Smoky skies give brilliant sunrises and sunsets. If you’ve lived in or near a forest, however, that sign is usually an uncomfortable one. We haven’t had much smoke this summer - far less that we have witnessed in the Pacific Northwest another year. But there was smoke in the air yesterday. It wasn’t bad. We would have described the day as clear and warm, but in the evening when we walked, the smoke was evident in the air between us and the islands. Smoke looks different from the usual fog and mist that are common on the ocean. I’m not sure I can describe it in words, but I know the difference.

It shouldn’t surprise us that there is some smoke, with the intensity of the wildfires that have now prompted officials to declare a province-wide emergency for our neighbors to the north. Officials are advising no travel in the central Okanogan. Roads closer to us than that are closed due to wildfire. Yesterday, I wrote about places to the north, in the Northwest Territories, but these fires are even closer. After I wrote yesterday’s entry, I learned that the night before the fire that had been threatening West Kelowna and already consumed some structures had jumped the lake in the night and now was threatening its sister city, Kelowna. The campus of University of British Columbia, Kelowna was hastily evacuated. Several other neighborhoods in the city were also evacuated and thousands more have been put on notice to be ready to evacuate on a moment’s notice. Kelowna International Airport was closed to all but firefighting operations.

There is a soft spot in our hearts for Kelowna. We visited the area for a Writer’s Conference when we were doing some work for Wood Lake Books on a project called Seasons of the Spirit. We returned to Kelowna during our Sabbatical in 2006 and camped in the area. When the CBC radio personalities describe the fires, we know the landmarks. And CBC Vancouver suspended regular programming to cover the fires full time yesterday. I heard an interview with a man who works in Yellowknife, where he was forced to evacuate. He went to his home in Kelowna where he once again was forced to evacuate - two evacuations in 48 hours.

So a little smoke in the air is a tiny problem in comparison with what our neighbors are facing. It really does seem that while so much of the rest of the world is feeling the direct impact of climate change we are in a particularly gentle place. The hurricane bearing down on California might bring a bit of rain to our area, but it may not. It won’t bring enough rain to British Columbia and the Northwest Territories to help with the fires. Help from the weather is still weeks or more away.

Despite the smoke in the air, we aren’t smelling it. And when we do get a whiff, it is almost pleasant, a gentle odor that reminds us of campfires. People were really out enjoying the weather and the view around here last night. We’re a tourist town, so we’re used to bigger crowds on weekends. The local brew pub was rocking with live music last night and that always draws a crowd, and all along the waterfront people were having a good time, strolling and riding bikes. A lot of folks were just sitting on the beach, on portable chairs or on the logs that wash up, just watching the sunset.

As Birch Bay sunsets go, it wasn’t particularly dramatic. There weren’t any clouds in the sky to reflect the light and color. But the sun was red when viewed through the smoke on the horizon and the water in the bay was very calm resulting in dramatic colors reflected on the water. In a way the water was even more beautiful and scenic than the sky.

It was getting dark by the time we ended our walk. We had waited to walk a bit later than usual, enjoying the cool of the evening. Less than two months after solstice sunset is already an hour earlier. One of the adjustments to living this far north is the dramatic pace with which the length of the days changes. Just eighteen days into our second retirement, I am trying to hang on to summer as much as possible this year. Next week is the grandkids’ last week of summer vacation. They return to school the following week. Their South Carolina Cousin has already started the 2023-24 school term.

Autumn, however, is a wonderful season for travel and exploration. The program year of the church often precluded autumn vacation for us, but we have had some wonderful fall trips and we’ve got a few planned for this September. In a week we plan to leave for Montana and we’ve got tickets to fly to South Carolina at the end of the month.

It does seem, however, a bit strange for us to have such wonderful vacation travel on our calendars when our neighbors have been forced to give up on fall plans as they flee the fires. Heat, dryness, wind, and smoke are making life dangerous for them even though, fortunately, there have been no deaths reported. It is a dramatic improvement over the news from Maui where the worst wildfire of the century has left devastation and officials are still searching for bodies as the death count grows.

The news goes from crisis to crisis. The people of Maui haven’t forgotten their fire, but the reporters have focused their attention on Western Canada for the moment. The headlines will be different next week. There is so much going on. And we know that the fires are releasing unprecedented carbon into the atmosphere intensifying the pace of climate change. News reports can seem apocalyptic.

It is not, however, the end of the world. The stories of our people are filled with events that threatened and people who were filled with despair. We know that this planet has an amazing capacity for recovery and self-healing. The smoke in our skies is a reminder that we are called to do everything we are able to partner with this planet for healing and recovery. I don’t know if any of the folks sitting on the beach were refugees from the most threatened areas. I do know that there were plenty of British Columbia license plates on the vehicles parked along the beach walkway. I hope that our neighbors know that they are welcome and we are willing to share.