Just because I bid off of shovels doesn't mean I don't think they're awesome because they pretty much are. Another thing that factored into my decision was the possibility that I would get bumped up to shovel operator (against my will) to another crew, which would completely screw up our childcare plans now that Michelle's maternity leave is over. But anyways. I met a guy on Flickr who is kind of an excavator historian and he posted these great shots of the death of a behemoth: