Last weekend’s rowing regatta in Michigan, which was supposed to run from Thursday through Sunday, got overcome by events when hazardous smoky air from wildfires prevented any outdoor activities in the area on Thursday and Friday. Here’s a photo of the smoky air as seen from the front window of the Airbnb house where my husband and I were staying with another couple.

Strong southwest winds pushed the smoke out of the area on Saturday, but our races were scheduled for late afternoon. By then it had gotten so windy that racing had to be stopped for safety reasons because lots of boats were flipping, so we had a third day with no rowing.

On Sunday, there was a full day of racing with our Saturday races squeezed in at the end. Some smoke blew back in and made the air hazy, but it wasn’t bad enough to be hazardous, just mildly irritating to the eyes and throat. We won some medals, though there was less competition because some people went home early. I’m glad that we had one day to race; it’s a long break until the fall season begins.