2026 Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar — Now Available (Final Edition!)

Calendar Cover - Photo by Brittany Wolcott

GIVE THE GIFT OF A NEW YEAR 

 with the all new

2026 Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar

Order online for delivery by mail

$22.00 per calendar

Free shipping with a purchase of 2 calendars or more

Open the calendar on 2026 and celebrate the seasons of one of the most beautiful corners of the world — from the farmlands to the rivers, lakes, hills, and trails of Western Massachusetts.

    This twelfth and final edition is especially meaningful:

• 12 favorite images revisited. Instead of our usual open call for photos, this year our jury looked back across more than a decade of calendars and selected twelve “favorites” from past editions — images that carried that extra spark of feeling, place, and season. (Scroll below to view all pages)
• Over 260 daily almanac entries highlighting astronomical, historical, weather, and meteorological events in Amherst and New England from 1620-2025.
• A true collector’s edition marking the last chapter in more than a decade of Head in the Clouds Amherst calendars.

   Specifications:

• 17" X 11" (full size when open)
• Saddle stitch binding
• High quality coated gloss, heavyweight paper
• Shrink wrapped

Where to Buy

Purchase ONLINE at ETSY: http://bit.ly/42jAjAy

In person at Amherst Books:
8 Main Street on the Common, downtown Amherst.
Phone: (800) 503-5865. Amherst Books is a locally owned, independent bookshop offering poetry, literature, philosophy, small press titles, gifts for readers, and more.

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

This final Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar is the perfect gift for cloud spotters, nature lovers, photographers, artists, students near and far, locals, and former residents longing for a taste of home. Month after month, it’s a love letter to our Valley — and a way to keep its beauty close all year long. 

A heartfelt thanks to the many friends, photographers, and supporters who’ve sustained this project over the years. Your enthusiasm and loyalty have made twelve years of calendars possible — and unforgettable.

Franklin County, looking northwest
Photo by Brittany Wolcott

South Pleasant Street & Amherst Town Common
Photo by Joshua Wolfsun

Hampshire College, Amherst
Photo by James Patten

Campus Pond at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Photo by Ellen Finkelstein

Amherst Town Hall
Photo by John Snyder

Bramble Hill Farm, Amherst
Photo by Meg Wright

Farm Stand on North East Street, Amherst
Photo by Mindy Domb

Sky view during 2016 Amherst July 4th Celebration & Fireworks, UMass Amherst
Photo by Marian Wolfsun

Amherst Bicycle Exchange, University Drive, Amherst
Photo by Andy Churchill

Tobacco Barn, Sunderland
Photo by Annie Tvetenstrand

Franklin County, looking northwest
Photo by Brittany Wolcott

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

Robert Frost Trail by Cushman Brook, Amherst
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

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Back Cover

Cloudscrolling = Joyscrolling

Sichuan, China - from the Cloud Appreciation Society's
2026 Memory Cloud Atlas

I’ve spent much of today reviewing/approving photos submitted from around the world to the Memory Cloud Atlas. Each entry comes with a view of the sky, but often also a reflection or feeling shared by the person who captured it. So far, I've approved every entry - they've all been clouds, with many people describing being happy, inspired, uplifted, etc. by what they are seeing in the sky.

This photo is from Sichuan, China - I'm not posting it because it’s the best photo I've seen (many are extraordinary), but simply because, randomly, it spoke to me. The person added some words in Chinese, which, happily, I was able to use Google Translate to understand. They wrote, “The sunset is beautiful, but it is near dusk.” So beautiful. I had to read it over several times. 

Scrolling through hundreds of these images feels like the opposite of doomscrolling. I choose to call it "joyscrolling." 🌍☁️

If you’re curious, you can explore the Atlas here: https://www.memorycloudatlas.org/

You don’t need to post a photo—just enjoy the clouds, and the joy.

#CloudAppreciationDay #Joyscrolling #MemoryCloudAtlas

Listen to the Clouds

Photo by Brittany Wolcott
Maine, August 2025

When I began to listen to poetry, it's when I began to listen to the stones, and I began to listen to what the clouds had to say, and I began to listen to others. And I think, most importantly for all of us, then you begin to learn to listen to the soul, the soul of yourself in here, which is also the soul of everyone else.    ~ Joy Harjo

Brittany Wolcott is the photographer behind these luminous photos, taken while she was spending time in Maine. It feels like a visual echo of Harjo’s words - listening to clouds, water, and light, all whispering the quiet language of connection.

