Charles Burchfield, Journals, October 21, 1914

The third of wonderfully fair October days.  My heart seems ever on the point of bursting with the beauty of this autumn.  It is a golden age all my thoughts seemed touched with the golden atmosphere.  Such an autumn is rare.

  This morning in life.  I happened to the window – mid morning sunlight wonderful - on the yellow thickly hazed trees - sky brown with low-hanging smoke - blue wind jarring the softly detached elms leaves in yellow showers. - emerald lawns leaf speckled.

Corot created his morning scenes - but this morning the sun shining thruthe willows in Wade Park surpassed even his wildest imagination.  Grass silvery with heavy dew.  At any time during the day to look thruany tree at the sun produces wonderful morning haze effects. There is such a stillness on the air; the only evidence that nature is breathing are the soft leaves falling slant­wise. Bob, Travis, Kaiser, Joe, Beda & I together thru to Wade Park after school.  Bob & I a discussion of Nietzsche. Nietzsche is undergoing quite a discussion at school.

A wonderful sight on the big green area north of the new Art Museum. The hour high sun strikingthe grass lit up the gossamer threads like on a lake (the figure of speech is Howard’s, he told me this afternoon of seeing the same phenomenon last evening)

Monday when I expressed a determination to get reproductions of Thurburn’s illustrations to Poe’s stories on seeing some that Keller had showed, I did not suspect what it would lead to Tuesday he came to me with the same reproductions and gave them to me.  The incident seems small - yet it is not.

    Today Keller gave me a “commission” to make a poster which some lady had given him.

Letter from Mother.  Her homesickness for us coupled with my own for her, is the only regret of the season.  I wish I could have her with me.

I am living in a rainbow.

Charles E. Burchfield, Oct. 21, 1914