Monday, February 02, 2009

I couldn't find the rest of the photos I wanted to post until today.

Yeah, okay... One of those cloud photos from the previous post was man made, but wasn't it cool? Though it appeared a plane had gone down (or up) 'twas just an illusion. Jet streams actually do affect cloud formation to a great degree in parts of the country which are on major flight paths. (I read that somewhere - and experienced it when I lived in Western New York: overcast 60% of the time! - and thought to owe at least 20% of those cloudy days to jet streams, the particulates in the exhaust attract molecules of moisture and ta-da!

clouds!!!

This little series documents one of my cloud chasing adventures. I spotted a line of mare's tails dancing across the western sky just like a sparkling chorus line. I grabbed my camera and headed up the mountain to try and get a better view. I zoomed toward them and they danced away over the tree line. I topped the mountain and headed into the most open area I could find which happened to be a new subdivision... A few folks wondered what it was up in the sky that interested me so - but no one dared to ask.

I'm fascinated by these little tornadoes of ice crystals... It's as if there are several little twisters high in the sky.

I added the info on man-made clouds because I was thinking about those sweet groundhogs who are disturbed from a nice sleep every year so that we can all rest, knowing (heh) just how much winter is left... Odds are that in the Northeast part of the country it's likely to be cloudy. Not so today. Sun in PA; clouds in GA. Spring will be early in the south and late in the north... That's not much of a surprise is it?

Groundhog Day! Why not keep it as a day to honor one of our cutest and most resilient of creatures ? And when evening comes, spend it watching a classic Bill Murray film.

I say: leave the little furballs be. Here's a true sign of spring: daffodils!!

These beauties actually bloomed over two weeks ago, but it seemed cruel to show them off before Groundhog Day - when at least folks "know" what to expect.


4 comments:

  1. Cloud chasing, huh? Cool! I have a friend in upstate New York who loves clouds so much that I'm afraid she'll try to climb into her computer's monitor to touch them when somebody posts good cloud pictures. I'll have to send her over here. And I'll also have to post some of my own from last Summer - taken in b&w with a polarizer filter to bring out all the detail in the rather spectacular cumulonimbus clouds that build up over us here on the warm and humid coast.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like clouds as well; I like looking at the sky in general. I'm not, however, crazy about clouds when they gather en masse for what I assume amounts to a "cloud cocktail party" and form an overcast ... like today here in the north country.
    Thanks for the thoughts, the contrast of clouds against blue sky, and the daffodils. There is hope!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Patrice, you might want to drop by my blog. I've been awarded the Dardos Award, and one of the requirements is that I pass the award on to others. You're definitely one of my picks, so when you have the chance please drop by and pick up your handsome trophy!

    ReplyDelete