Beth
New member
The title says it all. Our prayers are with all of you, and I wish you all the best.
Beth Wallbank
www.mountaingeckos.freeservers.com
Beth Wallbank
www.mountaingeckos.freeservers.com
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Responding to email notices you receive.
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In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.
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IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed
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Posted 08/15/2025
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Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.
Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."
Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....
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Addendum: 01/10/2026
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Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....
Our prayers are with those whom are in charleys way.....
- Thread starter Beth
- Start date
Sybella
Call me High Maintenance
- Joined
- May 20, 2003
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I don't understand, Beth. Was this supposed to be a good guy or a bad guy post and what were/are the circumstances?
Casey Hulse
New member
Hurricane Charley
I'd say he is a BAD fella.
I'd say he is a BAD fella.
coolhl7
Member
Daytona
has the Daytona Breeders convention been cancelled or is it taking place now?
N R Friedman
has the Daytona Breeders convention been cancelled or is it taking place now?
N R Friedman
jenn_jeffery
New member
another thread by ClassicDums says it's open, Jason talked to someone, and everyone is setting up later than planned from what I gather, but they are there. At least, the ones that were able to make it.
DarksideBoas
Member
Hurri Charley
It came and it went, minimal damage here on the coast...power out for about 5-7 hours...but the town is bouncing back quickly...
It came and it went, minimal damage here on the coast...power out for about 5-7 hours...but the town is bouncing back quickly...
SPJ
Well-known member
I finally got thru to my parents in Kissimmee on their cellphone since the phones and electricity are out where they live.
They had a tornado touch down as well as the hurricane.
Needless to say, they are flooded (large pond in the backyard), have smashed windows, and lost part of their roof.
They are OK but the house is damaged big time.
They had a tornado touch down as well as the hurricane.
Needless to say, they are flooded (large pond in the backyard), have smashed windows, and lost part of their roof.
They are OK but the house is damaged big time.
Sybella
Call me High Maintenance
- Joined
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- 938
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- Age
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I understand what confused me now. Since when has a natural disaster been named after a MAN?!?! They usually blame women for this! LOL!! Charly must be short for Charlotte.
I hope everyone is ok and all is well...please accept my condolences for any loses.
I hope everyone is ok and all is well...please accept my condolences for any loses.
INSANE CANES
Gun and snake traders.
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I have been here, Florida, all my life and have survived many many bad Canes that come through here.
So my heart goes out to all that have lost loved ones, houses, cars, pets and anything else. Lets hope that everyone can pick up, brush themselves off and rebuild.
God bless to you all and good luck.
So my heart goes out to all that have lost loved ones, houses, cars, pets and anything else. Lets hope that everyone can pick up, brush themselves off and rebuild.
God bless to you all and good luck.
geckosunlimited
Geckophile
Daytona
Just got back from the show. The hurricane did quite a bit of damage, but it did not stop the show. Charley ripped through Daytona Friday night, and many of us watched it from the hotel. It was amazing!!
Attendance was low at the show, but I think everyone was happy that there even was a show.
Good luck to all of the residents whose homes and businesses were damaged by the hurricane.
Just got back from the show. The hurricane did quite a bit of damage, but it did not stop the show. Charley ripped through Daytona Friday night, and many of us watched it from the hotel. It was amazing!!
Attendance was low at the show, but I think everyone was happy that there even was a show.
Good luck to all of the residents whose homes and businesses were damaged by the hurricane.
Well, I have to admit it was an *interesting* weekend!
We got to Daytona Beach on Friday morning and set up without any incidents or difficulties. The rain held off until later in the afternoon.
Connie and I were about dead since we got NO sleep at all before we left, so when setup was over with, we went to our motel room at Adams Mark, ate a sandwich, watched the weather channel for a few minutes to check on Charley, then fell asleep. We were awakened by the howling winds through the open glass door overlooking the Atlantic, I guess it was around 9pm or so, but not certain of the time.
Closing the glass door didn't do much about reducing the noise, and the force of the wind was rather impressive. It was forcing water underneath the glass door and when I put my hand on the glass, I could feel it actually bowing with the force. More amazing was that when I looked outside towards the ocean (we were on the 12th floor) I saw that there were some people actually running around outside, apparently having decided to get up close and personal with Charley. With the amount of flying debris being generated, I don't think that was the smartest thing I have ever seen people do.
I guess it was around 11pm or so when the storm hit it's peak, and by then I was getting worried that the wind was going to blow in the glass door. Visions of glass shrapnel going through my mind, I closed the drapes and Connie and I moved chairs into the bathroom area where it would be protected from that eventuality. Power had been flickering off and on for the last hour or so, but we didn't lose it permanently. The whole time we could feel the entire building rocking in the wind, which considering the size of the Adams Mark, gives an impressive idea of the force of the wind. The whole time I'm thinking, "Hmm, I'll bet this thing was built by the company who entered the cheapest building contract...."
