Head in the Clouds Amherst: November 2022

Sunday, November 6, 2022

Amidst the Clouds

Hadley, looking towards UMass Amherst
Photo by Torrey Trust

This photo – the featured photo for November in the 2023 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar – is a first for us. Specifically, it’s the first drone photo we’ve featured in our calendar’s nine year run. This photo was also a first for Torrey Trust, the photographer behind this image – as she explains, “I woke up to a foggy morning and wondered what it might look like if my new birthday drone (DJI Mavic Mini) could get above the fog. So I took it out in my backyard, launched it 120 meters into the sky, and I was awestruck by what I saw!” Here’s to new ways of seeing things in the year ahead, including floating up amidst the clouds!

To view and purchase our 2023 wall calendar, go to Etsy at: https://etsy.me/2RHv20L

On Puffer's Pond

Saturday, February 4, 2023, 3:35 pm: The past two days have seen record-breaking cold in the area, with the temperature dipping to -14F overnight, Friday into Saturday. To make matters worse, the wind was unyielding, whipping through the trees and driving wind chill readings down to -40F. In a season that had been unusually mild up until that point, it was something of a shock. Local residents were suddenly forced to think about warming up their cars, preventing pipes from freezing, and dressing in multiple layers to walk their dogs. By Saturday, while many were happy to hunker down and wait for temperatures to stop breaking low records, this was the moment that ice fishers and skaters had been waiting for all winter. With temps hovering around 12F (albeit above zero) by Saturday afternoon, Puffer's Pond was the place to be for about 30 people, many of whom were spread out over the ice, either ice fishing or playing hockey. While this is a fairly typical sight at Puffer's in the coldest winter months, our current lack of snow made it unique. No one had to contend with snowpack - the skaters didn't even have to clear a "field" for their game. And with all the hiking paths snow and ice-free, photographers had no trouble capturing water flowing through, under, and around layers of ice on the water. And, still, at 12F, without hand and foot warmers, I did not linger long. The temps will be rising quickly in the coming week, climbing well above freezing, even to 50F in the days to come. So, I'm guessing the skaters and ice fishers also won't be here much longer.

(Read past entries here.)

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Sunday, November 6, 2022

Amidst the Clouds