seeing double

Yesterday afternoon our air was thickened by clouds of smoke that had drifted down from wildfires in Minnesota. Everywhere I walked it smelled like a campfire, and after nightfall the haze turned the waning moon a deep rusty orange that was reflected in the black water below like a river of fire. I tried photographing the eerie scene, but was, unsurprisingly, unable to capture the true effect--though the photo by itself does possess some charm...

I hurried to the lake shore this morning anticipating a spectacular smoky sunrise, but I never seem to get exactly what imagine. Despite the muted tones and gray surroundings, this one was beautiful in its cool and calm reserve highlighted by pinpricks of blazing gold (the sun's face) slowly ascending behind the clouds...

About halfway to school I was happily surprised to again encounter my foxy friend in precisely the same location I had seen him/her yesterday. This time however, he/she was with a companion. The pair sat near one another in symmetrical poses...hungrily stalking the dozens of squirrels frisking nearby...

As I sat on the curb with camera in hand, a biker passed and said, "Foxes...they live on the beach." If he was right, then I'm likely to be seeing more of these beautiful animals throughout the season--yet another good reason to keep up my early schedule.

My diet/exercise goals are going well--by which I mean that I haven't cheated or gotten lazy. The scale still said 178 this morning. It's only been 3 days though. What else should I expect? I do at least feel like I'm doing my body good. Except for waking up with calves so sore I could barely make it to the bathroom without stumbling I feel great!