A Walk in the Fog - January 8, 2014

Probably one of my least favorite weather conditions is fog. It's cold and damp. It's certainly dreary. And worst, as far as I'm concerned, is the fact that it is so difficult to drive in. And dangerous. This morning the fog actually got worse as the day went on so I decided that if I was going to get any kind of workout in early I would take the dogs for a walk. I'm still having to make separate trips with Sassy and Sly after being dragged to the ground on two previous walks with them harnessed together. They could care less about the weather conditions; they are always ready to go. There's probably a lesson in there for me.

I really enjoyed the walk. It was peaceful in the thick fog and because I couldn't see very far my other senses seemed to be sharpened. The traffic out on West Main sounded like wind in the trees in an evergreen forest. The water running over a little check dam in the irrigation canal sounded like a mountain stream. And the smell of someone's fireplace reminded me of the many campfires I have sat around in the past. The fact that we are under a burn restriction because of poor air quality didn't diminish the nostalgia it evoked.

Even the sound of the light wind just from walking seemed to be magnified in my ears. Just stopping would make it go completely silent. The train whistle from several miles away seemed much closer in the fog. I could hear the flock of domestic geese from the neighbors long before I saw them and the sounds of other birds that I never saw. A small herd of cattle near the canal didn't see us coming until the last minute and took off running across the pasture when they did. These are cows that are used to me running or walking with the dogs but apparently not used to someone coming out of the fog.

Finally just as I was returning to the house a sound that I also associate all too often with the fog, sirens on the highway up near town. Hopefully it was just a fender bender.

As you can see in the sky and from the reflection on the canal the sun was trying to get through but right after I took those pictures it gave up and didn't burn the fog off until an hour or more later.