I've been asked about the image on my Curious Spectacles Welcome Page, so I thought it best to post a special post to respond to the question.

The photo is  a close up of a piece of arbutus bark that caught my eye.  It was quite a large curl of the delicate and brittle skin that's characteristic of those precious trees,  and I was struck not just by the size and colour, but by its own 'eye' design as though it were looking back at me.

I figured it was an auspicious image*,  just the right thing for this blog.

*I've enlarged and edited the photo to simplify the pattern, using Topaz Simplify with Aperture (my main photo app).