Evolve or die

[Jims5543]

The Dog asshole is known by the police BTW - it seems he threatens everyone telling them if he lets his dogs out they are dead. Part of what I discovered is that he is 58 years old which tells me a man that age behaving that way is not mentally stable.

I pity his neighbors.


Moving on, my BIL is on his way home from the hospital, they adjusted his meds and want to see him in 3 weeks again to further adjust them.

They also told him that is he does not get in better shape he is going to die, I hope that motivates him to get his shit together.

What is killing me is he kept this a secret from me for 2 weeks, I noticed he was not sending work back to me, I asked and he said he was fine and needed to catch up (a lie) he could not get out of bed, we found out he was sleeping 18 hours a day fatigued and exhausted.

I am so behind with my clients it is not funny, I did not want to use him as an excuse, I just told them we had a drafter turn ill and we are short handed. We are not THAT far behind, they are just spoiled by our fast turn around times.

This entire ordeal has me rethinking how I am running this place, I think I want a full time drafter in house, then toss the larger projects to the BIL. Keeping my in house drafter freed up to turn out the smaller jobs faster.

The only problem with that is finding someone worth a shit, the last time I looked around for help the pool to choose from lacked chlorine.

I am going to toss my feelers out. Right now, I am just going to put in the hours again to keep up. 

[94touring]

I wish I remembered how to run Cad, it would give me something to do sitting in hotels.

[cstudep]

We hardly use 2d cad anymore in my world. We used to do some pretty awesome shit in 2D autocad with blocks and menu/lisp routine automation. Been living in the 3d cad world for a little over 20 years now and it has really curtailed my 2d cad skills, still use it but not like I once did. I have developed some pretty mad 3d cad skills though so at least there is that I guess.

It's been a real long time since I have done any surveying work, I always enjoyed being out in the field but have always enjoyed the cad side as well.

[Jims5543]

I wish I remembered how to run Cad, it would give me something to do sitting in hotels.

I already have a remote guy with my BIL when he is not broken. I really just want someone handling everything I do so I am no longer doing any drafting, just checking and signing. I used to have a full time drafter, when I did, I did not do any drafting at all. I am just wearing a lot of hats now, I am still in Housing Crash / Great Recession mode when I do not really need to be, or do I?

More and more news articles stating the housing markets (at least in Florida) are crashing. I have been seeing it for close to 2 years now, as I have said in the past Land Surveyors feel it first, then everyone catches up to us. I will probably muscle through this hiccup and wait to see what happens in the next 3-6 months before doing anything.

We hardly use 2d cad anymore in my world. We used to do some pretty awesome shit in 2D autocad with blocks and menu/lisp routine automation. Been living in the 3d cad world for a little over 20 years now and it has really curtailed my 2d cad skills, still use it but not like I once did. I have developed some pretty mad 3d cad skills though so at least there is that I guess.

It's been a real long time since I have done any surveying work, I always enjoyed being out in the field but have always enjoyed the cad side as well.

The tech in land surveying is changing a lot, what I do? 2D is perfect for me.

I have friends who work in big corporations using amazing tech.  Drone tech is insane now. The Drones now have Survey accuracy GPS and Lidar cameras, I watched a field demo from a company where the drone flew over us on some county property while we watched a big screen TV and could see it mapping everything in real time in 3D.

Then a cad tech comes in and cleans up any "noise" that may have confused it.

The investment into something like that is too rich for me, we are talking over 100K possibly 200K. I didn't ask because I know I cannot afford it. LOL!


OK another big push Friday, I have about 60 files on my desk many are just stupid little things, a lot of revisions, as in oh, I want to change the design of this pool type of stuff.

[Jims5543]

I lied, I had about 40 files, my BIL emailed this morning and wants to work, I set him loose on 10 Plot plans for a builder reducing my work load from about 50 files to less than 40.

After kicking ass for the last 4 hours I am down to 4 files. + what he is working on.


