@flga-pls-2-2
I thought about this when you mentioned you impending retirement.
About 35 years ago I ran a crew for a consultant and our big thing was staking State highway projects.?ÿ We'd live in cheap hotels, eat Vienna sausages for lunch and drive each other crazy at night.?ÿ I don't really remember having 'fun' at the time, but I sure have a lot of good memories...
We were way out in western Oklahoma in some Godforsaken little town whose "main street" was the State Highway.?ÿ We usually made our money by measuring our progress in miles...but this job (technically a Federal Aid Urban Secondary - F.A.U.S.) had curb returns every twenty feet.?ÿ We were miserable.
The first day we were there kicking up street control and we saw the local minion-of-the-law stopped in the middle of the road.?ÿ He was escorting this shabby looking old man out of the street and over to the sidewalk.?ÿ Later the officer came and told us this "crazy" old man wouldn't stay out of the street.?ÿ The officer was counting on us to let him know if the old man got back out in the street as they had trouble with him walking down the middle of the road.
It didn't take a half hour and the old man was back out there.?ÿ I went out and warned him the police were watching him and he needed to keep out of traffic.?ÿ The old buzzard looked up at me and recited the station of the P.C. we were standing near where a PK had been placed by the State crews.?ÿ Then he told me he had driven a railroad spike there right after WWII...Just to humor the old goat we got the pin-finder and a pick and dug down through a half a foot of asphalt, and by God there was a railroad spike.
We wound up in the truck and he told me his story.?ÿ He had retired from the Highway Department about the time I was in the first grade.?ÿ And although he was dirty, unkempt and prone to a little delusional rambling, he had a razor sharp memory when it came to all his surveying.?ÿ I did what any contract surveyor would have done...I issued him a safety vest and noted his name at the top of every page in the field book.?ÿ He stuck with us every day and even ate lunch with us.?ÿ He was happy as a lark.?ÿ The local police had taken note that we were "humoring" him and cautioned us he could be prone to violence. Which BTW I never saw or heard him approach any sort of that behavior.?ÿ He was definitely addled, but always a friendly guy to us.?ÿ?ÿ
About the second or third day a lady pulled her car up next to us all and asked if the old man was "bothering" us.?ÿ I told her he not only wasn't bothering us but he was good help.?ÿ It was his daughter.?ÿ He lived a couple of blocks off Main Street and she said that she had a heck of?ÿ a time keeping him home.?ÿ The neighbors had all complained at one time or another about him rambling about their fences, piling up rocks by the sidewalk and getting angry when they moved the rocks.?ÿ He apparently was going to keep surveying anything he could.
We finished the initial staking.?ÿ I remember he was there a couple of times when we returned for some re-staking.?ÿ He was Johnny-on-the-spot and knew exactly what had been torn out and what had been covered up.?ÿ And he always had on his vest.
By the time they were painting the white stripes down center line the old man had stopped coming around.?ÿ The waitress at the cafe said she'd heard he wasn't well but he hadn't passed away as far as she knew.?ÿ We stopped by his house and it seemed like it had been vacant for a while.?ÿ I never really found out what finally happened to him.?ÿ We joked about what was going to happen to us when we grew old.?ÿ 35 years ago it was just a joke...but maybe not so much anymore.
Sooo if you you are ever in Oklahoma and see and an old raggedy man wandering down center line...stop and loan me a vest.?ÿ 😉
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Sure thing, buddy, but I'll just be a few years behind you.?ÿ Look back and wave from time to time.
Payden,
That thar is the best story you have ever told.
- Nate
Here's my dad. He's 92 now. Still walks, no cane. We had to stop him from driving. He still wants to go to town. Newspaper, bank, and a bag of apples.
Well, I loose my cell phone too often. (Short term distraction syndrome), and getting older is hard on surveyors. We are used to problem solving, that is beyond the capacity of many. Now, we can't find our shoes. I think we need a job til we die, and an assistant, to keep our details of life from overwhelming us.?ÿ
Planimeters are gone, as is hand drafting. And, cars run 300k miles. And gawdawful sensors go out, ruining our cars.
GPS, gets us within a few hunnerts. I have the very best wife, ever made. She went surveying a few times, when we first got married. Then, we started having kids. I have several that are my assistant. They were sick this week. So, I went without any body.
I hope to be found with a plumb bob in my hand, after I do my last survey.
I've wondered what another surveyor would think, if they went through my computer, and tried to work with my files.
Nate
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..He still wants to go to town. Newspaper, bank, and a bag of apples..
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I can relate. A man's got to have a plan for his day.?ÿ Tell your dad Merry Christmas from us all.
I hope to be found with a plumb bob in my hand, after I do my last survey.
Nate, that is a sad future to look forward to. Why not a fishing pole or a good book in a lazy boy in front of a fireplace. I am of the opinion that it is poor planning and lack of imagination that causes far too many or our peers to work till they drop.
