October? Really?

I ask you -- does this look like October, if the same place looked like this in July?

Our run of remarkable autumn weather continues, with no end in sight until next weekend, if then. We are getting rather used to perpetual sunshine, but the dry weather is now breaking records -- this September, with just 0.15 inch / 3.8 mm of rain, was the second driest on record in Bellingham, going back to 1949, when the National Weather Service began keeping track. Mushroom hunters are finding slim pickings, and the danger of wildfires, particularly in the transition zones between urban/suburban areas and undeveloped lands, is high.

Knowing that it was probably one of our last opportunties to sit outside in late afternoon/early evening and enjoy a drink and a light meal, Phil and I went downtown to The Oyster Bar, a casual bistro in the heart of Bellingham. We relished the delicious Oysters Florentine & Gabrielle ($7 /4.33GBP / 5.37 Euro for two of each), and wild coho salmon tacos with spicy fresh mango salsa, pickled carrots, and avocado crème fraîche ($4 / 2.47 GBP / 3.07 Euro).

While we were waiting for our food, in addition to people-watching, I amused myself by taking photos of the scene around me as reflected in the window blind inside the bistro, just to the left of where we were sitting. Here's my favorite from that bit of playtime, enhanced with bit of extra-saturated color. The tonal range here looks more like what we're accustomed to at this time of year!

(See Phil's blip for another view of this scene and our evening.)