Bill Reid | Snorkeling the ABC Islands

Pam and I are returning to Bonaire, the South Caribbean island just off the coast of Venezuela. We are arriving one day earlier than we normally do, so we have eight days there, rather than the normal seven.

We are in Vancouver International airport right now, using their free wifi. This is really an awful airport. I just can’t stand how they make you walk a kilometer south, then 990 meters back north to get to your gate, rather than open a door, and let you walk six meters to the gate. Just crazy.

Naturally I had to stop and spend a few minutes with my old friends, the Spirit of the Haida Gwaii, the wonderful sculpture by Bill Reid. It’s a great piece of art and I just feel privileged to be able to look at it for free! No museum entrance fee, just great art, in great light.

I’ve got a brief youtube video of it, and I’m uploading it using the free wifi. Enjoy!

Our flight to Houston leaves in about an hour.

These pictures are of the famous Bill Reid sculpture called the Spirit of the Haida Gwai, a representation of part of the creation myth of the Haida people. It is on our Canadian 20 dollar bill of course.

It stands in the Vancouver International Airport, near the international arrivals lobby.

The original is on the lawn of the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC. It was a long process, begun in 1985 by Arthur Ericksonn, the architect for the Embassy in Washington, asking Bill Reid to think about a statue for the lawn. It was finally cast and installed in 1991.

I have to always stop and take a picture or two of this magnificent piece of art. It is truly monumental in size – over 20 feet long – and extremely complex.