9/13-16/22 I went up to Camp Serendipity for four days: Tuesday through Friday.

Highway 2 was closed because of the Bolt Creek fire so I had to drive around over Blewett Pass. As soon as I got on I-5 going South, the traffic slowed to a crawl all the way to Seattle. I left at 9:00 o'clock and didn't get to Seattle until 10:20. From then on it was speed limit all the way to Cle Elum but then it slowed down again for another half hour because of a construction delay. The air got smoky at the top of Blewett Pass so I put on the respirator mask that I had brought with me and wore it all the way. I finally arrived at Camp Serendipity at 1:30.

There was no fire crew present, but I saw that they had set up a completely new water tank and sprayer system for the house. It looked like they might have tested it once, but I can't be sure.

The air was smoky, but I was still wearing my respirator, so it was no problem. I hoisted the flag, and then had my usual lunch and a nap. When I got up, I practiced the piano. The temperature outside was cool and the cabin was cool, so I decided to turn on the heaters for the first time this season. I cranked the thermostats up and the temperature in the cabin came up to a nice comfortable 68 degrees. It thundered for about 10 minutes and rained shortly afterwards which I was glad to see. As far as I could tell the forest fire hadn't changed over the weekend.

On Wednesday it was still smoky and hazy outside although the air in the cabin was clear. I practiced the piano and spent the morning writing.

After lunch and a nap, I spent some time practicing drawing a map of Europe from memory. I also listened to the radio.

On Thursday it was smoky and hazy again. After practicing the piano, I worked on the drywall/log wall corner in the bedroom while I listened to the radio.

After lunch and a nap, I finished installing the cardboard backing for the bedroom corner. It is now ready for mud. Then I spent some time writing.

On Friday I knew that Highway 2 was still closed so I was up at 5 so I could leave early to go around Blewett again. After practicing the piano, I went outside and checked Paul and Runty and was happy to see that both are thriving. I left at 9:30 and was happy that there were no delays in the traffic. It was speed limit all the way home.