Remember the old joke about surveyors getting lost in the woods? Drive a stake, flag it and wait for the county road crew to come knock it out so you can follow them out.... I've been so bored under self quarantine that I've been marking lines around my property with my Dad's old transit the old school way. I had just flagged one front corner and the county road scrape came by and turned around at my driveway. I waved my arms and yelled "I'm not lost! Please don't take it out." The operator opened the door and said "Huh?". I don't think he had heard the joke before.
Somewhat similar story:
Either the end of my first or second day of surveying, I found myself deep in the woods on top of a sharp ridge line with the two owners of the company, both LS's.
One heads down one side the other down the opposite side back to the truck. Me not being sure which to follow stayed on top. They both start relaying through me expletives to the other as to which way the truck was. Neither wanted to climb back up. Eventually they did and they fiquired the right way back. All I could think was boy what did I get myself into.
Both are hilarious stories!
Thank you, fellas.
So is anyone else out there bored enough to survey with old school equipment just for fun? Yesterday was perfect, I couldn't have planned a better day than what God sent me.... On my favorite part of our property, sunny, breezy and 68?ø. It brought memories of better times and renewed hopes of the same to return soon.
So is anyone else out there bored enough to survey with old school equipment just for fun?..
Well I don't know if you could call it "fun" but I used my old Buff & Buff wye level the other day out of necessity.?ÿ Over the years my backyard has developed a small drainage problem (but only when it rains - 😉 ).?ÿ I've always felt a little hand grading behind my detached garage would probably cure everything.?ÿ
I started digging around looking for a level.?ÿ I've purchased at least half a dozen of them over the years but couldn't find any of the three that I know I've got somewhere.?ÿ My brother borrowed one, my cousin borrowed another and I remembered another is on a shelf at a buddy's office.?ÿ All I had at the house was a couple of of old wye levels.?ÿ The Buff was the easiest to find but the tripod (that only fits the Buff) took some digging.?ÿ It was with an old Chicago rod in a back closet.?ÿ Perfect.
I finally found a field book with some blank pages.?ÿ Soon I was "antiquing it" behind the garage.?ÿ I purposely made several turns to check my work.?ÿ Now all I need is a little shovel work and the puddle should disappear.
Level work with flowing water is easy.?ÿ Just keep digging in the right direction.?ÿ No equipment required other than a shovel, a strong back and a weak mind.
@stacy-carroll That brings back memories! I started my career with a rig like that in 1972.
SHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Don't disturb the monument, it is sleeping, quiet!
That is the transit that I learned to turn angles on when I was about 13 or 14. Had to stand on the box if Dad had set it up. I had forgotten what a pain non adjustable tripod legs can be.
@paden-cash Several years ago when the small engineering company for whom I worked was bought by a large national company we were tasked to "clean out" the old equipment closet. The new company didn't want anything but the latest and greatest. There were a couple of transits a wye level and a Dumpy hidden in the back. A friend of mine, who used to post on the "other" board, is the grandson of he fellow who started out company int the 1940s. I sent him a Dumpy, that I knew his father had used, a set of legs and a few odds and ends that would be personal. Including his grandfather's college diploma, engineer's and surveyor's licenses. I sure would hate to see that stuff end up in a landfill. I also salvaged, literally out of the trash, about 100 old (+/- 100 years) USGS Quad sheets. I donated most of them to SAMSOG just because I hate to see old stuff just go away.
Andy
