Sue and Randy Anderson were stumped by what to do with their old sails.
The Hazel Dell couple, members of the Vancouver Lake Sailing Club, didn’t want to put their unneeded sails in the landfill, but they didn’t really want them taking up space around the house, either.
When a friend came back from the East Coast with a bag made from recycled sails, Sue found inspiration.
“We just started looking at it and thought, ‘Isn’t that a great idea?’” said the 54-year-old technical writer.
Sue and a friend from Portland recently launched an online business called Second Chance Sails (http://www.secondchancesails.com). They create and sell totes and wine bags made from salvaged sails. Prices range from $19 for a wine bag to $125 for a special-edition holiday tote.
“They’re very green and make great gifts for those who like to sail or just like nautical themes,” Sue said.
Amboy sculptor creates functional beauty
Amboy’s Brian Goldbloom thought about function as well as form when he was tapped to create a piece of sculpture at Evergreen High School for the Washington State Arts Commission’s Art in Public Places program.
Phares Plaza, a secondary entrance to the school, was a blank canvas, with nowhere for students to hang out.
“There was nothing there,” said Goldbloom, 60, who has been sculpting for about 40 years. “There was really no reason to stay in the plaza and use it. It was just for coming and going.”
Goldbloom changed that in October when he installed a piece of sculpture that also functions as informal seating. There will be a ceremony at the school on Dec. 7 celebrating the work.
The structure is called “Water Skipper with Flotsam” because an art teacher at the school mentioned that the sculpture looked like one of those water-walking insects. Goldbloom said the piece reminded him of a crouching critter such as a crab or spider.
Goldbloom started designing the piece last school year. It consists of four granite stones, supporting stainless steel beams that form an X. Atop the intersection of the beams is a fifth stone slab. Goldbloom carved three of the four supporting stones with items students might leave lying around, such as pizza leftovers, a textbook and a water bottle.
“Water Skipper with Flotsam” offers several places for students to sit, talk and have lunch, making the plaza more of a destination.
“It’s a place to be,” Goldbloom said.
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