[Rupert]

Can't fool Otis...he won!

[robtcorl]

Can't fool Otis...he won!

He's passing gas I assume.

[robtcorl]

On the surveying subject.
Not sure about other states, but here in Missouri surveyors have what we called a right to trespass.
In other words we could go onto any property needed in order to execute a survey.
There were times we had to call the law to enforce that right when a land owner did the "Get off my property!" thing.

One time we had an elderly gentleman tell us our survey measurements were wrong.
We asked him his reason for saying that, and he proceeded to show us.
He pulled a 6 foot folding rule from his pocket, unfolded it, placed one end at a corner marker and started flipping it end over end towards the other corner.

Another time a lady didn't like that her property line was closer to her house than she thought it should be.
She said our line wasn't straight.
Pointing an arm in the direction of one of our line markers she then rotated it over her head 180° in the opposite direction and said "See!"
She had hired us, she told us to leave, we did.

One more.
Pulling up to a client's house a large mean looking dog came bounding out and barking at our truck.
The owner came out and said "Don't mind him, he won't bite."
Then added "Just don't turn your back on him."

[ccc_]

What a scam. Wave a magic Ordinance and suddenly your taxes go up 500%. My great uncle had to sell the farm.

it could be worse

when we started looking for ground I got a good map
then I drew circles based on commuting times
at any intersection or overlap I knew I couldn't afford to buy it then or keep it in the future

ultimately we ended up 90 miles from any metropolitan area, about 25 miles from any city and about 10 miles from any functioning town

the county was forced to enact zoning and the attendant increase in taxes was about double but still we just passed 500usd this year
that takes into account the residential division and ag land price increases (ours went from around 100usd (taxable valuation) an acre to over a thousand)

anyway at that distance we are pretty safe from development schemes
our only threat are oil wells, wind turbines and cell towers

however a couple of the folks I worked with inherited the family farm
one close to our city is in a bind as they up his valuation as development moves his way
the other is in a nearby county that has very strict policies protecting ag ground
she is safe until she sells at which point she will pay out a chunk of change

the only way to rationalize taxes is to accept that they are the price of civilization
unfortunately we want all the services available but we don't want to pay for them

---------- Post added 01-11-17 at 09:10 AM ----------

...Not sure about other states, but here in Missouri surveyors have what we called a right to trespass...

right of trespass can be a scary proposition depending where you are trespassing

I suspect for surveyors that might be true in most locales but early on I got used to knocking on doors and telling people I was working nearby
easements or not it saved a lot of wear and tear

[robtcorl]

In a semi-rural area we worked, several years ago, subdivisions were going in one at a time in a north to south direction.
While doing a preliminary survey on one tract of land a lady came out on her deck and told us how she hated to lose the trees and privacy at the back of her yard.
One of my crew members told her "Yeah, that's what the folks on the other side of you said when they put in your subdivision."

I'm a tree lover, not a hugger, and it was always hard for me to see trees being cleared, piled into a pit and burned with the aid of a giant gas powered blower.
Such a waste of a natural resource.

[Rupert]

He's passing gas I assume.

If so, it looks very satisfying!

Property laws are strange in different places. When we moved here in '78 the Realtor pointed out a steel pipe that led us to believe we had 20 feet on the East side of our house. In reality we had two feet, so if we opened our back door wide, we would be on someone else's property. So much for having a back yard......
The lots were vacant and very heavily wooded, and a few years later I wanted to have a yard, a fence and a deck. So I tracked down the owner, an elderly lady in another city and asked if she would sell? She wanted far more than a fair market price so I declined. I asked if she had any plans to build on the property? No, she was just going to leave it to her children....someday.
So, I contacted my attorney for lunch. He told me since the property was not maintained, not cleared of brush and not fenced or marked with signage....build my fence and deck. If needed, he would defend me and she would never get that twenty foot back. So....I did!

Almost 30 years later I got a call from the Owners Assn (One of my Chocolate Girlfriends thought to call me!) that the daughter wanted to get rid of the lots, was tired of paying taxes and dues....would I like her phone #? I called her, she gave me both lots and all I had to do was pay some small back taxes and Owners Assn fees....attorney fees for the deed work and nothing else.

This is how the Woods of Otis came to be. Half I have cleared except for the trees and half is left wild and natural for the many critters here.

