Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Merry Christmas everyone and happy new year.

I got a funny thing from my wife for X-mas this year, but have to say I really like it. Check it out.

Here is my five year old (Scout) holding it.

Here it is next our favorite painting.

Cole(Sunherp), Ryan(Deepsea),and myself get together in my pool house once a week or more and smoke cigars, drink Gin or beer, and talk about snakes and fieldherping. The other night we went a little to deep into the Gin.

This is how the night started. So far so good.

We started w/ some of these and gin.

After a few Gin & Tonics things got a little fuzzy.

But this is when we really start talking milksnakes.

Hwy 118, TX celaenops, 2008

Breeder feamle, hwy 118 TX

Bighorn co. MT, L. t. multistrata

Stillwater co. MT, L. t. multistrata, 2008

Breeder Stillwater female.

Some Stillwater co. habitat.

Powder river co. MT

We have been drinking and smoking and talking about milks for some time now, and the ash gets bigger.

But let the talking of milks continue.

Powder river co. breeder male.

Thomas co. NE, male

Thomas co. NE, female

Cherry co. NE,

Now we are getting drunk. How did this get in here.

Okay back to milksnakes. Breeder gentilis.

Elsworth co. KS, gentilis

Elsworth co. again.

Hypo syspila, female.

Another hypo, male.

Outstanding normal syspila, male.

Jefferson co. MO, female syspila.

We talk about herpers too.

But mostly we stay talk about snakes.

Nice little Honduran.

Adult hypo.

Nice pinner.

Black milk.

Been drinking for a while now. The pool house is a blur, and time to go.

Drive safe over the the New Year parties everyone. -Dell

GREAT post Dell! You've got so many nice milks, I hope to check out your collection again somtime. Great pic of Cole holding all the milks too. Happy New Year man, talk to you later.

Dan Eby

Hey thanks Dan. You can check the collection out anytime. Look forward to herping w/ you this spring.

I'll raise your Black widow spider.

I'm looking forward to it too, I'm sick of this snow already(I know we need it though). Did you guys get a bunch of snow? We got almost 2 feet.
That blue one is awesome!

Dan

I don't even want to think about snow but, this takes my mind off it

Very Cool! I'd love to find rattlesnakes like that one

Dan Eby

I'm up on Scandinavian decor but Kirsten has been hitting your gin stash and doing some free form design ala 'Nightmare before Christmas....probably not an off the shelf item at Ikea.
Nice post Dell, some outstanding field pics of scarce N.A. milks!
Pity that Cole acts so goofy when he's in front of a camera....

Were you releasing that caiman in the Powder River?? How's that project going?
Thanx for the string of pics....Jeff
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If Patrick Henry thought that taxation without representation was bad, he should see it with representation.

Good to hear from you Jeff.
I've used the few photos of Cole to many times, but they make me laugh.

Swedes, their a funny race of people.

The Powder river project will be tested for the first time this spring.

Hey, they made me wear that rain jacket! Apparently, I was the smallest and likely to be the most protected by the "Child Medium" jacket...

That Day of the Dead themed art is BAD-ASS in person. Way cool stuff. Dell needs to post a photo of the walking stick he got, too.

-Cole

Man, the next time I'm in Cut Bank visiting family, the last time was '92, I'm going to have to make a detour to Billings. Meanwhile, I'm stuck in Washington, D.C. Nothing but boring Temporalis here. LOL! It looks like you guys are having a blast! Nice looking Milks as well! I hope Christmas was great for you and the family. I know what to get you guys for Christmas next year. Something to replace those picture hangin' hammers you guys are using. LOL!!!! You need a real strait clawed hammer
for lifting!
-Phil

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Work is the curse
of the drinking class!

Phil dude, I like the VIBE, I don't need no stinkin antivibe.

E-mail one of us next time your thinking of coming home, and make sure it's in the spring.

Awesome post, Dell!! Very entertaining. That pic of Cole with a handful of milks might as well have been Christmas morning, it doesn't get any better than that! Great pictures of a great collection as always.

thanks for sharing

Dave
DNS Reptiles

Thanks Dave, I'm glad you liked my year end post. 2009 should be an interesting milksnake year for us.

