Fire in the Sky

It was the summer of forest fires.  The smoke spread over the whole province.  We experienced it all the way out on the Island. It was such a strange ferry ride over, when Duncan and I headed out to the Shuswap in August:  the smoke turned both the sky and sea to a steely gray. Approaching the ferry terminal, the usual backdrop of mountains was completely invisible.

Approaching the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal

The smoke followed us all the way there.  Driving through Merrit, BC, Duncan noted that the sky looked like something from Star Wars (Tatooine, anyone?).  I was impressed he could take the photo from the inside of the car while we were driving!  The sky seemed  particularly bizarre since it was only 6 or so in the evening... we still had a couple of hours of sun ahead of us.   

Blood red sun in the sky over Meritt

 Things were little different once we reached the lake. Again, the smoke was so thick in the air that you could taste it. You could still see things in front of you, but the view to the other side was transformed.  

smoky day view from the wheel

It was as if the world just dropped away.

The hops vine seen from under the deck.

Just for comparative purposes, check out the photo below to see a similar view on a day without smoke from the forest fires.

the usual view from the pottery wheel

It was also strange being down at the lake, and swimming;   a little bit eerie. 

What you can't quite catch in the photos is the feeling of stillness. There was very little boat traffic on the lake (it would be dangerous), so there was a really strange sense of quiet.

The smoke also made for some truly beautiful (a terrible beauty) sunsets. 

sunset at the lake

What I could't catch in my photos (or videos) was the amazing sparkle of the shades of sparkling pink cast across the water. Gorgeous.

Like I said, Fire in the Sky (and smoke on the water?)  :-)