My little camera (the one I keep in my purse all the time) finally died, so I replaced it with another small point & shoot, this one with a bigger zoom on it. So far, I'm very happy with it.
The Stuart Creek 2 Fire shrouded us in smoke for several days. I took this photo on my way to Pleasant Valley for a meeting.
The big white puffs are smoke, not clouds. As I approached Two Rivers, the sun was obscured by smoke and you could see it hanging in the air.
Many of the firefighting crews who were deployed up here are now back in the Lower 48 and the fire is more than 50% contained. There are still crews out there trying to put in fire lines to keep it from spreading further. It did jump the river and several small fires erupted on state-owned land, but the crews quickly squelched them. As far as I know, no structures were lost, but the smoke made it very unhealthy to be outdoors for long periods.
I was very happy to see rain and cooler temperatures come in. Both are good in fire season, and it's much more comfortable than 80 and 90 degrees.
My plants are a trial this summer. The zucchini and squash are pathetic, my chives are sad and the parsley is a bit sparse. But the flowers are blooming.
Golden Days is over today and the next big event is the Tanana Valley State Fair. It's hard to believe we're already into the 3rd week of July.
I'm looking forward to visiting my Spokane family soon. Can't wait to see the kids and spend some time with them.
Enjoy the rest of the summer, everyone.