But eventually the winds did die down and the world appeared to be returning to normal. The hotel's TV satellite dish apparently got knocked out of kilter from the storm as TV service was gone. I tried to dial out to get an internet connection, but none of the connections would last more than a minute or so. We had no idea what had happened elsewhere, and there was no way to easily find out.
Saturday morning seemed like a normal day, but looking out the window on the land side of the hotel we could see a house that had it's roof blown off. Lots of debris on the roads and some palm trees laying over. We later learned that we were one of the few hotels in the area that still had power and other utilities. Power seemed to be out most everywhere, and I was rather surprised to find that the Ocean Center (where the show was being held) still had power.
The show opened to the vendors a half hour late, but I don't think many of us were worried about it, as we didn't expect turnout to be very good at all. Matter of fact, most of us were thinking we should have just stayed in bed most of the day. But surprisingly there was a pretty good turnout on Saturday. Not your usual Expo, but still respectable.
Of course, everyone was talking about the storm. The Punta Gorda area and surrounding areas got hit HARD by the storm, and several of the vendors at the show were getting in reports from friends and neighbors. Steve Roylance got word that his reptile building had been completely demolished and all of his animals were on the loose throughout the neighborhood. Jim Keenan (Homegrown Herps) heard that he had a tree on top of his house. Of course power was out everywhere in the area. Some vendors packed up and headed home Saturday, while others left on Sunday. Everyone else, was thinking that but for the luck of the draw, that could have been them in those shoes instead.
Daytona Beach looked a but like a war zone, so I can't imagine what the west coast of Florida looked like where landfall of the full force of the storm looks like. Many restaurants were out of food because the power failure spoiled food in the freezers and refrigeration units. Stop lights were out everywhere and I am amazed that there weren't more accidents. Driving at night was downright dangerous, as you didn't know you were at an intersection with a dead traffic light until you were already in it.
On the way back home on Sunday night, we stopped in at a Publix several miles further north along route 95 to pick up some lunch meat for sandwiches and saw that all of the shelves with perishable goods were nearly bare. All of it had spoiled from the power outage and they had just gotten a truck load of fresh food after power was restored, but pickings were pretty slim. So I would imagine things are pretty grim down in southwest Florida right now. It may be quite a while before power is restored. Jim Keenan had been trying to find a portable generator before heading back to his home and was not successful. We offered him one of ours if he has no luck finding one, so we may be running down to meet him if he doesn't turn one up otherwise.
Anyway, for all of you who have not had the experience of going through a hurricane, it is not something to think of as trivial. We have had some close misses here in Tallahassee since we moved here, but this was the first time we had actually been on the receiving end of one. The storm when it hit Daytona Beach was mild compared to what hit Punta Gorda, and yet caused quite a bit of damage. In the past I had thought that even if a category 5 hurricane was heading towards Tallahassee, I would stay here to fight it out. But now I'm not so sure about that. A storm of that power would probably just scrape the place right off of the map, and there wouldn't be a darn thing I could do about it staying here.
Anyway, some people we know directly have suffered some substantial and painful losses from Charley. I don't know what we all can do to help, but if we can, we should try. It is a haunting experience to see the faces of people talking to you knowing they may have just lost their dreams....
We got to Daytona Beach on Friday morning and set up without any incidents or difficulties. The rain held off until later in the afternoon.
Connie and I were about dead since we got NO sleep at all before we left, so when setup was over with, we went to our motel room at Adams Mark, ate a sandwich, watched the weather channel for a few minutes to check on Charley, then fell asleep. We were awakened by the howling winds through the open glass door overlooking the Atlantic, I guess it was around 9pm or so, but not certain of the time.
Closing the glass door didn't do much about reducing the noise, and the force of the wind was rather impressive. It was forcing water underneath the glass door and when I put my hand on the glass, I could feel it actually bowing with the force. More amazing was that when I looked outside towards the ocean (we were on the 12th floor) I saw that there were some people actually running around outside, apparently having decided to get up close and personal with Charley. With the amount of flying debris being generated, I don't think that was the smartest thing I have ever seen people do.
