I am amazed by the amount of people that we come across that say they use to be a surveyor. We have got to the point when we pull up to a job and the client is there to meet us that we start saying, "I bet this person is going to tell us they use to be a surveyor"
Seeing a piece of survey equipment, qualifies them to say "I used to be a surveyor..."
Kind of like the tall, spindly 16 yr old, with pimples, pointing at a red corvette, and saying : "thats my car".
🙂
When speed cameras first appeared and I'd set up near the road it was obvious what many thought the TS was.
A few would ask.
It's presence had an instant calming effect on the traffic.
Working for the road authority you didn't need to make up a story.
A set of government plates on the vehicle, a survey crew and the rest follows.
It was trying to convince some that we really were just bringing in control, or if chasing boundaries we could be a long way from any road improvement site.
Generally though there was an acceptance of our role in society.
Richard, post: 355349, member: 833 wrote: When speed cameras first appeared and I'd set up near the road it was obvious what many thought the TS was.
My friend and I always wanted to get some uniforms from the local retailer, no badges or anything, just something dark blue, then sit out front of the house with a hair dryer and point it directly at motorists coming up the street just to see if they showed down.
We never did, but it might have been a fun diversion. Especially if we had a cooler full of beer with us.
I wear a Border Patrol cap sometimes.
It keeps most people from approaching me and I can go about my work without questions, other than do you work for the Border Patrol.
Very effective when I wear a matching Wall's coat.
:plumbbob:
I wonder how many people walk up to a camera-man while he's filming and start telling him about when they used to survey. 😉
Anyway, I wanted to share this link again if anyone missed it last time I posted it. Thanks to Brad Ott: Miss Piggy is "fabulousssss"
Nate The Surveyor, post: 355274, member: 291 wrote: Twerking. I had to look that up. I don't think I am into tweeking either. Cats mating and fighting, does not bother me. Banging trash can lids, and howling in the alley, it's good. I just roll over and go back to sleep. (I used to live in Chicago!) But when humans go there, they should lock the door, and keep it shut.
Back to surveying, Surveying used to be lots of hard work, with a few things done very carefully. Now, it's loads of mental things. With a little work thrown in. I look foreward to using the shovel.
I have had a little black boy say "Man, you aint happeninin!" I gave him my grape juice. It's like it takes alot more to get people to think we "are happenin". I have been asked to "come by, and shoot a line, when you are done".
The disparity, between what we do, and what people think we do, is widening.
N
Like the Grand Canyon Nate....
As for making up stories about what you're doing, I've seen guys fired over it. When said City Councilman/Comish etc. has a lot of clout, you better just tell em' what you're doing, even if it's going in 1 ear and out the other.
I was at a meeting with about 14 others a couple of days ago doing a walkaround onsite. No more than two from each various entity involved. Everyone was being too serious about everything until I raised the question: Who is in charge of rumors? Either starting or controlling?
They all looked a bit taken aback and then one guy started pointing at someone else and then that guy would point towards someone else and they all started to see the humor. Then I said: We've had several hundred local vehicles drive by while we've been doing this and you know every last one of them is going to tell someone else what they thought they saw happening here this afternoon and what might be getting planned.
The local newspaper reporter loved it. But, they won't sell many papers today as it has my mug on the front page. Talk about scarin' little kids and old ladies!
I've come to the conclusion that every man over the age of 55 must have spent at least one summer working for a surveyor pulling chain or cutting line or pounding hubs. I've had countless old gentlemen stop and tell me their stories of surveying and how we have it so much easier now with edms and gps.
Holy Cow, post: 355224, member: 50 wrote: The helpful types are lots of fun. Frequently I will be asked if I started from the brass disk in the concrete block about 20 feet inside the fence on the hill down at Joe Samples place (or some similar location). They are describing some form of benchmark set by USGS, USCGS, USDA or other government entity that are most definitely not tied to the PLSS system in any way. I usually tell them that the marker they are referring to is one of thousands that are used to figure out where on Earth you really are yet have no connection to where the section lines are. I'll toss out those really big words like longitude and latitude and elevation above sea level and their eyes gloss over just before they decide to head on down the road and leave me alone.
Lol nice!
Nate The Surveyor, post: 355321, member: 291 wrote: Seeing a piece of survey equipment, qualifies them to say "I used to be a surveyor..."
Yep, everyone who has every held the end of a tape "used to be a surveyor". Usually if you start explaining what you're doing, you lose them pretty fast.
Thats the exact same thing I have here. Last one the other day now cleans rugs. Everyone talks like they went on to bigger better things. But 80%of them havent.
jkmonroe, post: 355398, member: 9191 wrote: I've come to the conclusion that every man over the age of 55 must have spent at least one summer working for a surveyor pulling chain or cutting line or pounding hubs. I've had countless old gentlemen stop and tell me their stories of surveying and how we have it so much easier now with edms and gps.
Holy Cow, post: 355085, member: 50 wrote: How much does a survey cost?
Is it cheaper if I help?
So, if I don't have you survey it, can I just do it myself and get by?
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.
.
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Oh.....and.....Do these feel real to you?
Sure you can do it yourself -- and you can pull your own teeth with a bottle of whiskey and a set a Vise-Grips. Perfectly legal but maybe not smart.
Since I don't get out in the field much anymore, I guess the top three questions I get are:
1. Would you like fries with that?
2. What year is that?
3. Will you pick up milk and bread on your way home?
😉
