tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17002273492484119592024-02-07T03:27:51.919-08:00Jules & GemsInstagram: julieahodginJulie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700227349248411959.post-91128952767595545122015-09-08T06:30:00.000-07:002015-09-08T06:30:07.007-07:00Seward Stompin' Grounds<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the benefits of living in Alaska for the summer is all of the ground you get to stomp while here. There are tons of things to do all over Alaska, and fortunate enough for me, most of them lie in Seward. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My friends and I have taken advantage of all of the wonderful things Seward has to offer, and all of the Alaska SeaLife Center discounts we receive for being employees! Bonus!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We have gone on cruises around Resurrection Bay & beyond...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/11392866_10206951018358442_1502700906115078672_n.jpg?oh=48896d87767d898aabcebf50a933b00e&oe=56580553" width="400" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/11425451_10207097375617282_103829651405240136_n.jpg?oh=6fa832a833158de82b56cf5285f54e85&oe=56225E8A" width="223" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We have gone ziplining into the abyss & repelled down trees... </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/988548_10207154879454842_7922609218634095432_n.jpg?oh=c46bbddec2e43c9eae63ce75f56f4694&oe=565BF81D" width="400" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In June, I had a wonderful visit from my mom in North Carolina. We got to go on an Ididarod dogsled ride, and snuggle with their puppies, too!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11143415_10207172010643111_3936701115988335529_n.jpg?oh=4cfe761331c162ee82ce013ebc04ebb6&oe=5627F9C8" width="225" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/11667506_10207172001402880_6442629903792128751_n.jpg?oh=96ee0b3e6fef21b8e2cd8c2686a6ee3a&oe=565CA8D4" width="225" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11039848_10207172011283127_3622599751787979376_n.jpg?oh=512f8cc2eb2cb6c5ba5395d6c7de0048&oe=5612C821" width="300" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The following day, we visited Exit Glacier. As we approached it, there were signs that had a date of when Exit Glacier reached that far. It was incredibly disheartening to see how much it had retreated, but I'm glad we got to visit it before it melts any more. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieayqefATsAsfAOv5krEPI3-A2XwAh1Q3LLJ-o_vSPkqF-lC5Iy2570PrYfIgwRrvbrKjGPKkBoP5hGnMurBNsMAK2HIEfJ5ezS91nnMZ3cFtZyyrlZQsiQkUV35Ncd1N9o4iuo-ItiUs/s1600/IMG_3042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieayqefATsAsfAOv5krEPI3-A2XwAh1Q3LLJ-o_vSPkqF-lC5Iy2570PrYfIgwRrvbrKjGPKkBoP5hGnMurBNsMAK2HIEfJ5ezS91nnMZ3cFtZyyrlZQsiQkUV35Ncd1N9o4iuo-ItiUs/s400/IMG_3042.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VRxdguichEf36o0MT_0pxQrwgPQc4D3uPzXIEXVucYtDzLiGxtlO2DKVMJ8azvha9MjzGetCTihnsNy_GRBSpfAEq2IqE1atxx2mwxBhgF2-CC_gSkqzHaPe2zLbLUcOxIkju265QPU/s1600/IMG_3044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VRxdguichEf36o0MT_0pxQrwgPQc4D3uPzXIEXVucYtDzLiGxtlO2DKVMJ8azvha9MjzGetCTihnsNy_GRBSpfAEq2IqE1atxx2mwxBhgF2-CC_gSkqzHaPe2zLbLUcOxIkju265QPU/s400/IMG_3044.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course, nothing compared to the amazing hikes in the area!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jChvOWQliNMbWdJJ4fCEzXRrr4jhsPwKvSihLJ5oB6hfPyuNxWc38xdV1E_99rzaih6YMhkFOjLDA5Rwt16Yrkx4u6pNsmy4iYQKo4ybm5dJTyiByu-nZbgd92mV6kwdy-VSvGfqSd8/s1600/IMG_3076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jChvOWQliNMbWdJJ4fCEzXRrr4jhsPwKvSihLJ5oB6hfPyuNxWc38xdV1E_99rzaih6YMhkFOjLDA5Rwt16Yrkx4u6pNsmy4iYQKo4ybm5dJTyiByu-nZbgd92mV6kwdy-VSvGfqSd8/s400/IMG_3076.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bgEOefgqyNpqo10wfp9W8gWVVHVfsaMjGr1Vqq2UyRImSPPqMp9Ok7xa0081xA5iRnGomArLXt3i_JBw30N6olLte3YmkVcUc7AfW2kV5o96xbp752r64D4-r-Wp0BdwtxnN9nazp3E/s1600/IMG_3078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bgEOefgqyNpqo10wfp9W8gWVVHVfsaMjGr1Vqq2UyRImSPPqMp9Ok7xa0081xA5iRnGomArLXt3i_JBw30N6olLte3YmkVcUc7AfW2kV5o96xbp752r64D4-r-Wp0BdwtxnN9nazp3E/s400/IMG_3078.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But honestly, how can you compete with the natural beauty that was just 2 blocks from my apartment in Seward?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh33HyNnEk-Q9JRHuPnnX3XaKojTH_CHDWSn6vPr3nMivEfKAtfnOX8rTLXPznwoyfLRYr6wo0iYmL7iy9R5O8kiWFoxP9L4EUHpzR013XpAKjl0Y9RIqK5YCJi3ie0-4ZWFUsv_02yCY/s1600/IMG_3138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh33HyNnEk-Q9JRHuPnnX3XaKojTH_CHDWSn6vPr3nMivEfKAtfnOX8rTLXPznwoyfLRYr6wo0iYmL7iy9R5O8kiWFoxP9L4EUHpzR013XpAKjl0Y9RIqK5YCJi3ie0-4ZWFUsv_02yCY/s400/IMG_3138.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some friends and I camped out by Resurrection Bay one night, and this is the darkest it got all night! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwY6oWtiAuF7_sNYKllWbMpjgguKVOz7k0urdTtuj-fykWe7j_j89u_3UhNytDiozGmANl-FPsIabYl-1hHbODd1OqkouaZ7WwgLB-mrmIFS2etAdma4KwqZP6weeQsOF4SC1XQC0up0/s1600/IMG_3247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwY6oWtiAuF7_sNYKllWbMpjgguKVOz7k0urdTtuj-fykWe7j_j89u_3UhNytDiozGmANl-FPsIabYl-1hHbODd1OqkouaZ7WwgLB-mrmIFS2etAdma4KwqZP6weeQsOF4SC1XQC0up0/s640/IMG_3247.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Truly amazing time spent in Seward. There are so many more opportunities available there that I didn't even have enough time for! I look forward to going back and exploring more of Alaska!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">xoxo,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Jules</span></div>
Julie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700227349248411959.post-22374468140063848262015-09-07T19:50:00.002-07:002015-09-07T20:05:16.641-07:00Hike to the Harding Ice Field<div style="text-align: center;">
