Fire and smoke

I'm so sorry for everyone affected by the fires in the North Bay today.  The damage to people's homes and hearts has been devastating.

Recently I've been reading a book about volcanoes.  The book describes how the smoke and soot from large volcanic eruptions affects the atmosphere and light levels and air temperatures.  I haven't been around an intense volcanic eruption, so it's hard for me to imagine what it feels like.  But the fires and smoke and ash in Sonoma County on 9 October 2017 made me wonder if some of the conditions we experienced today were similar.

Everything felt strange and unfamiliar and scary — the dim light throughout the day...the ash and leaves falling from the sky...the color of the sun, both in the sky and its reflection in the water.

Here are three quick photos for the record.

An example of a burnt and blistered oak leaf that had fallen into our front yard in Cotati (taken ~8 a.m.):

 

The fiery mid-morning sun (taken ~10 a.m.):

 

Unusual golden reflections of the sun in an ocean wave (taken ~3 p.m.):

 

 

I hope the winds will be favorable for the firefighters tonight.  

Please stay safe.