Thank you for bringing us into your world, Brittany!

Photo by Brittany Wolcott
Maine, August 2025

August's Drama in the Sky

Holyoke Range, Massachusetts
Photo by Linda Repasky

This month’s Head in the Clouds Amherst 2025 calendar photo comes from Linda Repasky, who observed, “Low-hanging clouds over the Holyoke Range added a touch of drama as they dwarfed a vast cornfield and nearby farmhouse. Wild weather is one of summer’s delights!”

We couldn’t agree more. Here, the clouds are the main character, the mountain their stage, and the farmhouse just a quiet witness to nature’s oversized performance.

Thank you, Linda, for reminding us how small we are under skies like these.

Cirrus Season

Cirrus uncinus (Mares' Tails) over UMass Amherst
Photo by Sharon Vardatira, 7/18/2025

Cirrus sprites + intortus + cirrocumulus mash-up
Photo by Sharon Vardatira, 7/18/2025

The sky was putting on a full performance today -- featuring a spectacular cast of cirrus clouds in all their wispy forms: fibratus, intortus, uncinus (aka the ever-dramatic "mares’ tails").

Even a few contrails joined in -- technically jet exhaust, but once they’re tossed and twisted by the upper winds, they start to pass as cirrus themselves. Nature and machine, blurring at altitude.

Whatever you call them, the skies were doing their thing. And we were watching.

#HeadInTheCloudsAmherst #CirrusFibratus #CirrusUncinus #CirrusIntortus #Cloudspotting #NotTooSeriousButVeryReal

A sky full of cirrocumulus, contrails, and
blended cirrus fibratus/uncinus
Photo by Sharon Vardatira - 7/18/2025

The photo to the right shows a sky full of cirrocumulus, contrails, and blended cirrus fibratus/uncinus. Even seasoned cloudspotters sometimes mistake contrails for clouds. So how do we know that the "V-shape" cloudlets in this image are not cirrus clouds, but actually the remnants of a few contrails that have been buffeted by the wind? First, the sharp, clean V-formation suggests two straight-line trails diverging or converging, which is much more typical of aircraft paths than of natural atmospheric motion. Second, cirrus clouds rarely form in such distinct intersecting paths unless guided by upper-level wind shear or merging cloud bands, and even then, they tend to curve more gently. The lines in this image are more deliberate. And, finally, supporting evidence in the image: There are other wisps and trails in that photo that also resemble contrails, suggesting it was a high-traffic day aloft, with plenty of jet-made features blending into the natural cirrus field.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

The Dickinson Homestead, Amherst MA
Photo by Sharon Vardatira - 7/18/2025

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

                               ~ Emily Dickinson

I’ve been chasing a photo of The Homestead with just the right cirrus clouds above - delicate, feathered, sky-scrawled wisps that might echo Dickinson’s most beloved metaphor. And today… it finally happened.

Not every sky cooperates, but this one did.

In a time when hope can feel like a fragile thing, it’s comforting to remember how quietly persistent it really is—“and never stops—at all.” 

July at The Homestead

The Homestead, Amherst MA
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

July's Head in the Clouds Amherst 2025 calendar photo brings us home—to The Homestead in Amherst, lifelong residence of Emily Dickinson. It’s a place where the sky often feels like part of the architecture.

All year, I had been striving to capture The Homestead under delicate, ‘hope-is-a-thing-with-feathers’ cirrus clouds. While I haven’t achieved that goal yet, it’s been a great excuse to drop everything and spend hours cloudspotting at The Homestead. I think Emily would approve.

Whether or not the clouds cooperate, time spent sky-gazing here always feels well spent. And who knows—maybe this summer will deliver the feathered cirrus scene I've been waiting for!

Pride Rainbows Over Amherst

Rainbow Sundog Over Amherst 
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Head in the Clouds Amherst celebrates Amherst’s Inaugural Pride Day on Sunday, 6/22 — honoring love, visibility, and the beauty of living true. Here’s to a town that makes room for all of us, in every color and every kind of sky.

Learn more about this weekend's celebration:
👉 https://www.amherstma.gov/3851/Amherst-Pride

Happy Pride, Amherst! 💖

#AmherstPride #PrideInTheClouds #HeadInTheCloudsAmherst

Postcards from Scotland (Cloud Edition)

When the cloud can’t help itself and spills over the top like tea from a too-full cup.
(All photos are of the Scottish Highlands, taken by Brittany Wolcott)

Longtime friend of Head in the Clouds Amherst and frequent calendar contributor Brittany Wolcott recently sent in these spectacular photos from a recent trip to Scotland with her husband, Worth. While the locals insisted it’s “never like this,” Brittany reports day after day of full sun - until the clouds finally made a dramatic entrance.

