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Club house. Calvert and I took a walk through the wet snow around the cemetery past the school house and over to the rail road back of the Post farm and home by the North end of the Cemetery. We saw many beautiful effects and suggestions for winter landscapes. When I returned I went over to my studio and brought over all my little sketches and showed them to all of them in the frame. They all were more than pleased with them, but Bonyer and I have so far kept secret our plan. We had our Thanksgiving day meal at 3 o'clock, Girard and Mary having come over and seen the little pictures. There were ten of us at table, Mary, Calvert, Mary, Girard, Bonyer, Downing, Jamie, Marion, Sara and I. We drank my fathers health. I wanted to propose the memory of the absent but I could not trust myself and only silently and lovingly thought of them. We had a very nice dinner and were all in excellent spirits. Grant Van Deusen came over a little while after dinner. At 6 o'clock we all except Bonyer went over to Girards where the children gave a little performance, dressed as little darkies. The rest of the evening we spent in the parlor with a nice fire and the storm going on outside - and so has ended a happy day.
[[left margin]] Thanksgiving day. [[/left margin]]

Friday Nov. 26" 1886. A magnificent morning, the sun shining brightly on the trees loaded with ice and the ground covered with snow and fresh sleet. Bonyer got up early and returned to N.Y. by the 6.10 train. We had breakfast at 7 and I drove Downing down to the ferry for the 7.45 H.R. train. At 9 o clock Calvert and I started out for a long walk. We went out towards the Roa-tina, crossed over to the hills above the river, then around towards the Flat-bush road and home by the picturesque swamps and by ways. Everything was picturesque, clouds and earth and I made a half dozen hasty notes of pretty places, the last one Hussey Hill and the country from near where I painted my November, many years ago, which was shown in the Royal Academy. Hussey Hill was covered with sleet and ice, with a fine sky above and a rich atmosphere intervening. I think it a fine subject for an important picture and tomorrow mean to make a study. We walked from 9 until 1 and came home healthily tired having passed a delightful day, and kept quiet the rest of the day. Jamie and Marion drove to Kingston in the sleigh this morning after I returned from taking Downing to the train. There is just enough snow to produce beautiful effects with the color shining through every where.   

Saturday 27" A bright winter day. The children are coasting on the frozen snow. I went to my studio directly after breakfast and after building a good big fire in the Franklin went to work at a study 10x15 of the view towards Hussey Hill I sketched Thursday. It is not as good as I could wish but I think I see what is the difficulty. The afternoon and evening effects today were charming. I grow to like the Winter effects more and more. A letter from Downing saying he had had a pleasant Thanksgiving and that there was no snow below the Highlands.

Sunday 28. Bright day. After breakfast Calvert, Mary and I went over to the cemetery and out to the "view." The crust was frozen hard and very slippery. We came back to Chester St. where Mary left us and we continued on out to the swamp near the Flat-bush road where we were on Friday. I made a little sketch, partly in water colors of a subject I saw when we were there before. It was pretty cold and we came home by another way across the hill and through Ludlums woods to Chester St. The winter landscape fascinates me and seems much more pictorial than the summer.

Monday 29" Calvert left this morning after a very pleasant visit which he evidently greatly enjoyed. When I returned from taking him to the train I built a fire in my studio and went to work on my Winter picture of Saturday which I improved. I am learning something about painting snow. I left work a little before 11 to take Sara down to the ferry boat on her way 

Transcription Notes:
Only the first entry is done. A lot of question marks, any help would be greatly appreciated!! (except for one, all blanks now filled in for first entry as of 5/9) 5/12: one question remaining .