I've looked at clouds from both sides now.

 

“I say, hey (hey), you (you)

Get off of my cloud

Hey (hey), you (you)

Get off of my cloud.”

Like many, I have always been mesmerized by clouds; lying on the ground, I would look up and see things like a car, Snoopy, or a piece of fruit—more like an apple or pear than grapes. But for sure, on a clear blue sky day, with white clouds overhead, it’s easy to lie back and daydream. Ahh…that sure brings back memories.

Sometimes clouds are not as friendly. I have been on planes when we fly into or around a thunderstorm. I don’t think it’s advised to do it, but even when you fly next to it, it is amazing to the height and feel the power of this true force of nature. 

I don’t know the names of the different types of clouds, but I know they are not all the same. When I was in college, I watched a cloud from far away start to spin and make its way to the ground—as a freshman, I knew I was invincible and stood on a wall as it came toward campus. It was a visual I will never forget and either will the town of Kansas City who got hit head on by the tornado. The damage was bad enough to be made into an Allstate commercial—-so in this instance, the cloud was a star.

When I started to take more photos a number of years ago, I knew I wanted to take pictures of clouds and barns. It might sound easy, but for some reason, the perfect shot would come into view when I was driving on a highway, too far away to capture the photo, or worse…when I didn’t have my camera with me. (This was before the iPhone.)

This has been a really good year for photographing clouds. Some of my favorite photos have happened by our local lake, and during two trips to Florida. This time I had my camera and my iPhone-- and being on a highway didn’t stop me. I’ve learned…so I stopped and got out and took them from the side of the road. 

The photo above was taken near Sarasota, FL. I was going to my daughter’s wedding and when I got off the plane (yes, I flew during the pandemic) I saw incredible clouds off in the distance. While I walked through the terminal, I took a few pictures from inside—but there were too many distractions on the tarmac. So, I got into my rental car and off in the distance I saw some clouds that if I had not taken the photo, I would have regretted not doing so. (Even if I was running close to when I was due to the rehearsal dinner.) I will never forget her wedding, and I will never forget the clouds—both were magical moments.

Thanks for stopping by.