The Buzz: Washer’s ‘Monument of Indecision,’ ‘Mr. Slithers’ pays a call

Petaluma Artist raising funds for monumental Burning Man sculpture: After months of hard work and several weeks of fundraising, Petaluma sculptor Henry Washer - son of Heebe Jeebe General Store owner Drew Washer - has less than two weeks to raise the remainder of the $18,000 needed to complete his visually impressive new Burning Man art piece, a large, concrete sculpture (with portable temple-structure), titled “Monument of Indecision.”

“It’s a concrete, gigantic man,” explains Washer. “He’s weighed down, looking at this hands. He’s been looking at his hands for thousands of years, struggling with indecision for a glacial amount of time.”

Washer, who’s been working on the project for over a year, plans to take the sculpture to this year’s Burning Man event in the Nevada desert, at the end of August. Once in place on the Playa, the statue - standing just under 7-feet tall - will be enclosed in a structure of wood and fabric, creating a kind of meditation space for Burning Man viewers to reflect on their own relationship with indecision.

To fund the project, Washer has established an online Hatchfund campaign, where contributors can view videos of the statue under construction, hear him describing the project, and see various “Monument of Indecision” T-shirts and other perks being given to those who help Washer turn his decidedly non-indecisive dreams into reality.

View Washer’s Hatchfund site and make a tax-deductible donation at hatchfund.org/project/monument_of_indecision.

Smart snake makes Emergency Room visit to local doctor: Late last month, the staff at Petaluma Veterinary Clinic were surprised to discover a wounded snake - probably the victim of a lost battle with a neighborhood lawnmower - waiting just outside the Petaluma Boulevard clinic. Since caring for snakes is definitely part of the hospital’s mission, the client was ushered inside, where Dr. Angela Smith tended to its mostly minor cuts. After a few days of rehab, the snake - dubbed “Mr. Slithers” by the staff - was sent on his way.

Dr. Smith points out that this is snake season, and that when out doing yard work, Petalumans should keep an eye open for Mr. Smithers or his many reptilian cousins, and to remember that snakes are peaceful creatures, and that we humans - not to mention our lawnmowers - are generally more dangerous to them than they are to us.

(Have a BUZZ item to suggest? Drop Community Editor David Templeton a line at david.templeton@arguscourier.com)