The day a peacock helped change our view.

Peaceful and I were taking the grandkids on a drive into the countryside to show the girls a place we found when we were out exploring one Sunday afternoon.

It's about twenty miles north of Spokane down a dirt road nestled in a beautiful little valley between some rolling hills to the west.

What makes this place so unique is that about a mile down the road, there's a farm where dozens of peacocks live in a huge barn behind a picket fence. There's even an albino peacock you can sometimes catch a glimpse of when it isn't hiding among the trees.

As the girls chatted in the back seat, Peaceful and I discussed a problem that had puzzled us for years. It had to do with offering selections for Designs By Spirit. Although it might seem like an easy problem to solve, in practice everyone has their own view and choosing selections that compliment your view should be up to you and your own unique style and imagination.

As we continued to discuss the selections, up ahead we noticed a peacock standing in the middle of the road, its dark blue chest gleaming in the sun. We slowed the car and waited for it to cross.

We didn't notice the older woman on a bicycle behind us until she pedalled up beside the car and came to a stop. Her name was Cathy, and she invited us to her home and showed us around one of the most beautiful places we'd ever seen.

A place where dozens of peacocks roamed freely among retired horses. Cathy had certainly created a unique oasis, and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable, relaxing and memorable days we'd had in a long time.

What does this have to do with Designs By Spirit, you might ask? On our way home that afternoon, we finally came up with a solution to the selection problem: a process designed to inspire the creative spirit while accommodating a wide variety of window orientations called Design A View Studio.

Sometimes there are days in life when the right view can clear your focus. Thanks to a peacock in the road and a kind woman on a bicycle, we hope you enjoy exploring and creating an oasis inspired by your own unique style and imagination.