I guess it was around 11pm or so when the storm hit it's peak, and by then I was getting worried that the wind was going to blow in the glass door. Visions of glass shrapnel going through my mind, I closed the drapes and Connie and I moved chairs into the bathroom area where it would be protected from that eventuality. Power had been flickering off and on for the last hour or so, but we didn't lose it permanently. The whole time we could feel the entire building rocking in the wind, which considering the size of the Adams Mark, gives an impressive idea of the force of the wind. The whole time I'm thinking, "Hmm, I'll bet this thing was built by the company who entered the cheapest building contract...."
But eventually the winds did die down and the world appeared to be returning to normal. The hotel's TV satellite dish apparently got knocked out of kilter from the storm as TV service was gone. I tried to dial out to get an internet connection, but none of the connections would last more than a minute or so. We had no idea what had happened elsewhere, and there was no way to easily find out.
Saturday morning seemed like a normal day, but looking out the window on the land side of the hotel we could see a house that had it's roof blown off. Lots of debris on the roads and some palm trees laying over. We later learned that we were one of the few hotels in the area that still had power and other utilities. Power seemed to be out most everywhere, and I was rather surprised to find that the Ocean Center (where the show was being held) still had power.
The show opened to the vendors a half hour late, but I don't think many of us were worried about it, as we didn't expect turnout to be very good at all. Matter of fact, most of us were thinking we should have just stayed in bed most of the day. But surprisingly there was a pretty good turnout on Saturday. Not your usual Expo, but still respectable.
Of course, everyone was talking about the storm. The Punta Gorda area and surrounding areas got hit HARD by the storm, and several of the vendors at the show were getting in reports from friends and neighbors. Steve Roylance got word that his reptile building had been completely demolished and all of his animals were on the loose throughout the neighborhood. Jim Keenan (Homegrown Herps) heard that he had a tree on top of his house. Of course power was out everywhere in the area. Some vendors packed up and headed home Saturday, while others left on Sunday. Everyone else, was thinking that but for the luck of the draw, that could have been them in those shoes instead.
Daytona Beach looked a but like a war zone, so I can't imagine what the west coast of Florida looked like where landfall of the full force of the storm looks like. Many restaurants were out of food because the power failure spoiled food in the freezers and refrigeration units. Stop lights were out everywhere and I am amazed that there weren't more accidents. Driving at night was downright dangerous, as you didn't know you were at an intersection with a dead traffic light until you were already in it.
On the way back home on Sunday night, we stopped in at a Publix several miles further north along route 95 to pick up some lunch meat for sandwiches and saw that all of the shelves with perishable goods were nearly bare. All of it had spoiled from the power outage and they had just gotten a truck load of fresh food after power was restored, but pickings were pretty slim. So I would imagine things are pretty grim down in southwest Florida right now. It may be quite a while before power is restored. Jim Keenan had been trying to find a portable generator before heading back to his home and was not successful. We offered him one of ours if he has no luck finding one, so we may be running down to meet him if he doesn't turn one up otherwise.
Anyway, for all of you who have not had the experience of going through a hurricane, it is not something to think of as trivial. We have had some close misses here in Tallahassee since we moved here, but this was the first time we had actually been on the receiving end of one. The storm when it hit Daytona Beach was mild compared to what hit Punta Gorda, and yet caused quite a bit of damage. In the past I had thought that even if a category 5 hurricane was heading towards Tallahassee, I would stay here to fight it out. But now I'm not so sure about that. A storm of that power would probably just scrape the place right off of the map, and there wouldn't be a darn thing I could do about it staying here.
Anyway, some people we know directly have suffered some substantial and painful losses from Charley. I don't know what we all can do to help, but if we can, we should try. It is a haunting experience to see the faces of people talking to you knowing they may have just lost their dreams....
Vince
New member
it was pretty bad here on the gulf coast, we were lucky to have our power back quick but other parts of town still have no power today, alot of uprooted trees and snaped power poles, but on the good side of things very few if any injurys in this part of town. the local supermarkets are makeing it very easy for everyone to get water ice and food. its been in the high 90s, and with the AC alot of people are on edge, but everything has been calm and clean up in going very quickly.
