Never a dull day with Dom! *dial-up alert*

[Trace]

My day starts out with the longest 2 minutes of my life, this being the agonizing wait for the microwave to heat up the water for my coffee. Once this eternity is over, I settle down in front of the pooter to read my 6741674744 chameleon emails and catch up on the latest on ssnakess. I have not even settled in when Dom PM's me on MSN to tell me about this awesome post by SteeveB about monitors and dirt. Yes, we live in the same house, no we don't really speak to each other directly. Some find this terribly amusing, but hey, it works for us! He proceeds to quiz me about where would be the BEST place around here to find groundhogs, hence good dirt, yet not in an area that would attract alot of attention by his digging. In my semi-awake state I offer a few suggestions and off he goes. About an hour or so later, Dom returns ecstatic! "Trace, I've found the best dirt! My savs are going to love it!" It so turns out that he needs more dirt for the cage and asks me if I want to come along. I agree as I've been wanting to get out and do some herping.

At this particular site I was unsuccessful in finding any animals that even remotely resembled a reptile. I turned over every rock, every log, anything that would possibily even be hiding a garter snake. Nothing. Ah well.

Here is Happy Dom and his dirt pile:

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2255_img-med.jpg

Now the car (named Old Betty) is filled with heavy dirt, and I swear Old Betty is making groaning noises due to the heavy load she is carrying. Dom laughs, puts it in gear, and spins off. We reach the end of the road were there is a small ditch that we must get over. Dom gets out of the sagging car and assesses the situation. "I got stuck here this morning, and I'm not going to get stuck again" he claims. After making some seemingly geometric calculations, he gets back in the car, points it in the direction that he thinks would be the easiest way out and drives. Well sure enough we get stuck!

Here is Dom assessing the situation:

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2263_img-med.jpg

And digging:

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2265_img-med.jpg

Hey, maybe if I turn the wheel a little bit it will work:

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2270_img-med.jpg

All the while Dom is laughing at me "Stop taking my picture!" "You're going to put this on ssnakess aren't you?" Yep! Iam!

More digging:

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2271_img-med.jpg

"Hey Trace, look at me, I can lift my car!"

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2272_img-med.jpg

More revving:

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2280_img-med.jpg

Well after about an hour of digging, revving, digging, looking for nice flat rocks, etc, Dom emerges victorious from the ditch:

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2296_img-med.jpg

All was not lost today. Dom's car actually sounds better, despite the new clanking sounds coming from the back end! I did see some interesting tracks: LOL!!!

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2269_img-med.jpg

And almost caught the elusive Great Northern White Flying Chameleon coming out of hibernation. Those things are noisy!:

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/405122-2294_img-med.jpg

It can only get better from here. So Dom.... Murphy's Point tomorrow?

[Greg West]

Great pics Trace. Too bad you didn't catch it. i heard its pretty rare.


Greg

[doenoe]

Hehehehe, thats a great story. And great pics too. Thanks for sharing :D

[Tim and Julie B]

That is to funny because I was reading that thread and Dom said "Their are going to be some gophers that are really going to hate me!" Or something like that. HE WAS SERIOUS! I had a mental image of someone digging up some gophers. I log back on and what do ya know there's Dom digging up some poor gophers hole! Owww my sides hurt from laughing! The car thing is the icing on the cake. Hmmm...stealing dirt in one place to get stuck in dirt somewhere else. The "Gopher curse."

[Dom]

I'd like to first of all state that I found AMAZING dirt .. I just hope my savs love the trouble I went through ..

~the things ill do for em'~


The funny thing about this whole story is that i had 700 pounds of dirt in the back of my car .. and all I had to do was take it out of the car to get my car out of the ditch .. but I was too damm tired to lift it out .. so I instead waste over an hours time trying to get the car movin'

to all gopher activist: I dug my hole beside their holes.. I did not actually disturb them .. lol .. although the though was tempting.

I still can't beleive Trace posted this.. I know too many ppl who are gonna have a fileld trip with this..



BTW .. Trace was going nuts with the flying checmeleons.. i swear she was such a kid trying to catch each one passing every couple of minutes lol

[stormyva]

That is too funny!
Was that an actual Escort GT.... gees I have not seen one of those in about 8 years :D

[BoidKeeper]

What a great post!
Cheers,
Trevor

[Kat]

That's hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for a play by play!!! :)

[Dom]

LOL Stormya..

Its an 89 Escort GT .. and its still kicking! Damm thing won't die .. i can't wait to get an nice 4x4 Jeep someday!

Trace.. will have to go to Murphys point soon .. don't forget the camera.. I hope to be more lucky..

[Classic]

Until I read all the way through...I was thinking you were looking for ground hogs for Hunter at ray's.

[Xetox]

lol. you all are too much!

[Lisa]

Originally posted by Dom
LOL Stormya..

Its an 89 Escort GT .. and its still kicking! Damm thing won't die .. i can't wait to get an nice 4x4 Jeep someday!

Trace.. will have to go to Murphys point soon .. don't forget the camera.. I hope to be more lucky..

4X4 is really nice. I'll let you know if katey wants to sell her truck http://www.geekgrrl.ca/truck.jpg you definetly won't get stuck in that. :D

Looks like you had fun digging though.

[Dom]

lol nice truck although I am really stoked on getting a nice YJ Jeep or more recent If i can afford it..

[Clownfishie]

LMAO!!

[stormyva]

Dom, I had a roommate in college that had a GT identical to yours and man did that thing have a rough life! All kinds of herping adventures, crazy trips thru the Mongahela Forest, and some drunken hill hopping. That car just kept on going!