2,800 feet above sea level, lies one of the most incredible works of God I have ever experienced: the Harding Ice Field. Stretching out to the size of Rhode Island, the Harding Ice Field is a sheet of ice that feeds all of the glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/photogallery/akr/park/kefj/5C637931-1DD8-B71C-071E6AB09E027255/5C637931-1DD8-B71C-071E6AB09E027255.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo credit: <a href="http://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/photogallery/akr/park/kefj/5C637931-1DD8-B71C-071E6AB09E027255/5C637931-1DD8-B71C-071E6AB09E027255.jpg">National Park Service</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This hike is no joke. I knew I was in for a challenging day when I neared the trailhead to the ice field, and several park rangers wished us good luck. We took our time climbing, and I'm glad we did- the views were fantastic the entire time!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrbnll9mKfkXlJ9HgvjJErZ-QfQo5Vs2PaCPs7MfW8ahdnqob2E2X21ksKzchFahYzXIyN7d4GGPYJJCbGOCHGC5gu5X_qdEiTjrmwpeB61WYGUfLMk1bqJB6dSU04VQvVau0dqCtiuw/s1600/11215814_10207365672204529_2925416475730728046_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrbnll9mKfkXlJ9HgvjJErZ-QfQo5Vs2PaCPs7MfW8ahdnqob2E2X21ksKzchFahYzXIyN7d4GGPYJJCbGOCHGC5gu5X_qdEiTjrmwpeB61WYGUfLMk1bqJB6dSU04VQvVau0dqCtiuw/s320/11215814_10207365672204529_2925416475730728046_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdi5upzcO3x4u53HSgXbSzVv3L0PRTwCJ79xbMJ-u6qjcek6NRUZp3HOltVWy2a4mBTDKOQ-K4xgNJs_mL6I36q6O-Yi-IQKqjyBVbf27qFcyP20rUCEkvIL2NEIq3fR-v51Ed8AzyoQ/s1600/11755268_10207365709285456_8520250239482878336_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdi5upzcO3x4u53HSgXbSzVv3L0PRTwCJ79xbMJ-u6qjcek6NRUZp3HOltVWy2a4mBTDKOQ-K4xgNJs_mL6I36q6O-Yi-IQKqjyBVbf27qFcyP20rUCEkvIL2NEIq3fR-v51Ed8AzyoQ/s200/11755268_10207365709285456_8520250239482878336_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiox63wicaWfdV2Xeif6w-sDN2mWR_RSxvfFbMdyqZ5TcSMG1mSWNjAGN4bIXkC2iXjgmOYQ8FHHsNAi05Fof80kpCsBpaeQ5q8DmgSS9noNg1o2qTTto5p9Oojb2vDrKZHLRwjKEorMTA/s1600/11218853_10207365683124802_8534225078159433690_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiox63wicaWfdV2Xeif6w-sDN2mWR_RSxvfFbMdyqZ5TcSMG1mSWNjAGN4bIXkC2iXjgmOYQ8FHHsNAi05Fof80kpCsBpaeQ5q8DmgSS9noNg1o2qTTto5p9Oojb2vDrKZHLRwjKEorMTA/s400/11218853_10207365683124802_8534225078159433690_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpstfoFA4jt8-gJV1MD065t86jRsYqtPv5b4mM4YVVppD8u3bwce7tXviOVA-w3KyhcoujMeolsF-k-NKXew0Ig3jsywEOX57pulukjf7-LlQU1qMSDOEwMEH0ZtgHh_hkAA3GDlk7xO0/s1600/11694931_10207365681924772_2637505861188407731_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpstfoFA4jt8-gJV1MD065t86jRsYqtPv5b4mM4YVVppD8u3bwce7tXviOVA-w3KyhcoujMeolsF-k-NKXew0Ig3jsywEOX57pulukjf7-LlQU1qMSDOEwMEH0ZtgHh_hkAA3GDlk7xO0/s400/11694931_10207365681924772_2637505861188407731_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyZefpVcIc9mVkoHq1w0y96ih2rXOF8wLKEsG5_Uj3yuG8ErBUb4uTK5QpRLhI6UFz6akn8NmwR5OM67TeHyh_DJEFpby08pOOsQRGpxM8RygAqKFfjCcyAfwddGad40XNqbEHuS3tks/s1600/11752397_10206457760258444_6579899779880167715_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyZefpVcIc9mVkoHq1w0y96ih2rXOF8wLKEsG5_Uj3yuG8ErBUb4uTK5QpRLhI6UFz6akn8NmwR5OM67TeHyh_DJEFpby08pOOsQRGpxM8RygAqKFfjCcyAfwddGad40XNqbEHuS3tks/s400/11752397_10206457760258444_6579899779880167715_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cGbjJwaRkCQ7R-Q5gF5uXqHR8R01akhnf_2kHg4daaJF5F45LKiPpyhg6vElEl1I4o-CHWIKrF5iAMqqoQXOYCPH4Vrij1ZCcCbFYmcfsN9FqH5nlm_0qTu8tEy5SfvN9X0gWfOCBOY/s1600/11796242_10206457765978587_6760274663848896324_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cGbjJwaRkCQ7R-Q5gF5uXqHR8R01akhnf_2kHg4daaJF5F45LKiPpyhg6vElEl1I4o-CHWIKrF5iAMqqoQXOYCPH4Vrij1ZCcCbFYmcfsN9FqH5nlm_0qTu8tEy5SfvN9X0gWfOCBOY/s400/11796242_10206457765978587_6760274663848896324_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It took us so long to get to the top, but WOW, was it worth it!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJI2c9u1V__-glM4WBfbDsnbxFyprD2wzL7Vy6eiWwnE6cvjzD3de8oOfyvvLXtmifMOWYd2_zAdr5cP7IXkvTkMl8pwkhyphenhyphenb1ynQqJM3ugEpAoaNEecgJSi2YszWExCg1zd8i8eyEwLE/s1600/11011526_10206457772658754_3181635282623992290_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJI2c9u1V__-glM4WBfbDsnbxFyprD2wzL7Vy6eiWwnE6cvjzD3de8oOfyvvLXtmifMOWYd2_zAdr5cP7IXkvTkMl8pwkhyphenhyphenb1ynQqJM3ugEpAoaNEecgJSi2YszWExCg1zd8i8eyEwLE/s400/11011526_10206457772658754_3181635282623992290_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyS2Xrutkc7g-12XePbZIYd2hszocBHcFUcmcvjTAk-nP6oScZy-nxmW4zMt8t0TmNmtZm18G_RS78D0fQonwUblGfcr232vEOqV4iuoTGfzidpPiFFZQY4jdS15q1XB9ns008OuBAZd4/s1600/11800145_10206457767018613_6128563226902290801_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyS2Xrutkc7g-12XePbZIYd2hszocBHcFUcmcvjTAk-nP6oScZy-nxmW4zMt8t0TmNmtZm18G_RS78D0fQonwUblGfcr232vEOqV4iuoTGfzidpPiFFZQY4jdS15q1XB9ns008OuBAZd4/s400/11800145_10206457767018613_6128563226902290801_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
