Beatrice
in Much Ado about Nothing says that
her heart “keeps on the windy side of care,” but it’s been hard for even strong-willed
hearts to maintain equanimity on the windy side of the smoke we’ve been
breathing from nearby fires and those upwind of us in British Columbia,
Washington, and Idaho. Missoula has had
an apocalyptic look since July 20th or so. Things could be worse, but we breathe unhealthy
air most days.
Fortunately, the air is
clearish today after a bit of rain (the first in 46 days), and it was not too
bad last week when we camped at Beavertail Hill State Park, just upriver on the
Clark Fork. Still, there was smoke, and
we were staying across the meadow from a 300-person fire camp for people working
16-hour shifts on the Sapphire Complex fires.
Our friend Linda had rented a teepee at the park and packed up Bessie to
bring together her two granddaughters from Edmonton and two grandsons from
Florence, and she invited us. In the
face of sobering news and the gloom of smoke, what a reminder of brightness
to hear happy shrieks from the teepee, watch four leap-froggers tumbling down the
road to the fire camp, and walk the trail behind a joyous group hug!
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