How's the weather up your way, Lance?

[maestrob]

The “sun is no longer visible, everything’s orange, the parking lot lights have come on,” forecasters from the National Weather Service office in Binghamton tweeted Wednesday morning. The swath of more dense smoke will continue to move south over the next several hours and visibility is expected to decline as it does.

Please stay indoors!

[Lance]

Weather in Upstate New York area is gray and "ghost-like" as I view the trees and area around me. It was much colder today, around 54-55 degrees, quite a change from last week's 92 degrees! It is bleak-looking, not good for anyone with asthma or breathing problems (which I don't have, thankfully). There is a haze around everything, no sunlight. I understand even airports are having problems, especially in the NYC area, Washington DC, etc. It is probably best to simply stay indoors, listen to music, watch TV, or read.

[maestrob]

Yesterday afternoon, our sky became a sickly yellow ochre. We couldn't see the sun at all as the worst of the smoke cloud passed. We stayed indoors until the worst passed and noticed that most pedestrians were wearing masks, even double masks. Thankfully, the worst cleared up in the late afternoon and we felt confident enough to go see "Flying Dutchman" at the MET (which we loved!), along with what was clearly a sold-out audience! Unfortunately, "Camelot" was canceled right next door at the Vivian Beaumont theater. We met a couple who had come all the way from Indiana to see the show who were sorely disappointed!

Luckily, we wore masks and noticed no ill effects from the atmosphere other than difficulty in finding a taxi to come home: it took us 10 minutes instead of 5!

I'm told today should be better.

[THEHORN]

I live in New Rochelle, just a stone's throw from the border of the Bronx , and the sky is perfectly clear and normal . I wonder how much of the five boroughs of the city were effected by this mess ?

[maestrob]

I live in New Rochelle, just a stone's throw from the border of the Bronx , and the sky is perfectly clear and normal . I wonder how much of the five boroughs of the city were effected by this mess ?

Robert, the sky was quite hellish early Wednesday, but by late afternoon things were simply a bit gray. We took a chance and, wearing masks of course, attended a full-house performance of Flying Dutchman that evening without noticing any ill-effects in either eyes or throat. New Yorkers are tough as nails!

As an aside, the director of your local opera company, Camille Coppola, is a good friend of mine and was on my Board when I had my competition in Carnegie Hall.

[THEHORN]

I met Camille Coppola several years when a number of singers from the New Rochelle opera appeared at a small public park very close to where I live during the summer , accompanied by a portable electric keyboard instrument played by an accompanist who works for the company .
Some of those singers were actually pretty god despite having to sing with a microphone . Ms. Coppola introduced the singers to the audience and. made some pleasantly chatty comments . I haven't seen any performances of. complete operas by the company yet, but would like to .