Tinley 2008

[Joni Garcia]

Sounds like you had quite the trip! Looks like you all had a great time. Thanks for sharing the fun stories and photos with us.

[Scottsquatch]

Did my financial situation actually hold you guys up a day? If so, I am SO sorry Russ. I Emailed Chuck as soon as I found out the trip was a "no go" and was worried he wouldn't get the message in time. What time on Saturday did you guys get there? Man, I feel like such a turd now. BTW, nice purchases.

Scott

[Russell]

Scott,
hey man! It was already in the works that you were coming and Connie couldn't really leave till Saturday morning cause the puppy sitter couldn't come till Saturday... So either way we were leaving Saturday in my book! NO sense in us leaving Friday and making Connie come down Saturday in a second vehicle by herself. We did just fine and the beds were more comfortable at the Hurley Estate....hee hee hee! So please! No worries! It's all good! Just wish you could have come! Perhaps next year?

[a_god_s]

Great pick-ups Russell!! I love those stripes and the little snapper to too cute!
Thanks for sharing those pics...one of these days I'll get there!

[jojos18]

Thank you Russell for the pictures. Beautiful snakes. I like ball pythons as much as corns. I like the snakes you bought.

Have a nice day!

[Russell]

yep...someday I might actually BUY a ball python. someday... and it'll be either a caramel or a piebald...or hey wait, maybe a piebald caramel! someday...

[Mysterry]

Super pics as always Russell, so many beautiful snakes. Rebbeca's lil Draco is sure gorgeous also.
Its always such a pleasure and joy to see you and your snakes.. oulala. You have such beautiful snakes Russell !! .. Those Candy Canes were gorgeous !! I really really wanted one but i was afraid to have another due to what has happened to 2 of my candy canes.

I also did some thing i never thought i would get a chance to do. I HELD a beautiful Northern Pine !! It layed in my hand so sweetly and looked up at my face and stared... Like are you my new mommy?.. I know they are not for me tho as Russell told me why last year so i admired from afar til this year. Getting to hold one was one of the great moments in my life. So thank you, thank you, thank you Russell..
I wish i could get there one year but id proably be like at SEWERFest.. Overloaded my pea brain mind it did..lol I was like in a stupor.. Loved it tho and meeting everyone i did.. Another high light for me...
Thank again Russell...

[Russell]

Mysterry, yes, you don't need a Northern Pine...the first time it hisses at you for whatever reason, you'd never go near it again! I know you! LOL! But they are indeed a beautiful and awesome species to work with. But they do have an attitude that some people are simply unable to work with. So your not alone in that regard! A seven foot snake hissing at you is indeed intimidating!

Anyhow, took some pics here at home tonight just cause. Chuck was also very nice in sending Garthina home with me. She is what they call a Strawberry Hypo. As I stated earlier I did see some babies on the table of the guy of whom this line originates. But if I'm going to dish out good money for something, it better be as big as MY babies! NOT tiny deflated hatchlings!

That reminds me, I walked around just before the show opened that first day. And at one of the tables someone had those pretty stands with a piles of corns seperated by color into piles with each other and a price tag over the top. All...deflated tiny hatchlings... And as I looked on a group of ghosts...one caught my eye...I motioned the young guy behind the table to come over, and he came over thinking he'd made a sale. I pointed at a particular baby. And he promptly opened up the case and asked, which one again? I looked at him pointing at the pretty ghost lying on his side, and said, the dying one. Might want to take care of that before the customers walk in. And I walked away. Very sad!

In times past I've seen people go for cheaper rather than quality more than I care to remember. Choosing cheaper, tiny deflated babies, rather than well started bigger babies. But this year I actually had a few customers that were glad to see bigger well started babies. I even had someone come lookin for sunkissed corns. Well I sent him over to the one table I knew had some nice looking ones. But he came back saying they were too tiny for him to take a chance on! Good! Some of these people are thinking!

Last winter I got a hold of Lee Abbott and put in an order for two pairs of his Okeetees. He said he appreciated getting paid in full six months before they even hatched that he threw in an extra female when the order got here the following August. I loved how he had little notes of who the parents were and some things about each baby that he felt was worth noting. Well anyhow, I raised them for a year and decided I only wanted to keep one male and two of the females. So a pair was to be sold. But as luck would have it, they both went deep blue in shed! OOPS! But someone came to the table asking if I had any older male Okeetees, and so the male sold just fine even though he was blue. The female however, never got anything but people wanting to only offer 50 dollars for her... 50 dollars? WHAT? *sigh* Well, she's still here with me, and she shed. 50? I don't know...think I'd expect to pay more for an Okeetee like this one!

But really, I shouldn't whine, we all are hoping to get deals, but when someone only wants to pay you what YOU paid for it as a hatchling... Versus the guy who talked me down on a male candy cane hatchling. What he still gave me was still more than what it cost me to produce that baby. Well, technically... Technically cause I fed off a number of his brothers and sisters who weren't real good feeders to the kingsnakes. I don't bring anything to the show that doesn't eat well. I have a reputation to uphold!

Anyhow, here's Garthina the strawberry hypo, then the Abbott's Okeetee yearling female that no one wanted for 65... And snapped a few of my adult Amber female and one of my Butter Motley female.

[shaky]

Russell, nice blog!
I caught a little snapper just like that a few weeks ago in the creek.
Great pics.
Gorgeous Draco!
You need to ID the folks at the dinner table. Bummer about the meal.

[WhiteValleyHerp]

That's the sucky part of doing contract work; the client will sometimes impose a deadline when you've got other plans.

Harrumph.

Looks like everyone had a good time! On the bright side, I didn't have to get winded from running like a frilled dragon this year.

Thanks for posting the pics, Russell!

Dale