I never tire of looking at clouds; they transport me in my imagination to other worlds of light and wonder in Daydreaming on the Porch

Clouds are the ever-shifting architecture of the sky, a cathedral of vapor that reconfigures itself moment by moment. They float and billow with a majesty that belies their impermanence, summoning awe as they tower into thunderheads or soften into veils of cirrus.

To gaze upward is to witness an unfolding gallery — shapes suggestive of myth and memory, scenes painted in white and gray against the deep blue dome of heaven. Their forms are endlessly varied…

The grandeur of clouds lies also in their dialogue with light. At dawn and dusk, they blaze with color — crimson, rose, and gold — becoming vast canvases upon which the sun rehearses its daily miracles.

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As Autumn and winter near, I rejoice in the relief from this past summer’s terrible heat. For much of this past summer I ventured outdoors late each day near sunset to take a walk. Early and late afternoons were simply too intense, even in the shade at the park. When the heat index in this new world order of global warming is 103-110 degrees every day, this once carefree and memorable season full of vacations and good memories is much less enjoyable than it once was.

I also missed being out early in the day to witness the spectacular summer cumulus clouds that appears like giant sailing armadas in the sky. These clouds will vanish and be gone before long, replaced by clear blue sunny autumn and winter skies that lack the drama, intensity, and both the memory and mood-evoking qualities of cloud-filled summer skies.

I am a lifelong cloud watcher who every day there are clouds to be seen, tries to capture their magical grandeur and momentousness with my camera. Some days, like yesterday around sunset I am very lucky. The sky was a mesmerizing shifting palette of clouds and changing colors. Fiery yellows, oranges and red, and then the fading embers of pastel purple and darkening blues. I gazed at it for long moments yesterday, full of wonder and amazement.

Here is what I saw:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/861gZ32183

This is a spectacular example of cirrus radiatus clouds:

The upper atmosphere has a broad sheet of cirrus fibratus clouds.
• Winds at high altitude align these clouds into parallel streaks.
• The perspective effect of looking toward the horizon makes them appear to fan out or radiate from a single point.