My cedar fence has been a feeding place for almost 25 years now.....and is a joy to view out my office windows throughout the day...every day!

This morning....55 feet of cedar top rail covered with Whitewing doves.....

File Date

View Picture EXIF

Regards!

[Parallax]

Shoveled for the third day in a row!

[ccc_]

nobody wants neighbors, right?

so they move to the "country"
then they want city services
then they whine about how expensive it all is
then bob gets the ten acres next door, then chuck...ten or fifteen years later you can't see the horizon for a buttload of mcmansions

my advice has always been ignore your neighbors
if you can adequately compartmentalize it's like they were never there

Rupert
a nice kid next our place wanted an acre to keep a "couple" of horses on
I said fine put up a fence and you can have it

nope..i want to buy it

easier if you just use it

nope

ok
give me some money but you pay for the survey, the fence and the legal fees

took about six months
it ended up costing him close to three thousand just to get it transferred
the tax rate was tacked on to his home place

like most folks he bought more horses than an acre can manage and wants to buy my place
like me and everyone else he can't wrap his head around the idea that a piece dirt that barely has a crop base can all of a sudden be so expensive

hell I bought it from a banker and his buddy that thought you could crop a limestone reef
they had to get out from underneath it in a hurry on another commodities dip

if you picked up your lots painlessly, i'm envious
though I suspect Otis and his crew may well have terrorized everyone concerned to get a soft-hearted soul like you in place

[bertwert]

Shoveled for the third day in a row!

We use a Bobcat for snow shoveling...

[BigMackCam]

We use a Bobcat for snow shoveling...

That seems kind of cruel. Isn't it a protected species?

[bertwert]

Isn't it a protected species?

[Rupert]

Shoveled for the third day in a row!

I'm a little disappointed here, it is only 69F at 11 am...but the sun just popped out so maybe we can reach that 80F again around 3 pm? Not much chance old Tony will be shoveling any snow today, but I can send him up your way?

if you picked up your lots painlessly, i'm envious
though I suspect Otis and his crew may well have terrorized everyone concerned to get a soft-hearted soul like you in place

Otis sent the owner a letter complaining about the thousands of Rattlers and Copperheads infesting her property......I kind of imagine it helped!

Regards!

BTW- Mrs Rupert informed me she is about to quit her job.....she says she is tired of working and the men there are idiots. She is tired of correcting their many mistakes. Hell, she doesn't know what mistakes are until she starts spending time here at home with me!

I fear I am in for a rough ride......Mrs Rupert is pretty difficult, and I have little patience for her desire for a "perfect world". Hell, my world is anything but perfect and still better than I expect most of the time.

[ccc_]

rattlesnakes and copperheads are an excellent reason for cold and snow!

when I retired it was to three dogs and a wife who worked
I suspect she works still because i'm still alive and in "her" house
the dog's don't mind...I give them walks and treats

don't tell Otis but I let them chase squirrels, raccoons, opossums and their favorite, cats
when ever they ask sweetly

[Racer X 69]

One time we had an elderly gentleman tell us our survey measurements were wrong.
We asked him his reason for saying that, and he proceeded to show us.
He pulled a 6 foot folding rule from his pocket, unfolded it, placed one end at a corner marker and started flipping it end over end towards the other corner.

His 6 foot version of a chain.

Another time a lady didn't like that her property line was closer to her house than she thought it should be.
She said our line wasn't straight.
Pointing an arm in the direction of one of our line markers she then rotated it over her head 180° in the opposite direction and said "See!"
She had hired us, she told us to leave, we did.

The customer is always right.

One more.
Pulling up to a client's house a large mean looking dog came bounding out and barking at our truck.
The owner came out and said "Don't mind him, he won't bite."
Then added "Just don't turn your back on him."

I read electric meters for a short time while working for the power company. They gave us training on dealing with dogs. Told us the last thing we will hear before a dog bites us is, "Don't mind him, he won't bite.

[robtcorl]

I read electric meters for a short time while working for the power company. They gave us training on dealing with dogs. Told us the last thing we will hear before a dog bites us is, "Don't mind him, he won't bite

A stranger in town was leery of walking past an old fellow with a large dog at his side, so he asked "Does your dog bite?"
The old man replied "Nope."
As the stranger walked by the dog bit him on the leg.
He said "You said your dog doesn't bite!"
The old man said "That ain't my dog."