations. Several times, he cautioned me to look out for sharp and dangerous objects. All the equipment and projects in progress looked complicated and heavy and completely unfamiliar.
And I was fascinated by every single bit of it.
Because, you know, it's not every day that I get to visit the world of real working men.
Driving home, I saw a huge double rainbow hovering like a halo over a white heavy-duty truck. Yep, this is definitely Working Man Land.
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