a bit of moisture, then sun

I may have gotten close to a smokey sou'wester this morning in the great plains. You Mainers know that a smokey sou'wester occurs when southwest winds blow off the land and mix with the air flowing over the cold Maine waters, producing a thick but sunny fog, the scent of which I dream of daily -- it's a mixture of pine and salt, heavy with moisture. 

The nature center sits in a slight depression in the surrounding prairies, with a few small ponds dotting the property. As I drove down the road this morning, mist hung on the tall grasses, between the trunks of cottonwoods, and over the still waters of the ponds. I opened my windows and thought of my dad saying, "Mol, this is what we call a smokey sou'wester."

We've had a few warm days here and shorts, t-shirts, and sun block have come out in full force. The ponds are filled with turtles, frogs, and water birds; the paths in the prairie with public school kids on spring break, running and laughing.