Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire.

 

"Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire."

Francois de la Rochefoucauld
17th century French author

On the drive down to Boulder last Sunday, smoke from a prescribed burn near Lyons made for an interesting contrast with the backdrop of snowy peaks.  The winds were beginning to pick up ahead of an Arctic storm, fanning the flames and increasing the volume of smoke. That old familiar woodsmoke smell flooded my mind with a hundred memories of the forest fires we've had every summer over the past fifteen or twenty years.

Then, from the top of Mount Sanitas - the destination point for our hike -  I noticed that one of those previous burns stood out quite prominently in front of the dazzling panorama of The Indian Peaks.  On the drive home, the combination of smoke, low-lying sun and golden willow leaves made for an ethereal scene.  Fire-wise, I wonder what the coming summers hold in store for us?

Photos: (Top) Smoke from a prescribed fire near Lyons, with the Indian Peaks in the background, near Longmont, CO; (Middle) An old burn and the Indian Peak spread out from the summit of Mt. Sanitas near Boulder, CO; (Bottom) Smoke and the low-lying sun combine with golden willow leaves to make an ethereal scene near Loveland, CO.  All three photos were taken on November 9, 2014