Smoke

Lately it has been extremely smokey here in Boise. When I wake up in the morning, there's a visible haze just looking across the street, and the foothills that are normally identifiable from everywhere in town are nowhere in sight. The smokey sting hits my nostrils the moment I open any door to the outside. And, when we would normally take advantage of the cooler nights to give our A/C a respite from working all day, recently we haven't even opened the windows because the pollutants take such a strain on the body.

There are fires burning all over the western part of the U.S. due to the record dryness and the record heat. And Boise just happens to be home to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), the brain of logistics for wildland firefighting around the country.

Also at the NIFC is the Wildland Firefighters Monument. I decided to visit the Monument for the first time yesterday, to honor those who have fallen and to show respect for those who continue to work hard and put their lives on the line. What I found was a beautiful sanctuary, peaceful and quiet, lined with native plants, and secluded from the NIFC and the city. It was the perfect interlude in a smokey month.

26/29.
25 to go.