Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, September 8, 1939

            To Emporium Country —
            A late start, but that did not bother me, for on this day I wanted chiefly to get more studies for the Road Picture and “In a Mountain pass” both of which required afternoon lighting effects.
            Terrific humid heat that came in waves into the car —
            When I got into the high-hill country north of Emporium I noticed that many trees had already changed to a pure orange-yellow, tho all the rest were still green.
            At noon, I stopped at a Spring below Emporium for a drink.  Drive on to the hill overlooking Sinnamahoning, from where, in the opposite (western direction) I had made the studies for the Road picture.
            Lunch by the side of the road, under a young oak tree, overlooking the valley which shimmered with the heat-haze; after which I stretched out on the drying grass, and dozed in the heat.  How far away the world seemed — here the war did not matter — I felt at peace.
            Studies all afternoon of the road, and also theMountainPasspicture (which was at the bottom of the hill).  Looking up the side of the tree-covered hills into the dazzling sun-shot sky, which seemed to dissolve and stream down over the trees in a hot blue-haze.
            Very late when I headed for Emporium — (Study of sunburst behind the huge dark hill — the muffled human voices in the valley — a cow-bell).
            At dinner – when I asked the waiter what kinds of pies they had he solemnly replied —apple, cherry, one piece of lemon, one berry, and custard.
            For a walk thru the town after dark.  Then later, drive up the mountain to the south — The dark, and loneliness gave me a thrill as I went on and on up the winding road.  When I came out on the hill plateau, I parked by the side of the road, turned out the lights, and stood in the road.  Save for a farmhouse, where someone, doing chores, carried a lantern, there were no lights to mar the effect of the dark, which at first seemed very black indeed, but which soon receded into a vague luminous dark gray — Over-head, the star-studded sky was divided with the SW –NE diagonal of the Milky Way, which faded into the northeast into the glow of light from Emporium (that seemed like a false dawn — a thing of mystery).  As I watched, the SW portion of the Milky Way, above a hill, suddenly was blotted out by a bank of cloud, which was visible only by the fact of the stars’ disappearance.
--Charles E. Burchfield, September 8, 1939