The waning months of August have been hot and humid, with heavy haze in the air. For maybe the 15th time in two weeks, I headed over to the peninsula separating Belmont Harbor from Lake Michigan; this time to test a new 24-mm tilt-shift lens for hot spots when mounted on an infrared camera. I wasn’t expecting much in terms of light because the midday skies had been light gray. Much to my surprise, large cumulus clouds filled the sky. About a half-hour into my efforts, the light cut through the clouds, offering clarity. Despite the brightness, the skies opened up, with elongated streaks of illuminated water pelting the earth’s surface for no more than a 90 seconds. I took cover under a tree, and then headed further east toward the inlet that leads into the harbor. As I approached, could smell the cigar smoke, saw a fisherman, and a man removing his pants to reveal Speedo-style briefs. And there it was, a spectacular rainbow over the lake, with the terminal point at the water intake crypt about a mile from shore. As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you. I had my doubts this time. An infrared camera is not how you normally photograph a colorful rainbow. Yes, the camera, combined with a 665-nm filter does produce color, but certainly colors that don’t come anywhere close to approximating Judy’s rainbow. When I processed the image, I decided no color was better than false color. And this is what I got—a double rainbow in curved air:

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