I was looking for a drunk pic for Mudhen with no joy, and I found these pics from when Topcon sent a film crew to shadow me. I felt special for a day. LOL

One of my friends who saw the video, I need to find it its on you tube somewhere. Said it was endearing to see an older pickup with some dents on it in the background indicating a real down to earth small company and not some big corp.

And that was exactly what my Topcon salesman said to me, he said it came off great because I actually use the gear. My hands on experience translates through the video and you can sense I actually use it.  A couple of other interviews they did the Surveyor who oversees the Corporation, who never works outside, wanted to be in the video so they pretend to use the equipment not really knowing what they are doing and it shows.

I never thought of this as a big deal, I just thought it would be fun to do an interview. My one surveyor buddy pointed out that I am now on the internet in perpetuity a cool legacy to leave behind. Imagine if there were video's of my Grandfather online right now I could go look at?  I never thought of it that way.  So pretty cool opportunity and experience.  Good thing they did not interview me 3 weeks ago. LOL!!

[MiniGene]

I My one surveyor buddy pointed out that I am now on the internet in perpetuity a cool legacy to leave behind. Imagine if there were video's of my Grandfather online right now I could go look at?  I never thought of it that way.  So pretty cool opportunity and experience.  Good thing they did not interview me 3 weeks ago. LOL!!

That's why I think it's cool to start putting stuff on YouTube.  A couple of years ago I started two channels.  They're both pretty small and nowhere near being in YT's partner program, but maybe they'll be out there for a while for my kids to look at long after I'm gone.

BTW, I've been lurking here semi-recently.  This is my first post in a very long time.  Good to read and catch up on things. :)

[Jims5543]

That's why I think it's cool to start putting stuff on YouTube.  A couple of years ago I started two channels.  They're both pretty small and nowhere near being in YT's partner program, but maybe they'll be out there for a while for my kids to look at long after I'm gone.

BTW, I've been lurking here semi-recently.  This is my first post in a very long time.  Good to read and catch up on things. :)

I honestly had not considered that until my friend mentioned it, I have 2 channels, I am not about monetizing it, although I have considered putting an effort into creating car content and see if I can make some money doing something really fun, playing with cars.


I just walked in from surveying a house for a pool, while I was there, the 20 something year old son comes home. I am in the back yard doing my thing, he comes out of the house and sits on the back screen room on his phone. then I smell the devils lettuce and hear him coughing realized he is getting baked right in front of me. It's legal here (medically) so no real taboo, just thought it was wierd.

The crazy part?  right after he finished blazing his MJ, he jumped back in his pickup truck and drove away. I thought that was stupid.

[Jims5543]

This is a community I work in once a week, all the buildings you see are 4 plex town homes. Everything you see in these pictures are for sale and not sold, some have been sitting for 6 months to 1 year.

I was talking to a super out there and commented on how many for sale signs there were, he told me they only have for sale signs on half the empty houses.  Corporate told them to pump the brakes on new house starts. This includes single family homes they have a lot of those sitting empty too.

I am getting orders for maybe 2 closings a week, which means the RE market has dried up.  If it were not for the pool companies I aligned with, I would have nothing to do. 60-70% of my work at the moment is pool work.

[Jims5543]

I ended up doing a free survey this morning for the nicest man.

An attorney I work for sent him to me due to a property line dispute.  The felt the neighbor behind was on his property up to 5 feet. He hired the Real Estate attorney the uses me to sort this out who in turn told him to hire me.

He was 81 years old and spry as could be, he had a 2020 440i in his driveway, we got talking cars, he used to be into drag racing and ran an Olds 442 with a 2 speed Hydromatic in it. Anyway, the more we talked the more interesting he got. He is a retired engineer, he moved to Florida from Uruguay when he was 24 years old he was recruited by NASA and worked at KSC until he retired. He still has family in Uruguay which is crazy as I sold my E21 BMW to a guy who grew up in Uruguay who always wanted an E21.  Him and I still text our car antics back and forth from time to time. His is in the midst of swapping a BMW V12 into a E30.

