The Smoke Descends

As the winds shifted today from the offshore Santa Anas to the usual onshore breezes, the smoke finally made it to our mountain valley. We found our eyes and throats burning, and we were all coughing much more than usual. In fact, I stayed inside today except for sneaking outside once or twice to get a few photos, and my chest still hurts from breathing the smoke.



I've taken this photo in several seasons now. When you contrast this gray, smoky sky and hazy mountains to the bright blue skies of yesterday's photos, the effects of the fires can definitely be seen across the meadow. Those mountains to the north usually stand out in stark contrast; today the most distant peaks can barely be seen.



I took this from our front porch, looking southwest in the afternoon sun. The skies yesterday were a deep blue; today smoke from the fires about ten to fifteen miles away decends into our valley and hazes even the usually blinding afternoon sunshine. And this is an extremely mild version of the extreme smoke of the fires this week down in the city....