The other night, while watching TV a "gotta get it out of here before the wife and daughter see it" BIG, black, ugly spider tried sneaking along the white baseboards of our home. Not exactly great camouflage.

 

But it made me think that It has been over a year since an even bigger, multi-legged, metalic friend went missing from public view in Port Moody.

 

Port Moody has seen the largest percentage population growth in Metro Vancouver, and many came to know and love the big spider that hung on the back corner of a welding shop on Columbia Street for over a decade. Everytime you drove down Clarke past the Legion, looking towards the mountains you couldn't help see it. West Coast Express people knew the next stop was Vancouver when they saw it. It became part of the city landscape. Mountains, trees, water and a big spider.

 

 

More below....

 

 

 

Last year, my spidey senses tingling, I happened to stop at the welding shop to find out why one of our most prominent residents was in hiding. As it turns out, the welder who created the spider, Ray Jacques from RDC Welding, was cleaning out his shop. At the time, they had pretty much emptied the shop and were sweeping up, creating space along the tracks for the Evergreen Line. 

 

 

 

I asked Ray about the spider, which was about the last thing left hanging on the wall. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the plastic spider that had inspired his creation. It had been in his desk which was now sitting empty. He told me how it came to be, one Halloween - about 15 years ago. I could tell he was quite proud of his work and he was a little sad to be bringing it down, likely to live in his garage.

 

I told him that it needs to be put somewhere on display. This being the "City of the Arts" and all, it seems like a no brainer!  I have started a "Port Moody Spider" fan page on Facebook - if you get a chance please "Like" it.

 

If we can pay money to paint our trees blue, the least we can do is get the city to hang the spider at the skateboard park, the BMX park or hang it off the overpass - somewhere it can be seen and enjoyed by those who love spiders...or at least ones that aren't real.

 

And if we don't, well that would be a shame. Art is more than painted pictures or coloured glass, sometimes its black and its metal and its done in a welding shop.