Category Archives: ancestors

last weekend on the high plains…

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“The Great Plains were immense enough to inspire the grandest, most foolish of dreams—but they were also vast enough that no one could ever explore every corner.”
― Melanie Benjamin, The Children’s Blizzard

PHOTOS:

  1. The farm where my mother and uncle grew up—Wakonda, South Dakota. The house is gone, but the barn and yard were so familiar to me. I still remember the sound of the screen door, and the radio on top of the fridge relaying the hourly farm reports on WNAX.
  2. Somewhere northeast of Burke, South Dakota last Saturday.
  3. Meckling, South Dakota (The Hay Capital of the World) & Toby’s Lounge, home of their very famous and delicious broasted chicken. A joint I frequented as a kid with my Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Leonard.
  4. Leaving Burke last Monday.
  5. An abandoned car somewhere in Clay County.
  6. Heading downtown—Burke, South Dakota.
  7. A creek east of Burke.
  8. Somewhere west of Beresford.
  9. I love rainy road trips, I was listening to Zach Bryan’s, This Road I Know—I’m on this road…
    And I don’t know where I am, but I know exactly where I am

Here’s to spring and road trips wherever you find yourself.

Will, Maynard, Dorthea, Frida, and Diego…

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Author/dentist—Will Lillibridge (great-granduncle) wrote the book Ben Blair. It was published by A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1905. This was the same year Will’s older brother, Lowell Stanton Lillibridge (my great-grandfather) helped settle the town of Burke, South Dakota where I grew up.

I recently discovered that the cover art for Ben Blair was done by artist, Maynard Dixon—he was married to depression-era photographer (and one of my heroes) Dorthea Lange. Only recently did I learn that Dorthea photographed churches in 1938 near Winner, SD, 39 miles west of Burke.

Three Churches of the High Plains, near Winner, South Dakota; Dorothea Lange (American, 1895 – 1965); negative 1938; print 1940s.

Dorthea Lange & Maynard Dixon became friends with Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera in San Francisco in the 1930s. Maynard at first disliked Diego (as many people did).

A few weeks ago I toured Frida and Diego’s home and studio in Mexico City. Being in the presence of these rooms, the light, shadows, color, collected objects, art, videos, and photographs was…well, Guau (wow).

Seeing where Frida and Diego lived, worked, fought, loved, and entertained made me long for an old-timey, bohemian life without so many modern-day distractions.

Their home museum is located in Coyoacán, a village on the outskirts of Mexico City.

The photos below were taken at the Museo Casa Estudio in San Angel, also a village on the outskirts of Mexico City.

You deserve a lover who takes away the lies and brings you hope, coffee, and poetry.
―Frida Kahlo

Thank you, Uncle Will, Maynard, Dorthea, Frida and Diego!

Three Churches of the High Plains, near Winner, South Dakota; Dorothea Lange (American, 1895 - 1965); negative 1938; print 1940s; Gelatin silver print; 25.6 × 27 cm (10 1/16 × 10 5/8 in.); 2016.150.1; No Copyright - United States (http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/)