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and look over a hot spring that Jenks had asked me about --

The
big dipper was lying low on the horizon as the crossed the high
plain before dropping down the last three and a half miles to the
ranch house off the highway

Maybe this isn't the way to spend a
day with the world going crazy as it is --

I don't know

We were out for 13 hours

It was wonderful -- maybe I am trifling that I spend my day
that way -- I don't know

But I loved it

A good night kiss to you

How do you do?

You are a funny duck -- Saying you send me a
kiss and you don't know whether I want it or not -- You make me
laugh with such a funny idea

Thank you for the letter -- the
kiss and the clipping about the difficulties of the British Empire

It has been another perfect day -- I was out painting
all day -- a drawing for a tree this morning and so much trouble
with my afternoon one of a red hill -- a queer little hill -- I may
have to throw it away --

Late I walked -- I am never through finding
new places around here -- there seems to be no end to the queer
things the earth has done -- I was going to ride but my horse
was very queer -- -- I didn't like his doing so I walked instead --
-- the dow boy took him and got him over his queer spell --

but
by the time he had struggled with him for some 15 minutes I
didn't feel very interested

The walk was good --

The day was good
-- only my red hill gives me trouble -- I guess you would laugh
to see me sitting in the shade of the car -- on the ground --
eating my lunch out of a brown paper bag - no grass -- just bare
earth sort of purplish red --

It is colder again at night but the
days are warm and lovely

Don't worry -- I'll not be snowed in --
not for a couple of months yet and I'll not be here then

I'll be starting East about a week from next

Wednesday night

It has been a clear beautiful day - colder -- I've been out
all day -- painting -- and when you do that there isn't much to
say -- It went better today

Mary Wheelwright came to see me -- they couldn't
find me -- ran all over the place looking for me -- and I was in
plain sight -- I thought

Wants me to go down and see Bret Hogan
tomorrow --

I went out right after breakfast and didn't come
in till the sun was gone -- I like it out that way alone all day
-- am feeling fine --

go to bed at 10:15 - the lights go out then
--- and get up at 6:30 -- Feel like getting up and that is
something

Walked for about half an hour before supper ---

Good night to you --

I'll find out about my train tomorrow and get my sleeper
as I don't expect to go to town again until I go to the train

I wonder if you will be glad to see me ---

I
will probably leave here on Sunday - the 30 --

A kiss to you

Will know definitely tomorrow

Good evening -- wonder if you are dozing in your chair

I am sending you a letter I had from Adams wife with
some little snaps of the children. Michael has my boots on.
They entertained him for hours one morning. Cedric Wright is a
man I saw building a beautiful house around some trees -- seeming
to bring the outdoors indoors -- He also photographs -- but that
seems newer to him than the building

I went to town today -- saw the Hogan -- saw
Mary Wheelwright -- had lunch with her. There is something fine
about what she is doing -- it has great possibilities but is
still just on the way I think you would love the rainbow woman
stretching all the way round the big room below the interwoven
log ceiling - with only one window letting the sky in way up
high -- The rainbow is the symbol for woman -- lightening for man

I drove home alone -- stopped to see Cady Wells for
about 20 minutes. He had an automobile accident near Syracuse --
that was why he didn't stop to see you -- Said his car all bent
up made him look too much like just another of those careless
drivers -- then a little later he was in the hurricane --

so

New Mexico seems a very safe quiet place to him now.

The sun was down a little while before I got
back here -- It was a hazy doubtful sort of day -- rather cool
-- I had on all my warmest clothes

Connie is gone now -- no one here but the
Packs -- the babies nurse and me -- It has never seemed better to
me -- However I engaged my sleeper for Monday - October 31st and
I'll be ready to go -- I will be in N.Y. on Nov. 2 -- between 9
and 10 --

Wait to hang the Marins till I get there. We can do

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it the day I arrive -- I can go right over with you --- I'll sleep
a lot on the train --

-- Of course don't wait for me if it is
more convenient not to but I'll be ready

A good night kiss to you

Friday night 9:10

I wonder how you are -- company every night doesn't seem a good
idea to me -- I should think every other night would be often
enough -- and going to a movie and going to take me to a movie
-- sounds pretty smart -- I hope it isn't too smart.

