While working yesterday, I was traveling along the side of the road toward my next location. I was decked out wearing my tool belt with orange flagging and carrying my GPS rover unit on a pole with attached bipod. A car slowed down, and I looked over to see a nice, well dressed lady in a new car with her window down. She said, "Oh, you're not picking up cans, are you?"
Thank goodness I looked like a surveyor. I later wondered if she were going to offer me advice on which road I could find more cans, or that she had access to a pile of cans stashed somewhere that she would let me have. Bless her heart......
Another time found me wearing a yellow safety vest and orange flagging on my tool belt standing beside my ATV loaded down with orange flagging, tripod, red instrument box, and prism poles strapped on the front. I had my GPS rover unit running on a point nearby, and I was studying a map on a clipboard. Some guy whizzed by in a pickup truck and then came to a fast stop, tires squeaking. He then backed up and rolled the passenger window down, and asked, "Are you a land surveyor?"
People are sometimes interesting! And I always keep a few business cards nearby.
Harold, post: 380287, member: 4544 wrote: Bless her heart......
Casual observation on this phrase so commonly used in Southern vernacular. You can darn near say anything you want about someone, no matter how disparaging and as long as you follow it up with. 'Bless their heart', and it's all forgiven.
'That (insert name here) has all the common sense the good lord blessed a turnip .... bless their heart'. 🙂
Harold, post: 380287, member: 4544 wrote: ...Thank goodness I looked like a surveyor. I later wondered if she were going to offer me advice on which road I could find more cans, or that she had access to a pile of cans stashed somewhere that she would let me have. Bless her heart.......
So we're dyin' to know...did she let you in on a good stash of cans? Nothing wrong with helping your IRA out a bit...(locally they've been about $0.45 a pound, but I think it's down a bit)
I tell folks I measure dirt for a living.
You just never know... I was wearing my Certified Survey Trainer shirt one day and a woman working the plate lunch counter at the local megamart asked me "oh, are you a surveyor? I need my house surveyed". I politely referred her to a local guy whose bread and butter is residential work.
No I'm a Martian and I just landed take me to your leader. Oops this just turned political! Nevermind! I don't think we have one!
"I'm a professional land surveyor" .....words I hate to utter at times. It seems as though every backyard BBQ or church social I attend; when I say these words it is usually followed by a reply of "hey, I've got 5 acres out in Tick Fever County that..." And it sucks. It immediately puts me on the defensive. But I guess that is our lot in life. I'm sure doctors and lawyers get the same thing. I usually tell folks I only work for utility companies.
Gawd, I'd hate to be a proctologist...
I sometimes wonder if similar scenarios I've experienced myself, has actually caused resistance built up inside of me with respect to obtaining my license. I tell people I do surveying work for the State DOT, but they still tend to assume I can legally perform land surveying which I am very careful to point out that I am not licensed to do so (yet).
It may or may not be worth the hassle.
Harold, post: 380287, member: 4544 wrote: While working yesterday, I was traveling along the side of the road toward my next location. I was decked out wearing my tool belt with orange flagging and carrying my GPS rover unit on a pole with attached bipod. A car slowed down, and I looked over to see a nice, well dressed lady in a new car with her window down. She said, "Oh, you're not picking up cans, are you?"
Thank goodness I looked like a surveyor. I later wondered if she were going to offer me advice on which road I could find more cans, or that she had access to a pile of cans stashed somewhere that she would let me have. Bless her heart......
That-there's funny. Maybe you should have told her that you were able to find a kmz file of the cans on google earth and downloaded the coordinates to your gps rover. (The cans found so far paid the tax on the cost of the bipod.)
Are you a Land Surveyor?
I used to be...then I was a Professional Land Surveyor...now I'm just a Professional Surveyor ([sarcasm]thank you Arkansas[/sarcasm])
Usually I just tell them "NO...I'm a Gandy Dancer...do you know where the railroad tracks go?"
DDSM:clink::beer:
Dan B. Robison, post: 380323, member: 34 wrote: Are you a Land Surveyor?
