Light Show

Tuesday, August 21st, 2018

K Mountain - Keremeos, British Columbia

August in the Similkameen has always been a welcome month.

The first two weeks are usually hot, - 

the dog days of August when it would be nice to just lie around in the shade

 if there just weren't so many other things to do.....

The last two weeks were always a gentle preparation for autumn, - 

mostly this was when the summer storms tapered off

 into a quiet few days of rain that re-invigorated the garden 

and brought some relief from the summer heat.

This year has been quite different -
f it weren't for the thirty degree thermometer reading
one would think they were getting by in foggy November,
busy with Christmas preparations.

The smoke has been so bad.

The wildfires in British Columbia have been so horrid and prolific.

In the last few days we have laid claim to our own local excitement
 as the Snowy Mountain fire made its way up from the lower valley
 and crested K Mountain, (which overlooks Keremeos) 

 adding to the dismal curtain of smoke.

But, making up for it by lifting the curtain
 and for a few hours last night
enchanting us with this glittering light show.

Debbie Marten - photographer

This morning, when Callie and Bruce and I rose early,
the curtain had fallen again,
 and the surrounding hills were just a faint shadow,
their outline barely visible.

  

No doubt there were firemen working the flames,
 somewhere behind the smoke,
 but we were once again in the gloom,
confined to in-doors. 

 The garden, crying for attention, but definitely out-of-bounds.

I can't complain, - both looms are busy clacking away as I go from one to the other.......!!!

We are not in any danger, - there is a river and an irrigated meadow

between the town and the flames and K Mountain

is a pretty rocky affair.

 Joe Labeau Hashtag Photography