I am a mum, grandmother, wife, friend,  pastor, photographer, aspiring writer, and 'partly retired', living amidst a vibrant and creative Gulf Island community, a ferry ride away from Vancouver and Victoria.

Ever since I was small, I've been a passionate and curious observer of my natural surroundings, taking delight in the birds and animals small and large, the way the light plays on the water, the cycles of the tides, variations in weather and the way the extraordinary is always present amidst the daily doings of life: the trips to the mailbox, or grocery store, dog walks, and cooking dinner.  These daily marvels  are to me signals of the grace and mercy that is ever present, the love of God beyond our imagining, and God’s kindness-beyond-comprehension. As Gerard Manley Hopkins so wonderfully expressed: The world is charged with the grandeur of God. (The poem God's Grandeur in full here)

So why write about this publicly? Why do I want to share these 'Curious Spectacles' with you?

Simply because noticing these things  gives such joy to me. And joy, it seems to me, is to be shared. I just can't bear to keep these glimpses of beauty and wonder to myself. You may be a person who appreciates these things deeply too, and so together we can add a little bit to the pulse of joy in the world.

This blog is a place to stop, and see, and think a bit,  maybe of beauty amidst the ordinary, and even beauty in the most unexpected places of hardship and groaning. And maybe, just plain beauty and wonder —  the kind that makes you exclaim:  Wow! Did you see that?? 

Preparing this blog feeds my soul. And my hope is that in some curious way, it will feed you too.