Gazing at Clouds
#7 in the series of non-religious Sunday posts
"Behind the clouds is the sun still shining.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow—
Last Sunday’s post about Chasing Sunsets reminded me that I don’t just love sunsets; I love clouds! My favorite cloud moments are when I spot a lenticular hat (cloud) sitting atop Mt. Rainier. This picture of a lenticular cloud was taken during a winter flight out of Seattle.
“Lenticular clouds are a striking cloud formation that can appear over mountains, hills, or tall buildings. They form when stable, moist air flows into a barrier, such as a mountain range, and is forced upward. As the air rises, it cools and expands, and if there's enough moisture, it can condense and create clouds. The clouds form just past the mountaintop, and because the cloud evaporates on the downwind side, it can appear stationary even though the air is moving.” (Google AI Explanation)
Click here to watch a video of the formation of a lenticular cloud.
Not all clouds are as unusual as a lenticular cloud. One of my favorite activities with my kindergarten classes was reading this book and then going outside to see what shapes we could find in the clouds. Looking at clouds with children is so much better!
“Bows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air and
feather canyons everywhere, I've looked at clouds that way.
—Joni Mitchell—
If that caused some nostalgia for the song “Both Sides Now”—as it did me—here is the link!
The first time my son flew above the clouds was when he was four years old. It was a gray winter day as we boarded the plane. The plane took off and he looked concerned as we plunged into the clouds but I told him to wait because there would be a surprise soon. The look on his face when we came about the clouds was priceless! He looked down at the puffy white cloud tops and said, “The clouds aren’t dark up here like they are on the ground.” No son, it really is about perspective.
I have never stopped enjoying the clouds from my plane window—again evidenced by the pictures on my phone! (The third picture looked like two animals facing each other!)
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky,
is by no means a waste of time.”
—John Lubbock—
If your feet are on the ground today, I hope you have cloud filled skies to enjoy!