7" x 8"
Cotton & Cellulose
SWEDEN

I was swimming in a lake just outside of Stockholm. It had taken us over an hour to bike there. I had just seen a group of people nude sunbathing on the rocks by the water, and thought to myself, Wow, I'm really in Scandinavia now. I first went to Sweden in 1997. At that time the country was considerably more isolated, and still quite a socialist nation. Flying up there on a sweet SAS plane, I barely knew where Scandinavia was - or what it was, to be more exact. Dozing off in that tidy little jet, I noted St. Petersburg was closer than I expected, and I was excited to be so close to Russia. I went there, too. Stockholm is a city of water. "The Venice of the North" is what they call it. That first summer was really magical. It was Bergman in Technicolor. I went to lakes, islands, sailing, summer stugas, city apartments, all on loan, as Swedes do. It was kind, gentle, and sharing, what we Americans imagine. In every location I kept coming across one thing: Wettex. Yes, that darn little thing was in every abode and public place. If there was water to be had, Wettex was near. It laps up liquid like nothing else. Sure, it's not sexy selling flattened sponges; but when something is that good, you have to bend. Plus, now I can stop carrying them over in my bags for all the family and friends. It's tough explaining to customs officials you make art with pressed sponge. Oh, what the hell, forget my recall; just buy it!