First, these are generic pictures.  I’m not trying to pull a fast one.  I looked up “wildfire moon” on Getty Images and found these.  Have you ever attempted to take a picture of the moon with your telephone camera?  What looks impressive to you becomes a tiny dot of light.

And the stench is usually dreadful.

What I saw this morning looked much like the pictures I’m posting.  I walked out to the car at 2:48 A.M.  I arrive early at work!  I took one look at the moon and the orange shading was stunning.  It’s a steep price to pay when you consider what’s in all that smoke.  Wood, biomass and animals.  And the stench is usually dreadful.

I was telling a guest from the Sheriff’s Office it reminds me of the smell of a room recently filled with tobacco smoke.  The air may have cleared but an odor remains and it’s very unappealing.

When I was a little boy, my dad built a room off the back of our garage.  He and his friends would play cards there.  They wired the place for music.  Wires from the living room stereo ran from a suspended ceiling through three rooms and into the garage.  The men would drink and smoke and decompress from their work.  Kids could pass through but weren’t welcome.  Instead, my friends and I would be playing outside on summer nights and you could hear laughter from the card game and with the garage door open, see some light.

The morning after, my sister, brother and I would go looking for change.  The room would be empty but for scattered bottle caps and overflowing ashtrays.  Sometimes we could find enough money under the table for a few bottles of pop and some candy, although.  The smell limited search time.  The odor is familiar these smoky days when I’m outside.

50 Most Popular Chain Restaurants in America

YouGov investigated the most popular dining brands in the country, and Stacker compiled the list to give readers context on the findings. Read on to look through America's vast and divergent variety of restaurants—maybe you'll even find a favorite or two.

More From Kool 96.5