Retirement........

Rich, I've never met you irl, but you have affected my life than most people I DO know irl! And I know I'm not alone in this regard. Thank you so much!!

Now it's time to do what you need to do so you and Connie can relax and have some much-deserved FUN!

Wow Rich! I am at a lose for words after reading your post and the entire thread to date. In fact, I am choked up and teary eyed. I, personally, have looked to you for guidance in the corn snake hobby. The thrills of hatching something "new" is so incredible. We will continue to share with CS.com all our new and exciting experiences. As well as the everyday ones. It has been your leadership and knowledge in this hobby that started Jay and I in the direction that PJC Reptiles has taken. We will never be as big or as exciting has you have been over the last 30 years. I hope you will continue your forums, because without them, where is this great community of fellow herpers to go? Kathy is right, there is never too many books on corn snakes. Yours would be up there with hers and Don's as well. Don't worry about that one. You have so much knowledge and experience to offer anyone interested in snakes right up to those looking to make this hobby a fulltime investment. A book written by you would be a great asset. I am going to miss you Rich, even though we have never met or spoken. I hope you do post more often and show us all those wonderful pictures and videos.

I want to wish you and Connie a wonderful retirement and new experiences in life as you both move on to your next stage in life! Enjoy everyday and I am happy for you both.

All the best for your future,
PJ

Why don't you come to our cornsnake meeting after dinner on Sat. night at the Expo (I know you are picky about your dinner and ours may not be to your taste, so I am suggesting after dinner). Part of our meeting could be kind of an "official" announcement of your impending retirement. Not sure if we can come up with a gold watch, lol! But maybe a Timex??

C'mon, everyone - convince Rich to come!

Well i hate to see you go rich, but from all the hard work you've been doing for the hobby over the past several years i think you deserve a break!

.. and hey, its a good excuse to buy more snakes from you again!

Good luck with your retirement, I hope everything goes smoothly!

Rich, I want to wish you the best in your retirement! You've done a lot for us and the hobby, and it's very much appreciated!

Just make sure you have enough ammo, or at least the components to make ammo.

Congrats on the impending retirement. I am sure that yall will do just fine. Once you are rid of all the animals, I recommend a camper and a trip to the great American West. Good luck this year.

And, I know I could not get rid of everything. How many will you keep and what will they be? The first ever lav mot? an old school plain ol amel?

Man, now you guys are getting ME all choked up....

Are you sure you are talking about the right guy? All I did was start breeding corns as a hobby, got too many to keep, and then started selling the stuff I don't want. That has been my philosophy all along. I was just selling off stuff that no longer fit in my plans, or weren't in my future plans. I guess it seems purely selfish now in retrospect. I never really cared about what people wanted to buy, I was just interested in what I wanted to produce purely for the fun and interest of it all. So how the heck did that turn into a business? A business based on selling the chaff while I kept all the wheat........ Who would ever have guessed. Especially from all the odd looks I've gotten over the years when strangers we would meet asked us what we did for a living...

As for the questions about whether I will be keeping something, no, I am not. It would be a little bit like being a little pregnant. Right now, Connie and I just want to have some freedom to get away without worrying about something that will need some care back home. You have no idea how many times lately we have been talking wistfully about just jumping in the car, and heading out........... No real destination, no time line, no reason to have to hurry back home. We have not had a vacation for longer than three days in about 18 years. So after the last animal has been shipped out of here, we're going to be making up for lost time. The main thing I'm worried about is whether or not we will be ABLE to relax after working so hard for so long. It's just about become a habit now, if not working hard right now, thinking that I should stop goofing off the last hour or so puttering on the websites and getting back to work.

Oh and about the get together at Expo, maybe.... Since this will most likely be my last Expo ever...... But don't bother with a gold watch. I will have no reason to wear one.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for the well wishes. It's kind of intimidating in a way to be cutting loose our source of income, but hopefully it will all work out. I've got some people contacting me about buying the business, so one way or the other, maybe I can make the nest egg big enough to take out some of the worry associated with this HUGE change.

Now if I can just get the animals sold and out of here before Murphy's Law launches that category 7 hurricane this way to wipe us off of the map.....

Rich, I'm proud to own three Serpenco Corns. They'll be breeding in the UK for the next few years and providing us with the strong bloodlines that you've spent all these years developing.

Thanks for all you've done for the hobby and the business, worldwide. I hope that you and Connie have many happy - and very well-earned - years of retirement. I look forward to "seeing" more of you on the message board!

I am proud to be contributing to your retirement fund, you Have done so much for the cornsnake community and yourself and Serpenco shall be missed!

PS, I will keep you updated on the progress and projects started from those gems I am just purchasing!

Rich, in the end, you do what you need to do. It is about your life, and your happiness. I know you will use your much needed free time wisely, and you will get to spend more time doing things you want to do. Hopefully this year will go fast for you! Congrats and good luck