And wished some safe journey, some happy convention, and we are collapsing at home.

Our only regret is that the weather is absolutely beastly—half of WA caught fire, it seems, and a lot of folk up by Twisp and elsewhere have terribly bad situations, smoke is a constant pall, making people react and cough and burning sensitive eyes; last night a piece of ash fell at the Pirate Banquet, either my cooking or something wafted on high winds. The sky looks like MZB’s Darkover, the true Bloody Sun, with apricot skies: it still heats, strange though it seems. And we thought it might rain Friday, but that forecast is up in smoke, (pardon me), and we’re forecast for 25 mph winds and thick blowing dust mingled in smoke.

We are pretty sure we can get the beautiful fish dome to work, but right now the constant falling ash which makes the pond just murky green (carbon is a nutrient for unwanted stuff) —so we have just thrown up our hands given the conditions out there and said we will get it to work when we can see the bottom. It is glorious—should be wonderful, but we need to see what we’re doing.

Jane and I’ll be at Sasquan on Friday: that will be our convention day. Beyond that, I think we’re just going to rest and write until about Monday, when my publisher becomes our guest…we have had our quiet dinner for 25 or so…it’s a wonder our little house can manage it, but we did—and thanks to the wonderful help of people who, while being guests, pitched right in and carried chairs, moved tables, hung decorations, and helped us wash dishes, pull weeds, and ran pans between the grill and the house. We caught nothing on fire, which goodness knows we don’t need. And overall we are in better shape than we were going into it all. Shejicon people are wonderful. In a perfect world we’d all be close neighbors…and the sky would not have smoke in it.