The first photo looks like a cloud pouring itself right over the crest of the cliffs, as if the two of them were about to walk into the sky. That’s fog, of course - a stratus cloud hugging the earth - but we say it counts, and counts big.

Thank you, Brittany, for sharing these cinematic glimpses of the Highlands. They’re pure atmosphere.

(P.S. If you're traveling and catch a good cloud, send it our way - we love seeing the sky through your lens.) 

A trail, a sun, a wisp of fog—
and the unmistakable feeling that you’ve
stepped into Middle-earth.

Into the cloud he goes... no GPS required.

Fog lounging in the valley like it owns the place.
(And honestly? It kind of does.)

June's Return

Connecticut River from
Mitch's Marina, Hadley MA
Photo by Stephanie Oates (Stunning Images Photography, LLC)

There’s a hush in this one - a kind of radiant stillness just before the night takes over. This featured photo for June in the Head in the Clouds Amherst 2025 Wall Calendar is a rare night image, and that alone sets it apart. Taken by Stephanie Oates of Stunning Images Photography, it catches the precise moment when color refuses to leave quietly, flaring one last time across the sky and the Connecticut River below.

“My Dad used to dock our speed boat here in the 70’s,” Stephanie writes. “So, it was capturing an old memory in a new light...pun intended. It was beautiful beyond words.”

June begins summer, yes - but it also brings Summer Solstice, after which the days grow shorter. This photo leans right into that contradiction: the longest light, already slipping toward darkness. The edges of the clouds still burn with the sun’s final brushstrokes, while the planet turns, indifferent and dazzling.

Stephanie’s image doesn’t just show us the scene. It reminds us how memory and motion can converge. A return, and a letting go. The season, turning.

Thank you, Stephanie, for capturing that threshold.

Exciting News from Head in the Clouds Amherst!

Sunset over Simple Gifts Farm, North Amherst MA
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

For over a decade, I’ve had the joy of sharing the beauty of Amherst and the Pioneer Valley through our annual "Head in the Clouds Amherst" wall calendars, featuring stunning work by local photographers. Next year, 2026, will mark our 12th edition, and after much thought, I’ve decided to do something a little different to celebrate this milestone.

Instead of issuing a call for new photo submissions, the 2026 calendar will feature a "best of" collection – showcasing some of our most-loved images from past years. It’s an opportunity to celebrate everything we’ve built together over the years and wrap up this chapter of the calendar project.

I want to be clear: 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗺𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. The decision to step back from producing a new calendar each year will allow me to focus more on what originally inspired this page – cloudspotting. Moving forward, I’m excited to dedicate more energy to building our community and creating new opportunities for us all to share our photos, thoughts, and experiences around the skies we love so much.

A quick note: 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 "𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗺𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁" 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿, but this shift in focus is about embracing new ways of connecting and sharing our love for clouds and the natural world all around us. Thank you for your continued support, and for being part of this special community. Let’s make this final calendar year one to remember as we look forward to our next chapter of cloudspotting!

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗯 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 "𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳" 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿.

About the photo: "Sunset over Simple Gifts Farm" in North Amherst was the featured photo for November in our 2015 calendar. As with all our calendars, the 2026 "best of" collection will showcase photographs taken over the years by 12 different Pioneer Valley residents and visitors.

Poets in Dialogue (in May)

Poetic Dialogue silhouettes of Emily Dickinson & Robert Frost, Amherst
Photo by Mindy Domb

Here we are in May, one of the most delightful months in Amherst and the surrounding area. Flowering trees and bushes remind us that colorful foliage is not exclusive to the fall, and warmer weather heralds graduations across the area, dining on patios and porches, long hikes, and leisurely afternoons spent watching the clouds drift by overhead. This image of the Poetic Dialogue silhouettes of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost in downtown Amherst was captured by Mindy Domb. Chosen for its embodiment of spring's spirit, this is the featured photo for May in the 2025 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar.

As Mindy reflected, “I was walking in downtown Amherst and the light captured the scene in such a way that it made me think of the joys of spring and connecting with one another in conversation.”

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.

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.)