Dieter Loibner

2 weeks ago | soundingsonline.com | Dieter Loibner

In the dark recesses of the lazarette, Bertram Levy is switching between a sharp plane and a scraper to level a piece of Locust on Stevedore, a stout 20-foot mini-trawler he’s building in his shop behind the Uptown Cinema in Port Townsend, Washington. To make the job easier, he dabs linseed oil onto the surface and waxes the threads of bronze screws before driving them in with a ratchet. “Locust is very hard,” he explains.

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.