Saving the world, one calendar at a time!

2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar
Cover photo by Richard Getler

According to ChatGPT** (artificial intelligence), these are the top five reasons that buying the 2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar will save the world: 

1.     You can use the wall calendar to predict the future and prevent disaster. Use the daily historical weather facts for Amherst and New England from 1620-2023 to chart weather patterns over time and prepare accordingly. For example, you can stock up on supplies before Route 116 closes for the winter and leaves you trapped in a season-long Snowpocalypse.

 

2.  You can use the calendar to travel back in time and change history. Use the historical facts and figures to build a time machine and visit different eras and places. You can then alter the course of history and make the world a better place. For example, you can stop the Salem witch trials.

 

3.  You can use the wall calendar to communicate with aliens and make friends. The wall calendar features 12 beautiful, full color seasonal photos of Western Massachusetts, along with the names and locations of the clouds. You can use this information to send signals and messages to the extraterrestrial beings who might be observing the Earth. You can then establish contact and friendship with them and learn from their advanced technology and culture. For example, you can use the clouds to spell out “Hello” or “Peace.”

 

4.  You can use the wall calendar to create art and inspire others. The wall calendar is printed on high quality paper and shrink wrapped. You can use this material to create your own art, share your creations with others, and inspire them to do the same. For example, you can cut out the photos and make a collage, or use the shrink wrap to make a transparent sculpture.

 

5.  You can use the wall calendar to start a revolution and overthrow the system. The wall calendar is a fundraiser for the Kestrel Land Trust, a non-profit organization that works to conserve and care for forests, farms, and riverways in the Pioneer Valley. You can use the calendar to mobilize others to fight for the environment and wildlife. For example, use the calendar to cut out a banner or a button and start a movement to challenge the status quo and demand change. 

 

So, what are you waiting for? Purchase your calendar here, and start saving the world immediately! https://etsy.me/3rrMNab

**Yes, this is, in fact, how ChatGPT answered my question, “What are the top five reasons that buying the Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar will save the world?” I was driven to consult with AI because I overstocked 2024 calendars, and my adult son never responded to my pleas for marketing help. (I'm a cloud spotter, not an advertising guru.) I've also been a ChatGPT skeptic, but if it saves the world (or sells more calendars) I might just have to change my mind!

Our Featured Photographers!

Quabbin Reservoir, Belchertown ~ Photo by Mark Lindhult
(Featured photo for October in the 2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar)

The 2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar, now on sale, features photographs taken by amateur and professional photographers who live in and visit our corner of the world. Each summer, our five-person jury selects the finalists from among all the submissions we receive in response to our spring call for photos.

Our featured photographers are your neighbors and friends - indeed, we're betting you'll recognize at least one name among our 2024 finalists:

• Doug Tanner - January
• James (Jim) Patten - February
• Richard Getler - March & Cover
• Linda Repasky - April
• Sharon Vardatira - May
• Mindy Domb - June
• Joshua Wolfsun - July
• Andy Churchill - August
• Annette Fortier - September
• Mark Lindhult - October
• Jennifer Lynch Murphy - November
• David Sharken - December

While you're musing on which names you recognize, gaze on this iconic fall foliage scene for October 2024, taken by Mark Lindhult. This is Mark's first time appearing in a HITCA calendar! Follow the link to see all the monthly photos (just scroll down the page) or purchase your own 2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst calendar through Etsy.

https://bit.ly/3RGZgl1

##AmherstMA #WesternMA #photography #artcalendar #nature #clouds #weather

Winter on the Amherst Town Common Holiday Card

Excited to announce I will be adding an assortment of greeting cards to the CloudsAmherst EtsyShop over the next few months, starting with this one!

