I was about 9 yrs old. The year was about 1974 Dad was working for a Henry Blatt. This was somewhere East, or northeast of Oakhurst CA. Previous persons had run traverses, and the pi's were mostly set. We had nailed shiners to trees, as witnesses to the pi's. The roads were in use/construction. 6" to 8" of powder covered the place. All the design work had been done.
Our goal was to set lot corners, and B/C, and E/Cs. They are called PC, and PT today. Subdivision regs called for setting all R/W B/C, and E/C's.
We had a garden at home. My parents were health fooders. We drove our 1957 Ford Panel truck to the site. Our goal was to set lot corners, B/C, and E/Cs. They are called PC, and PT today
Mom had packed us a lunch. Fresh garden cucumbers, and home made bread, with some sort of material between the slices. We had a 1 gallon wine bottle full of water. Dad would occasionally stop at "The Wine Cellar" a semi bar pkg liquor store, about 10 miles south of Coarsegold. We parked at one end of the subdivision, and began working. At around 10:00 somebody got thirsty, and walked back, and got the truck. Drove it to where we were working. We all got a drink. We then placed the lunch box outside the truck, under a tree, with the water jug beside it, to keep it all cool. (Cool is a relative thing, at this point). We continued working til noon. Dad rarely got hungry, before we got hungry. At some point someone called LUNCH. We walked back to the truck. The lunch box was on its side, contents spilled, and sandwiches eaten. I guess a dog had found it, and feeling hungry, had helped himself. We had a lunch of fresh cucumbers, and water. It was a long day. I was so glad to get home to pinto beans, and goat milk. It's been a long time, since those days. But I wonder what makes a surveyor survey. I think it's sandwiches.
Nate
I surveyed a lot out on the Palos Verdes peninsula for a civil engineer. He was licensed to survey, but kept to some other specialty. He and a fellow employee of his did a topo of his lot with a 360° protractor affixed horizontally to a camera tripod and a 12" torpedo-type level. He called the finished floor of his house zero elevation and actually drew a quite accurate map using his "instrument" and a hundred foot tape. It was the first time I ever saw negative contours.
We arrived in the late morning for the boundary survey and spent almost all morning looking for some kind of control. When it came time for lunch he offered sandwiches, and being so far from any kind of fast food joint, market, or even bar, we said "Sure".
He made sliced raw onion with mustard on rye bread! I choked it down, but would have happily given it to someone's dog!
Well, at least he could "cut the mustard" 😉 Those kind are the mustard/onion folks.We call his food "way down at the mustard end". The dog would have been in trouble too.
Some are "way down at the other end, with miracle whip, oleo, and spam".
Now a days, we keep smoked canned fish for those days "too far to town".
And, I'm more like my dad... Don't get hungry, and work too hard.
N