All smiles for making it to the top!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97ACcpsBwY8X6YQ68tuIS0pQ-kXVmGHGqkW-eebn92turR63zGdyfBR-ZKO4pUzxR74oGMeptEK7HXAIv8WIuHHCDWMAbkl6GSF72k5eNXpjyY8BPfZg2fdkOY-VXUqW0xfXSlfDUcks/s1600/11836752_10153562231009182_3306358175946957705_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97ACcpsBwY8X6YQ68tuIS0pQ-kXVmGHGqkW-eebn92turR63zGdyfBR-ZKO4pUzxR74oGMeptEK7HXAIv8WIuHHCDWMAbkl6GSF72k5eNXpjyY8BPfZg2fdkOY-VXUqW0xfXSlfDUcks/s400/11836752_10153562231009182_3306358175946957705_n.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It was amazing to take in the sheer size of this amazing work of God!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Psalm 18:33</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">xoxo,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jules</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Julie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700227349248411959.post-1575392108880652082015-06-16T14:13:00.004-07:002015-06-16T14:13:44.854-07:00Back to Rehab<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That's right, everyone! I'm officially done cross training, (which has been such a wonderful experience) and I am permanently back in the ASLC Stranding Department for the remainder of the summer. I could not be happier with the rehab department. Everyone is wonderful, and it is such a perfect fit for me.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The unique part of working in a rehabilitation department, is that you never know what your day will consist of. The health of the animals in your care is much less certain than the animals under permanent care of a facility. You also could get a new animal in your care... which is what happened to me a few weeks ago.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I was working in the aquatics department, I got a call from my supervisor asking me to go to Anchorage (about 3 hours away) with her to pick up a stranded harbor seal pup. This particular pup was stranded in Cordova, and some kind fishermen put it on a flight to Anchorage. That's right, this seal pup rode in an Alaskan Airlines flight, and we picked him up at the back of the airport. It was probably one of the weirdest things I have ever done. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We pulled over on the side of the road several times to check his temperature, and get him started on tube feeding fluids. We met the veterinarian at the Alaska SeaLife Center, where we did a full physical assessment. She explained that she was looking for eye rings, which were an indicator of good hydration. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmIabb8ilAIRpW00pqJlIN20Ak3VrXtT1Cm22igq9iDX3pQZ0rgi2ZrET4II8H7gGQ66Ti27D_5-TZPiHkdnyUFsInvGiQ3u3mu004vOHIDe2vMd8DGeiuSL0ZxUqgIz9kBsrEZ79eUw/s1600/17709_10152868552711471_1146306122775633011_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmIabb8ilAIRpW00pqJlIN20Ak3VrXtT1Cm22igq9iDX3pQZ0rgi2ZrET4II8H7gGQ66Ti27D_5-TZPiHkdnyUFsInvGiQ3u3mu004vOHIDe2vMd8DGeiuSL0ZxUqgIz9kBsrEZ79eUw/s320/17709_10152868552711471_1146306122775633011_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Wobbe, the seal that we retrieved from the airport in Anchorage</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have already learned so much about the rehabilitation of seals, and have since gotten so much more hands on experience. For example, during a tube feed, we have one person on the animal "restraining", which basically just keeps them still while we feed, to prevent any injury to the animal. I have been restraining for our feeds throughout the day, and yesterday, I got to restrain a seal (who hasn't pooped in over 48 hours) for an enema! I have never had such hands-on experience. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Multiple times a day, we swim some of the seals. This involves filling a tote several inches with either full salt-water (which comes in straight from Resurrection Bay), or brackish. We include several live salmon for them to chase, and potentially kill, and eventually, eat.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Watching the seals make tremendous progress has been so incredible. I am so excited for the future, and to see how the rest of the summer plays out.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">xoxo,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Jules</span></div>
Julie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700227349248411959.post-1801639775661915482015-05-29T23:33:00.005-07:002015-05-29T23:35:21.592-07:00Keep friends close, anemonies closer.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because we only have 2 pups in the stranding department, I am getting cross trained for the time being, which means I just spent a week working in aquarium! I sincerely didn't know a thing about aquariums, and I'm not squidin'! Some would rather not help out in aquariums, but that's just shellfish! These aquarium jokes are kraken me up. (That's it, I'm sorry).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I started out each day by washing the windows to all of the aquarium exhibits. Many people don't realize how much cleaning goes in to working in an animal facility. A majority of your day is spent cleaning. I spent most of the week doing whatever aquarium needed me to, which is exactly what I why I was there. I got covered in salt water which left terrible stains (that washed out) and one day I had pieces of krill on all items of clothing I was wearing. It's a messy job.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I did get the opportunity to have an octopus encounter while I was in aquarium! I had just come from food prep, so my hands smelled like squid. Octopus taste with their suckers, which helps them hunt and distinguish a rock from a crab shell. Because my hands were so delicious, Egg the octopus, really liked me... a lot. Just one of their larger suckers can hold up to 15 pounds!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyfcs6SZ-qGTur4_c1moruZ22HuY6iFgiy0CoBGAEdT4fVt3eSstJd99bOw2IDoDXxUMuOmxqDbSBOz3n4KGw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBEElaVHyUzFlRQVtztl3YHU1vY6JQRjcoa1d2BCzAi8PHaRPkr5Chq2VO_85FE6kVZYEUkTcBWEyK1ScTByD4Trjo4D9OFs9OFFuMsaFVovsFAN16hnjoKMWdb_f3aFlTagrI9RF4WI/s1600/11059297_10206886721791068_7974210469050537172_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBEElaVHyUzFlRQVtztl3YHU1vY6JQRjcoa1d2BCzAi8PHaRPkr5Chq2VO_85FE6kVZYEUkTcBWEyK1ScTByD4Trjo4D9OFs9OFFuMsaFVovsFAN16hnjoKMWdb_f3aFlTagrI9RF4WI/s320/11059297_10206886721791068_7974210469050537172_n.