Winter on the Amherst Town Common Holiday Card
Photographer: Joshua Wolfsun

Come experience a snowy December morning on the Amherst Town Common. Daylight has only just broken through the clouds, and the street lamps and holiday lights are casting a golden reflection across the ice. Later in the day, this scene will be filled with people out shopping and dining, but for now, all is quiet. Photographed by Joshua Wolfsun, this image has a dreamy quality, reminiscent of a painting. Folded, the card is 4.6" x 7.2," printed on premium, heavy-weight matte paper. Inside message: May all the seasons of your life be filled with peace and happiness. Shop here: https://etsy.me/48VWjTy

Our First Post (11 years ago this weekend)

The post that launched Head in the Clouds Amherst
October 6, 2012

Going back in the archives to my very first Head in the Clouds Amherst blog post, 11 years ago on what was then "Columbus Day" weekend. Lots has evolved in the past decade - on the upside, tomorrow is now Indigenous Peoples' Day in Massachusetts (did not see that coming back in 2012).

Kevin Flood Accessible Trail, Puffer's Pond ~ North Amherst, MA
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

As for fall foliage, however, while the local trees are definitely changing color, it will be another week or two before the foliage in the Pioneer Valley is more orange and yellow than green. And in terms of "finding peak," it's a much more elusive pursuit nowadays. We still have uniquely beautiful autumns in some years, but with the trees now changing color over a protracted period from late August all the way through November, it's unusual to find one area where all the trees are in full fall colors at the same time. We still go in search of peak, but we're more likely to find it in pockets, a single extraordinary tree or a random cluster of trees that cannot help but steal the show from everything in their vicinity. And, every October, it's still one of my favorite quests!

Have a wonderful weekend and month, everyone, with lots of beautiful "peak" moments along the way.

2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar Now Available!

Calendar Cover ~ Photo by Richard Getler

GIVE THE GIFT OF A NEW YEAR 

 with the all new

2024 Head in the Clouds  Amherst Wall Calendar

Order online for delivery by mail

$20.00 per calendar

Free shipping with a purchase of 2 calendars or more

Proceeds* to benefit the

Open the calendar on 2024, and treat yourself and your loved ones to the changing seasons of one of the most beautiful corners of the world, from the farmlands to the rivers, lakes, hills and trails of Western Massachusetts.

• 12 beautiful, seasonal photos of Amherst and the Pioneer Valley by residents and visitors (scroll below to view all pages)
• Over 200 daily entries highlighting astronomical, historical, weather, and meteorological events in Amherst and New England from 1620-2023
• 17" X 11" (full size when open)
• Saddle stitch binding
• High quality coated gloss, heavyweight paper
• Shrink wrapped

Purchase ONLINE at ETSY: https://etsy.me/3rrMNab

Also available for in-person purchase at:

Amherst Books, located in downtown Amherst at 8 Main Street on the Common. Phone: (800) 503-5865. Amherst Books is a locally owned, independent bookshop. In addition to our calendar, they carry new and used books, including an amazing selection of poetry, literature, philosophy, small press titles, literary journals. 

Local Pick-Up. For questions, special requests, and to arrange for pick up in North Amherst (payment via Venmo or check), please email Sharon at CloudsAmherst[@]gmail[.]com. 

Our Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar is the perfect gift for cloud spotters, nature lovers, photographers, artists and writers, students here and abroad, locals, and former residents longing for a taste of home. This calendar will have them (and you) falling in love with Western Massachusetts month after month. And this is a gift that will keep giving all year round.  

Calendar Cover - Bay Road, Hadley
Photo by Richard Getler

Inside Front Pages
The Tyranny of Blue Sky Thinking - by Sharon Vardatira

Jennison Road Marsh, Wendell - Photo by Doug Tanner 

Hampshire College, Amherst - Photo by James Patten

Bay Road, Hadley - Photo by Richard Getler

Quabbin Reservoir, Belchertown - Photo by Linda Repasky

Amherst College - Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Somewhere in Hampshire County - Photo by Mindy Domb

Farm Fields, Hadley - Photo by Joshua Wolfsun

University Drive, Amherst - Photo by Andy Churchill

Ames Pond Nature Retreat, Kestrel Land Trust, Shutesbury
Photo by Annette Fortier

Quabbin Reservoir, Belchertown - Photo by Mark Lindhult

Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, Hadley
Photo by Jennifer Lynch Murphy

Leverett Pond (aka Echo Lake), Leverett
Photo by David Sharken

Back of Calendar

How to celebrate Cloud Appreciation Day on September 15! (Yes, YOU!)

