The calendar says that fall is only days away. The forecast shows a high of 90 tomorrow. Smoke from forest fires changes the reality of everything. Colors from a distance are muted and without depth. Up close they seem brighter and illuminated. Nights are cool but by late afternoon the oppressive smoke held down by high pressure gives everything a cooked feeling. Maybe it’s just the ever-present smell of charred forests. Initially it’s like a welcome campfire and then you realize it’s not going away. Most likely, some of these fires will burn til the snow falls. And in the long-range forecast there is not even a drop of rain. Normally weather like this in September would be welcomed with open arms.
This morning I took the dogs and my cell phone for a walk and this what we came back with.
This soft image has a painterly feel to me. Patterson Mountain is in the distance. On a smoke-free day, you’d see the mountains of the North Cascades beyond it.
The chokecherries have lost most of their leaves while the serviceberries have turned yellow and orange in recent days.
There hasn’t been a frost on our hill yet. I think the bushes are doing this because it’s been so dry for so long.
There’s a chokecherry that has not yet dropped its leaves. Looking up, early in the day, there is some blue sky.
Maybe I prefer this in black and white…….
