Snakes and Stones

Photo #326
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_dfvi2p.jpg
BP: 66% Het Clown with some local Granite-y Stones.
A few years ago: I was experimenting with different types of granite in my area for a while to see which ones would tumble and polish nicely: not many.
Most of my rejects I have been leaving in a pile beside a secluded hiking trail in a local forest. The pile has been getting bigger over time.
I went to drop some off today and I was surprised to find that someone had collected all the stones in the pile and left a plastic tube with an enthusiastic thank-you note inside...Cool!
I like to think of them hiking 2 miles back to their car with 50lbs. of poorly polished granite on their back. Although I do suppose the stones would look nice in a walkway or something...:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

Photo #326
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_dfvi2p.jpg
BP: 66% Het Clown with some local Granite-y Stones.
A few years ago: I was experimenting with different types of granite in my area for a while to see which ones would tumble and polish nicely: not many.
Most of my rejects I have been leaving in a pile beside a secluded hiking trail in a local forest. The pile has been getting bigger over time.
I went to drop some off today and I was surprised to find that someone had collected all the stones in the pile and left a plastic tube with an enthusiastic thank-you note inside...Cool!
I like to think of them hiking 2 miles back to their car with 50lbs. of poorly polished granite on their back. Although I do suppose the stones would look nice in a walkway or something...:)

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They must really want those stones...sweet that they left a note. I guess they weren't as "ugly" as you thought? :cool: Your BP ain't too shabby either. :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

They must really want those stones...sweet that they left a note. I guess they weren't as "ugly" as you thought? :cool: Your BP ain't too shabby either. :gj:

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Thanks!
I'm just glad someone liked them enough to collect them, although New England doesn't have the best selection of rocks available...so pretty much anything unusual is a good thing...:)

Montana though...they have some nice Agate...
Photo 327A
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_pxsgov.jpg
The stone looks scratched up, but, most of those are inclusions-since Montana Agate is semi-translucent a camera flash lights everything up.

Photo #327B (Backlit)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_pigwp9.jpg
BP: Pastel/Mojave/Het Axanthic/Het Hypo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

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Photo #327B (Backlit)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_pigwp9.jpg
BP: Pastel/Mojave/Het Axanthic/Het Hypo

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That's a great look...& especially for the Halloween season.

Photo #328
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...zed_msyztl.jpg
Snowflake obsidian from Mexico with a 100% Het YB or Gravel BP.
The 'snowflakes' are actually silica sand that was melted into phenocryst patterns at high temperature.
In the realm of metaphysics this stone is said to have wide ranging properties (from anti-demonic to enhanced introspection).
In the realm of my physics: it looks nice. ;)

You're making me homesick for where I used to live in the Mojave desert. I had lots of snowflake obsidian in my yard there- the previous builder-owners were rock-hounds & even left piles of mostly unopened geodes. I actually had a 9'+ saguaro cactus too- they're not supposed to grow outside the Sonoran desert (AZ) but they had planted that one & it thrived in the high desert of So. California.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

You're making me homesick for where I used to live in the Mojave desert. I had lots of snowflake obsidian in my yard there- the previous builder-owners were rock-hounds & even left piles of mostly unopened geodes. I actually had a 9'+ saguaro cactus too- they're not supposed to grow outside the Sonoran desert (AZ) but they had planted that one & it thrived in the high desert of So. California.

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That is really cool!
With crazy inflation these days you could have sold those unopened geodes from some good scratch now...:)

The only type of stone I would actually miss in my area would be white milky quartz and pink chert, all the granite-y type stones in my region have 'character', but, I'm not particularly fond of them.
Photo #329
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_sk7zf2.jpg
BP: 66% Het Clown

In other news, my final ball python clutch (2023) in incubation has started hatching today 27OCT2023.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...023_bnpf9r.jpg
Many of my ball python females that did not lay eggs this season-have grown ridiculously large instead.
I'm getting a good workout now on cleaning days: Snake-Lifting ;)

Some photos from the 03NOV2023 New England Reptile Expo today:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...o-1_bxtblg.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...o-4_yagx31.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...o-5_jzqxbz.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-9a_zpgdsl.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...o-8_hqbnrv.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-9c_tdbz13.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-9b_idyt7i.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...o-N_yhjepy.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...o-M_pthmzr.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-9e_ahvum8.jpg
Banana Black Pastel Calico
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-9g_flyooo.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-9h_uqjvle.jpg
Fire Blade Grail
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-9i_cnoenb.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-9j_fsp1iv.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-9f_tp6ks0.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...o-K_xpax7e.jpg
So...........What did I buy? I got this pin for my gf (that is all): :)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...o-O_jn7qcz.jpg

Where's all the buyers? It looks awfully empty in there...:confusd: Thanks for sharing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Where's all the buyers? It looks awfully empty in there...:confusd: Thanks for sharing.

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Hahaha, no worries! The New England Reptile Expo is always packed with buyers. ~30 minutes after they start letting people in: it became wall-to-wall humans, and as such it was our time to leave. I snapped my photos before it crowded up.
My gf and I were among the first non-vendors to enter. We rush-in and make a quick scan of all the available critters. She was looking for high-red ornate frogs and I was looking for Axanthic ball python morphs for comparison.
I did not see any Axanthic ball python morphs and she did not find any Ornate Frogs...so...a bit of a disappointment...but, you never know when you will get lucky! :)
The Fire Blade Grail ball python IMO was the most spectacular ball python at the expo. The intense color of that one was beyond the capability of my camera and almost blurred my vision. I think the $6K price tag was fitting, it made Super OD Piebald hatchlings look drab in comparison...