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also got introduced to my new favorite thing: PLANKTON TOWS! A plankton tow is when we go out onto the dock by the SeaLife Center and put out a 10 foot net with a long rope attached, in order to catch plankton. These were my favorite things to do because I learned a lot about copepods and got to be outside to see wildlife and enjoy the beautiful Alaskan weather and scenery.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvH-kf7QHtPgn2Ps0ZUM6mQdM1WgswI4iFD4eUkrVU3Fsdp0xe8C_djeQyrFP0B4WGq6J9tEC0ZpG3HbRFKajab4lP1sZXjj5avz7MPDOLcSSwvNc8V1n2a6PA5RBerCBsTuQnF4gtzE/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvH-kf7QHtPgn2Ps0ZUM6mQdM1WgswI4iFD4eUkrVU3Fsdp0xe8C_djeQyrFP0B4WGq6J9tEC0ZpG3HbRFKajab4lP1sZXjj5avz7MPDOLcSSwvNc8V1n2a6PA5RBerCBsTuQnF4gtzE/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Brynn emptying out our bounty from our plankton tow</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLcZ2PvPwyGDZYiEwNxxpk1NMV-X4lPyhHih_cc3nRnUNXDaXOS2f6uwA3dtlEDl_11qYoae1neFMWKCBsOHj7E9yj6Ox_eZW9nNakijE1YqKPu-ZBAJ5O0antPicvaMa-6Rq6v4Qwuk/s1600/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLcZ2PvPwyGDZYiEwNxxpk1NMV-X4lPyhHih_cc3nRnUNXDaXOS2f6uwA3dtlEDl_11qYoae1neFMWKCBsOHj7E9yj6Ox_eZW9nNakijE1YqKPu-ZBAJ5O0antPicvaMa-6Rq6v4Qwuk/s320/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Sea otter relaxing by the dock</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTh7PPMnFlMLmFd99IN3xyqnDITESV2mGIcoDEWepco6BdInmKfQBqjwlZXbbfxx0aoJQA0FheEHjQzuQaLRk23HISaDyDMEaLQ7ZCa0ZoFeoOUE25IArD3djsSri8j3ib8SfCVDNRtGE/s1600/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTh7PPMnFlMLmFd99IN3xyqnDITESV2mGIcoDEWepco6BdInmKfQBqjwlZXbbfxx0aoJQA0FheEHjQzuQaLRk23HISaDyDMEaLQ7ZCa0ZoFeoOUE25IArD3djsSri8j3ib8SfCVDNRtGE/s320/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I learned so much during my week in aquarium, and I really enjoyed it! I am very fortunate to be able to get cross-trained during my time at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Any experience is good experience!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">xoxo,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Jules</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Julie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700227349248411959.post-81130996068805312702015-05-29T23:03:00.000-07:002015-05-29T23:03:37.451-07:00Resurrection Bay Cruise<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to go on a 4-hour cruise around Resurrection Bay for free. The Alaska SeaLife Center has established partnerships with local businesses in Seward, AK, which enables the employees to benefit from discounts and promotions. Some of my friends and I took advantage of this opportunity and got to go on the Kenai Fjords Boat Tour.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IE20C8n4spcLzt6tvPFOQk3tgnZKJAxen3Z07MF45ygRW9mDoRLoW6VYw3WCBKotFDCy3NZ4vKEiTeNbIkxos0WTI0E17kGmbd4zUbheOjl-3csSzcQFQ85OT5wNWliiubO8JUV3mDk/s1600/rbt_map_bnr_zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IE20C8n4spcLzt6tvPFOQk3tgnZKJAxen3Z07MF45ygRW9mDoRLoW6VYw3WCBKotFDCy3NZ4vKEiTeNbIkxos0WTI0E17kGmbd4zUbheOjl-3csSzcQFQ85OT5wNWliiubO8JUV3mDk/s400/rbt_map_bnr_zoom.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">The Resurrection Bay Tour map, photo credit:<a href="http://www.kenaifjords.com/day-cruises/resurrection-bay-tour/"> Kenai Fjords Tours</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKY4wo2o9J8Z-tZzghMlyMThVhbmO5tcB9nE7TlFXTnGPReQrDrDHuCa4pOqcidGSSaxsJox-9B9P_RhHqKYyBvDnYwmo55IsMn_LZ8ng2HNdDxhzlK15Si5cwUjuoPPd1Zprrv9UmCmY/s1600/11223504_10206863145441674_4546816259349734183_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKY4wo2o9J8Z-tZzghMlyMThVhbmO5tcB9nE7TlFXTnGPReQrDrDHuCa4pOqcidGSSaxsJox-9B9P_RhHqKYyBvDnYwmo55IsMn_LZ8ng2HNdDxhzlK15Si5cwUjuoPPd1Zprrv9UmCmY/s400/11223504_10206863145441674_4546816259349734183_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Boarding pass for Kenai Fjords Tour</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The day started out like most of my days in Seward: spotting sea otters in the water. We whale watched for a majority of the trip, and it was about 39 degrees and raining, so only the brave stayed on the bow of the boat! (I did)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOYmS_B5unmAtCo_Cyiy8L3qFSEW8WdWgWy_PkuEgqglkrvhOBOBU6Obu4IY-SS1sHWTiIo3l8kmdMlMTigZlMM47pCjUhr1voH96ijYfST8Br75ypVxslwJ6tB5ZH7dZ1khbhCEwoaY/s1600/10983181_10206868061524573_8970406309415883599_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOYmS_B5unmAtCo_Cyiy8L3qFSEW8WdWgWy_PkuEgqglkrvhOBOBU6Obu4IY-SS1sHWTiIo3l8kmdMlMTigZlMM47pCjUhr1voH96ijYfST8Br75ypVxslwJ6tB5ZH7dZ1khbhCEwoaY/s320/10983181_10206868061524573_8970406309415883599_n.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Whale patrol on the bow of the boat</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We stopped at Fox Island for lunch, where we had an all-you-can-eat buffet of salmon and prime rib. I scarfed down my food so I could go out and explore! We played on the beach until it was time to go back on the boat. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0FzScLj6B2z22H0PLEgWzJpdqWcxs_xfiotnON68LRHoMdXdNlFd5pc_90lCcP5qiFRhFwe8Ii1k8m-11YMDwchRQRLSFfRBA-iHV-aEVbBr7y99U91ld39Ck0a7dFQwa0gC5Tllb6k/s1600/11110742_10206868054444396_6205788087173064764_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0FzScLj6B2z22H0PLEgWzJpdqWcxs_xfiotnON68LRHoMdXdNlFd5pc_90lCcP5qiFRhFwe8Ii1k8m-11YMDwchRQRLSFfRBA-iHV-aEVbBr7y99U91ld39Ck0a7dFQwa0gC5Tllb6k/s320/11110742_10206868054444396_6205788087173064764_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCalwEmIMeu5LGk3wPXGSMgioc0ANn9y6RaEVFl5GERiVUmHun_UGBE3L7OS-hnPOUcj1SyY0Q3DK5FLifOY4kSW3Xb5hJcsoOPWlM1XicXyCJCmZEO4cdtYcmrLa3Nz_ZHlYv0uenIHA/s1600/11165273_10206868061924583_7142187701348785451_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCalwEmIMeu5LGk3wPXGSMgioc0ANn9y6RaEVFl5GERiVUmHun_UGBE3L7OS-hnPOUcj1SyY0Q3DK5FLifOY4kSW3Xb5hJcsoOPWlM1XicXyCJCmZEO4cdtYcmrLa3Nz_ZHlYv0uenIHA/s320/11165273_10206868061924583_7142187701348785451_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97sZ4ALoHUQ5tWACX9TDWMWjojpwp8-P8L-A65TrhzxVZn9_qmONeHGuvspGh3DtfZKG-NyV30pQPPfpjaIz5I-pj5Pj6lEc-rP02UIXNj4HHVZtexdEPGAmCAjjDxxOmUyOw-LzpzWY/s1600/10423836_10206868060244541_7950481929358307521_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97sZ4ALoHUQ5tWACX9TDWMWjojpwp8-P8L-A65TrhzxVZn9_qmONeHGuvspGh3DtfZKG-NyV30pQPPfpjaIz5I-pj5Pj6lEc-rP02UIXNj4HHVZtexdEPGAmCAjjDxxOmUyOw-LzpzWY/s320/10423836_10206868060244541_7950481929358307521_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once