Head in the Clouds Amherst: April 2025

Monday, April 21, 2025

Dreams of spring

University of Massachusetts Amherst - College of Education
Photo by Steven D. Brewer

la matena lum’

ruĝigas la burĝonojn…
revoj de l’ printemp’

the morning light
reddens the buds...
dreams of spring

- by Steven D. Brewer, Senokulvitre

This extraordinary dawn over UMass Amherst - crowned with full-sky pink altocumulus clouds - was captured by Steven D. Brewer. This is the featured photo for April in our 2025 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. Steven also penned this most apropos haiku for his photo - in Esperanto, with the English translation. To experience more haiku in Esperanto, search online for Steven's book, Senokulvitre.

While Altocumulus clouds are always a favorite among cloudspotters, they can become downright glorious at sunrise and sunset, especially when illuminated from underneath by a low-hanging sun. Pink altocumulus clouds at sunset or sunrise occur because of the way light interacts with these mid-level clouds and the atmosphere.

Saturday, April 12, 2025

April (Snow) Showers

Backyard in North Amherst, April 12
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Good morning, April! If you were hoping for photos of daffodils and crocuses, have patience. That bush on the left bedecked with snow will be resplendent with lilacs in just a month. (And as for the crocuses and daffodils, they are there too, just under the snow.)

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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Monday, April 21, 2025

Dreams of spring

Saturday, April 12, 2025

April (Snow) Showers