Dieter Loibner

2 months ago | soundingsonline.com | Dieter Loibner

A trip to Port Townsend, Washington, is a journey to a place that’s inhabited by quite a few folks who make a living hanging planks on wooden hulls. But there are exceptions, including Larry Grobe, a wiry, unassuming late sexagenarian with a deadpan sense of humor and zero zest for fanfare. He wears a Tyvek suit and respirator with dignity and pride, content with a job that still brings him joy five decades in. That’s how long Grobe has been “the glass guy” in the wooden-boat town of Port Townsend.

Jan 14, 2025 | soundingsonline.com | Dieter Loibner

The fresh southeasterly shut off, only to roar back with a vengeance from the opposite direction. Conifers groaned as they bent to the force of the onrushing air, accompanied by the rapid-fire staccato of a plastic tarp tearing itself to shreds on a tired-looking long keeler jacked up next to a rusted ship’s saw. The boat? A mahogany-planked Nordic Folkboat, a humble yet elegant lapstrake craft.

Nov 13, 2024 | streetroots.org | Dieter Loibner

For a tall and husky guy, Jeffrey “Sunny” Brooks is rather coy. Deep wrinkles around the eyes and a scruffy beard belie his age of 31. Seeking “good people, good vibes and trying to get a job to get my life back” were reasons for coming to Portland, Sunny said. Sunny grew up in Spokane, Washington, around motorcycles, biker culture and a prominent father who “was always in prison and doing biker stuff,” he said.

Oct 30, 2024 | streetroots.org | Dieter Loibner

Street Roots held its first “New Paper Day” in its new Burnside Building on Oct. 23. It was a historic moment for vendors, staff, volunteers and supporters who turned out in droves to help transfer bundles of the Oct. 23 issue from a curbside pallet to the 281 W. Burnside St. lobby. The event capped an ambitious expansion project, which included purchasing and renovating the 4,000-square-foot Wax building on the corner of Northwest Third Avenue and West Burnside Street.

Oct 25, 2024 | soundingsonline.com | Dieter Loibner

Arriving into town from the west on Highway 20, visitors descend a hill that opens a splendid panorama of old Victorians, azure ocean, snowcapped mountains and dozens of boats sprinkled throughout the scene.