57 - THE BOTTOM ROAD

THE BOTTOM ROAD

14 x 20 inches

(My childhood home)

My childhood home was surrounded by an enormous lush grove of windbreaks and orchards that Dad had planted to protect his family—it was like living in our very own sanctuary. The gravel road that anchored my childhood home is painted here with prominence—this exaggerated painting of the bottom road shows its importance. We all knew what we meant when we said the “bottom road,” as though it had its own street sign. It bordered our southern fruit orchard that surrounded our garden and our huge strawberry patch.

Even though our farm was nestled in gentle, rolling hills, this flat road allowed us enough level space to learn to ride a bicycle. Because farm life often felt remote and disconnected, learning to ride a bike gave me an exhilarating sense of freedom. A foundation for my life journey, this road ultimately became a final runway for driving off to college and moving forward independently.