I put average...

Been into reptiles since the early years (it was a Copperhead bite that got me into it), since then it has been 42 years. Read Herbert S Zim's Reptile & Amphibian book from front to back too many times, carried it with me from 1966 (3rd grade) through High School, knew more about herps than my science teachers through school, caught all species of snakes, turtle, frog, lizard, salamander etc in the mid-atlantic area of the states and wanted to be a Herpetologist when I "grew up". I was the kid on your block who always had "the weird" animals in the house, the ones that bit you.

Now I am a project manager with a major auto maker.... but my passion stayed strong for animals and for the cold blooded. School always had bio, sciences, and environment classes available, I excelled in those, but life took a differant path, my generation was about getting a "real" job, making money, starting a family.

Always kept a hand in it however, which led me to become a Naturalist, a docent in our local conservancies and parks. This is my second career, my retirement, my give back to kids. I teach my 6 year old boy about the outdoors, he is quite the tracker . I will support his passion whatever it may be, because I learned that you should "do what you love". This I can give to him...

I say "average" though because though I am full of nature information on flora/fauna and especially herps, I have never gotten into breeding, morphs, hybrids, or had a "collection" as some of you have. I was more the outside environment type, sitting and watching the turtles sunning and their social interactions, watching a bullfrog watch me, sitting on a rock for hours viewing raptors.

I came to this site as a newbie "BP" owner who adopted a young BP, get a caresheet, some info and move on. I am a research hound, explored the site, found myself getting involved with others. The knowledge here is amazing. It is good to know, please don't take this wrong, take it as a compliment, that many here are younger and have "the passion".