we got back on the boat, we cruised around until we saw a group of harbor seals hauled out on the coast of another island. It was amazing to see harbor seals in the wild! Shortly after, we saw a pod of orcas! It was incredible! A video can be found on my Instagram: julieahodgin</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGtYOIhmSjRc8x4FTHKjsc4esoyGF01sKW0dRzCN7jlfQcrfKIawwKldJwG3ZgM6Pw55_tJwwQ2brYdPWDkf85_9Necaq6Jt_rH0wL2uIgDezsNvwNsl_J7IYy-Cb058zigXFk_Hi164/s1600/10441055_10206868068084737_5803521949936547378_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGtYOIhmSjRc8x4FTHKjsc4esoyGF01sKW0dRzCN7jlfQcrfKIawwKldJwG3ZgM6Pw55_tJwwQ2brYdPWDkf85_9Necaq6Jt_rH0wL2uIgDezsNvwNsl_J7IYy-Cb058zigXFk_Hi164/s400/10441055_10206868068084737_5803521949936547378_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even though we had to brave the elements, we had an incredible time on Resurrection Bay. I will soon be going on an 8.5 hour cruise to visit some glaciers, and I will be sure to blog about it afterward!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC3vjCijnPBQWhUZ_G-l7EcKqSGQC1CnxR026unesX8Dfa7MChk5zbgbjal4O6j6YrVArPDbdQsc6_lB2ppg2BjU48YtB3zj89qhcseKNw4130Ge9S4niJcXx4BTDR0uBPmd7-bxEECg/s1600/10403189_10206868074564899_3463130581342214862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC3vjCijnPBQWhUZ_G-l7EcKqSGQC1CnxR026unesX8Dfa7MChk5zbgbjal4O6j6YrVArPDbdQsc6_lB2ppg2BjU48YtB3zj89qhcseKNw4130Ge9S4niJcXx4BTDR0uBPmd7-bxEECg/s400/10403189_10206868074564899_3463130581342214862_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9xFZfrKb6CinRYn-151nCrcR8Itrb4zi8PPYSvrHeuWHjQ71fKUgVqJOPXlht5JvZJEZ9pT7N9mojDHiZERquNbvF-EvbzXhgoGlG1Tt_L6B_RO_Uve3awWHhmfwBb4QTeSt-ZcQfhc/s1600/11017676_10206868062164589_3599445347898050467_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9xFZfrKb6CinRYn-151nCrcR8Itrb4zi8PPYSvrHeuWHjQ71fKUgVqJOPXlht5JvZJEZ9pT7N9mojDHiZERquNbvF-EvbzXhgoGlG1Tt_L6B_RO_Uve3awWHhmfwBb4QTeSt-ZcQfhc/s400/11017676_10206868062164589_3599445347898050467_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejAdZ_sTx6Ox11RmElDqm5tNClLx6R-iqnZv-4qBhpMni7_BSj0YmMK4Wc-D_yj2O6dqhjD6-CavTkfHUfYi581BRR5qzcIVb0Wv9bdVwtZBopDRQOAyzheuRinlz8JEbIRoomONU90U/s1600/11024602_10206868081605075_7393168327865567485_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejAdZ_sTx6Ox11RmElDqm5tNClLx6R-iqnZv-4qBhpMni7_BSj0YmMK4Wc-D_yj2O6dqhjD6-CavTkfHUfYi581BRR5qzcIVb0Wv9bdVwtZBopDRQOAyzheuRinlz8JEbIRoomONU90U/s400/11024602_10206868081605075_7393168327865567485_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">xoxo,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Jules</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Instagram: julieahodgin</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Julie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700227349248411959.post-58161600241110149482015-05-23T12:50:00.001-07:002015-05-23T12:50:06.461-07:00Covered in Fish and Glitter<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have just finished my first week of work at the Alaska SeaLife Center! I started out on Wednesday in the stranding department, where I will be spending most of the summer. We already have a harbor seal pup in our care, her name is Silky. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvP6Oqrv9lDqmqwuSDzF_7MhDHGsa0LhCx9tEqxYQhZHAeZbU6tjRPrRQtgektlS_f0lTl7xfesf8uapIhLiW5DGRnSA8vqs03ifmvB8jnTvDbiUz7XJTVZTJ45-Qv_GEBTfRUNltTEg/s1600/20387_10152774292511471_5166256790556311014_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvP6Oqrv9lDqmqwuSDzF_7MhDHGsa0LhCx9tEqxYQhZHAeZbU6tjRPrRQtgektlS_f0lTl7xfesf8uapIhLiW5DGRnSA8vqs03ifmvB8jnTvDbiUz7XJTVZTJ45-Qv_GEBTfRUNltTEg/s400/20387_10152774292511471_5166256790556311014_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaSeaLifeCenter/photos_stream">Alaska SeaLife Center</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During our workday, we received another harbor seal pup! She came in weighing 7.7 pounds and was about the size of a month old baby. Dr. Kathy Woodie came to do a physical assessment. Usually in stranding, you keep your conversations to a minimum so the pups don't get used to human voices, which helps them keep a distance from humans once they get released back in the wild. Since this pup has been in human care all day already, she wanted to make this a learning opportunity for us, so she told us exactly what she's looking for and checking as she is doing it. She let us feel for a follicle near the umbilical cord. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since we only have two pups in the stranding department, I am getting cross trained in several departments for a few weeks. I spent the last two days in marine mammal husbandry, which is what I have the most experience in. I began the day by stuffing medicine, vitamins, and glitter pills in fish for the animals. We collect fecal samples and send them to our lab to assess hormone levels. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The steller sea lions get glitter pills in their food in order to know whose poop is whose.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Each sea lion has a different color glitter to keep track of this.