WHITE OBSER VA TIONS ON FOGS, CLO UDS & RA IN 297 



The vapors are seen rising in small volumes like smoke from many 

 chimneys. When risen to a certain height, they spread, meet, 

 condense and are attracted to the mountains where they either 

 distil in gentle dews and replenish the springs or descend in showers, 

 accompanied with thunder." In still another place he speaks of 

 the fog in much the same way. 



"Fogs and clouds which conceal the overshadowing motmtains 

 lend the breadth of the plains to the mountain vales. Even a 

 small featured country acquires some grandeur in stormy weather 

 when clouds are seen drifting between the beholder and the 

 neighboring hills. The most stupendous scenery ceases to be 

 sublime when it becomes distinct, or in other words limited and 

 the imagination is no longer encouraged to exaggerate it." 



How many people find interest in plain ordinary clouds ? Here 

 is what Thoreau says. "At length I was entered within the skirts 

 of the cloud which seemed forever drifting over the summit, and 

 yet would never be gone, but was generated out of that pure air 

 as fast as it flowed away; and when a quarter of a mile farther I 

 reached the summit of the ridge — I was deep within the hostile 

 ranks of clouds and all objects were obscured by them. Now the 

 wind would blow me out a yard of clear sunlight where I stood, 

 then a gray dawning light was all it could accomplish, the cloud 



line ever rising and falling with the wind's intensity. It was 



like sitting in a chimney and waiting for the smoke to blow away. 

 It was in fact a cloud factory — -these were the cloud works and 

 the wind turned them off done from the cool bare rocks." 



Few people love the rain except just after a drought but read 

 Thoreau and you will get a different idea of it. He says, "Some of 

 my pleasantest hours were during the long rain storms in spring or 

 fall, which confined me to the house for the afternoon as well as 

 the morning, soothed by their ceaseless roar and pelting; when 

 an early twilight ushered in a long evening in which many thoughts 

 had time to take root and unfold themselves." 



Again on a camping trip he says, "The best nights were those 

 when it rained for then we were not troubled with mosquitoes. 

 Some who have leaky roofs in towns may have been kept awake 

 but we were soon lulled to sleep by a steady soaking rain." 



Then he tells of a walk in the rain, "The rain is good for tliou.i^ht. 

 It is especially agreeable to me as I enter the woods and licar the 

 soothing dripping on the leaves. It dom.iciliates me in nature. 

 The woods are m.ore Hke a house for the rain ; the few slight noises 

 sound more hollow in them, the birds ho]) nearer; tin- vcrv \vccs 

 seem still and pensive. , The clouds are but a higher roof. Hie 



