Head in the Clouds Amherst: November 2024

Sunday, November 3, 2024

November Sunrise

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

“𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒔, 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈.

𝑶𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔, 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈.”

- Ryōkan (Zen Buddhist monk, 1758 –1831)

After October's profusion of foliage colors, November in Western Massachusetts can sometimes feel drab and barren. But photographer Jennifer Murphy captured all the beauty of this month in this stunning sunrise image, taken at the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge in Hadley. Reflecting on the scene, Jennifer comments, "I am thankful for our valley's preserved lands, where I can enjoy a sunrise like this one."

This is the featured photo for November in the 2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. Those of you who own our calendar are being treated to this view all month long. Don't miss out next year - our 2025 calendar is now on sale through Etsy: https://etsy.me/3BfnDzU

#WesternMass #NaturePhotography #WildlifeRefuge #NovemberMorning #EarlyRisers #PhotoCalendar #AmherstMA #ShopLocal #HandmadeGifts

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 3, 2024

November Sunrise