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also got the opportunity of a lifetime yesterday. I got to feel the pregnant harbor seal. Atty is expecting her third harbor seal pup and could be giving birth as early as next week. Her harbor seal pup is very active inside her, and I was able to feel her belly as the pup moved around. I was smiling so much, it was one of the coolest things I've ever done. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zqA0NLJWCiKtEqDVHIDMFw2b-pJT4cinfbZnt2X4D-5T7At6g-KI08uzwa2NNdYdBOcqnILzANbdIeCHQ5_sdmWK1SyA4f8vpeDFzlpNWS_7cXQG9Ug9ZWi1TdMyS7C_loiNUl5kc8k/s1600/11229556_10152795338201471_6784896860589470318_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zqA0NLJWCiKtEqDVHIDMFw2b-pJT4cinfbZnt2X4D-5T7At6g-KI08uzwa2NNdYdBOcqnILzANbdIeCHQ5_sdmWK1SyA4f8vpeDFzlpNWS_7cXQG9Ug9ZWi1TdMyS7C_loiNUl5kc8k/s400/11229556_10152795338201471_6784896860589470318_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Atty, the pregnant harbor seal. Photo credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaSeaLifeCenter/photos_stream">Alaska SeaLife Center</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Atty is also known for her beautiful paintings, which I was able to watch in action.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsZVjg2R8uqXc6le1cR2Mo8P7CstqolDtqQwtL1SHUHki5lBjmWGcnanlX6fKQZGRlkm7kuQpY023uRp1Lx7ALlvZwY7zNX1nOl7WJINboPiEF8f5ujrbT4-JFPwgXRfKuoYJN-j2cOk/s1600/11233781_10206842101475588_5747943882070096211_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsZVjg2R8uqXc6le1cR2Mo8P7CstqolDtqQwtL1SHUHki5lBjmWGcnanlX6fKQZGRlkm7kuQpY023uRp1Lx7ALlvZwY7zNX1nOl7WJINboPiEF8f5ujrbT4-JFPwgXRfKuoYJN-j2cOk/s400/11233781_10206842101475588_5747943882070096211_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxT1SJOLhco2aacV9u9qEb2t5bo41jrOTml_t43d4euujXlNgdzYOltrtG41HE9yWdxQDGen4JHiD_c2dH7ST6vb6AmKqlQHhkxcl20VQ1hhwN-7WkR3tgIwZz2WYP71b-P3RfugEpeE/s1600/11350419_10206842101155580_6533843314224239357_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxT1SJOLhco2aacV9u9qEb2t5bo41jrOTml_t43d4euujXlNgdzYOltrtG41HE9yWdxQDGen4JHiD_c2dH7ST6vb6AmKqlQHhkxcl20VQ1hhwN-7WkR3tgIwZz2WYP71b-P3RfugEpeE/s400/11350419_10206842101155580_6533843314224239357_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Later in the day, I observed another harbor seal training session with the "bachelor pad", which is all of the male harbor seals on exhibit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyapiuv13YAnRxMSShfdmeZN3V-LzT4aeezGB6eDkwOu3EVkPFlGUNY1Q2BXYP22Ng26Hc7fGjotPgviDl18w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I have had the most incredible first week in Alaska, and I don't think I've stopped smiling since I got here. I may be covered in fish guts and glitter, but I am the happiest girl in the world.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPBXAAA9WYd9zgXRaoxZWZ9otoPRUSdaUxpLJLKwO_d3VQPDnHZZz4mNTgBiZdF9KMABloHnqOjtXi9PsWyDTJs0x6EPbOf8YdIgQ-KOIcv42EgcyMx0K-UJOhI-mxHUftif2DYcn3Fg/s1600/11052432_10206845714205904_2466939095383631479_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPBXAAA9WYd9zgXRaoxZWZ9otoPRUSdaUxpLJLKwO_d3VQPDnHZZz4mNTgBiZdF9KMABloHnqOjtXi9PsWyDTJs0x6EPbOf8YdIgQ-KOIcv42EgcyMx0K-UJOhI-mxHUftif2DYcn3Fg/s640/11052432_10206845714205904_2466939095383631479_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">xoxo, </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jules</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
Julie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700227349248411959.post-68872633457192323442015-05-19T14:53:00.003-07:002015-05-19T14:53:29.144-07:00Welcome to Alaska!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even though I only had one hour of sleep prior to my departure, the Alaskan scenery woke me up like no other. In the last two hours of my flight to Anchorage, the snow-capped mountains filled my little airplane window. I was almost in tears, I had anticipated arriving in Alaska for so long, just to see it in person was incredible.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After about an hour at the hotel, I got picked up by a local. Ken had worked at the North Carolina Zoo before transferring to the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage. He drove me to Palmer, Alaska, where we visited a <a href="https://www.reindeerfarm.com/">reindeer farm</a>. We had such a fun time! </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3JWNfkvW5h_kuT6iTyTw06NrMz9lGBrWY05BN5VZSria11fsu8Yj3_Uq2-8KHqSsITKHYp3bKq7-Fp-xlzfsd1ke2mb4_sSdCOPPyquskQPtPKeKgS-EE-ZvOzFjPIXTfXikh2HTaSr4/s1600/10458818_10206812905665711_7251837945848586761_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3JWNfkvW5h_kuT6iTyTw06NrMz9lGBrWY05BN5VZSria11fsu8Yj3_Uq2-8KHqSsITKHYp3bKq7-Fp-xlzfsd1ke2mb4_sSdCOPPyquskQPtPKeKgS-EE-ZvOzFjPIXTfXikh2HTaSr4/s400/10458818_10206812905665711_7251837945848586761_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">The view in Palmer, Alaska</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObt3psKvK0g-I5hWcGl6twrmKv4l96EV0NEnQ9ffmxGiklmcxgfvjk5_2qZfLSZR3f8mUUnfa21DKJwa1LTdJAIGdpaIAzohyxD5TPgAsuNMqhadKuCtYdocz_NDj0THEIDGpGQtT4k8/s1600/11113214_10206812904225675_1080856013718052999_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObt3psKvK0g-I5hWcGl6twrmKv4l96EV0NEnQ9ffmxGiklmcxgfvjk5_2qZfLSZR3f8mUUnfa21DKJwa1LTdJAIGdpaIAzohyxD5TPgAsuNMqhadKuCtYdocz_NDj0THEIDGpGQtT4k8/s400/11113214_10206812904225675_1080856013718052999_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d4kOr_c9cCRdf37hVxep0PR0dLYFJ8J0ECpHHQK8bl3DUpBATZBQdToOU1dlXHzMzO0wdkGCrv1CPEGrsEPvrTdZC-t2Nb04aYt6yaGnwWpAoGUIX-cT0aR2OyDdMGxfJUg_-DkxmKk/s1600/11265229_10206812902945643_3108150039246950505_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d4kOr_c9cCRdf37hVxep0PR0dLYFJ8J0ECpHHQK8bl3DUpBATZBQdToOU1dlXHzMzO0wdkGCrv1CPEGrsEPvrTdZC-t2Nb04aYt6yaGnwWpAoGUIX-cT0aR2OyDdMGxfJUg_-DkxmKk/s400/11265229_10206812902945643_3108150039246950505_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The following morning, I woke up at 4:30AM in order to catch the train to Seward, Alaska. Seward is where I will be spending the summer, working at the Alaska SeaLife Center. The train ride to Seward was like a majestic dream. I ended up taking over 200 photos! