Throne of Clouds

Throne of Clouds - Hadley, Massachusetts (by Sharon Vardatira)

The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.                                                                                          ~ Henry Miller

There is something wistful about the last day of August, a reminder that summer is coming to an end. Take a moment to pause, feel the warm breeze on your face, the soft earth underfoot, and listen to the trees rustling, the birds overhead. And while you are outside, look up. No two views are ever quite the same. 

I spotted this "throne of clouds" while waiting in traffic on Route 9. Beauty is everywhere.

The Dragon of Moody Bridge Road

Photo by Brian LeClair
Taken along the border of Amherst & Hadley

This photo by Brian LeClair is a once-in-a-blue-moon capture. Not only is the lightning bolt perfectly framed (thank you, Mother Nature!), but the cumulonimbus source of that strike tells its own story. Looked at in a certain way, and the cloud is clearly a dragon. (I promise you, this is not a manufactured, photoshopped image.) 

This was the featured photo for August in the 2017 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. Taken along the border of Amherst and Hadley, Brian titled this photo “The Dragon of Moody Bridge Road.” Feeling inspired to find your own lightning bolt? The next few days promise thunderstorms, so you may have an opportunity – but, as always, safety first. Jury is out on what Brian was doing at the time of this strike, but let’s pretend he was shooting through a window, from inside a house. 

Yeah, probably not…..!