November 08 25 Newsletter | Take the Back Roads

 This newsletter was originally sent on November 8, 2025

Each month, I share new essays, books, and stories from the road.

📬 Want these updates in your inbox? Subscribe here.

Welcome, Friends, to 

News from the Back Roads!

The leaves have really turned now and are scattered across the road in a thousand shades of memory. November always feels like a pause, the deep breath before winter settles in. It’s a time for looking back, for finding meaning in the quiet, and for remembering the beauty that endures.

This week, my travels have been more inward, down paths of art, faith, service, and imagination,  but they’ve been no less full of wonder.

May your week be filled with small discoveries, the kind you stumble upon when you least expect them.

Stay curious, travel gently, and take the back roads whenever you can.

Warmly,
a.d. elliott
Art and Other Odd Adventures

Stories Found Along the Way

Roads I’ve Traveled: The Spiral Jetty and the Beauty That Survives a Hostile Land

“Some places live in the bones long after we leave them behind.”
— a.d. elliott

There are some roads we only travel once, but they travel with us forever. The road to Northern Utah is one of mine. The Spiral Jetty, Robert Smithson’s great saltwork at Rozel Point, curves into the Great Salt Lake like a memory — something that vanishes and returns with the shifting water and time.

In this week’s reflection, I revisited the harsh, yet hauntingly beautiful, land that once held both my deepest hurts and greatest joys. The Jetty stands as proof that even in the most hostile places, art and the human spirit can still endure.

→ Read the full reflection on TakeTheBackRoads.com

Another Book in the Bucket


The Epistle of Barnabas – Book #519 of the Bucket List Book Adventure

Few early Christian writings capture the uncertainty of faith in transition quite like The Epistle of Barnabas. Written by an anonymous believer after the fall of the Second Temple, it reflects a community still defining what it meant to follow Christ in a changing world.

While the text sometimes stumbles in its separation from Judaism, it also offers timeless wisdom about living one’s faith through action — feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, and practicing mercy as a spiritual discipline.

Reading it felt like discovering the words of an early “influencer”: imperfect, passionate, and sincere in their desire to help others see the light. A reminder that even flawed voices can shape enduring truth.

→ Read the full review on RiteOfFancy.com


A Story of Service

Corporal William Fizgerald Palmer 

- A Soldier's Story

Born in Hillsdale, Michigan, in 1967, William Fitzgerald Palmer loved race cars and four-wheel drives long before he put on a uniform. After high school, he joined the U.S. Army and served with the 545th Military Police Company during Operation Desert Shield.

Though his time in service was cut tragically short, his memory endures,  not just in records or ribbons, but in the quiet strength and loyalty he showed to those around him. His story reminds us that service is rarely about grand gestures. It’s about showing up, doing your duty, and giving your all, even in the harshest conditions.

A Fun Read For the Road

A Prophecy of Crimson Flames - Sherry Altman

This is an indie treasure.
Yes, it’s self-published and still finding its rhythm, but that’s part of its charm. You can feel the heart, the imagination, and the sheer love of story behind every page.

With wonderful world-building and a heroine whose awakening ignites destiny, this book reminded me why I love discovering indie authors. Their worlds are raw, passionate, and full of promise.

If you enjoy fantasy, prophecy, and the thrill of watching a new voice take shape — give this one a read. I truly hope Sherry keeps writing. ❤️


From the Studio Wall


Thimbleweed Anemone 

a.d. elliott, Take the Back Roads

Soft petals and slender stems the Thimbleweed blooms quietly, easily missed if you rush by. It’s a flower that invites you to pause, to breathe, to notice.

I captured this image as a reminder that beauty doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it’s simply waiting, tucked along the edges of the road, patient and sure of its place in the world.

Photograph by 

a.d. elliott 

available at https://shop.takethebackroads.com › products › thimbleweed-2023




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