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[[underlined]] Washington to Homewood [[/underlined]]

Left Washington June 23, 1911. Penn R.R. Spent the night in New York at the [[missing word]] Hotel, & took breakfast with Clint & Hilta, after which we took the train for Lyons Falls. How can people choose to make the trip by sleeper? The Rhine, the Columbia, & the Hudson are said to be the most beautiful of rivers & the ride up along the broad Hudson with the Palisades & the Catskills makes a rare day for a traveller. Then the beautiful Mohawk Valley & finally the Black River valley - a day of satisfactions.

Stayed at the Falls about ten days- went to Lyonsdale July 4 - & July 5 went up to Homewood to camp. The country was in the flush of its summer prime. Great clean fields of timothy & fields dotted with buttercups & daisies along the roads & sweet smelling fields of new mown hay. The freshness & sweetness of the big open country was [[underlined]] delicious [[/underlined]] after the shut in city with its "rank vapours". Savanna sparrows sang on the roadside fences their small jumbled but cheery song, while [[Vispus?]] occasionally added richness to the concert.

The blue hills were  pink at sunrise with white mist rising on the rivers & lakes. The sunset colors - the moonlight with fields of haycocks - the birch woods

Transcription Notes:
Clint is probably her brother Clinton Hart Merriam (normally referred to as Hart or H in previous journals) Virginia Elizabeth Gosnell is the name of his wife so Hilta may be a nick name or the name of someone else entirely. [[Vispus?]] is probably a latin species name for another song bird. There is no such bird name but cannot find any plausible alternative, so have marked it complete.