Bitterroot and Bergamot

Siren song, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

This photo is dedicated to my beloved and besieged Swan Valley in western Montana, which has been threatened by wildfire for a couple of weeks now. I'd like to summon the gods of coolness and rain, which need to sweep in and put a stop to the relentless heat and dry lightning that continue to spread the fire and spark new blazes.

At one point last week, 13 fires were burning in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area on the other side of the Swan Range, the mountains I picture so frequently on this blog. And there's a stubborn fire threatening residences just a few miles north of the little old cabin my dad built so many years ago.

I'm back in Wisconsin with my family and monitoring these fires online. What a helpless feeling. No rain forecast in the area until Thursday. I'll be going back at the end of September and who knows what the situation will be.

All the photos I've been posting were taken in August, at a time when it did seem that fall was in the air and we might be able to dodge the wildfire bullet this year. Guess not.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:19 AM