Bighorn co. neonate 2007 -Dell

Dave,

It sure felt like Christmas! I was beaming from ear to ear! All of those gentilis (there were 11 total from that spot, though not all were in the photo) came from within 20 yards of one another! The density of milksnakes is truely amazing, and only really shown under perfect conditions. We snapped a few hundred photos of the snakes and returned them to the individual rocks they were found under. An AMAZING day, no doubt.

-Cole

I don't know what makes me more jealous - all those milks, or the gin and cigar night!!
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Diego

SWCHR

can always count on your posts to be informative and fun as well. Be well and happy holidays...
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Jerry Kruse

"Yesterday is history.....tomorrow is a mystery.........but today is a gift -- that is why it is called the present". - Master Oogway

Thanks a lot Jerry. Glad you enjoyed it.

-Dell

Nice post, man! These are like perusing your snake room (or mine, for that matter LOL)!

The Thomas Co., NE critters are sure looking nice. I hope to produce a slug of them this year. Of course, it's hard to compare anything to those Blazing Cherry Co., NE pales Jeff produced! That's almost cheating, though. The syspila and gentilis are no slouches, either! Nice assortment and great capture of the variation in NA and CA critters.

Again with the "Vogue in a Tiny Raincoat" photo?! Dude! I have a reputation to uphold! Man, that was a fun day, though, wasn't it? If I remember correctly, we saw that Great Horned Owl on a branch and a pair of rattlesnakes under "THE" board.

That last photo of Magnus, Ryan, and me holding Bob embodies what Spring and being in the field is all about, doesn't it? Friends, the outdoors, beautiful weather, and herps galore...

-Cole

Sorry about the tiny rain coat photo again Cole. It is funny though.

Here is the owl and Rat-lures.

-Dell

Very, very nice. Been looking at the post for a week and waiting to get back on to respond. NE milks rule. The whole post was great but I stopped a while on those beauts!

Thanks Joe, I know you always like the NA milks. Thanks for your comments, keeps me posting them knowing people like the posts.
-Dell

Here is another one for you Joe.

Can I have it. Can I-can I- Can I-. Well, that works for my daughter anyway. Can't blame a guy for trying. Awesome snake. Don't think I had seen that one before. My fav. so far.

Dell, you got any Crown Royal in the poolhouse? I'm trying to convince my wife I need to go on a fishing trip in the spring!

Great shots, great milks, and It looks like Great Times!
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Joe

Remarkable how much that Stillwater Co.MT,multistrata looks like my WC Russel Co.KS,gentilis from this year.

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"You look like a guy caught smugling reptiles in his pants" John McCain to David Letterman
Doug L

I don't know Doug, the head-cap and shape of the head look similar but the saddles don't match for me. And I don't know if you can see it in these photos, but this multistratas color is really different from any other animal in my collection. It's subtle for sure, but her saddles are a muted down terra-cotta, and her white back ground is really more creamy tan.

Here she is again.

Compare her to this adult Yellowstone co.

Or this Bighorn co. adult.

Like I said, it's subtle, but her red is washed out compared to other Pales, and I really see a difference compared to gentilis who tend to keep brighter reds in there saddles.

Any-who gotta go.
By the way, I always like to see your gentilis collection, keep posting.

-Dell

Awesome post Mr. Dell. You should have put a picture of us through the cloud of smoke that we generate in the pool house. It's like being in Scooby Doo's mystery machine.
-Ryan

p.s. Cole looks so cute in that coat......

How's things going with you??
Say, do you still have that pic of Cole jiggling around a brass pole? There might be some newbs here that haven't seen it before...
(So glad he has a sense of humor)
You've got some critters to show off don't you?
Jeff

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If Patrick Henry thought that taxation without representation was bad, he should see it with representation.

I remember some of the people in this post. Hope to see you again. We'll be in Kansas 2nd week of April this year. Happy Holidays

Tom,

How'd the Crotalus filming go? We've been discussing a trip as well. I'll be in touch when things are ironed out.

-Cole