{"id":11618,"date":"2021-02-09T08:22:32","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T13:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=11618"},"modified":"2021-02-09T08:26:18","modified_gmt":"2021-02-09T13:26:18","slug":"if-you-love-clouds-youll-love-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=11618","title":{"rendered":"If you like clouds, you&#8217;ll love this."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly anyone can recall that special moment, in a field with a friend, lying in the tall grass, gazing up, watching clouds roll by.\u00a0 &#8220;Look, a panda!\u00a0 No wait, a horseman galloping.\u00a0 \u00a0No way, it looks like an embryo.\u00a0 What&#8217;s an embryo?\u00a0 Ask your mother&#8230;&#8221; <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11623\" style=\"font-weight: bold; background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/1-22-13a-005.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/1-22-13a-005.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/1-22-13a-005-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><br \/>\nI have always loved clouds.\u00a0 How they make a sunset.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, yes, I know.\u00a0 I have used this photo before, taken at Shirley Heights in English Harbor Antigua.\u00a0 For me, it&#8217;s about the best place on earth, or at least the best part of the world that I have visited.\u00a0 To watch the sun and clouds at sunset.\u00a0 <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11624\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3-22-17a-070.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3-22-17a-070.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3-22-17a-070-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>Clouds bring the sky alive.\u00a0 Without them, the sky is just a Pantone color sample, I&#8217;m going with &#8220;Etherial Blue #15-4323, yes that&#8217;s the color. <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11625\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/4-1-13b-027.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/4-1-13b-027.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/4-1-13b-027-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>Pedestrian, unless a tropical long-tail happens by.\u00a0 Then it gets a bit more interesting. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11626\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/4-1-13b-013-cropped-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"567\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/4-1-13b-013-cropped-2.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/4-1-13b-013-cropped-2-300x243.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>Enter\u00a0an interesting cloud and then you really have something. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11630\" style=\"font-weight: bold; background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5-6-13a-052.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5-6-13a-052.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5-6-13a-052-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>If you have followed this blog over the years you know that I just love sunsets and have posted photos of them more often than I can ever justify. \u00a0Perhaps my love of sunsets is equal to how I feel about clouds.\u00a0 \u00a0 Particularly the big puffy kind that always make me think of those times laying in a field trying to decipher what they are trying to tell me.\u00a0 \u00a0 I can&#8217;t admit what this one reminds me of.\u00a0 You decide&#8230; <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11627\" style=\"font-weight: bold; background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5-6-13a-019.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5-6-13a-019.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5-6-13a-019-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>Or this one taken off of Miami.\u00a0 The sheer magnitude and so often, gone in a moment. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11628\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/9-12-16b-024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/9-12-16b-024.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/9-12-16b-024-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>What&#8217;s not to love about clouds and how they affect a sunset like this one on Eggemoggin Reach in Maine.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11632\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8-1-16a-004.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8-1-16a-004.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8-1-16a-004-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/> The &#8220;picture&#8221; changes from moment to moment in ways that defy words.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11639\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/113-1306_STB.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/113-1306_STB.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/113-1306_STB-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>I find sunrises and their interplay with clouds endlessly entertaining and is why I always choose the &#8220;dog watch&#8221; from 04:00 to 08:00. This shot taken on an offshore passage to Antigua. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11634\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/9-11-16a-020.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/9-11-16a-020.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/9-11-16a-020-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>Who can resist the thrill of a full moon rising through the clouds on the first day at sea.\u00a0 This was taken as we approached the Gulf Stream on another passage to Antigua.\u00a0 Look hard to see the sailboat in the distance, the last sighting we had of another boat for the rest of the trip.\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11637\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/11-13-17a-008.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/11-13-17a-008.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/11-13-17a-008-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>Without clouds, this sunset shot with a shrimp boat on Albermarle sound near Ocracoke on the ICW would not be nearly as interesting.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11636\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/11-3-16a-018.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/11-3-16a-018.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/11-3-16a-018-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>There is no end to the shear majesty of clouds offshore.\u00a0 And that&#8217;s a good thing as there&#8217;s just not a whole lot to look at when you are 500 miles from terra firma.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11635\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/10-27-15a-016.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/10-27-15a-016.