Snakes and Stones

1) Yes, those fluorite spheres looked pretty cool as a group, but, if you examined  them individually they had some scratches and imperfections on the surface.  The colors were also rather dull.  I imagine they were purchased in bulk at a very good rate.  There is a chain store in my area called 'Village Silversmith' and they have top shelf AAA specimens at 'reasonable' prices...so I have a pretty harsh eye when I look at factory finished stones.


2) I did not buy any rocks.  The majority of the guys that were selling rocks (including the Labradorite and most of the Agates) were from Africa.  I understand that haggling is part of their culture, however, if you show me a piece of agate that is worth $5 to me, and then you tell me the price is $50...I don't have much room for negotiation.  I did try to haggle with one vendor and he ended up totally losing his mind: he wanted $500 for a 2lb. ocean jasper that he was claiming was a paleolithic tool-I offered him $20 for a nice rock to tumble.  I'm a bodybuilder with a 350g protein intake/day, but, this little guy still made a scene and got right in my face to scream insults at me in his native language (punctuated by f-bombs)...I was concerned that my gf might be intimidated, but, she laughed afterwards and said it was like watching a pomeranian bark in the face of a bull mastiff.  

Side Story: I also tried to haggle with another vendor who had a sculpture from Bali that I thought was neat.  He asked me what it was worth and I told him I could buy it in Denpasar (capital of Bali) for $100-so I was willing to pay $250.  He was completely stunned for a moment and then became enraged and shouted insults at me to leave and not come back.  Shortly thereafter I heard him tell another customer that he wanted $1500 for it, but, was willing to negotiate (yeah...).

Anyhow,

Photo #386

A rock that looks like granite, but, actually took a high polish.  The rough stone was collected from the Snake River in Idaho.
Ball python is a Spider/66% Het VPI Axanthic/66% Het Orange Ghost.

So.... I've never said hello to you so I'll start with that. HI!

Your snakes are crazy beautiful, some of them have absolutely precious little smiles. It' reminds me of when I took my kids to the zoo when they were little and my youngest said, "Mommy, the nice snake smiled at me!" (20 years ago)

Anyway - the eggs were really surprising! I've never been a real outdoorsy/animal person so I think eggs, I think supermarket - hard. Those looked like soft deflated balloons. Is it so that the mom can keep them warm that they are like that? Do they ever firm up?

I'm going to be honest, I came for the snakes and stones but stayed for the flea market photos. I've never been to a flea market - they are way more artsy than I imagined. I have to ask this, and please forgive me for doing so, but are there more photos you could share of that place? I know its an off topic and strange request - and I'm sorry to hijack - but I'm super curious about this wonderous market of fleas!

You may of course decline, without me getting hurt feelings. I'll still stick around for those cute smiling snakes.

More photos of their cute faces too please.

Thank you for this amazing post lordsorril, and a pleasure to meet you.

Greetings!  Thanks!

To answer your question:  Ball python egg shells are thin, but, they are almost as strong as leather of the same thickness.  They never firm up or solidify over time, they are always pliant and kinda squishy.  As the developing embryo grows the yolk is absorbed and they do get a bit spongier.
Side Story:  I tossed some empty ball python egg shells out in my yard last year to see what animals/insects/mold would do with them.  Aside from looking ugly from discoloration: even after a full year and the four seasons-they are still intact.

The Brimfield flea market is notorious for its high-end merchandise.  There are many videos on YouTube, Netflix, and other services that talk about some of the items that are on display at Brimfield over the years.  Most flea markets I visit are just average people with random yard sale junk thrown on a table, or items they found in a discarded storage locker they bought at auction.  I am more likely to find something reasonably priced at one of these 'normal' flea markets. 

I did see a YouTuber I recognized shooting a video when I was at Brimfield-I didn't say anything to him though...he buys a lot of toys and collectible stuff that I don't even look at.    

There is so much 'stuff', my photos are just things that caught my eye.

Here are a few more photos from Sep 2024, before I get back on topic:

Thank you for the great explanation and the extra market pictures I'll keep watching this thread for the nice snake smiles.

Photo #389

Ball python is a Het Piebald, in shed for photo.

Photo #391

I have been trying to polish this basalt for 2 years (shown *dry*).  I managed to get a decent shine without frosting the edges?-GTFO 
BP: Orange Ghost/100% Het VPI Axanthic

The last stone shown in the video below is the one I tumbled/polished above.

I am not religious, but, the Pagan Fair in Belmont NH 2024 looked like it would be interesting to visit.  The Fair is relatively new, and I just happened to see an advertisement while browsing ongoing events in New England.
You might wonder what sort of attendees showed up?  I did not see many, but, most of them looked fairly normal with the exception of tattoos, excessive amounts of jewelry, and some form of hair dye.
Everyone was very friendly, but, due to the low amount of patrons the vendors were very 'eager' to make a sale.
There was always someone playing an instrument or singing, some of them were quite good.

I found the entire experience to be enjoyable, but, the ragweed pollen was brutal....We had been hiking that morning at a low elevation, and then the Fairgrounds themselves were completely surrounded by the wind pollinating weed.

On the way back from the Pagan Fair my gf took a picture of me dragging a big snapping turtle off the highway and I looked like a swollen caricature of someone having an allergic reaction to a bee sting. 
36hrs and a pile of H1+H2 Blockers, and I look normal again, but, still feel like crap...Worth it though-No Regrets! 

























I wanted to buy the black dragon wreath below ($40).
I had the cash in hand, but, my gf did not approve (which took me by surprise).  I thought they were pretty cool...
The artist is AmberLee Smock.  You can find her artwork on Facebook: Brindled Dragon Creations


So, what did I buy?
I bought a finished Pink Tourmaline in Quartz Matrix Sphere, and a Purple Dragon Pin.
The woman who sold me the sphere was playing with a short wave UVB light on her Volcanic Agate.  Since she already had the light on-she held the sphere I was buying under it for fun.  It glowed fiercely red in broad daylight-and we were both very surprised.  She tested another pink tourmaline sphere that looked almost identical and nothing happened.  She mentioned off-hand as I paid her-that if she knew it was *that* UV reactive that she would have marked the price up (lol...).

Thanks!  It was amusing because one of the older 'witches' I ran into later was wearing the exact same purple dragon pendant on her hat.   I took it out of my pocket and showed her-she thought for a moment that she had dropped it, but, I had the exact same one...

Photo #393

This Botryoidal Chalcedony was pretty ugly to start....so I ran it through a bit of tumble/polish. 
I could have rounded it out completely, but, I wanted to retain some trace of its original formation/shape.
BP is a Het for Piebald.

Thanks!  It helps when the snake cooperates.  

Photo #394

Ball python is a 66% Het Clown/66% Het Lavender Albino.