Clouds over Hadley Farms
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Be a cloudspotter for a day! Wherever you are in the world, please join me on Friday September 15 for Cloud Appreciation Day, by submitting an image of your sky to the Cloud Appreciation Society’s Memory Cloud Atlas. (Must be submitted on the day.) Simple, free - and fun. And while you're there, you can travel around the world (just click on the map) and see the view from distant locations. It's my absolute favorite day of the year! Register here to be reminded https://www.memorycloudatlas.org/

#cloudappreciationday

"Never mind, it's all under water now."

Photo: Mountain View Farm looks like they were heading
for a beautiful crop of peppers before the flood.

Re-posting this from Simple Gifts Farm in North Amherst. It's been a season (and the season is hardly over).

FLOOD DAMAGE RELIEF EFFORTS

At about 7:30 on Monday morning, David from Stone Soup Farm sent out an email to the Pioneer Valley Farmers list-serve entitled "Help us Save Our Garlic."  The Connecticut River was rising, swollen with water coming downstream from Vermont in addition to the 3-4 inches that fell in the Western Mass, and David was hoping some of their farmer friends could come and help them get their garlic harvested before the flood buried it.  Within a couple of hours, the heart-breaking second email came through: "Never Mind, it's all under water now.  It rose faster than I thought it would."  As the week has gone on, we have learned of more of our fellow farmers that have lost most to all of their crops in the flooding.  Mountain View had 45 acres of vegetables in Northampton that are all gone.  Natural Roots and Song Sparrow Farm lost their entire vegetable crop.  Farmer Dave has been doing a side job getting fields ready to plant at the All Farmers site in Springfield, and he was still unable to get to the field as of Wednesday, because it was all underwater.  We are feeling that maybe it's not so bad to grow on the sandpit soil that we have here in North Amherst.  My life as a farmer has centered around problem solving, persistence, optimism, and continuing to just put one foot in front of the other.  I find it hard to imagine having that perspective in the face of a total loss such as these people have suffered. MDAR estimates that at least 75 farms have been affected, and at least 1,000 acres.

Linked below are opportunities to donate to some of our farmer friends that have been flooded; please do what you can to support them.  

• Natural Roots Farm: https://gofund.me/d0f53dd2
• Grow Food Northampton: https://www.growfoodnorthampton.org/ways-to-help-with-flood-recovery/
• Song Sparrow Farm: https://www.gofundme.com/f/song-sparrow-farm-flood-recovery-fund
• Mountain View Farm: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mountain-view-farm-flood-damage-fund
• Stone Soup Farm: https://www.stonesoupfarmcoop.com/

Yellow Tuesday & Scarlet Sunset

The Scarlet Sunset
by Joseph Mallord William Turner, c. 1830-40

"Yesterday Boston was shrouded, and nature's gloom soon infusing itself into the hearts of all made it a day long to be remembered.

About 7 O'Clock in the morning the golden pall shrouded the city in its embrace, and the weird unreal appearance continued throughout the day. As one approached a doorway from within and glanced out upon the sidewalk and street, it was difficult to dispel the illusion that an extensive conflagration was raging near, and that it was the yellow, gleaming light from the burning houses that produced the singular effect. 

At all events it was strangely unreal lights when the sun should have been shining—twilight at noonday. A quietness seemed to pervade the streets, the girls that kept the peanut stands ceased for a while their efforts to dispose of their wares, the fruiters stood motionless beside their heap of golden peaches and grapes, and even the impressible newsboy took on a more subbed tone.

[Boston] Common Looked Sombre and Dear as one glanced down the long vistas formed by arching boughs, and entering beneath their shade, a solemn stillness prevailed that seemed almost foreboding in its intensity. As the houses wore on business men seemed to have little heart in their work, and as soon as the imperative labors of the day were completed started for home, seeming to think that the most desirable place for them if nature had got so out of humor. 

Although other causes have been known to produce the same effects, the juried aspect which all things assumed yesterday was undoubtedly caused by smokes from the immense forest fire racing to it north and west the past week or two. The smoke, caught in the fog, hanged like a golden canopy over the city, requiring a storm or high wind to disperse it. This startling and almost ghastly appearance of the heavens, although strange, portended another storm, wind or hurricane, being caused simply by a smoke cloud. The only storm in this part of the country."

