Send in the Clouds (Updated - July 19)

 

Cloud formation over the Sandia Mountains - cellphone photo - June 30, 2025, DS.
(Note that the bird - left of center - appears to be a raptor.)

"I'm glad to be with you, Sam Gamgee, here at the end of all things."

- Frodo Baggins speaking to his closest companion, Sam, on Mount Doom while Mordor is consumed in flames, via this scene (also here) from The Return of the King, Peter Jackson's cinematic retelling of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic trilogy. 

The saga of Middle Earth from The Lord of the Rings was the first thing that came to my mind at the beginning of this year, when someone had apparently sent in a swarm of menacing clowns to replace the government here in the States.

In Tolkien's tale, the Great Eagles, led by the wizard Gandalf, saved the day for Frodo and Sam.

But, who will save the day for those of us in the West, who are currently suffering under the escalating Republican Reign of Terror?

Monstrous cloud over the Sandia Mountains - cellphone photo - July 27, 2025, DS.

I'm thinking... clouds. 

But, no, don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about the little fluffy clouds drifting by on a sunny day. I'm talking about the massive, icy thunderheads that spell doom for an unwary pilot.

(More below the jump...)

A fantastic cloud array in the morning sun, Albuquerque - cellphone photo - June 24, 2025, DS.

***

"Weather modification is the act of intentionally manipulating or altering the weather. The most common form of weather modification is cloud seeding, which increases rainfall or snowfall, usually for the purpose of increasing the local water supply. Weather modification can also have the goal of preventing damaging weather, such as hail or hurricanes, from occurring; or of provoking damaging weather against an enemy, as a tactic of military or economic warfare like Operation Popeye, where clouds were seeded to prolong the monsoon in Vietnam. Weather modification in warfare has been banned by the United Nations under the Environmental Modification Convention."

- Via the Wiki entry for Weather Modification. I confess, I did not know this... nor was actual warfare on my mind when I wrote this post. That being said...

"A research paper produced for the United States Air Force written in 1996 speculates about the future use of nanotechnology to produce "artificial weather", clouds of microscopic computer particles all communicating with each other to form an "intelligent fog" that could be used for various purposes. "Artificial weather technologies do not currently exist. But as they are developed, the importance of their potential applications rises rapidly."

- Via Wiki's article Weather Warfare. Fake clouds? That's creepy. But "intelligent fog" is probably somewhat closer to what I had in mind when I suggested sending in the clouds. And, well, the idea wasn't as silly as it seemed, was it? ;-)

______________________________________________

(Updated: July 19)

"In answer to her spoke Zeus, the cloud-gatherer: “Hera, fear not in this that any god or man will see, with such a cloud shall I enfold you, a cloud of gold. Through it not even Helios could discern us, though his sight is the keenest of all for seeing.”

- Via Homer, Iliad, book 14.  I was just informed (by this article) that one of Zeus's titles was "cloud-gatherer". Now, Zeus (Jupiter) was "the father of gods and men, supreme ruler of Mt. Olympus, and lord of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, justice." He is most often shown holding a thunderbolt while riding or enthroned upon a cloud. In the engraving above - by Francois Verdier (1651 - 1730) sourced here - he is shown with an eagle, one of the god's symbolic creatures.

______________________________________________

A cluster of snowy giants forming over the Sandia Mountains - cellphone photo - June 9, 2025, DS

July 4, 2025

The neighborhood fireworks have been exploding in the sky for hours, but I have little heart for them this year. In spite of this, I still tried to film them from my perch on the motel balcony. It seemed like an unsuccessful venture till I decided to try and find one frame that described how I really felt this 4th of July. Believe it or not, I found one.

A Sodium Lamp and a Rocket's Red Glare
Cellphone video frame - July 4, 2025, 10:47 pm, DS.

__________________________________________

The Statue of Liberty’s Silent Protest was created by Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw. The mural was unveiled in Roubaix, France, on July 3, 2025.

In one word: Perfection.