Rockwell Kent "Wilderness" Centennial Journal

Ironically, today, September 18, 2018 we have clear skies in Seward. The exceptionally warm weather is gone, but the clouds have left us and the sun has returned. That wasn’t the case 100 years ago today. I’m reposting my entry from ten days back because it covers today 100 years ago – Sept. 18, 1918 – the day Kent and Rockie venture to Seward. They had been on Fox Island since August 28 th , and it had been raining and storming since then. Kent was busy fixing up his cabin, clearing the land around it, and gathering a supply of firewood. Rockie helped as he could, but spent most of his time wandering the beach and the woods and helping Olson with the fox and goats. Kent had written many letters but received few. Since Sept. 14 they  had been watching for steamers arriving in Seward hoping to pick up and send  out some mail. Follow the link below: https://rockwellkentjournal.blogspot.com/2018/09/early-to-late-september-2018.html

ROCKWELL KENT WILDERNESS CENTENNIAL JOURNAL 100 YEARS LATER by Doug Capra © 2018 Mid to Late September 2018 – Part 2 "If I were unable to draw strength from myself, if I had to wait for applause, encouragement, consolation, where would I be? what would I be? There were certainly moments and whole periods of my life...when a robust word of encouragement, a hand-clasp of agreement would have been the refreshment of refreshments -- and it was just then that everybody left me in the lurch."      Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche quoted in Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen's American Nietzsche: A History of an Icon and His Ideas (2012) It was a Sunday 100 years ago on Sept. 15, 1918. A southeast storm battered Fox Island while Olson’s goats spent the whole day inside their shelter. Those storms bring a spitting, driving rain that make it uncomfortable to work outside. Within a few minutes you’re drenched. Kent and Rocky are probably inside their cabin, chinking the wide spaces betw...

ROCKWELL KENT WILDERNESS CENTENNIAL JOURNAL 100 YEARS LATER by Doug Capra © 2018 Mid to Late September 2018 As I write this on Sept. 14, 2018 – on this day 100 years ago Rockwell and Rockie are tired of the rain. In Seward today, we’re experiencing perhaps the last day of weeks of sunny weather and temperatures in the high 60's and mid-70’s. All that is supposed change tomorrow with rain and more normal temperatures for this time of year We’ll see. It’s been a delightful run, but from experience we know that October can bring rains with flooding and/or snow. Meanwhile, this week a 100 years ago, Kent and Rockie are working hard on Fox Island to clear the land, make the goat shed livable, and gather a winter wood supply. They’ve made occasional trips back to Seward in their small dory for supplies. Since leaving New York nearly a month and a half ago, Kent has written and mailed many letters but he has received few. The artist hasn’t started painting, ...