Excerpted from The Boston Globe, September 7, 1881 (Yellow Tuesday) 

Summer Solstice Time Travel

Summer Solstice at the UMass Sunwheel - Amherst MA
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

As we wade through day after day of weirdly cool, hazy, smoke-laden skies, just keep in mind that June is upon us, and one of these mornings we will wake up to a day exactly like this – mackerel sky, with wafting white cumulus clouds against a blue sky. And, in the meantime, anyone who has the 2023 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar is seeing this photo all month long. One of the perks of creating the calendar is always including one of my own photos – I captured this scene at the UMass Sunwheel (our own local Stonehenge) on Summer Solstice a few years back. I was seeking an “Outlander” back-in-time experience. Seemed like the perfect summer place and day for time travel.

Seeking Photos for the 2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst Calendar!

Your photo could be featured (kind of like this) in our 2024 calendar!

CALLING ALL AMHERST and WESTERN MASS PHOTOGRAPHERS

We are once again seeking photo submissions for our annual Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. From our ever-changing cloud canopy to our beautiful valley, with endless trails and side roads, wide open spaces, quiet ponds, and woods (lovely, dark and deep), there is so much to explore.

As in past years, our 2024 calendar will once again feature monthly photos taken by 12 different photographers. And you don't have to limit yourself to Amherst locations - we are accepting photos taken across the Pioneer Valley and Western Massachusetts. 

So now is your chance to share your favorite scenes with calendar fans far and wide! Start flipping through your photo collection – or grab your camera, take to our scenic highways, byways and trails, and make some new memories. We can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

Submission Guidelines

The deadline to submit is Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 11:59 pm. Submissions can be emailed or uploaded via your Google Drive to CloudsAmherst@gmail.com. Please enter "HITCA 2024 Calendar Photo Submission" in the subject line. Submit your highest resolution version. 

Please include the following for each photo you submit:

• Where the photo was taken and what scenic feature is depicted (please indicate if your location is Kestral Trust conserved land)
• Who is in the photo, unless it's a crowd scene or taken from a distance
• Photographer's name
• Your contact information

If your photo is selected, you will be asked to provide additional information, including a written comment about your photo to be included in the 2024 calendar.

All submissions must be taken in Western Massachusetts. Priority will be given to photos showing locations in Amherst, other sites across the Pioneer Valley, and Kestral Trust conserved land locations. Your photo should evoke the seasons and the intersection of life and weather. In addition to those qualities, if your photo also captures one or more of these themes it will get special consideration:

• Unique renderings of iconic local landmarks (natural attractions, university/colleges, museums, popular scenic destinations, etc.)
• Conservation areas, including Kestral Trust conserved lands
• Clouds formations and weather phenomena (over or around the Pioneer Valley)

Click HERE for additional tips on submitting winning Head in the Clouds Amherst photos. Keep in mind that we cannot consider photos that are low resolution, low quality, or that contain inappropriate material. Ideally your image should be at least 300 PPI, and we will not consider images below 200 PPI. (If in doubt, send your photo to us, and we will let you know.) You can see our 2023 calendar, here. 

We welcome landscape oriented, color photos by professionals and amateurs. And we’re also counting on friends of Head in the Clouds re-submitting photos you’ve already sent to us over the year - don't assume your photo is being considered just because you sent it to us at some other point in the past or we posted it to Facebook or the blog. You can submit as many photos as you like.

If your photo is selected for the 2024 calendar, you will receive a free calendar and reduced rates on any additional calendars you opt to purchase. All net proceeds from 2024 sales will be donated to the Kestral Land Trust.  

Tips on Submitting Winning Photos for the Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar

2018 Calendar Cover Photo (by Joshua Wolfsun)
* This photo met just about every criteria for a featured photo:
- local landmark (the Amherst Common)
- seasonal (snow on the ground, winter feel)   - clouds
- captures a familiar location in a unique way

The response to our call for photos has been growing each year, and it's a thrill to open every email and be treated to such a wealth of beautiful local scenes. We've been told more than once that each year's calendar is even more exquisite than the last!