I used to be...then I was a Professional Land Surveyor...now I'm just a Professional Surveyor ([sarcasm]thank you Arkansas[/sarcasm])
Usually I just tell them "NO...I'm a Gandy Dancer...do you know where the railroad tracks go?"
DDSM:clink::beer:
lol....me, I just practice land surveying.
"I measure land, sir"
Common question here followed by "I used to survey back in ...." which was really just holding a rod or some other task. I love it when they try to help me survey and they aren't even close to having knowledge on the subject. I don't mind because I get paid by the hour!
I've been involved in at least 3 trials/hearings where the judge felt it necessary to state that he had been a surveyor once. One said it with such a snotty "I'm better than thou" tone that I almost said something like "You couldn't master it so you reverted to practicing law?" I guess I'm glad I didn't but I sure wanted to...
Hey paden, I think I just did a survey in tick fever county.....between the two of us that were out there I think we pulled 18 ticks off of us
Dan Patterson, post: 380357, member: 1179 wrote: Hey paden, I think I just did a survey in tick fever county.....between the two of us that were out there I think we pulled 18 ticks off of us
"Tick Fever County" really exists, except some call it Seminole County. Ticks are bad this year here too. And in the last couple of years I've seen an increase in the number of deer ticks around here. Use to be the larger wood ticks (some call them dog ticks) were just about all I saw. I can feel one crawling on me just milliseconds after he hops on. But those little deer ticks are voracious and sneaky.
It's not uncommon for me to pull a dozen off of me and my clothing. I also wrap my pant legs to my boots with duct tape and wear long sleeved shirts with the collar tight...and a hat. My hired hands keep Deep Woods Off in the truck and some handy little "Deet Wipes". I soak up my pants and shirt yoke before a walk through the woods. It helps, but some of the little devils still make it through.
I'm a little more careful than I use to be. I'd hate to endure a tick-borne illness at this stage of my career.
Ticks don't like me. I don't know why. But, send me into the woods with a dozen other people and I'll come out with one and everybody else has about 20 each.
Nate's comment about Martians reminded me of a situation today. The helper took off to give me a shot roughly a quarter mile away and was then supposed to return about 250 feet towards me for a second shot. He gets the first shot and disappears. After far too long I radioed, "Have you been abducted by aliens?" He responded that he was on the bar and simply needed to know if I wanted him to raise the prism. I informed him that I could clearly see all the way to the ground where he was supposed to be and where that was. He was a full half mile away and about 20 feet lower than the crest of the hill I would have had to shoot over.
Holy Cow, post: 380372, member: 50 wrote: ... He was a full half mile away and about 20 feet lower than the crest of the hill I would have had to shoot over.
Good help is STILL hard to find...
Harold, post: 380287, member: 4544 wrote: Another time found me wearing a yellow safety vest and orange flagging on my tool belt standing beside my ATV loaded down with orange flagging, tripod, red instrument box, and prism poles strapped on the front. I had my GPS rover unit running on a point nearby, and I was studying a map on a clipboard. Some guy whizzed by in a pickup truck and then came to a fast stop, tires squeaking. He then backed up and rolled the passenger window down, and asked, "Are you a land surveyor?"
"No, sir. You've got a sharp eye and I'm wondering what obviously tipped you off. I can see that you're a law-abiding citizen - or at least as near to it as one could reasonably expect this close to Oklahoma - so I can tell you that we're really up to. It's a stakeout and the bureau would appreciate it if you kept that information to yourself."
SellmanA, post: 380321, member: 8564 wrote: I sometimes wonder if similar scenarios I've experienced myself, has actually caused resistance built up inside of me with respect to obtaining my license. I tell people I do surveying work for the State DOT, but they still tend to assume I can legally perform land surveying which I am very careful to point out that I am not licensed to do so (yet).
It may or may not be worth the hassle.
It's definitely worth getting your license. If more people start wanting you to perform surveys you're not interested in doing, just tell them your employer doesn't allow you to do side work.
