Summer on the Back Roads: Old Lick, Good Dirt, and America 250.Hello friends, The beginning of summer is always a busy time on the Back Roads. There is the whirlwind that begins around Memorial Day, rolls into summer plans, includes Fish’s and my anniversary, and ends with our youngest son's birthday. This year, I added one more adventure to the calendar: a trip to Roanoke to participate in the Gainsboro 2026 Block Party with one of my favorite side projects, The Friends of Old Lick. It was wonderful to see everyone, to spend time with people who care so deeply about the history of Gainsboro, and to be reminded again why this work matters. The flight there and back was its own adventure, one that confirmed, yet again, that I really do prefer the back roads. You can read about that trip here:
https://www.takethebackroads.com/2026/05/twelve-hours-at-ohare-why-i-prefer-back.html I also stumbled across the perfect book for the trip: Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson. It is a multi-generational story set in New England, centered around an antique jug created by an enslaved man; a jug that bears witness to the heartbreak, survival, and successes of one family. It was a fitting book to read while thinking about Old Lick, Gainsboro, and the way communities remember — or fail to remember — the people who built them. Good Dirt holds an uncomfortable but important tension: that no matter how deeply a family is rooted in a place, there will always be people willing to dismiss their importance to the historical fabric of that place simply because that family is Black. It is a powerful book because it exposes the lie in that kind of thinking. In the background at Rite of Fancy, I have also been revisiting historic American documents in preparation for America’s 250th celebration. I think it is important to return to our founding documents from time to time, not as slogans or assumptions, but as actual texts. We should remember what was argued, what was promised, what was left unfinished, and what it really means to be American. Alongside that work, I am preparing an America's 250 project for Everyday Patriot. The plan is to create state-based lists of service members and patriots whose stories deserve to be remembered. The first of these is 10 Alabama Heroes You Don’t Want to Forget, and I hope it will be the beginning of a meaningful series. On a more personal note, this spring and early summer have also brought some health challenges. Some of the old injuries from "my accident" years ago have made themselves impossible to ignore, especially the new muscle wasting and neurological issues in my arms that I have been dealing with lately. Because of that, we have had to rethink and rebuild parts of my workspace so I can keep doing this work more comfortably. And I do want to keep doing it. The Bucket List Book Adventure, the Everyday Patriot Project, and the biography project for The Friends of Old Lick are all worthy projects. They matter to me. They are the kind of work I want to see through, and I am trying to make sure I have what I need, physically, mentally, and practically, to keep going. So that is where things stand here on the Back Roads: a little tired, a little determined, and still moving forward. Be safe, be happy, and most of all, enjoy our nation's 250th celebration. It is a piece of history worth participating in. — a.d. elliott Art and Other Odd Adventures ✨ #TakeTheBackRoads Enjoyed this newsletter? You can always explore more stories, support the journey, or simply keep the road open by visiting the site. | 
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