Well, it's the first day of summer, and the smoke from somebody's wildfire has finally reached us. Can't complain, since we have been lucky enough to be smoke free so far this season. Don't know whose fire we are breathing... could be from our state, Colorado or even Arizona.

Smell is faint, so I don't think the fire is close. Most times you can smell whether or not the fire is burning in sage, juniper or pine, but I can't tell today.

If the smell isn't enough to alert you, the light will certainly tell you something is burning. The direct sunlight that filters down through the haze has a yellowish-orange cast to it, making sidewalks look slightly orange. Like the effect of a really strong incandescent bulb.

Combine this with the shadows of the tree leaves, which get a bluish tint to them, and you get a kaleidoscope effect to the sidewalks.

Owlets seems to be enjoying the hazy weather. No where near as hot as yesterday. They were both hunkered down on a window sill, sound asleep, a light breeze occasionally disturbing some feathers.

I was enjoying lunch on the front porch again today, the masked heeler on alert beside me, when her sister let out a warning bark. And came circling from the north side of the house, attentively turning back to watch something up the street.

Masked heeler started her threatening 'beouf's, and had to be shushed (without much success). Also staring up the street.

I lean around the corner to look.

A deer!

A young mule deer buck, walking down the sidewalk across the street, totally unconcerned about being in an inhabited area. Pausing to munch on a neighbor's tree.

Called youngest son to the door, who was unimpressed.

Seen deer before, I guess. But he was kind enough to hustle the heelers inside. I followed, and quickly retrieved the camera.

By the time I got back out, the young buck was straight across the street. Peering curiously through the crack in the gate at the dogs fenced in that yard.

Dogs who happened to be having a shit-fit. Which is a bad thing, because it usually means the larger dog turns its frustration into the smaller. Which it did.

Their inter-canid squabble convinced the buck to move on, which he did at a leisurely pace. Headed straight for the post office.