Smoke!

A layer of smoke hanging in the Mesilla Valley

The first thing we smelled when we stepped out of the house this morning was smoke from the fires in the Gila National Forest.  Several are raging now.  The Whitewater-Baldy fire has burned over 190 square miles of forest and is still 0% contained.  The drought has taken a heavy toll on western trees, making them especially susceptible to predatory bugs.  Western forests are nothing but kindling ready to burst into flames.

Ocotillo buds

Made in the shade

The Organ Mountains (background) almost obscured by smoke