Although we receive plenty of really imaginative and beautiful submissions, for a variety of reasons many are not quite right for this calendar. So as you are considering what photos to submit, please keep these pointers in mind: 

1. Photos must depict Western Massachusetts, with special consideration given to photos of Amherst and the Pioneer Valley. In recent years, about half of each calendar's photos have shown Amherst locations, with the rest capturing other scenes across Western Mass. This means the odds of your photo being selected are better if it depicts an Amherst scene.
2. Tell it slant. In the context of photography, we refer to this line from a poem by Emily Dickinson, "Tell all the truth, but tell it slant," to describe capturing an image from an unexpected angle or using light and shadow to create visual interest and tell a story. Essentially, we look for photos that add a unique perspective or twist to a shot that makes it more interesting and compelling. For example, to "tell it slant" while doing a landscape of a barn, take a creative approach to framing and composition - experiment with different angles and vantage points to create an unusual or unexpected perspective. Consider how to use clouds as a backdrop for the barn, exaggerating their size or creating a dramatic effect. Alternatively, use the clouds to play with contrast and shadow, creating unique patterns of light and dark across the landscape. 
3. Diversity of scenes. We like to show different aspects of the local area, and this year special consideration will be given to photos that include The Homestead, The Evergreens, Lilacland, or Sweetser Park “A Poetic Dialogue” silhouettes. We receive many more landscapes (farms, ponds, trails, etc.) than photos of tourist destinations, historic landmarks, colleges/universities, etc. Your chances of being included increase if you are able to capture a landmark in a "tell it slant" way.
4. Evoke a season. Every calendar features three photos for each season. Our April and May featured photos will be more springlike, while October will be a fall scene. Because we receive many more fall photos than any other season, your odds of being selected increase if you submit a variety of seasons. Spring and winter are almost always underrepresented. 
5. Weather and clouds are a plus. Even though we are "in the clouds," we do not require all the featured photos to have clouds, and ideally the photo won't be just clouds (though we routinely break this rule for an outstanding or otherworldly cloud photo.)
6. Main subject should be the place. People and pets in the photo are fine as long as they aren't the focus. No portraits, close ups of groups of people, or crowd shots. The main subject needs to be the setting around any people or pets. Since the first calendar ten years ago, less than a handful of photos with people have been featured.
7. Avoid extreme close-ups. While close-ups can be beautiful, they usually don't convey a sense of place. We routinely reject close-ups of flowers, insects, birds, and trees. For example, instead of sending us a close-up of a lilac branch taken at Lilacland (which doesn't say "Amherst" - it could have been taken anywhere), pull back on that shot to show lilac bushes blooming against the hill and the art gallery beyond. 
8. Check out our calendars from past years, and consider ways to vary the subject: 2024 Calendar; 2023 Calendar; 2021 Calendar; 2020 Calendar; 2019 Calendar; 2018 Calendar; 2017 Calendar; 2016 Calendar; 2015 Calendar; 2014 Calendar 
9. Landscape orientation. Due to the layout of the calendar, your photo submissions must be landscape orientation (photo is wider than it is tall). Photos in portrait orientation (photo is taller than it is wide) will not be considered. 
10. Go easy on Photoshop. As you will see when you look through past featured photos, we strongly prefer realistic renderings of nature. By all means, use photo-editing to get the best out of your shot, but please stop before you turn an otherwise good photo into a super-saturated, surreal, color-soaked extra-terrestrial planet. In general, less is more when it comes to color adjusting, exposure, contrast, and saturation. We do know that some phone cameras colorize photos automatically - if that's the case, we can help you undo what's been done. Photos that are AI generated will not be accepted.

In general, every featured photo will have viewers seeing and feeling our local area in the photos. It's not necessary that the places featured be recognizable, but the photos should convey a feel for Amherst and Western Massachusetts, the nature around us, the sky, or those locations anyone passing through might recognize or feel drawn to visit. One of the greatest compliments we get is when former residents tell us this calendar makes them feel like they are home again. 

Can't wait to see what you have. Full guidelines on submitting photos can be found here.

Tale of Two Towns (in Western MA)

North Amherst - 9 am, March 14 (2" of snow)
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Hawley, MA - 7 am (first photo), 11 am (second photo)
Photos by Brittany Wolcott

Tale of two Western MA towns this morning:

- Photo 1: The view from North Amherst, where 2 inches of snow is bending branches to the ground (this does not bode well, though power is still humming at 9 am). And it continues to snow...

