We enjoyed spending April 22nd at the Handmade Market and Homegrown Fair at Second Use in Seattle. A big part of the fun for us is watching the reactions of people when they see our wood. Some stop and stare with a puzzled expression on their faces, and then they start asking questions about the holes in the wood, which we are happy to answer. The other common reaction is a big smile and one word – “Cool!” And they are right. We see this wood all the time, and it never stops amazing us with how interesting it is.

Some of the coolest boards become wall art. I (Becky) have started taking pieces of wood and combining them into art pieces. In addition to holes and tunnels bored by teredo clams, our art pieces may have small holes left by a wood-boring isopod called the gribble. Many pieces have checks or cracks, and some have dark metal stains or holes from hardware and grapple hooks. I put contrasting colors and textures next to each other then cut, sand, seal and assemble them. This specialty wood really is special. It doesn’t require stain or paint or much of anything. I am making art, but I’m not the artist. The art is already in the wood.