trippy indeed! i’m happy you posted the 4th to give it some context.
is this a reflection off the floor.. through the heat coming up from baseboard heaters?

I’m not sure exactly what’s going on to cause the effect. There’s no baseboard heater involved, and it’s not reflecting off the floor — it’s direct light coming through the window and hitting the wall. There’s a radiator in the kitchen, but it’s not beneath the window, so I don’t think it’s part of the mystery. We do have a metal balcony off the kitchen, and there’s a black BBQ out there as well. I’m thinking all that metal is being heated up by the sun, resulting in the distortions.

Actually, maybe it’s the shiny silver toaster sitting on the window sill, right in the sun.

Nah! It’s the Fire Wizard, for sure, playing “catch me if you can!”