Robert Indiana kept a series of illustrated journals during the late 1950s and 1960s, in which he discusses the development of his work as well as his daily life on Coenties Slip.

This journal page covers November 9–10, 1963. In his first entry, for November 9, Indiana records having publisher and art collector Harry Abrams over for lunch. He also writes that John Willenbecher came over in the morning with his piece Pansa, which they hung on the third floor after going our for Indiana to get supplies for the lunch.

In his entry for November 10 Indiana notes rising at eleven, going out at noon for breakfast, and observing that only two of the ginkgo trees in Jeannette Park still retained their golden leaves, most being strewn on the wet asphalt. He writes that he then turned to his journals after months of inactivity (many of his journal pages from 1963 are empty or contain only a single note), and painted the large green orb and lighter blue field of Yield Brother II (which was purchased by Harry Abrams).