Smog

If you've been watching the news at all, you know that Moscow is currently under seige by a giant smoke cloud generated by some 500 forest fires.  Add to that the current blistering heat, and it's like a little taste of hell. 

Yesterday the wind blew the smoke out of the city temporarily, so Natasha and I took a walk in the 100-degree heat to the grocery store.  Which is not air-conditioned.  As horrible as that was, I'm glad we did it because the smoke is back today and we've been cooped up indoors.  Being inside doesn't offer complete relief, however, as the smoke has seeped through the cracks around our doors and windows.  Jeremy and I have massive headaches and we're a bit worried about the long-term impact on Natasha's health.  There's no rain in the forecast, so it seems the fires - and the smog - will continue for some time.

I leave you with these photos.  I took the one on the right today.  The one on the left was taken last week, on a not-completely-smoke-free day.