December 24, 1923 - April 11, 1926
Handmade volume with cardboard covers, lined and unlined paper pages
12 x 10 1/8 inches
. “What? Why that son of a _ _ _ _ _ will eat him up in two minutes.” Yes, like _ _ _ _ he will! “All right, but don’t charge me with the rooster when he’s dead.” So in went the rooster and in about three minutes, “now take your rooster home and eat him or the gull will do it for you.”
I went out the Point – two row boats with two fellows in each were making their torturous way thru the cakes of ice – sometimes getting out of their boat on a cake and pushing the boat along. To the south a little way thousands of gulls were screaming and flying around, feeding on city garbage. The sun was dimmed by slowly moving cold gray dappled clouds – a feeling of cold blue immense space.
Going south along the peninsula between two canals, I found my old friend the “Manuba” (of Plague –Ship fame!) It had been prettied up a little with dark gray paint, but its fine lines could not be spoiled and it still had the look of a lean hungry wolf. I felt a warm, friendly glow on seeing an old friend.
West of here I went down to the shore a long barren stretch here. Out at the breakwater the shops were lined up – cold and still. The cloud bank became dense and the sun vanished – It was cold, gray and quiet.[i]
[i] Note in margin “Sketching Trip & Anecdotes”