Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, May 29 - 31, 1926

Trip to Ohio – May 29-31, 1926 –

Sitting in Train looking out over hills – passing Conneautt – memories of May & June in Cleveland at the art school – of my trip over to Con – with John Lloyd – the horror of that place – the gallery east of Ashtabula – try to recall what a boyhood there would mean – arrival in Youngstown – no one to meet me – bitter disappointment – on Y & S to Leetonia – when arrive at Leetonia oldme the damp evening brings old memories of June nights of the S. E. Ohio country – a peculiar feeling to the damp mystery of the creek & river turns not around Buffalo—

Arrival home – find mother in bed & strangely apathetic – not because she was not glad to see me, but from tiredness – it filled me with sadness so that I could scarcely speak.—

Next a.m. out to K’s to see my family & how small the children looked to me – how glad to hold them & Bertha close—

Maytime on the farm – the freshness & greenness – the feeling of remoteness & mystical feeling of being near to the Creator—

The evening of return – great physical weariness combined with great depression – in Youngstown – the great “converter” belching white hot fluid – seemed humble & the garish red glare on the crude buildings betrayed me; the might became sinister when the thought of leaving my family behind me.

Charles E. Burchfield, May 29-31, 1926