The Puget Sound area has been overwhelmed several days this month by smoky air from raging wildfires in all directions – British Columbia to the north, Oregon and California to the south, and the eastern part of Washington state.
The good news? Health officials say most people can still go about their normal activities, and won’t experience any long-term consequences from breathing in the smoke. The not-so-good news? Besides causing some minor eye irritation (at least to my eyes), the haze blanketing the region has significantly reduced visibility – so much so that our gorgeous scenery has temporarily gone AWOL. This especially hit home yesterday, during an early evening ferry crossing from Bainbridge Island to Seattle, as I was headed to watch the Mariners-Astros game at Safeco Field. Sadly, Mount Rainier – the Northwest’s signature natural icon – was nowhere to be found, while West Seattle was barely discernible. And although the locals happily won thanks to a dramatic eighth-inning home run by Robinson Cano, there was something surreal about watching a baseball game in a venue filled with smoke. The roof may have been open at Safeco Field, but all you could see was the faint outline of an orange half-moon in a starless sky.
Given our lousy air quality, the above image of Mount Rainier – taken during a certain late-morning ferry crossing when the sun was strategically positioned – is an appropriate (and reassuring) reminder that better weather days will soon return. Heck, once our “cool and rainy with a touch of gloom and doom” set in several months from now, the raging wildfires will likely be but a distant memory!
If you like the look, feel and drama of panoramas like the above, please check out the images in the Panoramas gallery of my online store. A nice assortment of panoramic images, including matted, metal, canvas, and fine acrylic prints, is also available at my gallery on Bainbridge Island. Speaking of which, please be on the lookout for an upcoming post about the imminent relocation of my gallery. While I’m admittedly biased, the Grand Opening should be an extraordinary event!
Ciao for now!
Andrew (“Andy”) Bergh