“Wind shapes our world” – Ed Lehming

I’ve become far more aware of wind lately. I first started paying attention a few years ago when I moved to Prince Edward County. The “county,” as it’s referred to locally, is an island on the northeast shore of Lake Ontario. Winds tend to blow in from the west, across the open water, and there really isn’t much in the way to calm them. So, I’ve found that there are some extended times when it’s just “windy” out.

There are other effects of the wind that I had not really needed to pay attention to. For the past two summers, we have been significantly affected by smoke from wildfires. I can’t say that I have any recollection of this in my lifetime. Perhaps it was not newsworthy back in the day, but it’s been pretty dominant here lately. Last summer, you could smell everything from “campfire” to “chemically,” depending on the nature of the fire itself and how long the wind held the smoke aloft.

Last year’s smoke came from northern Quebec, and the winds pushed the smoke westward and then south, which resulted in mainly orange sunsets. When it got really thick, there was a haze in the air and various smells. This year, the smoke came from northern Ontario, turning our skies an eerie orange, like something from a dystopian movie. It was quite unsettling, but we knew that eventually the wind would carry it off. The benefits of air movement became quite obvious.

But something I have really failed to appreciate is just how incredible the wind is at shaping our clouds and creating peaceful sunsets. The image I chose for today was taken a few days ago while on my evening walk. It had been a relatively cloudless day, but as dusk set in, a few clouds rolled in, and the wind worked its magic. It was not until later that I noticed the jet contrail, which surprised me a bit since we don’t get a lot of air traffic in our skies.

iPhone 17 Pro Max
Main Camera — 24 mm
1/590 sec, ƒ/1.78 ISO 64