Well tonight I don't feel so smart -- I worked
all day -- on three different things -- by the time it was dark
I didn't know what any of them looked like --

I went indoors about
3:30 -- and worked there till dark and suppertime -- lit the fire
in the fire place -- it was all laid ready to light -- a big
fire place -- the big window making one end of the room seem like
outdoors -- it was much colder indoors than out -- so I left
the doors and windows open --

You would have liked it if you could
have walked in -- My suitcases stand there packed to go except
for the things I wear -- all that is around is what I am working
with -- the big room half white -- half a deep cream color -- feels
all white -- my chairs and tables are so meager they don't seem
to exist -- my mantel is wonderful -- full of stones and bones
and queer pieces of wood stood where there was room when I brought
them in -- it is lovely -- it all looks so different since I don't
sleep there -- it always looks fresh and alone to me -- I like it
-- I wish you could see it -- It was particularly nice this
afternoon.

The room seemed so good and with my paintings I had
no patience at all -- I've gotten off on a way of painting with
my palate knife and this afternoon I felt about it the way I
imagine a cat feels when you pet it backward

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After much supper Phoebe and Arthur and I sat talking in
the dining room for a long time -- Arthur seems such a dry little
man but I like him -- he wears wonderfully well --

After I came
over here and lit the fire here I washed my underwear and stockings
and I think I've had a day --- I also had to wash a lot of paint
brushes --- Probably no one else would think it a good kind of
life but I do --

You ask me how I sleep --- I don't take anything
to sleep and do very well -- I go to bed early and am ready to
get up at six but they don't have breakfast till 7 so I don't
get up till 6:30 --- sleep much better than when I first came out

I'll be seeing you in 12 days

Now don't fuss around fixing things because I'm coming --
Anything that has to be fixed I'll fix when I get there

A good night kiss to you

Monday morning -- bright and sunny and cold -- masses of frozen
crysanthemums as I look out my window from bed -- over the frozen
flowers -- the sun hits the top a mountain and creep slowly across
the long lines of the plains -- I got up before six and lit my fire
-- it was cold --

When the sun gets here it will be warm.

A letter

that I wrote Friday went to you Saturday night -- since then I have
not written -- no mail was going out -- both Saturday and Sunday
I was working all day -- walked a little in the evening -- A week
from now I will be on the way East -- it will be different

Have been talking nights with Arthur and Phoebe --
some very funny things came out --

I can't tell you much about my painting -- I don't
know myself -- won't know till I see it in N.Y. -- and remember
I haven't much --

When I left it over at the other house last
night as I came in I really couldn't see it --

Thanks for paper that came -- It is just
about enough for me to look at --

-- I wish you could take just a little walk with
me here in the evening -- the horizon line is so clear and fine --
sort of trembling -- one very bright star -- and the nearby crazy
shapes

It is good --

A breakfast kiss to you -- I'll go eat

The sun has come into my room

SANTA FE

OCT. 25, 1938

Tuesday A.M.

I didn't write last night because I had much company -- Paul Jones came at about five then Cady Wells and a friend came just before supper -- and they didn't get away till ten and the lights go out a few minutes after that -- also my room was a bit chilly and it seemed late to be lighting the fire -

Paul and I drove up to the highest point you can drive to and watched the sun go -- It is a never ending wonder to me as if great swaths of shadow were painted across the world -- one after the other leaving strange streaks of light on the plains and uneven masses on the cliffs that are finally swallowed into the shadow -- and the last moments of the lighted cliffs are so burning bright in a queer flat quiet way

Then there was the thinnest thin moon dropping into the clear coming horizon -- and finally nothing but the sharp fine horizon line with its brilliant star -- then all the stars overhead --

There wasn't a cloud in the sky all day yesterday

I painted all day like a slave --

When we went over to my house after supper I went with Cady in his car and when we got there I had forgotten the key - So we took a screen off with the screw driver and all crawled in the window --

The drive over was funny too -- Cady had a very big patchwork bed quilt in the car that I was all done up in -- and I had the dog dressed in his green sweater in with me --

It was an open car -- Cady had on a vast coat that was lined with sheepskin that he got from Montgomery Ward

We had quite a good evening

How do you like this !