- Photo 2: Sent at 7:00 a.m. from "that friend in a hill town who always reports blockbuster amounts," (Brittany Wolcott, actually in Hawley, who is giddy with excitement even though they've been without power since 2 am).

UPDATE at 11:00 AM from Brittany in Hawley (see yardstick photo #3, just added)!

UPDATE 11:11 AM - Power here in N. Amherst went out briefly for about 4 seconds. I am envisioning local folks suddenly lurching for their charging stations.

UPDATE 12:45 PM - Temp has climbed to 34.3 F in North Amherst, just high enough to melt the snow off most power lines (thankfully before the second wave of snow, along with wind, this afternoon and evening). After a late morning lull, the snow has picked up again.

UPDATE 12:45 PM - Temp has climbed to 34.3 F in North Amherst, just high enough to melt the snow off most power lines (thankfully before the second wave of snow, along with wind arrives this afternoon and evening). After a late morning lull, the snow has picked up again.

UPDATE 5:00 PM - Snow resumed early afternoon, now snowing steadily, with the temp dropping incrementally - it now stands at 32.9 F. Hard to gauge the total snowfall, as we had midday melting. Maybe about 3 inches altogether, with more like 2 inches still on the ground. Looks like we may well end up where the forecast predicted, in the 2-6 inch zone.

UPDATE 8:33 PM - Friend in Hawley just measured 35" of snow. Still no power. She has taken refuge for the night with family members who have a generator!

UPDATE 5:00 PM, Next Day (March 15): Friend in Hawley, at 1,000 feet, has 36+ inches of snow on the ground (drifts make it hard to tell exactly how much), and they just got their power back. In North Amherst, there's 1-2 inches of snow still on the ground (with some melting today). I was hoping for warmer and more thorough melting, but temps hung around 35 F, meaning the heavy/wet ground cover lingers.

Foggy Morning

Foggy morning, Amherst MA ~
by Jim Patten

The weather varies between heavy fog and pale sunshine; My thoughts follow the exact same process.                                                                                 - Virginia Woolf

The sun is actually shining right now, for a welcome change. In other sights and sounds, many thanks to Jim Patten for sharing this foggy morning view, which he captured yesterday while driving to work in Amherst.

Jim will be familiar to many Head in the Clouds Amherst followers, as he has been sharing photos with us for a number of years now. One of his winter photos graced the cover of our 2021 wall calendar, and he landed in the calendar once again this year, with the featured photo for July. As always, thanks for generously sharing your work, Jim!

Clouds on Ice

Connecticut River from Dawson Conservation Area
North Lane, Hadley
Photo by Mandana Marsh 

As a month that famously comes “in like a lion,” and goes “out like a lamb,” it’s always challenging to pick a single photo to match the mood of the month. For this year and the beginning of March, at least, we seem to have made the right choice. This photo of the Connecticut River – taken by Mandana Marsh from Dawson Conservation Area on North Lane, Hadley – is the featured photo for March in the 2023 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. As Mandana notes, “The sweeping views of the river, fields and sky from the levee along North Lane in Hadley never disappoints. This winter scene fits a favorite quote of mine: ‘If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.’ ”

Winter turns to spring this month, so expect an entirely different view four weeks from now. As Mark Twain (and many others) have observed, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a few minutes.”

On (and under) Puffer's Pond - Winter Edition

This was the scene at Puffer's Pond two weeks ago to the day. It was the Sunday after the deep freeze, and skaters had taken over the ice. One person was obstinately refusing to give up their ice fishing spot, but given the noise, one couldn't help but wonder if they were actually catching anything. A thaw followed over the next week, and the entire surface has since melted, save for a skin of very thin ice in one shady spot. By the end of last week, after it was no longer safe for people, but before the ice had completely melted, remnants of human activity were left strewn across the surface - water bottles and beer cans, a cooler, abandoned items of clothing, a plastic sled, and, most bizarrely, a sofa-sized metal frame. Since nothing was retrievable, I assume everything, including the sofa frame, is now at the bottom of the pond.