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/10-27-15a-016-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>Amazing from one moment to the next. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11631\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5-24-17a-070.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5-24-17a-070.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5-24-17a-070-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>A view like this makes you wonder about majesty of forces behind everything in our world.\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11629\" style=\"font-weight: bold; background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/1-29-15a-009.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/1-29-15a-009.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/1-29-15a-009-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>Seeing a moment when rays shoot toward the heavens from behind a cloud always reminds me of that iconic moment when God speaks to Arthur in Monty Python&#8217;s\u00a0 Holy Grail movie.\u00a0 \u00a0Arthur!&#8230;<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Bj4ax1BRPqo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe>Clouds are not always so dramatic.\u00a0 Take these &#8220;clouds&#8221;, early morning fog shrouding islands in Maine.\u00a0 Fog is clouds or is it &#8220;fog are clouds&#8221;?\u00a0 Hmm&#8230;<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11638\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/112-1277_STK.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/112-1277_STK.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/112-1277_STK-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><span style=\"color: #444444;\">Along with sunsets and sunrises, I have always been smitten by clouds which brings me to the real message of this post. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>I am a &#8220;joiner&#8221;.\u00a0 I love being with what you might call &#8220;like minded people&#8221;.\u00a0 Whether it is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saltydawgsailing.org\/\">Salty Dawg Sailing Association<\/a>, my current number one time sink, the <a href=\"https:\/\/ssca.org\/\">Seven Seas Cruising Association<\/a> or a recent additions to my &#8220;club addiction&#8221; the <a href=\"https:\/\/oceancruisingclub.org\/\">Ocean Cruising Club<\/a> or my favorite the <a href=\"http:\/\/rntc.club\/\">Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua &amp; Barbuda<\/a>.\u00a0 Yup, I&#8217;m a member of that one too.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #444444;\">Yes, there is a club for everyone.\u00a0 \u00a0Have a particular passion or interest?\u00a0 There&#8217;s most assuredly a club that will help you scratch that itch.\u00a0 For many years, Brenda and I were members of a group dedicated to Cape Cod Catboats.\u00a0 Remarkably called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.catboats.org\/\">The Catboat Association<\/a>.\u00a0 We even served on the aptly named &#8220;steering committee&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The folks in the UK are big on clubs and beyond my favorite Tot Club, they have many other obscure clubs.\u00a0 Love traffic circles?\u00a0 Yes, believe it or not, there is a club dedicated to roundabouts as they call them, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.roundaboutsofbritain.com\/\">UK Roundabout Appreciation Society<\/a>, dedicated to you guessed it&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>There are literally\u00a0 an endless number of clubs and societies that you might join.\u00a0 How about the &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dill_Pickle_Club\">dill pickle club<\/a>&#8220;, formed in 1914.\u00a0 Sadly, they were dissolved in 1933.\u00a0 I guess that their members felt that they had became &#8220;soggy and past their prime.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>So, how does the whole issue of clubs and clouds relate?\u00a0 You guessed it.\u00a0 There&#8217;s a club for cloud lovers.<\/p>\n<p>Recently I was listening to a podcast from the New York Times, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/podcasts\">The Daily<\/a>, and heard about yet another not at all obscure club, <a href=\"https:\/\/cloudappreciationsociety.org\/\">The Cloud Appreciation Society<\/a>. It&#8217;s a charming recounting of the group and is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/podcasts\">worth listening to<\/a>.\u00a0 Prefer to read the article that the podcast is based on and learn now the group came to be?\u00a0 Check out<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/05\/08\/magazine\/the-amateur-cloud-society-that-sort-of-rattled-the-scientific-community.html?action=click&amp;module=RelatedLinks&amp;pgtype=Article\">\u00a0&#8220;The Amateur Cloud Society That (Sort Of) Rattled the Scientific Community&#8221;<\/a> a group that now boasts more than 54,000 dues paying members.<\/p>\n<p>This photo, from the times article of the founder, Pinney, from the Times article.\u00a0 He TOTALLY fits the part.\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11645\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/phinney.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"476\" height=\"268\" \/>I joined, of course, and my membership number?\u00a0 54,749.\u00a0 \u00a0Who knew that there could be so many that loved clouds.<\/p>\n<p>Among their many benefits, they send out a daily photo, usually submitted by a member.\u00a0 \u00a0I have to say that it is fun to get a photo every day of something that I love.\u00a0 This was my inaugural cloud-of-the-day, submitted by Amy Steinkraus, member #54,121.\u00a0 \u00a0 Wow! Amy&#8217;s member number is not far from mine?\u00a0 We&#8217;re practically related&#8230;<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11640\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/first-cloud.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/first-cloud.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/first-cloud-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/first-cloud-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>So, there you have it, another rambling post but hey, I got to use a bunch of cloud photos and it proves that I&#8217;m not only about sunsets.<\/p>\n<p>And, with apologies to Skippy Peanut butter, &#8220;if you love clouds, you&#8217;ll love The Cloud Appreciation Society&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly anyone can recall that special moment, in a field with a friend, lying in the tall grass, gazing up, watching clouds roll by.\u00a0 &#8220;Look, a panda!\u00a0 No wait, a horseman galloping.\u00a0 \u00a0No way, it looks like an embryo.\u00a0 What&#8217;s an embryo?\u00a0 Ask your mother&#8230;&#8221; I have always loved clouds.\u00a0 How they make a sunset. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_s2mail":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11618"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11649,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11618\/revisions\/11649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}