Welcome

Welcome to The O-Files. First off-- a definition.

ophiophile: noun;1. Literally, a snake lover. 2. More commonly, one who demonstrates a deep interest in snakes and other reptiles to the point that he is regarded with suspicious pity/bemusement/fear by those who know him, close relatives and dear friends included.

By now you can probably figure out the derivation of the website name. There are a couple of other signifigances to it. Some of you understand; unfortunately, no further explanation is forthcoming.My intention is to use this website to detail my various herping activities, as well as include family news for relatives from time to time. At this point I believe another definition is in order.

herping: verb; 1. taking an outing for the purpose of locating, examining and perhaps even capturing the herptiles (reptiles and amphibians) of a given area. This often includes visiting public land or gaining permission from complete strangers to access their land and turn over rocks, logs, or human generated debris. Prone sheets of aluminum seem to be the most productive (In light of this I gladly cry, "Long live the red-neck!")

My hope is that I will foster an appreciation for these amazing animals and perhaps stumble on an unknown population of a particular species, or maybe even find a previously unknown species or subspecies. Or at least have lots of fun. I wish to express my thanks to MadMup for his assistance getting this web site set up. Special thanks as well to my brother-in-law Brian aka BigNick for his design of the logo that will eventually grace the top of this page. To the rest of you, thanks for stopping by and please ENJOY!