Washington I

Just some random pictures from our first few days in DC.  No theme except standard geo-geeky undertones.

First off, super-sizing trig pillar bagging.  It's actually still closed from the earthquake last August.  No flush bracket.

Went up the Old Post Office tower and looked down on Pennsylvania Avenue. Liked the street map of the Federal Triangle area.

And then today we visited Great Falls Park.  As a chokepoint of the Potomac, when the river swells from ice melt or similar it just soars - up to 40/50 m.  This sign post marks how high the highest water levels have been over the past 80 years.  To put this in perspective, the post is over 40m above current water level.

There is a surveying stone somewhere around here from which they controlled the building of the Patowmack canal - but it was somewhat overgrown so I wasn't able to spot it.  The map I was working from was pretty unscaled too so I quickly gave up thinking I could be chasing a nebulous mark all afternoon.  Bizarrely my husband was keener to find it than I.

This afternoon saw us at the Udvar-Hazy Centre to plane and spacecraft spot. I have been there before so wasn't gagging for a second visit but the family were keen. And, anyway, it's always nice to see an SRTM radar.

Le Trig Francais

Well, hardly. My daughter has a French pen friend over this week so in honour of l'entente cordiale I decided that she needed to see a British trig. OK, I'm a bad liar, we just happened to be in North Devon and I found a few I hadn't yet bagged... We visited my family who are staying in a holiday cottage near Hartland Point. My brother, daughter, said pen friend and I marched off towards Hardisworthy this afternoon, a mere 1.5km from their property. The views across to Lundy were fab as (hold your breath Brits) but the rain stopped and the sun came out.

Neither of the teenagers had trig bagging appropriate footwear on so turned back once we struck off across field and came across a bog. It then eluded my brother.

So I strode off alone. I very much liked the marked out footpath.

But the trig was far more elusive.

You can just about see if under the ivy.

And the other side...

Needless to say I didn't get the flush bracket number.

And to finish a humerous, if not slightly frustrating, story with teenagers. I sent my daughter off to find the Bideford map last night from our map collection. "I need a Landranger," I said, "1:50 as we don't have a larger scale of that area" I called through to the lounge. "I need 190 please". A few minutes later she returns empty handed. "What has happened to map sheet 190?" I asked? "Oh," she exclaimed, "you mean number 190? I was looking for a scale 1:90 (1 to 90) but could only find 1:25 or 1:50 thousands." Oh my word. My daughter is looking for a 1:90 000 OS map sheet. I really am a failure aren't I?

After the Rain

Went down to see Sid the River today to see how it he was fairing after yesterday's floods. From images I've seen he was as high as 1.8m against this guage and circa 1m below the footbridge.

I wonder how the people feel who have just bought the house on the far side of the river. Especially noting that next door's garden wall has fallen into the river.


There was a helpful sign up saying "ford closed" but I'd like to think most people got that anyway.

Cracked open a birthday present this afternoon, a scratch off map of the world. It's not terribly geographically correct but who cares (perhaps I do just a tincy bit?).

No Maldives to scratch off so just as well I haven't been there. Bit miffed I couldn't chalk off Tristan da Cunha though. And dithered about Hawaii. I've been to the US so gleefully rubbed most of the states off but couldn't quite bring myself to scratch off something that isn't on the same continental shelf as the rest of the USA. Also not sure if I can scratch off Antarctica as I've been to Signy Island , but didn't step foot on it. My girls helped but after China and Australia (I did Canada and US) they are looking forward to me travelling to smaller countries the future. To that note I realise I hadn't yet visitied Luxembourg. Must do.

It's Raining

No surprises there given the forecasts we've had in the last few weeks. A timely launch yesterday of the Environment Agency's realtime flood warning map. This was the screen shot yesterday evening.

And it doesn't get better - at 1306 BST today.

We are slap bang under the severe weather warning in the South West. Exeter doesn't tend to get overly affected as it has a decent flood plain but other local areas are suffering.

Perhaps we'll end up like Doggerland?

And in Germany a very rare map has turned up on a new-fangled modern day 19th century book. 

In between the day job, weather spotting and old map drooling, I popped to Dublin last weekend for an RICS Governing Council and AGM.  All somewhat busy - and so we should be - with the inauguration of the 131st president, Alan Collett (on the left of photo)

the launch of the the Valuation Registration Service in Ireland, a talk from the Chairman of NAMA (National Asset Management Agency), the AGM and, of course, Governing Council.

Very little time to see Dublin, as you'd imagine, but did spot this little beauty on the corner of the Guinness factory.  In case you can't read it it says "Top of step 8ft above weighbridge at Cornhill".

The steps have long since gone but I was pleased to share this other geomatics surveyors from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland who hadn't come across it.  And what good craic they were!