Hey everyone, just wanted to share the story of our most recent dino hunt and what we found. Interesting but a little sad.
[SIZE=2]Well, today was by far our most interesting dino hunting expediton yet. We headed off to the north to follow up on some location leads that didn't yield good results. Our first location was a school which apparently keeps their dinosaur inside. Our second location was a private residence, with a dinosaur in the BACKyard, whose residents weren't home to grant permission for a closer look. Upon reaching our third and final location, of which I was absolutley CERTAIN there would be a sculpture, we were met with more dissappointment.
We drove past the house too quicky the first time, unsure of the exact address, but as we passed it, I recognized the location from Google Maps' street view and quickly realized the dino was no longer there. Up the street we went to turn around and passed by more slowly this time, scanning the landscape for signs of the big red Dino-copia statue. Around the bend......turn around again......let's try the backyard. Nope. Nothing. Well, not really nothing....an interesting scupture of a knight in shining armour....but no dinosaur. As we turned around and coasted slowly passed the side of the house again, I ranted in dissappointment, recounting the fact that I did indeed see a photogragh of Dino-copia standing on "THAT very lawn, RIGHT THERE!" on waymarking.com and I also confirmed that photogragh with a street view on Google Maps. It was at this point that Hubby turned to me and said,"You do plan on having DINOSAURS on your dinosaur tour?".
We drove to the intersection and turned to head home but as I looked back I noticed a deepset breezway in between the main house and the garage. Hmmmmm....could it be..? MAYBE he could fit back in there......
With an audible sigh Hubby again made a u-ey and drove past the house for a fourth time and there in the breezway, up against the wall were tell tale signs of the bright burgandy fiberglass that forms Dino-copia. Refusing to drive past the house again and risk looking like an idiot, Hubby dropped me off at the bend and sat in the car while I made the trek up the front lawn to ring the bell. I was greeted by the owner and, after apologizing for bothering him, asked if he minded me photograhing his dinosaur. " It's all broke up." was the response I got.
The owner,Don, began to tell me the story of a drunken driver who maliciously plowed thru his driveway, rammed the dinosaur at full force, pushed it thru the front yard and out onto the road before driving off. It happened almost a year ago and both of my image sources were from before the incident. By this time Hubby had driven back up to the house with our daughter, and they joined me as Don took us to the breezway to view the broken sculpture. Dino-copia, affectionately nicknamed "Rudder" by his boat loving owner, was missing a few of his fins, which were carefully laid on the cement behind him, had a long fiberglass tear down his neck and was basically being held together by moving straps as his entire body was split in two at the seam. Although he'll likely get some retribution, repairing Rudder to look like new will cost more than twice what Don paid at auction. Though battered and broken, Rudder still appeared cheerful and happy for his impromtu photo shoot.
After visiting Rudder, Don graciously invited us to see his beautiful automobile collection, talked with us about their restoration and pointed out some of his other unique items, such as the dragon weathervane on the roof. As fate would have it, time was (barely) on our side, for as we talked with Don his son pulled up in a U-Haul intended for Rudder's transport to storage. While Don intends to have Rudder repaired and on display again in the future, he was obviously dismayed about the drivers malice and disrespect and just wants to put the whole incident out of his mind. So we said our goodbuys and drove away as Don and his family prepared to take Rudder to his temporary lodgings in the Mexican War Streets.
If I may add a personal note, this is the first time that an owner has actually answered my knock at the door. At every private residence dino location thus far, I've trepidly approached the front door wondering if the owner will think me rude and insane for bothering him with such trivial activities. But my instinct has told me that anyone who proudly displays a 9 foot fiberglass dinosaur in thier front yard must be a kind and friendly soul. I'm happy to say that our unannounced visit with Don has proved my instincts right! Here are some photos.
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