air pollution in LA... Grande that is

We spent the last three days of 2007 in Cove house sitting for friends. I'll blog a little more on that later. On New Years day I took this photo.


















Notice the layer of blur running like a jet trail across the foot of the mountains. Our little town of La Grande is nestled somewhere inside that blur.
That's not a problem with the photographer or the camera; rather, it's what they call air pollution. In the winter, when folks (like us) fire up their woodstoves and a temperature inversion hits (not uncommon) this is what you get.
I knew this happened, and I even knew about the data chronicling how bad air quality is here in the winter and during field burning in the summer, but until I took this picture it hadn't really registered viscerally with me.
All I can say is, yikes...gotta do better than this.
Here's a picture taken 24 hours earlier of almost exactly the same area. Notice how clear it can be (if you can take your eyes off of the adorable children that is).












It's interesting how far a 20 minute drive can take you, how it can alter your perspective.
K