Here is  the most recent photo of my family.  It was taken last year.  The youngsters are getting to a fun age now.  I just returned home for my father's 70th birthday. From left to right: Rob and his wife Melanie, Jaylon and my mother (Evelyn), My father (John) and Quinn, me, and Dan.

This is a picture of the boat my Grandfather, Dennis Smith, owned and operated.   He did much of his fishing on the fishgrounds of Alaska.  When He died, my uncle Sid Smith inherited the boat.  After Sid sold the boat, no one saw it for a long time.  My brother Dan and I saw it on one of our journeys to the Queen Charlotte Islands.  The boat was in very good shape, someone had taken good care of it. I was real young when my grandfather died. It was nice to see a part of our family history.  My, the fishing industry has changed.
My first trip to the Charlottes was in 1986.  When I heard that my brother Rob was going over to camp, I wanted to go.  When I heard that Lootaas (Bill Reid's) canoe was going to arrive after a the summer at Expo I could not pass up the opportunity.  We ended sitting on the beach and watching the haidas paddle to shore.  All the locals were in ceremonial dress.  In the afternoon, we were fortunate to spend some time with Bill Reid and his wife Martine.  They had wandered to the beach and entertained us with stories and conversation.  I remember listening to Bill, he was so eloquent that he mesmerized you with his choice of words.  He was a brilliant man.  Martine was wearing some of his jewelry so that was one of the few occasions when I got to closely examine some of his work.  They had a big potlatch that evening.  As guests, we received a silk-screen print.  Later that day, we found Bill and he signed the artwork for us.  He wrote:  "Lootaas, home and dry in Haidagwaii"  He was very poetic.  His death was a big loss to Haida.
Here is a picture of Bill Reid's Totem at the Skidegate Band office.
Many of my favorite pictures are from the queen charlotte Islands.  Here is a photo of me on the North Beach by tow hill. In the background you can see tow hill. I am on the east side of Graham island.  I think I traveled about 30 kms from the campsite at Tow hill.  The beach is wonderful yet treacherous.  You have to time your driving around the tides or you will lose your truck to forces of the ocean.  When you leave the last campsite, chances are, you will not see anyone for the rest of the day... Make sure you are prepared!
The scenery in the charlottes is breathtaking.  One of my favorite spots to take pictures is at Naikoon Point near tow hill. There is a house on the point that gets the brunt of the pacific weather.  All the trees along the coast are dwarfed from the harsh weather. The shells collect at this point and make for a beautiful setting.  These places are what I miss about home.
all photos are property of Marty Basso and may not be reproduced without permission