I’m So Old That: When I first started in the underground utility business we used batter boards and string lines for setting grade on wastewater lines. A good 6’ wooden folding engineers rule and a torpedo level were the grade setters best friend.
About a decade later before lasers became widely used. (Early 1980s)
Many of the old school inspectors wouldn’t trust lasers so had us set up batter boards to use to prove out that the laser was shooting a straight line and grade.

I’m So Old That: John Deere and Caterpillar hadn’t started making hydraulic track excavators when I first went in business. The John Deere 690 started showing up on projects in the earlier 1970s. In 1973 or 1974 we got our first one delivered.
Caterpillars were first introduced in the second half of the 1970s. The first ones we used were the Cat 225. In 1976 or 1977 we took delivery of our first ones. Followed soon thereafter with the Cat 235.
By the early in 1980s I bought my first two Cat 245s. We were fairly certain that was as large as a Track Hoe would ever get.

I’m So Old That: There were no barricade company’s that rented barricades. We made our own and painted them, usually as the need arose.
We didn’t use blinking lights on them until almost the mid 1970s. Instead we used smudge pots that were filled with diesel fuel and would be lighted at the end of the day and would burn all night long.
Then when the first barricade rental company came along, we would go around a turn them on when we left in the evening and turn them off the next morning. If you were diligent in doing that, the batteries would last about a month before they would have to change them out. It was about a decade later that photo-cell eyes were put on them to automatically shut them off when it became daytime. A few more years before rechargeable solar powered ones came along.

I’m So Old That: I never saw an OSHA Inspector in the first 5 years I was in the business. OSHA was first funded in 1971, but really didn’t get out and rolling for several years.

I’m So Old That: We used to regularly take our inspectors to lunch with us. We were all good friends.

I’m So Old That: It was customary to hand out bottles of bourbon as Christmas gifts to all our Inspectors.