Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, February 3, 1925

To Harbor – about 11:00 a.m.

A warm (unnaturally warm) hazy day. After I left the car and proceeded to the Michigan bridge I made for the “Point” and sat down on a timber, an overwhelming drowsiness came over me – the snow blinded my eyes and I sat in a stupor – the warm southern sun streamed over the lakeshore, lighting up the sides of the ships with a friendly glow. The sound of melting snow as it constantly settled filled the air – I used snow water to bathe my eyes and started on a sketch of sunken ship and boat – to the right repairmen were hard at work on a black hard-boiled looking boat – and now they start a gas engine the exhaust of which pounded on the ears – boys came around to watch me – some ventured out on the ice, and made a great show of their boldness – I feared for their safety – but remember my own foolhardy tricks – Suddenly the gas engine ceases – the silence is violent almost, and then came to sounds of a distant train and a fire engine’s siren. Here in this remote separate land of the lake the latter meant nothing – 

The sketch completed – along lake shore, in a remote section lunch –

The rest of the day spent aimlessly, the first sketch, tho not ambitious, used up my energy.

I made pencil sketches and saw first one thing after another to paint but could not settle on anything. I visited my friend the “Maruba” – (king of all boats down here)

Evening was romantic – the dusk of imminent rain filled me with melancholy and yearning. To the south, the Lackawanna furnaces in faint bluish haze.

Ships against the cloudy sky

[sketch of a ship in water]

To the east I saw the moon just risen – an ominous orange color with a peculiar “bite” taken out of it. (I learned the next day it was an eclipse).

Along the black murky streets, in the muddy slush – mud made me think of hepaticas –...

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, February 3, 1925