Mud, Manholes, and Machetes

This book covers the often humorous adventures of Ritchey Marbury during his more than seventy years of surveying and engineering. It tells how his survey crews were motivated when he fell face-first into a muddy swamp; how he peered out of a sanitary sewer manhole to see his future wife staring at him from her front porch; and how he almost fainted when he saw his son lying in a hospital bed, smiling, after being cut in the head by a machete. He was put in a wheelchair and wheeled out of the room. This book also illustrates the advancement of surveying and engineering through examples of actual events. It tells some little known facts about the growth of several developments in Albany, Georgia. These include Albany State University, Albany Mall, Hidden Lakes Subdivision, Lake Park Subdivision, Lancaster Village, Albany Civic Center, and others. This is not a business book, a textbook, or a technical book. It is a humorous memoir of surveying and engineering stories. They are all true and from Ritchey’s personal experiences in a profession he loves. Readers will enjoy the unique stories while learning about the fun life of a surveyor and engineer.