Clare’s post brought back memories of my best friend and me lying on our backs on the lawns of parks and staring at clouds, sometimes talking, sometimes deciding what the shape of various clouds looked like to each of us. Occasionally, we’d bring and release helium-filled balloons on relatively windless days and watch them for as long as we could before they finally drifted out of sight. A wistful smile has found its way to my face at such thoughts.
With love,
Russ
Reflecting Clouds
Did you know there are people in the world who collect clouds? They’re called Cloudspotters, members of The Cloud Appreciation Society.
You’re probably wondering how one would go about the business of collecting a cloud. Unlike inflatable lawn ornaments, garden gnomes, tea cozies or balls of tinfoil, clouds are rather ephemeral things floating lonely just above our heads.
Gavin Pretor -Pinney, the group’s founder, developed The Cloud Collector’s Handbook to make it easy for us to spot and record the different types of clouds we see when we lift up our eyes to the sky. In his handbook, he explains the 10 main cloud types along with notable species, varieties and features. Points are allotted to spotters for adding clouds into their scorecard with extra points for such things as photographing them or collecting all species of one type of cloud or predicting rain when…
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Russ Towne's A Grateful Man 
ah, such sweet memories –
You’re posts often trigger sweet memories for me, Beth. Thank you.
Russ
Thank you for sharing this post
It’s my pleasure, Joanne.
Russ
Thank you, my good friend, for this reblog. I just came in from outside. I was stargazing. I think my neck will be quite stiff tomorrow- too much time with my head in the sky. Take care, Clare
Ah, stargazing, another of my favorite pastimes! I especially enjoyed it as a child when we visited relatives in Oregon. They lived way out in the country. There were so many more stars to see without city glare. My cousin Earl and I watched them for hours in sleeping bags beneath a magnificent canopy of stars so magnificent they put diamonds to shame. We were entranced by their beauty and grandeur, and especially enthralled and delighted by “shooting stars.” We’d talk about everything and nothing, thinking great thoughts and asking universal questions, sometimes wondering if we were the first who’d ever spoken them, and dreaming aloud, unaware how blessed we were to be able to do all of those things with each other.
Gradually, when we no longer could keep our eyes open sleep arrived bringing another type of pleasant dreams.
Earl and I recently reconnected after many years. We now have conversations on the phone a couple of times per month that meld memories of two young boys with the stories of our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We’re amazed that our stories now span four generations of children who stargaze and dream.
In honor of the role Earl played (and still plays) in my life and the memories we made together that still bring smiles to my face and joy to my heart 50 years later, I dedicated my most recent book to Earl and his wife Nancy.
May the stiffness in your neck quickly fade away but the feelings you felt and and your memories linger for a lifetime, Clare.
Russ
It is wonderful that you reconnected again. So important to keep touch with our childhoods. I live out in the woods, too, so can see the meteor showers very well. Lots of wishes to be made on shooting stars. On that note- I wish you a wonderful week my friend. Hugs to Thomas, the twins, your Beloved and everybody with a large hug thrown in for you. Clare
Thank you! I wish the same for you and Charley, Dear Friend. Hugs to you!
Russ
🤗