Pink crinkles

An update on my daughter who was in the hospital for a few days. She was allowed to go home three evenings ago, though the medical staff still aren't completely sure of the cause of the problem. She has a follow-up appointment in September, so hopefully she and we will know more at that time. Meanwhile, I feel totally drained, ha!

Fortunately, at least the Gladioli were still in bloom and in good condition yesterday, 26 August 2015, when I called in briefly at the Reader Rock Garden after an afternoon volunteer shift. Most of the flowers have finished for the season and many of the ones that do still exist are past their prime. Still managed to get a few photos, though.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiolus

I wasn't sure whether I should go there or not, as the air quality is very unpleasant at the moment. Even in the house, it smells of smoke. The following is from the Weather Network website. A friend let me know that the numbers given were inaccurate (too high), but we were still well over the "high" level.

"In the city of Calgary the air quality health index was off the charts through the overnight hours Tuesday (25 August 2015), peaking at 19 on a scale where 10 is considered 'high'." The smoke is being blown here from the northwestern United States (Washington State) and it affects the visibility the whole day. Most unpleasant, and I don't know how people who live much closer to the wildfires are managing! We are being told to stay indoors, close all windows, and not use air-conditioning (which most of us don't have in our homes), including in our cars. Temperature this afternoon is supposed to reach 27C (to feel like 30C). Definitely a day to stay home - photography would be useless, as the sky is so heavily smoke-laden.

"Thursday, August 27, 2015, 10:11 AM - Southerly winds continue to spread heavy plumes of smoke north into British Columbia and Alberta from the large wildfires burning in Washington state. However, there is relief in sight as a series of low pressure systems are expected to cool temperatures down and bring a substantial amount of rain." From the Weather Network.

So many Firefighters bravely battling the flames down in this whole area, as well as all those fighting the fires in British Columbia! A huge thank-you to each and every one of them!