Meeting another company's crew

Is it simply the state of the smartphone generation? If you don't fit inside a 6 in^2 screen, you don't really exist?

Next rain day, first hour of pool is on me. I don't care who you work for but, you better be able to find Charlie's cue & cushion.

One time we we were working on the edge of bentonville, near on of the walmart executive subdivisions. We got so tired of people asking what we were doing we started telling them we thought it was for a new strip joint. Boss thought it was hilarious, but i formed us to change it to something else more family friendly since he was already getting phone calls from the city

I was once helping a crew member remove some asphalt over a very loud Schonstedt sounding. I happened to look up and saw a guy kneeling down underneath the total station, which was about 200 feet away. As I walked back to see what he was up to I realized he had a claw hammer and was prying away at the PK nail we were set up over. I said "Hey, what are you doing? We're using that nail as a survey point!" He looked and me and said "It's in the wrong place - and I have to remove it." I repeated that we were set up over it and using it." He said something to the effect of "I can't let you do that." I asked him who he was and he handed me a business card. As I examined it he continued to pry away at the nail. His card said he was a Civil Engineer. As I informed him that if he wasn't a Land Surveyor he could not be surveying and I was going to call the Sheriff he pulled the nail out, stood up, and walked away, leaving the nail lying beside the hole. I was so dumbfounded I didn't know what to do. We put the nail back in the hole and continued working. Several years later I ran across his recorded survey map as well as his "corrected" survey map. Both showed that he had accepted the PK nail in question as a property corner! I tried to follow up and found that he had left the State. Later work in the area proved him to be a disaster.

My attitude is if somebody's got their head firmly wedged up their keister, that's their unfortunate problem and not mine and I try not to take it personally. This kind of thing exists across society. My little peeve is out I'll be out hiking miles from anywhere and pass someone on the trail and say 'Good Morning!' or whatever and smile and they will stare expressionless straight ahead without acknowledging my existence. I see this much more in the big cites. Around where I live, complete strangers will wave passing you on the road. Probably not so much in New York City unless it's a one finger salute. Hence one more reason why I choose not to live in NYC or Seattle.

Jim in AZ, post: 428378, member: 249 wrote: I was once helping a crew member remove some asphalt over a very loud Schonstedt sounding. I happened to look up and saw a guy kneeling down underneath the total station, which was about 200 feet away. As I walked back to see what he was up to I realized he had a claw hammer and was prying away at the PK nail we were set up over. I said "Hey, what are you doing? We're using that nail as a survey point!" He looked and me and said "It's in the wrong place - and I have to remove it." I repeated that we were set up over it and using it." He said something to the effect of "I can't let you do that." I asked him who he was and he handed me a business card. As I examined it he continued to pry away at the nail. His card said he was a Civil Engineer. As I informed him that if he wasn't a Land Surveyor he could not be surveying and I was going to call the Sheriff he pulled the nail out, stood up, and walked away, leaving the nail lying beside the hole. I was so dumbfounded I didn't know what to do. We put the nail back in the hole and continued working. Several years later I ran across his recorded survey map as well as his "corrected" survey map. Both showed that he had accepted the PK nail in question as a property corner! I tried to follow up and found that he had left the State. Later work in the area proved him to be a disaster.

Oh man. Where's the dislike button?

A story I remember hearing as a kid was that my grandmother (my mother's mother) thought my dad must know everyone for miles around because he always waved at almost everyone he met while driving locally. She lived about 30 miles away in one of the larger cities in our area and was not familiar with the habit of waving to almost everyone. He probably knew a significant percentage of his fellow travelers but he waved at strangers all the same.

I'm a pretty social person, but I also hyperfocus. If I'm working, I don't like distractions be it from landowners or other survey crews. Breaks are for that time. That being said, I've had an occasion to run into other survey crews from time to time. I'm cordial, but I'm also working so I give them their space and really want mine so I can focus on the task at hand. If it's someone I know, then yes I'll stop and chat for a few minutes. If another surveyor sees me and needs something, I'm happy to help. If it's someone I don't know that wants to talk about why I chose Trimble over Leica, well I have better things to do. That's just me though.....

