Sun of a Hundred (Forest) Fires

For the past week, sunsets in much of the Rockies along the U.S. / Canada border have been spectacular, but not for a good reason. Particles from several dozen forest fires in this region have colorized the sky into unnaturally beautiful shades and made the air quality rather unhealthy. 

And yet, I kept missing my opportunities to capture and document the otherwordly Sun setting behind the smoke-filled horizon, meager selfies notwithstanding.

Until now.

This photograph will go nicely with similarly composed moonrise images I shot last year.

Swimmer's Night

My self-imposed open-water season commenced this week—earlier than usual!

I know what you're thinking: "How badass is she?!" ;)

But, in reality, I'm a wimp: whenever I can't see the bottom in a deep, cold glacial lake, I think of prehistoric monsters. (Unintended bonus: these thoughts make you swim faster!) Of course, those monsters should get the paddle-boarders first. After all, they're further out!