Smoke on the water

There's a city out there somewhere.

Florida can be brutal enough on a day like today, when the temperature is pushing 100 and the humidity is hovering around 120 percent. If you’re stupid enough to walk the dog, it feels like you’re pushing through hot molasses. Then you add in dense smoke from the Georgia brush fires, and voila! You’ve got your own little slice of hell. I’m starting to understand why Andrew Jackson opted not to linger after brutalizing all the natives. No A/C in those days.

The photo above does not do it justice. I’m planning a trip to Montana late next month — probably just in time for fire season there. But one thing about Montana in the summer: It does cool off at night. Maybe I’ll start packing now.