Billowing Wildfire Smoke

Thank you for the awesome response to yesterday's Elegant Trogan blip, said in the video to be the "holy grail" of North American birds. Thanks to those who watched that video, too.  Madera Canyon is truly a special place in the world.  I am so lucky to live nearby and to be able to share it with you.

These are not clouds.  It is the smoke plume from what's been named the Bighorn Fire. I assume it was named after the bighorn sheep which live in the jagged Catalina Mountains on the north side of Tucson.  As the crow flies, it's 35 mi/56 km from my house and probably 50 mi/80 km from where I took this photo  (Thursday 11 June). It's not a threat to me (left side) except in air quality, depending on wind direction.

This is the latest update from Accuweather as of noon Friday 12 June. As those of us who live in wildfire country know, it's not necessarily the size of the fire that's of most concern, it's the danger it poses to human lives and homes. That's pretty significant at the moment.

Time to get around to putting in a new grocery order.  I'm such a procrastinator that will probably take several days to do.  It's 5 pm and still 102/39.  May was the hottest on record and the first 12 days of June  is the hottest beginning to our hottest month of the year. I'm also setting a personal record: most midday cold showers and/or dunking my head under cold water.  Today was a dunking.  :-)

Interesting but useless fact:
    Fish cough.


This song seems timely (listen) or read  the lyrics.