KNOBTAIL
LORD OF THE FLIES
JUST, one other note,
I think many of the vendors did exceptionally well on Sat. Thank goodness we had light and the air was working in the center. But die-hard herpers were their, and they were undaunted by the weather. They were their to buy and they did. So between Fridays sales between vendors, and Sat. buyers, it was in my estimate a good show. My only complaint pertained to the delay in fixing the traffic lights. It was a nightmare trying to get out of Daytona bch when the lights were blank! Even more amazing were that the cops were sitting in their police cars and were NOT directing traffic. You basically traveled at your own risk through intersections. They did not want to get themselves wet! Even though the hurricane had passed us by Sun, it was raining for most of the day. The worst was trying to get gas. Most of the stations were powerless. I was smart, I filled up once I arrived in Daytona, but others were not so fortunate. Also the Adams Mark hotel would not allow anyone who was not a paying guest to eat in the restaurant. No other food operations were open! Other than that, it was an interesting experience. JERRY
I think many of the vendors did exceptionally well on Sat. Thank goodness we had light and the air was working in the center. But die-hard herpers were their, and they were undaunted by the weather. They were their to buy and they did. So between Fridays sales between vendors, and Sat. buyers, it was in my estimate a good show. My only complaint pertained to the delay in fixing the traffic lights. It was a nightmare trying to get out of Daytona bch when the lights were blank! Even more amazing were that the cops were sitting in their police cars and were NOT directing traffic. You basically traveled at your own risk through intersections. They did not want to get themselves wet! Even though the hurricane had passed us by Sun, it was raining for most of the day. The worst was trying to get gas. Most of the stations were powerless. I was smart, I filled up once I arrived in Daytona, but others were not so fortunate. Also the Adams Mark hotel would not allow anyone who was not a paying guest to eat in the restaurant. No other food operations were open! Other than that, it was an interesting experience. JERRY
grvdigr
New member
Hurricane Charley
Normally the Daytona show is something Anna and I look forward to every year. We were so excited about the show this year because we had so much fun in 2003. Unfortunately Charley had different plans. When we left on Thursday for Daytona they were still projecting Charley to hit the Tampa area first. We were concerned, but Charlotte County’s track record with Hurricanes was pretty good at the time. Friday morning the reports began to change, they now started evacuating Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. My Ex-wife evacuated with my daughter (Brandi) around 8am and she would contact me when they reached a safe place. My Dad was home alone but my neighbor made sure he was safe. Friday during set up was like waiting for a bomb to drop on top of your head. Everyone from Charlotte County kept their cell phones close to hear any news. Then late afternoon the phones began to ring the hurricane went from a two as expected but quickly climbed to a four. I think we all collectively held our breaths’ waiting for it to pass. After a few hours the phones rang again, it all seemed to be bad news. Some were luckier than others. Going home did not seem like an option since our way home was the way Charley was traveling. When we went back to the hotel I frantically tried to find out word of my daughter, I had spoken to my Dad and knew he was all right. Around 11:00pm we were able to reach my daughter’s grandmother in Georgia and she said that she had heard from them and they were safe. I finally got to talk to Brandi around 11:30pm. Hearing her voice is a lot better than someone just telling you she is OK. Needless to say I did not get a wink of sleep since Charley decided to visit us in Daytona as well. We lost power in the hotel and the wind and rain was intense. You could hear trees behind the hotel snapping in half. We knew that if the Category 1 was this bad; things were really bad back home.
Saturday the mood at the show was gloomy at best, everyone from our area traded the horror stories of what they heard about their homes. Some friends from North Port came up to the show and they tried to explain what devastation was in our town. The majority of vendors from our area left on Saturday afternoon to assess their damages. We decided to stay through Sunday, we wanted to pick up as much supplies in Daytona as we could and we knew getting back home on Saturday would be unbearable. We also wanted to bring back as much cash as possible with us, not knowing what the bank situation would be. You could see the crowd was not near what it normally is. We constantly debated whether we should leave Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon. We opted to leave Sunday afternoon, my uncle in Ocala was going to try to get us a generator and we would pick it up on the way home.
Walking into the show on Sunday and seeing all the empty tables of those who never made it or left early left a pit in your stomach. We tried to be pleasant to those patrons who showed up but Charley was all anyone could talk about. A lot of patrons and vendors came by to make sure we were OK and to see how bad our situation was. I guess once the word got out that we needed cash to bring back home and that we were going to try and wholesale as much as we could. Vendors and wholesalers who really didn’t need any more animals came by and bought from me anyway. I’d like to thank those vendors for not taking advantage of the situation. Unfortunately there were one or two who did take advantage I will not mention names, but they know who they are and they have to live with the knowledge of what goes around comes around. My uncle was unable to get the generator for us. But, Rich and Connie from Serpenco offered their generator up if we couldn’t find one. As it turned out we didn’t need it, but to know it was there if we did was quite a load of my mind. Thank you both. Another person I must thank is Deon from Ben Siegel Reptiles. Deon’s nephew is the Manager at the Home Depot in Port Charlotte. Deon contacted his nephew Don and asked him to put aside a generator for us to pick up that evening when we got back into town. When we finally did make it back and made our way to Home Depot, they were closed but Don sat there and waited until we showed up, we actually got two because we knew Steve Roylance was not able to get one. Deon and Don we definitely owe you one. Because I had a generator I was able to have my daughter home with me that night.
