Sea Otters and Hobo Jim

Tess had an interview yesterday afternoon with the US Fish & Wildlife Service. She'll be volunteering with them this summer in the Sea Otter Program of the Marine Mammal Management team. You can learn more about the program here: http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/seaotters/otters.htm.

She'll be doing a little traveling this summer as well. But the Sea Otter folks are willing to work with her availability. This will be a great opportunity for her to test the waters of the marine zoology arena. She's interested in pursuing something along those lines in college.

The Alaska office of the USFWS is the only one with marine mammal facilities. They deal not only with sea otters, but also with polar bears, walruses, whales, and seals. The sea otter is the only marine mammal without blubber. Their complex, dense, fur system is what keeps them warm and buoyant.

The Sea Otter program Tess will be working with is sort of an animal forensics lab. They're trying to figure out why so many otters are dying around Kachemak Bay and the Aleutians.

In other news, Stephen and I went out on a date last night to Eddie's Sports Bar in Anchorage to see Hobo Jim perform as well as the Ken Peltier Band. Hobo Jim sings a lot of songs about Alaska including a popular song about the Iditarod. We enjoyed the show a lot. Both performances were very good.

There was a good mix of Alaskans there to see the show. You had everyone from young folks prone to getting drunk and heckling the performers, to older patrons who enjoy hearing good music. At around 10pm, a couple in their late-70s showed up. The man reminded me of my dad, right down to the bushy eyebrows. When the Ken Peltier Band kicked into full swing, that couple went to town just tearing up the dance floor. They were swinging and twirling so that you were on the edge of your seat hoping they didn't miss a catch! It was great to watch.

Lots of folks got up to dance. Some knew what they were doing and others less so. But everyone seemed to have a great time. So that's what it's all about.

Hobo Jim plays all around Alaska during the summer season. So if you're coming to visit, you might try to catch his act. I know for a fact he's playing at the Alaska State Fair at the end of August.