The Meadows 24x24

 I still remember how it felt, to drive away from the suburb I grew up in and across the country to my new home. My silvery green VW Beetle was packed to the brim with posters, art, crystals, stuffed animals, and house plants.  I loved one thing about my destination - Las Vegas. It was the palm trees. And the way there were mountains in every direction I looked. And how mostly, none of my terrible decisions were there. I’d joke “I’m from the flat land. It’s all flat. This is all new.” I was too young to realize that changing a place doesn’t change memories or my nervous system. It’s only a distraction that made me think it would. The sun was powerful, and there was nothing like a fountain dr. pepper from the gas station with the good pebbly ice on a hundred-and-five-degree day. Even the wal marts in the worst neighborhoods were special to me because of the palm trees in the parking lot.  I had maybe $200 to my name. My Mom sent me a box of paint and canvases so I could make art for my