Bill had told me that he wanted to open the Serpentarium on Christmas day. Considering that we were married in late July (1947), that gave us about five months. There was so much to be done, but we did not falter. Bill, Bill Jr., and I worked diligently every single day only to be met with new obstacles to overcome on the following morning. The property was located off of highway 1 and our progress could be charted by the passers by. At first cars flew past, as construction continued, curiosity peaked and cars began to slow down. Soon enough, however, those speeding cars slowed to a stop right in our driveway. The rest is history, the Miami Serpentarium became part of Florida’s booming tourist industry. A true Florida landmark.