Pretty gay -- I'm
on the floor in front of the fire drying my hair --

Didn't write last night -- Suppose I was talking
with Arthur and Phoebe -- we seem to talk a lot about not much
of anything

Oh yes -- I remember now -- Arthur was telling me
about his adopted child -- how and why --
things happen --
queer the way

Phoebe is so pretty since she has the baby --
quite lovely to watch --

And the baby is growing --

I haven't much to write -- Have been at the painting -- both
yesterday and today -- till I don't think much of myself --

Late
this afternoon I went over to the big cave and walked about --
it is much grander than I had remembered it --

And I start packing up a bit --

If I could only go off and just leave
everything --

Arthur and Phoebe stopped in this morning to see
my work -- They asked to -- They like two very much so you can
know that I have two that are passable

I am putting aside the one I have been working on for days

Will see how it looks in N.Y. - and go at a tree that
is started

It began to cloud up today -- lots of clouds -- Hope
the rain holds off till I get away

I'm not telling you when I arrive -- as a matter of fact I
don't know -- I'll call you if you are gone as you probably will be.

--- There is no use in your making that extra
effort because it isn't at all necessary and isn't the thing for
you to do -- I know you want to but lets let it go at that

Daves train was hours late when he went home--
then I will not have to bother with telegrams and such things
I'd rather let you come back from the place if you want to when I
get home if you have gone -- that seems much better than your
waiting around the station --

It will be in the morning but I really
don't remember the time --

Thank you for wanting to meet me
And a good night kiss to you
If my hair isn't dry it ought to be the fire is so
hot.

I am lost -- I don't know what day it is but I've had a wonderful
day -- I was up at six -- sort of a grey day to start -- went over
to the kitchen -- no one there made the coffee and drank a cup
then walked up back of the kitchen till you see no sign of ranch
houses --and a most beautiful view of everything for many miles
-- it is the best place I have ever seen for my house but I'd not
be able to afford the road up to it --

I walked on and made a
circle back to breakfast --

did up two packages to mail -- it was
too grey and cold to paint -- too nice to go indoors and pack
-- so I went riding with Slim to look for some cattle that
were off somewhere -- the sun came out a little -- and we rode
steadily from about nine till a little after one -- way over to
where those long sort of terraced plains break off abruptly with
very red banks to the Chama river winding far far below -- a red
cut in the earth - a big one -- We rode back through more broken
country -- nearer the river -- steep rocky hills -- Then up a
smaller stream that runs down into the larger river and finally
the fantastic area of broken bad lands on this side of the river --
this is really most beautiful but one always likes to go way way
out into the far away to the edge of things - sort of the edge of
the earth -- Slim is a character too -- looks like one of
Gods accidents but nice when he wants to be -- I never went with
him befor -- It was a lovely morning and we found the cattle.

-- This afternoon I lay in the sun for about half
an hour then packed pictures -- there were a few drops of rain --
a beautiful high rainbow -- I built a huge fire in my studio room -

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a really big fire -- closed door and windows when it rained --
and went on with the dull work of packing -- Most paintings packed

Arthur and Phoebe and I had our usual after dinner
talking time ---

And I'll be glad to get into bed right now -- My
eyes are barely open

A night kiss to you --

This will be my last letter to you as the mail does not go out
after Saturday night --

and I haven't much to say

I painted all morning and most of the afternoon --
and after that packed --

It was cool when I got up -- cool enough
for my woolen pants but by a little after nine it was warm enough
to even take my shirt off and sit there working naked to the belt -

As soon as the sun goes down it is cold again

Tomorrow I hope to finish my painting and packing
-- and maybe get another long ride on Sunday -- Of course I
probably will still have things to do and miss out on the ride

Arthur and phoebe went to town today and brought me a box of
candy -- That was a real event -- it is good too.

I am glad you
haven't sent me any I am really better without it

-- The dog is visiting me -- lying alseep by the
door -- a nice collie - nobody else pets him so he usually lies
outside my door all night -- when he followed me to my house tonight
he kept right in front of me as I opened the door -- one day this
week he stood by the car when I was getting in so I took him along
-- he lay by me under the car in the shade all day waiting for me -
He gets up on the car seat and makes it too dirty --

Its a simple kind of existence here --
quiet -- nothing
much happens except for the eye --

And I like all the folks that work here
And phoebe has become so lovely it is
wonderful to watch

And so it goes --