Clouds of Boston

clouds in the skyWhenever I’m in an elevated location where I can see the city from a new perspective, if I can, I like to take pictures.  This is my most recent photo seeing Boston from above. If you look at the far right, just where the land meets the sky, you can see the gas tank near the expressway.

It was a warm sunny day. Blue sky and white puffy clouds. I love the clouds.

Back in November 2007, I was doing 30 Days of Thanks on my old blog. One of the things I’ve always been thankful for is the ability to go outside, look up and see beauty in the clouds. I wrote about a new group that I had learned about called the Cloud Appreciation Society.

The group still exists. Last night I read an article about the founderGavin Pretor-Pinney, in the latest issue of Kinfolk. I learned that he gave a TED Talk, Cloudy with a chance of joy. Watch it, when you get a chance.

Pretor-Pinney is trying to get people to stop associating negativity with clouds and to focus on the beauty instead. He shows some amazing cloud pictures. Talks about the act of watching clouds. Doing nothing but letting our minds wander, which can spur creativity. He also gives a nice final quote.

Always remember to live life with your head in the clouds. ~ Gavin Pretor-Pinney

Havana Bikes: A Short Film

Since President Obama announced that the American policy towards Cuba was changing, most of us in the United States are in favor of it, according to a new poll.

Both Cubans and Americans seem to be gearing up for travel. Airbnb tweeted out some new listings of places to stay in Cuba.

A short film that I found online called Havana Bikes by Kauri Multimedia shows the ways that Cubans have preserved old bikes and made new modes of transportation from them. Not necessarily because of love for old bikes, but out of necessity in order to get around.

As business opportunities and trading grows between the United States and Cuba, these old bikes may soon be a thing of the past.

Havana Bikes has a great soundtrack and shows some of the bicycle creations that have developed over the years. It’s a glimpse into a particular place at a particular time that is drawing from the past and present, but may look so very different in the future.