Smoke

The stars in the west are dimmed by the veil of smoke rising from the fire. The smell of it was strong in the air through the early night, until the wind shifted. Now it is much diminished, mixed with the clean air coming down from the high desert. In the morning, the wind will reverse again and the smoke will return. Tomorrow is to be unseasonably warm, and likely to be unpleasant. We would welcome a good rainstorm now, but none is in sight. This is not a good situation. Nothing about this place bothers me more than does its combustible nature.

View

So far, the air currents are keeping the smoke from the forest fire out of the town. I am watching the smoke billow above the foothills to the southeast. The clouds shade gradually from brown to white as they rise. their forms shift rapidly, and I see suggestive shapes in them. An elephant just rose up, distended, and vanished. Near it was a white helmet with a dark slit across it, looking like those worn by the Imperial troops in Star Wars. Now, the top of the smoke column has sprouted two broad wings, as though a giant white bird were about to swoop across the sky. A spectacular show, but not really worth the price of admission.