The Big Smoke

Our skies in southeastern Ontario are currently smoky from fires in faraway northeastern Ontario. Believe me, Ontario is a very large province, and those first are, indeed, far away.

Due to said smoke, last evening when we were out watering the garden the smoke had reduced the sun to a dull, orange ball. After Sue tried, unsuccessfully, to photograph it with her phone  I grabbed my camera and took two photos. They are zoomed and cropped and not very good photos, but they do record the colour pretty accurately.

We hustled our buns to drive about and find nicer place for a photo, but we didn't hustle enough. By the time we found a what could have been a better view, the sun was low. The smoke must have been thicker lower to the horizon because it was all but faded from view. Sigh.

Later, I saw that the moon was a similar, orange colour. I took a quick snap from the backyard.

This morning, I set the alarm for 4:40 to try again for a better sun photo, but, alas, ole sol chose not to put in an appearance, or at least the smoke chose to thwart it. After an hour of waiting when I knew the sun had, theoretically, risen but was still invisible, I gave up.

However, while I had been waiting in vain for the rising, I did take a few other photos.

This first one shows a little of where I was -- in a little pulloff by the ditch, which was lined with Queen Anne's Lace.

Speaking of Queen Anne, she appears prominently as a foreground element in the next photo. I like this picture as it captures the morning, with its muted skies and landscape, very accurately and pleasingly too, I think.

The little spot on the flower is a bee, which I couldn't see with my bleary, sleep-deprived eyes.

When I got back home, Sue was up doing the laundry. Unfortunately, my alarm had also awoken her, and she had been unable to return to slumber land.

I am pleased to say that I, as of this moment, have not been served with divorce papiers.