Fortunately for us, none of our animals were in our home at the time of the hurricane. The room they used to be in was totally destroyed. But, where they currently are was not touched. We have extensive water damage and our house will most likely need to be gutted. It will be a long time before things resemble normal but I just wanted to thank everyone who supported us through this ordeal.
Thank you,
Jim Keenan
Anna Strate
Normally the Daytona show is something Anna and I look forward to every year. We were so excited about the show this year because we had so much fun in 2003. Unfortunately Charley had different plans. When we left on Thursday for Daytona they were still projecting Charley to hit the Tampa area first. We were concerned, but Charlotte County’s track record with Hurricanes was pretty good at the time. Friday morning the reports began to change, they now started evacuating Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. My Ex-wife evacuated with my daughter (Brandi) around 8am and she would contact me when they reached a safe place. My Dad was home alone but my neighbor made sure he was safe. Friday during set up was like waiting for a bomb to drop on top of your head. Everyone from Charlotte County kept their cell phones close to hear any news. Then late afternoon the phones began to ring the hurricane went from a two as expected but quickly climbed to a four. I think we all collectively held our breaths’ waiting for it to pass. After a few hours the phones rang again, it all seemed to be bad news. Some were luckier than others. Going home did not seem like an option since our way home was the way Charley was traveling. When we went back to the hotel I frantically tried to find out word of my daughter, I had spoken to my Dad and knew he was all right. Around 11:00pm we were able to reach my daughter’s grandmother in Georgia and she said that she had heard from them and they were safe. I finally got to talk to Brandi around 11:30pm. Hearing her voice is a lot better than someone just telling you she is OK. Needless to say I did not get a wink of sleep since Charley decided to visit us in Daytona as well. We lost power in the hotel and the wind and rain was intense. You could hear trees behind the hotel snapping in half. We knew that if the Category 1 was this bad; things were really bad back home.
Saturday the mood at the show was gloomy at best, everyone from our area traded the horror stories of what they heard about their homes. Some friends from North Port came up to the show and they tried to explain what devastation was in our town. The majority of vendors from our area left on Saturday afternoon to assess their damages. We decided to stay through Sunday, we wanted to pick up as much supplies in Daytona as we could and we knew getting back home on Saturday would be unbearable. We also wanted to bring back as much cash as possible with us, not knowing what the bank situation would be. You could see the crowd was not near what it normally is. We constantly debated whether we should leave Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon. We opted to leave Sunday afternoon, my uncle in Ocala was going to try to get us a generator and we would pick it up on the way home.
Walking into the show on Sunday and seeing all the empty tables of those who never made it or left early left a pit in your stomach. We tried to be pleasant to those patrons who showed up but Charley was all anyone could talk about. A lot of patrons and vendors came by to make sure we were OK and to see how bad our situation was. I guess once the word got out that we needed cash to bring back home and that we were going to try and wholesale as much as we could. Vendors and wholesalers who really didn’t need any more animals came by and bought from me anyway. I’d like to thank those vendors for not taking advantage of the situation. Unfortunately there were one or two who did take advantage I will not mention names, but they know who they are and they have to live with the knowledge of what goes around comes around. My uncle was unable to get the generator for us. But, Rich and Connie from Serpenco offered their generator up if we couldn’t find one. As it turned out we didn’t need it, but to know it was there if we did was quite a load of my mind. Thank you both. Another person I must thank is Deon from Ben Siegel Reptiles. Deon’s nephew is the Manager at the Home Depot in Port Charlotte. Deon contacted his nephew Don and asked him to put aside a generator for us to pick up that evening when we got back into town. When we finally did make it back and made our way to Home Depot, they were closed but Don sat there and waited until we showed up, we actually got two because we knew Steve Roylance was not able to get one. Deon and Don we definitely owe you one. Because I had a generator I was able to have my daughter home with me that night.
Fortunately for us, none of our animals were in our home at the time of the hurricane. The room they used to be in was totally destroyed. But, where they currently are was not touched. We have extensive water damage and our house will most likely need to be gutted. It will be a long time before things resemble normal but I just wanted to thank everyone who supported us through this ordeal.
Thank you,
Jim Keenan
Anna Strate
Beth
New member
WOW!! Reading all of your posts from those whom have been affected by Charley, it is absolutely amazing to me how you pick yourselves up, brush yourselves off, and start over again. Looking at the pictures and reading your posts, I am shocked at the devastation you have experienced, but you still carry on. My warmest wishes are with all of you, and hope that each and everyone of you that have been affected bounce back and are safe. I wish there were more that I could do, but hard to do from the other side of North America. Bless you all.....