It is now early September and noone living in the northwest is going to forget the summer just past. A new season has been added – Summersmoke. Wildfires have been getting worse for several years and this year our beautiful valley filled with smoke in late July, and we didn’t see the surrounding mountains for over a month. And it was chilly. And the particle count was often over 200 and sometimes over 300, so masks were recommended as the air is considered unhealthful when the particle index is higher than 150. The air was barely breathable, the streets nearly devoid of cars, walkers were scarce and usually masked as were bikers, and EVERYONE was depressed. The Britt concerts and rehearsals were moved to North Medford High School which meant they could not do the Mahler 6th – the showpiece for the season. (The stage would not hold the 20 added players needed, including a 2nd harp.) The last week of the festival was cancelled. OSF also had to cancel several plays in the big outdoor theater and several Green Shows. All outdoor activites were severaly impacted – walking biking, tennis, restaurants, backyard barbeques. I looked often and wistfully out the window at my lovely garden.I did attend two marvelous concerts and heard the Shostakovich 9th and Brahms 4th. The orchestra is now first-class, even under such problematic circumstances.
On August 20 Jenny and I drove to Whidbey Island, hoping to find clean air and were shocked to find no relief. But my stay was punctuated by a visit from Hilary, Damian and the twins and we enjoyed it thoroughly despite the smoke. Mattie and Ellie can be distinguished by tiny moles, one has a mole on a left cheek and the other on the right. Trouble is, now I can’t recall which has which! They loved everything, and started drawing immediately in Jenny’s great studio. They had a camping trip planned at Olympic NP, a ferry ride away, so a few days later Jenny equipped them and we all took the ferry across to Port Townsend.
The campground was lovely, set in old-growth forest, and, as always with camping, the tent was the first priority. Watching the twins during the setting up process revealed differences between them. Mattie was actived engaged in erecting the tent, Ellie found a huge downed log and played on it. When it was ready Ellie got interested and paid it a visit, as the photos below show. I knew at the time which twin did which, but had to get helpfrom Hilary as to who did what!
Here are some photos.
On my flight home smoke blanketed the entire landscape from Ashland to Seattle, a vivid portrait of the immensity of this calamity. And it’s not over now, altho it is nearing mid-September. There is a fire encompassing both sides of the I5, causing a detour on a 2-lane forest road that is a driver’s nightmare.
Soon after I got home my right shoulder, which had been causinfg discomfort for a month, flared into serious pain that demanded attention and triggered a total life-change. Heath arrived a few days later and had already begun the process. She had contacted a chairlift company so I can continue to use my 2nd floor bedroom and bath, a non-profit called Ashland at Home which supplies many helpful services, and Lifeline which make pendants that respond when you fall and can also contact help if you are able to push a button and talk. I decided to stop driving except for extraordinary circumstances – and it hurts so much now I couldn’t drive anyway. All these items have been executed and I am learning to live a quality life without a car. Not that it is easy. Nothing can be done on impulse, even a quick trip to the grocery store. But Ashland is a great place for this kind of life and I have a woderful assortment of friends to augment whatever the help agencies don’t provide.
On Heath’s last night here we had a wonderful experience with Vaux Swifts in a local vineyard with a lovely old mansion sporting 3 brick chimneys, one of which is a night roost for a group of migrating swifts. Pepper Trail, Forensic Ornithologist and longtime friend, was our escort (he is also a first-class birder, poet, journalist and speaker, and world-class traveler, and I will write about him soon, as he is worthy of a whole post) and took the photographs below. We arrived at EdenVale Winery in Phoenix about an hour before dark, bought glasses of wine, and sat in the charming garden that is used for weddings and concerts. The first swifts arrived shortly, swooped and circled in the smoky sky, and vanished repeatedly, with their numbers growing steadily on return, and finally they began forming lines in air and diving into the nearest chimney. They are counted every evening and the count that we witnessed was estimated as 133 birds. It was a simply lovely experience and an upbeat way to spend Heath’s last night here.
There are 3 roosting sites in the valler and the biggest congregation was at Hedrick School in Medford. There was a well-attended Swift-watching party there a few nights later, and over 3000 birds went down the chimney. The photos are by Teresa Fernandez .