I hope that when I get to retirement age that I can actually retire and I want to do everything but survey in my elder years.
I completely understand what you are saying, I'm retired and enjoying life. BUT, there are those who don't want to retire. When my wife was in private practice she had an 80 year old gentleman come in for a physical. All vitals were fine and she was taking his medical history.
"When was the last time you saw doctor"? "Well, I was about 60".
"Are you retired"? "No, I'm an electrical engineer and still work. September through March in Argentina and April through August in Atlanta."
"Why don't you retire"? "WHY would I want to do that? I LIKE what I do".
It's all a matter of perspective.
Andy
As demonstrated nicely in the above post, your memory seems to be in check with a promising future. It's refreshing to hear a "nice" story these days as the majority of news slathered daily on the populace is flat out depresing.
But, this gurgation is from a 69 year old optimist/pessimist/loose cannon/not-all-together-in-the-head (according to some) person still taking oxygen away from those who need it. So, it's meaningless.
The previous statement I made about never retiring has been redacted by SWMBO and be cause of certain unexpected financial benefits. I actually don't have a clue what I will do in the future. Truck driving school has been vetoed as well as opening a strip club. Startinging a charter boat fishing operation or obtaining a Pot store franchise is history. It shouldn't be too long before I think of something that will either bankrupt or incarcerate me.
😈
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Having a Santa Claus beard leads people to ask me if I am retired.?ÿ I normally comment that my first day of retirement will be approximately three days prior to my funeral.
It has nothing to do with making money.?ÿ It's a function of existing to be useful to others.?ÿ When my existence is no longer benefiting others I had just as well be gone.?ÿ If one can leave their occupation and find ways to still benefit others every day that is fantastic.?ÿ If they use that time to waste away into a relic that is not so fantastic.
I had a good friend who was the father of one of my school buddies.?ÿ He retired, moved to a cabin on a small lake, walked across the road to fish and drink as much beer as possible each day and effectively died because we all basically forgot he existed.?ÿ He did not attend family reunions or activities involving his grandchildren or any other kind of public function.?ÿ When he died I overheard the comment, "I was shocked to see his obituary in the newspaper.?ÿ I thought he had died years ago."
I could retire today if I wanted to, but I don't want to -- yet.?ÿ Right now my plan is to work full-time until I'm 68, then half time until I'm 70, and then hang it up.?ÿ But if 70 rolls around and I'm still physically up to it, I might extend a little longer.?ÿ I like what I do, so I'm keeping my options open.
It's true that surveying takes time away from other things I like to to do, like working in my shop.?ÿ But if I was working in my shop all day I'd probably say that it was interfering with my surveying.
Yep, I like surveying but I love fishing and hunting and piddling around in my shop and yard saleing and generally anything that does not involve laboring. Almost anything is better than laboring for a living.
Even if all I end up doing is skipping stones a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working.
Having some balance in one's life on a regular basis is important.?ÿ On any given day I may be surveying or engineering or farming or volunteering for one of several causes or researching something of interest to me or peddling real estate.?ÿ Not every day is any one of those things only.?ÿ I had to get away from that "sell your soul to the devil for a dollar" style of living years ago to maintain my sanity.?ÿ That was nearly 33 years ago.?ÿ Half my life.?ÿ Some people call that retirement.?ÿ I call it normal daily life for me.
That is why some here may not value my opinions on surveying practices.?ÿ They are locked in 24/7 to the belief that their life is measured by their success working in the surveying profession.?ÿ I do not march to that drummer's beat.?ÿ What works for one does not necessarily work for all.
In a few years I will be the one walking around with my head down, looking for survey monuments.?ÿ
I do that now, but without the mumbling (so far)
I retired at age 56 from an electrical/software engineering job and keep plenty busy with the arts venue, church stuff, occasionally playing an instrument, a couple music festivals each year, maybe another big trip, going to lectures at a local college, weekly retiree lunch, and special projects. Last year the special project was GPS on BM.?ÿ Right now it is trying to analyze the deeds, plats, and surveys in the area that might explain why my wife's farm land has such odd fence lines that of course the GIS doesn't agree with.?ÿ And keeping up with this forum is essential.
So far retirement is working out great, except that I get a bit worried when each year comes around and I think "already?".
Great story Paden! I have an old retired surveyor friend who sends me a lot of his old clients. His health isn't to good but his mind is sharp as a tack. I swear he remembers every survey he ever did. I take him out with me sometimes just to get him away from the honey do's. Always has some great stories. He is also a big man. Was a drinker and brawler in his day. Would never back down from anything. I admire that in him and wish I had some of his grit!
As far as retirement. I am 63 and do not intend to survey until I drop. Maybe 65-66. I have too many other things that I enjoy and want to do. I enjoy surveying, but am growing tired of people.
