Wishing You Whale!

Something you already know about me, if you've been reading for long, is that I love thrift stores and antique shops.  I feel that you find items there that contain a history that you just can't find by going to a chain store and picking up a new object that was just manufactured by huge machines.  The antique items are often handmade and one of a kind treasures!  And the piece that I'm going to tell you about fits into this category.

My husband and I went antiquing while on an anniversary weekend (back in June) in Mt. Dora, FL.  We went to an antique mall filled with all kinds of treasures that I almost took home with me.  First, I found a vintage hat hailing from the 50's, which I loved and still regret passing up.  Second, some old aluminum movie reels, my idea was to keep them as they were and arrange them above our t.v. in the den as art.  But again, I passed that up as well b/c of this awesome creature that I found and fell in love with! 

whale sailboat rudder

Any guesses as to what it is?  Well besides the fact that it is clearly in the shape of a whale.  No? Well I'll tell you.  It's a sailboat rudder.  The person we bought it from said it was from the 50's and made of mahogany.  He added the tail on the back to make it look like a whale.  Isn't that clever!?!  Here are some close ups so you can see the wonderful aged wood details! 

I love unique finds like this one that add to our houses beach-y vibe!  And I love the fact that this rudder sailed ocean waters 6 decades ago!  I wonder who sailed on the boat and what their lives were like?  It would've been a pretty large boat considering the size of the rudder.  Oh the romanticization (is this a word?) of it all!!  Have you all found any unique and awesome pieces recently?  Please share!:)