Early Sunday , as I was engaged in my morning meditation of cleaning the Anchor Pub, I noticed a quick moving bug crawling across the 104 year old fir floor. It turned out to be a large Rove Beetle, about an inch long. While not exactly a rare bug it's the first one I've seen at the Anchor, particularly inside the place. They are interesting for a beetle as they have very reduced elytra (the hard shell wing covers that most beetle's have) and a long segmented abdomen.

This one ran straight for the nearest hiding spot - a large dust bunny that I'd just swept into a pile. There it got tangled in the hairy pile and couldn't get out, so I rescued it - picking it up with a paper towel, as I knew them to have gnarly mandibles and the ability to spray a nasty chemical spray out their tail end. After dumping it outside it assumed it's defensive posture - head and and sharp abdomen arched up, like a little black scorpion sort of. Quite a fearsome looking thing, albeit small. Later (on BugGuide.net) I found out that the family that this beetle belongs to is the largest family of any animal- upwards of 55,000 species (due to recent reclassification). Add another species to the 'Bar Tab' - my name for my list of creatures here at the bar.

We had music later in the evening and I had the door guy job so I saw a few more interesting things. Around 7pm the air in front of the place was briefly full of flycatching Starlings - for the annual September "Termite Fly" probably: I'd seen termites flying around all day. The Starlings circled and glided around very much as Cedar Waxwings do in their flycatching mode. In a few minutes they were gone.

Later still, after darkness fell I was still at the door listening to the dulcet tones of Peppino D'Augustino on our stage a world class acoustic guitarist who somehow wound up at the Anchor. Quite a contrast to an upcoming Metal show next week, the poster for which was delivered earlier in the day by a pleasant young fellow. The poster features a movie still from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' - the shot where the mean Nazi's head is melting into red goo as he gets hit with the Power of God emanating from the Ark of the Covenant. How wonderful ! Yup, some real face melting music coming up!

As I stood at the door listening to Peppino, the sky was alive with Caspian Terns cruising beneath the stars making their usual screeching, but also many young birds up there in the dark calling with their sweet whistle - the first ones I've noticed calling here. The screeching adult terns were quite a contrast to the mellow music inside, but the young terns call blended nicely. I was thinking that the adult Caspian's could give those Metalheads a run for their money - can you imagine 3 or four Caspian Terns on an indoor stage, with drum backup ? Your ears might just fall off.

Jeff Gibson
The Anchor Pub
1001 Hewitt Ave.
Everett Wa