unexpected art

Wow, is it really almost 6 more hours until the next flight? This, after that 13 hour overnight flight from San Francisco to Sydney? What time is it? Where am I? Oooo, NZ white wine free for the pouring here in the lounge.

So while I have free wireless and time on my hands, I'll post some smaller entries about the joys and luxuries of the trip so far. And what better way to start than by a lovely little surprise in San Francisco.

O'Hare, in my opinion, is not at all a lovely airport. It's functions (barely at times), its amenities and services are laughable, especially for those who are not past security, and it lacks any noteworthy art. Compare it to a place like Vancouver with the remarkable installations of First Nations works in the airport there. As we switched planes yesterday in San Francisco, we came upon a wonderful exhibit en route over to the international terminal: Russel Wright.





In hindsight, we didn't explore it enough. You see, Conrad (and now I do, too) has collected Russel Wright stoneware in the past with able assistance from his sister. The collection languished in basement storage, however, taking a distant second to the vibrant Fiestaware that goes so well with the golden walls of our place. Ah, but the Vancouver condo - concrete and modern - that will suit the Russel Wright quite well. And so our interest has been re-awakened. We browsed among the cases, admiring pieces we have or want and some of the materials (glasses, aluminum) that we didn't know of. And yet, in all that time, we didn't look for anything to tell us the connection between Wright and San Francisco. Silly us.

It was a neat thing, and a delight, encountering that after the first phase of our trip. So far we've seen nothing comparable at Sydney airport, but no matter. The sunny view outside is lovely enough, too.