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Every turn was a new postcard. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqf_akg0mETwoys6p1X2Qop6QunZtsPyRS3rlPuVW7HaUl23CYOREIjDI4aChQxJVwR9yMTnyoYkUWgxIXYO3XkKWDCM74AECzlyE8vHaSMh9-NnTiA6dMYBGt2CSy3kxKZw6VXlCiTM/s1600/11295667_10206817720626082_3972462741620799913_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqf_akg0mETwoys6p1X2Qop6QunZtsPyRS3rlPuVW7HaUl23CYOREIjDI4aChQxJVwR9yMTnyoYkUWgxIXYO3XkKWDCM74AECzlyE8vHaSMh9-NnTiA6dMYBGt2CSy3kxKZw6VXlCiTM/s400/11295667_10206817720626082_3972462741620799913_n.jpg" width="223" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdPMTpXceQLHKkXmCAZr_9OiR6GDSIwyHA4S4L-ro35-bGa3qTbZ5f9BIWQc0_lTERFtLv360lIaMgLIJtusvr6QReSDymNugulZOcZhCHIfmJ09RLzIAdzF5miDj0LdZOb2Z8BO1MHo/s1600/11269103_10206817723626157_4939380459889680163_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdPMTpXceQLHKkXmCAZr_9OiR6GDSIwyHA4S4L-ro35-bGa3qTbZ5f9BIWQc0_lTERFtLv360lIaMgLIJtusvr6QReSDymNugulZOcZhCHIfmJ09RLzIAdzF5miDj0LdZOb2Z8BO1MHo/s400/11269103_10206817723626157_4939380459889680163_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYK6TqAylUVgCbPMw10g2sWD2WGHp0X360QJLqkuZhDsIlf6hKVCEnaMFFLaLthtMogiffd5BK5_suZl7DniL7pNvjnINlQXOLXDR6gxbvybr8kRmaNGbJQxerXLZ-OcmiLnjr7OLH40/s1600/11295804_10206817721986116_3378471525738968452_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYK6TqAylUVgCbPMw10g2sWD2WGHp0X360QJLqkuZhDsIlf6hKVCEnaMFFLaLthtMogiffd5BK5_suZl7DniL7pNvjnINlQXOLXDR6gxbvybr8kRmaNGbJQxerXLZ-OcmiLnjr7OLH40/s400/11295804_10206817721986116_3378471525738968452_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And now I have officially arrived in Seward, and start work at the Alaska SeaLife Center tomorrow!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until next time...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"> xoxo,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"> Jules</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Julie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700227349248411959.post-85285340519876922952015-05-14T09:56:00.000-07:002015-05-14T10:05:40.655-07:00Sea Turtle Hospital<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here at UNC-Greensboro, we offer a class called Biology & Conservation of Sea Turtles, composed of 12 students committed to changing the world around them for the betterment of both sea turtles and the Earth. To kick off the semester, we volunteered at <a href="http://www.seaturtlehospital.org/">Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center</a> in Topsail Island, North Carolina, and we recently returned to the Sea Turtle Hospital this week to wrap up the semester together.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After most of our class endured the wrath of Tropical Storm Ana the night before, we were all surprisingly cheerful to start work at the Sea Turtle Hospital the following morning. We were separated into groups, and I was fortunate enough to work in Turtle Bay. Turtle Bay is a large wing of the hospital that houses long-term sea turtles, some with crippling conditions, such as blindness and tumors. Because of these conditions, the ability to release them is severely inhibited. We fed the turtles a variety of greens, capelin, cucumbers, and peppers, depending on the species.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1lwLdFSADL-vAgt6KWWXGZC8i53UW6nckXQzP7ZWzpDZRaKIwwfAIIvot0CQeir2X04z2581qH-dTe0ijdqoCjjsKJz9BpzZlZp67rTXa9Gwoc8eou26kCNwab0ycA28qa61DN5ryKo/s1600/SeaTurtleshold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1lwLdFSADL-vAgt6KWWXGZC8i53UW6nckXQzP7ZWzpDZRaKIwwfAIIvot0CQeir2X04z2581qH-dTe0ijdqoCjjsKJz9BpzZlZp67rTXa9Gwoc8eou26kCNwab0ycA28qa61DN5ryKo/s320/SeaTurtleshold.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Photo credit: <a href="https://www.seaturtlecamp.com/category/karen-beasley-sea-turtle-hospital/">Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Camp</a></span><a href="https://www.seaturtlecamp.com/category/karen-beasley-sea-turtle-hospital/"> </a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">One of the turtles, Lennie, is blind. Lennie had to be fed with a great amount of patience. Lennie's squid was chopped into 1 inch pieces, and the volunteers had to feed her each piece one at a time. After feeding all of the turtles in Turtle Bay, we waited half an hour for the turtles to digest. During this time, we swept, mopped, and washed windows. What a lot of people don't understand about working in animal care is that most of your time is spent cleaning, and a clean environment is what helps these animals live and recover successfully. It is not always glamorous work! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On Wednesday, we were fortunate enough to be involved in a sea turtle necropsy. The North Carolina Sea Turtle Biologist, Matthew Godfrey came to the sea turtle hospital with a turtle that had been very ill and recently passed away. Performing a necropsy helps biologists determine the cause of death, and formulate an action plan in hopes to prevent this incident for other animals. This turtle was a juvenile Loggerhead, and once the necropsy began, and we were able to touch and feel different internal structures. We learned so much more about sea turtle biology. For those of you with weak stomachs, I'll exclude the photos!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Overall, it was an awesome trip, with many surprising twists and turns. I am so grateful to be part of this group of like-minded individuals working together for the environment. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlMFHOwtXGg20f782uSnzw4Cq4uqJo0-bLedBevDBGN3Q-pJ7TGZFx6nlx0Ce6G7Zpe3XCotlzCVf_N8c9upvk-q1yYGAmxWXBIJxplPG4qkRK3bBGgAf0iNeQWRS0QSpMJ1logSbreE/s1600/11262304_10206760847964301_48466640982774083_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlMFHOwtXGg20f782uSnzw4Cq4uqJo0-bLedBevDBGN3Q-pJ7TGZFx6nlx0Ce6G7Zpe3XCotlzCVf_N8c9upvk-q1yYGAmxWXBIJxplPG4qkRK3bBGgAf0iNeQWRS0QSpMJ1logSbreE/s320/11262304_10206760847964301_48466640982774083_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.lanierscampground.com/">Lanier's Campground</a>, Surf City, NC</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I will reunite with this group in August, when we travel to the birthplace of sea turtle research, Tortuguero, Costa Rica! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Until then...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3 days until Alaska!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> xoxo,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Jules</span></div>
