January-July 1895, Ranch Life (Martinez, California) Image 4

• Main Author: Muir, John
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Scholarly Commons 1895
• Subjects: John Muir; journals; drawings; writings; travel; journaling; naturalist; Glacier Bay; glacier; Alaska
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmj-all/2327; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmj-all/article/3326/type/native/viewcontent/fullsize.jpg

January Monday 21 1895 The storm is now in full bloom, heavy rain & wind. The stream from Franklin [canon] is again over the banks & spreading in a stiff current carrying [sand over] the farm & cherry orchard almost as high as in the grand flood a week or two ago. Never since the orchard has been planted had this stream been so high 4 inches of sandy mud had on average been spread over several acres. Tuesday 22 Still raining. Roads all one smoothly puddled splashing lather & the streams are roaring. Wednesday 23 Working on Glacier Bay sketching upper tributaries of Muir Glacier for Century. A charming day after rain& darkness for so long I can’t remember how long. Today not a cloud. This is Helens birthday & she is greatly excited about it for it marks she says, the end of her babyhood. She is 9 & says she will no longer answer to the name of baby - If people ask for baby in this house now they must go & look for a baby. The bright day she says seems to have been sent just for her. She celebrated [this]day on the hills. She climbs well & is in perfect health. An unspeakable blessing after the extreme delicacy of earliest years. Robins are flying in large flocks driven down from the hills & mtns [mountains] by the storm. Frogs are singing lustily & there is always a crowd of handsome [Zonotrichias] about the house hedge. The cats capture many of them. Sent 3 copies of painting of the Muir Glacier today to Drake for the May Century also a photo of the general surface of the glacier. Thursday 24 Still at work sketching for the Century & revising Alaska MS Had a letter from Drake urging haste for both. This is another lovely day Cloudless, calm, morning. Slight frost this morning. Went to walk with Helen up to the West Hill. She is a wonderful climber & vividly sees & enjoys the mossy rocks, ferns etc. The view of the bay was charming, mirror calm shaded slightly with gentle breeze in streaks. The colors of the hills far & near fresh & beautiful. Had ...