Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

Apr. 21 – (Wed.)
P.M. to country south & east of Boston, by way of Cole Road. A dark day with thick low-hanging clouds. As I ascended the high table load, over which the Cold Road runs, I ran into dense fog –
I was looking for a suitable ravine in which to make studies, and found it on the road that leads westward down to Boston, running more or less parallel to the road. Here I spent several delightful hums making endless studies. The dark day, closed in by the thick clouds that seemed almost to touch the earth, gave the ravine a dim cave-like quality, rendering every object mysterious, or even sinister. Everywhere I looked I saw things to record – stumps, roots, stone ledges, a dim hollow with a black pine grim glowering against the sky on its upper edge – Once, a large bird flew up from my feet, and disappeared nearly under an overhanging hemlock branch and into the upper hollow. A large snow-bank still.
I did not leave until six – when a fine drizzly rain commenced to fall.
Apr. 23 (Friday)
All except M. A. & S. to Good Friday services at E. Aurora. The youngsters home by bus, while B & I intending to go to Werner’s for our syrup, went first to a “lunch wagon” for lunch.