Julie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700227349248411959.post-86472458243051930652015-05-03T15:55:00.001-07:002015-05-14T09:55:57.284-07:00Welcome!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Words can't express how excited I am to start this new chapter in my life. My name is Julie, and I am a Biology student at the University of North Carolina- Greensboro. My personal career goal is to work in a zoo or aquarium setting. It all started when I was in high school, when I decided to attend the Asheboro High School Zoo School. Yes, my high school was located at the North Carolina Zoo. As a teenager who didn't really know what she wanted to be, the zoo school provided a wonderful, open atmosphere for me to figure it out. I had no idea I had found the place I was searching for.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My zoo school experience was like any other high school experience, just add outdoor classes, daily adventures in the zoo, and way more fun. Through these experiences, I began to realize how much I impacted the Earth. My carbon footprint was way more than it should have been, so I decided to start a recycling project at my church. This attracted the attention of my science teacher, who invited me to be a part of a team of 3 to compete in Project Polar Bear, a binational competition to determine which small group could decrease the most carbon emissions. We placed 2nd, which landed us a trip to Sea World San Diego and the San Diego Zoo! It was such a cool experience!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHn8LDGaQijvsp6W5EWOxlHpzJbq7NVlCcsp0pljwONZ8slZ34PxqEdhiEI9799DsmsJbTAD_yqrrLPH8ibmbISRuHkMX48rb7vfNbizAZ9M1v61DAZj3Mrxo1DGVUUL7IA8SDn_gvx0s/s1600/248123_2107231284865_5480015_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHn8LDGaQijvsp6W5EWOxlHpzJbq7NVlCcsp0pljwONZ8slZ34PxqEdhiEI9799DsmsJbTAD_yqrrLPH8ibmbISRuHkMX48rb7vfNbizAZ9M1v61DAZj3Mrxo1DGVUUL7IA8SDn_gvx0s/s1600/248123_2107231284865_5480015_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Following the trip, I won a competition through the North Carolina Zoo, which sent me to the arctic tundra of Churchill, Manitoba in the Fall of 2011, with Polar Bears International. Spending a week on the tundra, surrounded by incredible world-changers changed my life. We learned all about polar bear biology, climate change, and conservation efforts. Coming face to face with polar bears and learning about the human impacts that are harming their habitat was heartbreaking, and I knew from then on, I would spend my entire life sharing about climate change. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe1cl6DWamqazPHgn4FZjXoJN3pa_srPt7qmRF5DLK27u-tGSzRV2hnbAyldZN5FJMn3jbnGMLbqvCMd_D8lD6kUpYqqd-Xu9AszjTojCSBmCUKZyp3DC4naUx2bDSjme9dgS0nH-5H8/s1600/302305_248346891879059_682925239_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe1cl6DWamqazPHgn4FZjXoJN3pa_srPt7qmRF5DLK27u-tGSzRV2hnbAyldZN5FJMn3jbnGMLbqvCMd_D8lD6kUpYqqd-Xu9AszjTojCSBmCUKZyp3DC4naUx2bDSjme9dgS0nH-5H8/s1600/302305_248346891879059_682925239_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fast-forward to my freshman year of college, I was selected to intern at the North Carolina Zoo in the marine mammal department, working with harbor seals and polar bear. It was the most incredible summer of my life, and I learned so much about husbandry and training. It was truly a dream come true, and I was so fortunate to work for such amazing keepers.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfUveb27YedlFRQGryiLmQkgJqK0guBn3QOobYlCPEvMXHwkSXnV71u-Na_iZc9xyZn3IbhZ4hjyBPGxIxMF_ILoNHvNw6VYLXQhpxAKD_k3iPRCxWr5FV7wSi-2Lcg_H-iJajCfoH6M/s1600/11156122_10206653325156298_1739106238163632820_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfUveb27YedlFRQGryiLmQkgJqK0guBn3QOobYlCPEvMXHwkSXnV71u-Na_iZc9xyZn3IbhZ4hjyBPGxIxMF_ILoNHvNw6VYLXQhpxAKD_k3iPRCxWr5FV7wSi-2Lcg_H-iJajCfoH6M/s1600/11156122_10206653325156298_1739106238163632820_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So now, in just two weeks, I will be flying to Seward, Alaska to work in the marine mammal departments of the Alaska SeaLife Center. Words cannot describe how excited I am for this opportunity. Until then, I have to finish finals, volunteer for several days at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital, and pack my life into a suitcase. Keep up with me, it's going to be a WILD ride. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnC5PagAii0V27wuiS-_zfZ3sZF4wv7CZDHIaA1vpF5ftCG1bjQTopPgtla3GVN7Uz1jMU2VN563JI29OkzPP_OpB3nfmsVxp0ZTKS1W42dQclG9ZZrxExi23owW64UDuxZbn6YXEEYBw/s1600/379905_2861983233192_571851407_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnC5PagAii0V27wuiS-_zfZ3sZF4wv7CZDHIaA1vpF5ftCG1bjQTopPgtla3GVN7Uz1jMU2VN563JI29OkzPP_OpB3nfmsVxp0ZTKS1W42dQclG9ZZrxExi23owW64UDuxZbn6YXEEYBw/s1600/379905_2861983233192_571851407_n.jpg" width="198" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> xoxo,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Jules</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Julie Hodginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12763447904434621898noreply@blogger.com1