On another note with regard to telling complete strangers what I'm doing, I'm of the opinion that it's none of their business. I'm polite, but it's really not. Now, I have worked on a few projects that I was inundated by requests for what we were doing in the field. After about 15, I typically make up a story about a new highway coming through, and then really get into the part about how the right-of-way acquisition team hasn't contacted them and I throw a paper or something and gripe about some unknown guy who I normally call Steve or John. Then, I tell them that they should leave and go to the District office two counties away and ask to speak with Steve or John. I've also been known to say I worked for a company I've heard of that's out of a metroplex area when asked who I work for. All of these things are for (A) my own entertainment and (B) punishment for being a busybody and hassling me while I'm working. It took a great many years and much titration down from medication to learn to focus without help and I don't like it interrupted.

My favorite was that I told the (then) Chief of Police that the new I69 corridor (this was about 18 years ago) was coming through my town and we were staking centerline. He didn't believe me and I went all out as to why and that maybe he wasn't doing his job properly as a department head if he didn't know what was going on in his sleepy little town. To which he left, went and found my dad, who told him what we were doing (not staking centerline) and that I was screwing with him. Needless to say I still get a big laugh out of that one and so does he (now). 🙂

I work with arrogant all knowing disrespectful engineers. If it wasn't for my family and laws against assault and battery, as my father use to say " I'd break their necks". When I go to survey seminars and am around other surveyors I'm at home as I am here. It takes all kinds...

Crossing paths with another surveyor brings out the smile with a courteous hello, handshake and passing of a business card with the "gimme a call if you need to compare notes".
Definitely gonna make an attempt to find out their business.
Too many times I've shown up and somebody else was showin' up for the same gig.

Several years ago I saw a survey crew on a shopping center I had surveyed several years ago, and it was a difficult area. I stopped and offered to give them a copy of the previous ALTA survey, and the party chief told me he was not interested. A year later I saw their survey, screwed up. The centerline intersection was previously a brass cap in concrete in a handwell, but a paving contractor had removed the brass cap and never replaced it. The party chief had accepted a "stone in a handwell," not knowing we don't have any stones in handwells and it was just your basic rock. There were references for the brass cap available on each corner of the intersection but he didn't know about those either.

Bruce Small, post: 428397, member: 1201 wrote: Several years ago I saw a survey crew on a shopping center I had surveyed several years ago, and it was a difficult area. I stopped and offered to give them a copy of the previous ALTA survey, and the party chief told me he was not interested. A year later I saw their survey, screwed up. The centerline intersection was previously a brass cap in concrete in a handwell, but a paving contractor had removed the brass cap and never replaced it. The party chief had accepted a "stone in a handwell," not knowing we don't have any stones in handwells and it was just your basic rock. There were references for the brass cap available on each corner of the intersection but he didn't know about those either.

Refusing a copy or data about a previous survey violates the "research" minimum standards in Oklahoma.

Well, it wasn't me. If that matters. I am usually in the mood to talk to anyone, surveyors, neighbor's, clients or the police. Everyone has an angle or story to tell and I want to know it. When I am not in the mood its usually raining, or traffic is bad, or something is being lifted over my head.

Holy Cow, post: 428388, member: 50 wrote: He probably knew a significant percentage of his fellow travelers but he waved at strangers all the same.

I tried that sitting in a car one Saturday night in front of a liquor store in the wrong part of Nashville. Apparently the ugliest lady of the night I have ever laid eyes on thought it was an invitation to walk up to the car and start beating on the window.

You should have let her out.

Brad Ott, post: 428295, member: 197 wrote: That is when the opportunity to be creative and have fun arises. We are putting in an amusement park, you know, "for the kids."

Or an overhead glass sewer line. I nearly got fired over that one.

Holy Cow, post: 428440, member: 50 wrote: You should have let her out.

Let her out hell. If she had gotten in that car Ajax and 409 wouldn't have been able to clean things up.

:):):):):)

Tommy Young, post: 428480, member: 703 wrote: Let her out hell. If she had gotten in that car Ajax and 409 wouldn't have been able to clean things up.

I'm assuming Ajax and 409 and the names of your rottweilers

Bruce Small, post: 428397, member: 1201 wrote: I ....... offered to give them a copy of the previous ALTA survey, and the party chief told me he was not interested.

Of course the party chief wasn't interested. The office LS might have been very interested. A lot of places have a sharp division between field and office, each with their own motivations.