There was nothing wrong out there, I felt horrible charging this guy just to tell him that so I told him I would not be charging him and it made his day. He wants me to wing by and show him my fun cars.  I have a new car guy friend. LOL!!


Interesting side story about the Real Estate Market as well. Last week we had some issues with a seller not wanting to open his gates for our crew, I drove out to the property Friday morning and met the Realtor there he was shadowing me while I worked and we chatted. I asked how business is, was he selling any houses?  He said all of the sudden everyone wants to buy a house, he said for the last year, hardly any sales, now in the last few weeks he has people fighting for the nicer houses again. 

I noticed, the last 2 weeks, an uptick in existing home sales orders. Things appear to be taking back off again.

I am not sure how I feel about that, I am starting to turn away off the street customers again, I just do not want to be that busy anymore.

[Jims5543]

I must be a masochist. I could have had a nice day today and been back in the office by noon, instead I got back at 430.

The one big builder I work for is expanding out to Okeechobee. Its about a 1.25 hour drive from my office. I assumed they purchased a block of lots in a new subdivision. Wrong! They purchased scattered lots all over town.

I just got back from surveying 9 lots out there. I have no idea who would want to live there unless they lost a bet.

I almost got attacked by 2 pit bulls on one street that were running loose.  On another street I was chased by a territorial mutt that did not like me.

Lesson learned, we are now a constitutional carry state, time to strap on the 9mm.  The Pit Bulls really rattled me, they were not nice dogs and would not let up, they follow me about 100 yards and would not let up. 

I was going to punt this away and let them find a local surveyor to Okeechobee, now I wish I had. I may back out of this still. It is making my life hell.

The only thing keeping me from doing that is I am up-charging these, my prices are doubled in order to absorb the drive time.

On top of that the flood gates have opened up wide and orders are pouring in, I have not seen this kind of action since 2021 when everyone was moving to Florida. Interest rates and prices slowed that down over the last 4 years, to my amazement, everything is ramping back up.

Our email is on fire, orders pouring in, its so bad I just made the decision to stop taking on all off the street customers.

Okeechobee is a giant trailer park, minus the trailer homes, it is just white trash land, garbage everywhere, the only place I see garbage all over the sides of the roads and in yards like is in the ghetto.

Houses still have hurricane shutters on them all over town, despite hurricane season being over for almost 3 months now. I guess they are ready for next season in 5 months.

No pride in ownership everything is run down, houses need paint and roofs and landscaping upkeep, 70% of the houses out there look abandoned. It was a very depressing afternoon out there.

I have probably already worked 40 hours this week and its only Wednesday afternoon. I have been coming in early, staying late and still cannot keep up with all the orders pouring in.

I was not expecting this at all, I expected at least another year of slower business.

This has me pondering hiring a field guy to take some of the load off me, the other crew is already loaded, I have been working longer hours to help keep up.

How about some pics!

This is the mutt that was hounding me. He finally gave up as I walked up onto a vacant lot away from its "territory". Notice the lovely landscaped yard in the background with cars all over the place. Pretty typical out there.



Lost count as to how many of these trucks I saw in driveways out there.


These ducks started following me around, again notice the lovely yard. They were a welcome break from the dog, grateful they were not bloody ducks.  You can see the front bumper of a pickup parked in the back yard.
I wish I had time to take more pics, I walked 5 miles today working out there lugging my equipment around.


Tomorrow I have to survey 5 acres, then all over the place again, will be lucky to get back into the office by 3pm.

What am I doing????? I promised myself we would back off and here I am balls to the wall again. There is something wrong with me.

[MiniDave]

Hire another crew for cripes sake!   

[94touring]

Good thing you didn't come across any rabbits.

[Jims5543]

I was most fearful of the ducks, thank god it did not turn into a Monty Python moment.